Pagan Musings From A Pagan Person

  When I was a kid, I was taught, “What goes around comes around.”  Basically, what you send out will return – like attracts like.  You can call it karma, the Law of Return, whatever you choose.  It’s a pretty basic principle in just about any religion or spirituality.  I always felt it went along with the idea of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.  It’s a fundamental tenet for even existing on this planet with all these different personalities and egos.   I was also taught as a youngster that you stand for what you believe and don’t turn a blind eye to injustice.  For a couple years in the late Seventies, my mom worked for a local organization that helped rescue battered women and their children, helping them with counseling and safe houses.  It was a harrowing experience sometimes.  Being a kid with a big mouth and an impulse to say whatever I was thinking, I would say things about beating those abusive guys up or wo...

  Change IS good.   There will inevitably come a time when it’s needed, and I don’t think we should run from that.   It’s a mistake to think that, once you find that “sweet spot” in your life, everything is going to stay the same forever – because it’s not.   People change.   Situations change.   We all change – we learn, we grow, and we move on. One of the worst things I’ve ever tried to do is maintain a group’s practice when it was evident that the group had outlived its purpose.   Often, the reason I did that was because someone else thought we should keep going.   My intuition would be telling me, “let it go – it’s time,” but for whatever reason, I let other people persuade me otherwise.   Probably because I’m a people-pleaser, which sucks, and I’m trying to break that habit. Anyway, I’ve recently been working on listening to my intuition more, and not relying on other people to tell me what’s going on – because, unfortunately, people...

  Does there come a point in our lives as Pagan Elders that we should remove ourselves from teaching and/or leading? I’ve been a part of the Pagan community for many years.  I’ve taught, led public groups and private covens, been a face and a voice (and a target), organized events, done all the things that are expected of someone who calls themselves “clergy.”  More than once, I’ve questioned whether or not I’ve worn out my welcome, as it were. I’ve tried to step down before.  I know there are plenty of smart, capable people in my local community, and I know my absence wouldn’t cause any problems.  I’m sure many would welcome my absence!  But with every attempt to return to a private life, someone asks me to come out again, to help organize an event, teach a class, speak to a group.  I appreciate that some folks out there want my input with projects.  However…. I’m tired.  I’ve spent most of my life as a public figure in the Pagan community, ...

 Last week, our community lost a well-respected elder.  Don Wildgrube crossed over on the ninth of April. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/donald-wildgrube-obituary?pid=206740580 If you are unfamiliar with his legacy within our community, I can briefly tell you he was well known for his work with the Church of All Worlds and on polyamory.  But there are others who can tell you about that.   http://www.aboutsexpodcast.com/e/polyamory-and-paganism-with-don-wildgrube/ For a lot of us, it's more personal, because we lost a friend. All hail the traveler.  Until we meet again....

 I had something else completely different in mind this morning when I started working on a blog, but this came across my sight, and I had to say something about it: https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-kicked-stage-strip-show-1890247 Yes, this is real.  Yes, this happened in my hometown.  This is the same church responsible for the toe-growing incident, here:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/23/church-leader-claims-prayer-regrew-toes/11527845002/    Last year, at this same conference, they had a tank roll out and crush cars.  You can read about that here:   https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/hawley-stronger-mens-conference-rcna26899 And, oh yes, that's our state senator attending last year's event. *sigh* Stuff like this goes on quite a bit in our little town.  And it generally makes national news - which is embarrassing for most of us.  But I'm starting to suspect things like this happen on purpose, beca...

There are a lot of different paths in this spirituality we call Paganism.  You can be Druid,  Wiccan, Asatru, Hellenistic, or just a good old-fashioned kitchen Witch.  No matter what you call yourself, we’ve all got common threads that bring us together. However, in recent years, some factions have been taking the differences and using them as tools to attack and denigrate each other.  My take on this is, if no one has broken any laws, then what the hell?  Everyone does stuff, and not everyone is going to agree.  Here in my area, we have a standing policy of “agreeing to disagree.”  It doesn’t mean I condone everyone’s actions or will just stand idly by if I do see someone breaking the law or doing something unethical.  It just means we don’t attack different ideals. Paganism does tend to draw strong personalities.   You can go to any festival and see it for yourself!   Women in long, flowing dresses and tons of jewelry, men with poet’s ...

  Have you ever gone to an event and felt a sense of “ick” from an individual, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on why?  This is something that happens more often than we care to say, because as a Pagan, I know I want to be able to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I have also learned to trust my intuition. It is an unfortunate truth that our spirituality can attract less-than-savory characters due to our acceptance of people overall.  I personally try to meet people where they are and accept what they say about themselves without forcing anyone to fit into my own narrative.  It works well, unless they show me otherwise.  Actions do indeed speak louder than words, and no amount of explanation or song and dance routine will make me think a bad person is anything more than a bad person. About thirty years ago, there was an individual in our town who presented themselves as a grand and wise wizard who was willing to teach, but in order to “transfer ...