Whelp. The second decade of the 21st century has drawn to a close. I expect there will be a number of these retrospective posts coming up within Contemporary Pagan blogging circles. We’ve seen an immense diversification and explosion within those circles in the past decade, and an entire generation of new Pagans has come of age in that time. For my part, we’ve seen an expansion and dedication (although the last two years may not seem like much) in writing, consolidation of theme, forays into alternative methods of information dissemination, and the establishment of foundations of growth for other people to use as a reference (should they desire to do so!). Communally, torches have been passed – some to the good and some to…
Ealdmōdru and Mōdra, those to whom I give praise,
Who within me persist,
through breath,
through action,
through being
Those who share with me bonds of kith and kinship,
Mothers, Grandmothers, ancestral dead,
Protectors, prosperity-weavers, caretakers,
To you I pray on this holiest, darkest, night.
To you I call, and make place for, and venerate.
Heorþmōdoru, Festermodru, Wyrdwebbes, Hǣlugifu, all,
Hear of me and mine, look kindly upon us,
On my home, on those who I love,
And on those who I call friend.
Give to us the wealth or your knowledge,
Health and wellbeing of heart and mind,
Bounty of safety, and prosperity, and sustenance.
Continue to nurture us, to support us, to protect us,
As long been your way,
Holiest mothers guard and guide us, lead us,
With your voices, share with us your wisdom,
in these times of darkness and danger.
Tagged: Anglo-Saxon, Gifting Cycle, Heathen, Heathenry, Old English, Pagan, Paganism, Prayer, Religion, Ritual, Sacred
As is often the case with De Temporum Ratione, the information provided by Bede regarding Winterfylleth is decidedly scant and provides us little to work with in terms of reconstruction. Bede’s brief description of this month is recorded thusly: “Antiqui Anglorum populi […] annum totum in duo tempora, hiemis et aestatis dispertiebant, sex menses […] […] via A Winterfylleþ Rite — Sundorwīc
I very rarely reblog other posts, but this is a good, important one, written by my bro. I encourage everyone to read it.
When it comes to protesting development over sacred sites, the wider Pagan community (online as it is) tends to be relatively vociferous. With the Dakota Access Pipeline and the conflict which erupted at Standing Rock over that situation, writers of Paganism unleashed a flurry of information, coordination, and protests. A search of the “Dakota Access Pipeline” in the archives of the Wild Hunt reveals (as of 7.21.19) eighteen distinct post hits, from link roundups, to editorials and columns of Pagan involvement, or otherwise community notes. On Patheos Pagan, numerous known bloggers wrote about the fight over the sacred space which the oil robber barons would bulldoze through, pollute, and tarnish with their unmitigated and unnecessary (scientifically and morally) project. Witches & Pagans has a…
Tagged: Mauna Kea, Paganism, Religion, Sacred, Sacred Defense
I periodically – very infrequently – write Pagan, Heathen, and other Western polytheistic book reviews. Typically, the books I read which inform my writing here are academic in nature, so I do not feel the need to do reviews for them. I must also admit that I am out of touch with the plethora of pan-Pagan publication (say that five times fast), and I rarely purchase the works of my colleagues. It is for that very same reason that I am writing a review of a near four-year-old book. Why? I absolutely forgot that it existed until this week. It’d been on my list when I first heard about it being published, and then my life went absolutely topsy-turvey. I only recently saw a…
Tagged: ADF, Ár nDraíocht Féin, Book Review, Cosmos, Gifting Cycle, Heathen, Heathenry, Pagan, Paganism, Religion
Author’s Note: Due to the growing length of this piece, it will be subdivided into further posts detailing this topic. Consider this ‘part one’, with more Heathen-specific interests forthcoming. This entry deals with one of the most contentious topics of religious identity as it is approached by reconstructionist polytheistic paganism, especially Heathendom and reconstructionist Germanic practices – the issue of syncretism. As Contemporary Paganism and the reconstructionist polytheisms establish their own identity, grow, and eventually diversify with regards to internal developments a discussion as to what is and what is not syncretism and whether it is allowable within ‘Heathenry’ will invariably occur with greater frequency. Indeed, questions regarding the role and appropriateness of syncretism in the face of what is considered “traditional” approaches…
Tagged: Academic Heathenry, Heathen, Pagan, Paganism, Religion, Sacred, Syncretism
“What then is time? If no one asks me, I know: if I wish to explain it to one who asketh, I know not.” – Augustine of Hippo, Confessions XI.XIV “Time” is a phenomenon which is fragmented and multifaceted in scope, consisting of numerous subjective views that range from philosophical discourses to personal perceptions to scientific principles. The theory and philosophy of this phenomenon has always been one of contention, a controversial issue that has spawned debate and argumentation over the centuries of human intellectual history. It is ubiquitous and familiar – the ticking hands of a clock in the classroom, or the memories of things which had previously happened – and it is also esoteric and unknowable; it exists in a state of…
Tagged: Anglo-Saxon, Cosmos, Eliade, Heathen, Heathenry, Hierophany, Pagan, Paganism, Phenomenology, Religion, Sacred, Theophany
In rekindling and perpetuating their devotion and engaging in the cosmic gift cycle with the multitudinous divine polytheists within Contemporary Paganism (especially those within Heathenry/Heathendom and its ancillary religions) engage in basic ritual acts in a daily or weekly practice. Among these acts are practices which can rightly be considered “sacrificial” in expression. The act of sacrifice, or more precisely the act of offering, is an intrinsic facet to the proper expression of polytheistic piety. In engaging with these practices, popular attitudes towards the ritual components and mechanics of the sacrificial act vary across the spectrum of belief and practice, sometimes rather drastically. The practice, mechanics, attitudes, and values of the sacrificial ritual are all hotly discussed within contemporary circles of Heathendom and…