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Guest Post: My Atheopagan Life (Pt. 1)
by Holly H. I began taking a meandering path towards Atheopaganism when I left Protestant Christianity in my early teens. As a thirteen year old who had recently become alienated from the concept of deities following the death of my grandfather, I took a walk along a canal tow-path in rural Wiltshire, UK. It was a sparkling early summer day, the kind where the world around you seems to be dancing with the joy of living and I became suddenly aware of the glory of nature around me. Being a quiet and introspective young person, this soon turned into thoughts about the wonder of the ever-stretching universe, the fragility of…
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From the Atheopagan Society: A Statement of Policy Values
Ours is an engaged spirituality: engaged in society, engaged in the world. Atheopagans care not only about our own growth, joy in living, discovery and wonder, but the well-being of our fellow humans and the biosphere of which we are each a part. Our Atheopagan values, enshrined in the Four Sacred Pillars and the 13 Principles, are modern, progressive, inclusive, and in some cases have radical implications for improving conditions in our world. We understand the destructive and unsustainably rapacious nature of industrial capitalism, and know the values that dominate the world must change for justice, biodiversity, kindness and happiness to prevail. This is not just abstract. Activism is a…
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Happy High Spring 2022!
We’ve been through a lot over the past two years. We’re still going through a lot. And yet, the sprouts rise and the buds swell, the flowers bloom and the birds return. Spring is always a hopeful time, a time to gaze forward with anticipation and optimism. For me this year, I am so close to having a genuinely wonderful life. I just need a job, and I have a second interview for a truly great one in two days. So I am imagining what life with that job could look like. Imagining survival fear waning, and joy swelling with the growing year. Wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, if…
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REGISTRATION IS OPEN for an Upcoming Online Class: ATHEOPAGANISM: The Cleric’s Path
I am happy to announce an online class on Zoom, entitled ATHEOPAGANISM: The Cleric’s Path. The class is in three segments on Sundays at 10 AM Pacific Time (so our European friends can join us), starting March 27, continuing on April 10 and finishing on April 24. Each segment is 90 minutes in length. You do not need to be an ordained Atheopagan cleric to take the course. Tuition for the course is $75, and you can register and remit your tuition by clicking here. When paying, please be sure to write in the notes field “registration for cleric’s class”. This course will cover all the skill and knowledge areas…
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Atheopaganism: A Path of Reverence, Celebration and Service
It’s been awhile since I wrote just generally about Atheopaganism: what is it, why does it exist, and what does it stand for? Atheopaganism is a godless, supernatural-free religious/spiritual path I envisioned between 2005 and 2009, which led to publication first of an essay and eventually of the book Atheopaganism: An Earth-Honoring Path Rooted in Science. In this path, the worldview and approach to learning of science are combined with progressive values and Neopagan ritual practices celebrating nature, the diversity of humanity, and our passage through the seasons of the year and of our lives. This not the first time that scientific/naturalistic cosmology has been combined with Pagan practice. If…
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Towards a Daily Spiritual Practice
One of the things which characterizes our Atheopagan path–and which we share with many other Pagan denominations–is observation of the eight holidays of the Wheel of the Year: the solar solstices, equinoxes and the midpoints between them. So every 7 weeks or so, we have a seasonal festival to celebrate, if we so choose. How we define those holidays can vary widely, as we are aware of our local climates and ecological processes and seek to match our celebrations to them. And we don’t have to celebrate all of them if we choose not to. In addition, we may hold occasional rites of passage for our friends and loved ones,…
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Imagining a Brand-New, Cringe-Free Paganism
Bear with me here, because I am probably going to piss some people off. Just keep an open mind, and listen. Atheopaganism is a modern path. Created beginning in 2005, the essay describing it was first published in 2009. The online community launched in 2012. The book was published in 2019. The podcast began in 2020, and the nonprofit Atheopagan Society was organized later that same year. We have grown to thousands, but realistically speaking, our community is 15 years old, give or take. There’s nothing wrong with that. Everything starts sometime. What matters is the content of the path’s values and the character of its members. Atheopaganism is a…
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Building Community, Core Values and Leadership
Recently, the Atheopagan Society launched a new program for the community: affinity groups. These are small groups organized around topics of common interest or geographical areas, where Atheopagans can interact, learn, support and get to know one another better. They meet on whatever platforms they choose (or in real life, when safe), and are not moderated by the Society or by the community’s Facebook or Discord moderators. While we have provided forums for asking questions and seeking support, the groups are generally self-managed. I have been careful since the time that Atheopaganism started to catch on with other people to stipulate that I may be the originator of this path…
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Forming Atheopagan Affinity Groups
Recently, it was brought to the attention of the Atheopagan Society Council (including me) that some folks in the Atheopagan community are interested in starting their own Atheopagan affinity groups, which—at least during the pandemic—can meet by Zoom or Discord (or whatever platform they wish) and share fellowship, create rituals, kick around discussion topics, and support one another in their practices and in their lives. If the members live close enough to one another, perhaps after COVID has left us they could meet in person. An affinity group is a small group organized for a particular purpose. These groups might orient around particular areas of interest or study: moon rituals,…
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Announcing the Atheopagan Library
A new feature launched today at the Atheopagan Society website: a set of pages providing links to articles, videos, books, websites and other resources that may be useful to Atheopagans in developing their practices, homeschooling, research or simple reading interest. We are calling this collection, which will continue to grow over time, The Library. The Library is an important step forward for our community because it offers a central repository for useful information that Atheopagans can draw on for years to come on subjects ranging from rituals to parenting to relationships to science and critical thinking curricula. It will offer creative opportunities to parents and teachers, serious works for study…
