Community
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Growth is Change
Paganism generally—and Atheopaganism specifically—comprise intersecting sets of growing communities. And as we grow, we change. Generally, for example, the Atheopaganism Facebook group has been a very kind, warm context, but there has been more friction lately, and a need for more hands-on moderation. This is inevitable. When we were a group of 300 people, it was easy for people to know one another and for norms and conduct standards to be implemented organically. But now, there are nearly 2,000 people in the group, with about 20-30 coming in each week. Those folks don’t know the group vibe yet, and some of them are used to an Internet that is pugnacious…
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The Long Game
It’s not looking so great for the future of the world right now, is it? The machinations of Vladimir Putin to stir up nativist and racist sentiments in the UK and US have led to disastrous results: the Trump election and Brexit. Both are systematically destroying the liberal democratic traditions of these countries and threatening spillover into other places like the Middle East. Meanwhile, China is playing go, calmly and methodically placing its stones throughout Africa, Asia and South America to claim resources and subvert democracies in those places…all the while committing its own domestic genocidal campaigns against Muslims, Tibetans and Uighurs. And, of course, there is climate change. These…
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Midsummer Dawn: A Regional Pagan Event
Midsummer Dawn is a low-tech Pagan gathering for those of us who miss events like Ancient Ways. We’ll do a couple of (non-theist) rituals in the evenings, but mostly focus on socializing and building community. Two nights under the magnificent stars in the exquisite Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Sonoma County, California! There is a waterfall we can hike to, and simply beautiful land to enjoy. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. Saturday was not available. This is a camping event, so bring your gear, and plan to cook for yourself. We will have a potluck shared dinner on the first night (Sunday). Grocery shopping is…
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Join Us for Atheopagan Events at the Final Pantheacon!
I am presenting at the final Pantheacon, Feb. 14-17. I hope that those of you who are also attending will join me for these Atheopagan events. An Introduction to Atheopaganism. Saturday at 12 PM in the Spark Collective hospitality suite, Room 247. What is the Pagan path of Atheopaganism, and how did it evolve? What are its ritual practices, ethical principles and cosmology, and why are these well-suited to people of today? Come hear this introductory talk and ask all your questions! Nontheist Pagan Mixer. Saturday at 2 PM, Spark Collective suite room 247. Wine and snacks served. Enjoy fellowship and conversation with like-minded Pagans! Books will be available for…
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Soapbox On Loan! Call for Submissions
Atheopaganism is getting pretty big. It won’t be long before the Facebook community crosses 2,000 members, and our path is now a topic of conversation and familiarity in many Pagan circles all over the world. Each of us does it a little differently, and that is exactly as should be: our celebrations of the Wheel of the Year will vary based on the climate and ecology of where we live, and our personal aesthetics and interests will naturally color and inform our practices. It has always been my goal that this space be not “my megaphone”, but instead a place where we can share what is interesting about our Atheopagan…
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I’m Gonna Go There: A Rant.
Paganism is a very broad category. It includes a tremendous range of traditions, practices and paths. Which is as should be: people are diverse. They should do what gives them joy and meaning. So it can be about many things. It can be about rituals and “magic”. It can be about the Earth. It can be about gods. It can be about principles for living. It can be about activism. But you know, one thing we can say with confidence is that at its heart, Paganism is not about owning witchy clothes, or fancy tools, or other trappings. It’s not about Harry Potter or goth aesthetics or LOTR or Renaissance…
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Ten Favorite Posts from 2019
As we wrap the arbitrarily-defined year up tonight, I thought I’d go back through my posts of this year and pick some favorites. Your mileage may vary! Abuse, the Pagan Community and Our Commitments Burgeoning Toward a Culture of Happiness Authenticity There is No Resurrection Towards a Spirituality of Responsibility Atheopagan Practice and Mental Illness The Book is Here! Hour-Long Radio Interview on Atheopaganism Things End Old Ways, New Days As 2019 winds down, I wish you a happy and prosperous 2020! I’m excited at the prospect of a new year of creativity and adventure, and excited/fearful for the 2020 US Presidential elections, which will determine whether or not we…
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Show Your Pride! Atheopagan Pendants and Products
We now have several sources for Atheopagan products. Here’s how you can buy them! First, there is The Atheopagan Store at Zazzle, where mugs, bumper stickers, Winter Solstice cards and t-shirts can be purchased, as well as collar pins and ritual stoles for when you need that clerical look. Prices on these products are nearly at cost, and all proceeds go to the Atheopagan chosen charity for the year. For laser-cut wooden suntree pendants, Yule ornaments and Focus symbols, visit Akashazamora.com. Beautiful work at very affordable prices! Next, there are splendid bronze and pewter suntree pendants at Meuleurgy on Etsy! Also very reasonably priced. Finally, if you have access to…
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More on Community Transition
Recently, I wrote an optimistic piece about the evolution of the Pagan movement. Some insightful commenters were not so sanguine as I, and I’d like to address their contentions here. Their arguments fell into several general buckets: The Internet is not a substitute for in-person contact and relationships. Rigid ideologies and fundamentalism are tearing us apart, and newcomers seeing this will be alienated and flee. We cannot have kinship and a culture—and, therefore, a cultural impact—unless this divisiveness ends. Paganism has reached the end of a 40-year cycle common to spiritual movements and, having not gained much social traction, will now fade. People are leaving Paganism and “occult” practice, even…
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The Pagan Community in Transition
Once upon a time, there was a deeply oppressed minority whose very existence was illegal: the gay community. And though we* are far from winning the fight for full equality for LGBTQ folks, it is fair to say that much progress has been made, and the LGBTQ community has made transitions as a result. For one thing, it isn’t as necessarily committed to secrecy, to clandestine gathering in obscure locations like dive bars and bathhouses to avoid police and the general, critical public. I believe the Pagan community is arriving at a similar crossroads, and is changing as a result. Recently, two major announcements have discomforted the North American Pagan…
