Pagan Way

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Fall Equinox is celebrated in less than two weeks (it is September 22nd this year in the Eastern Pacific, but on the 23rd in Europe and most of the United States) as Mabon, also called Harvest Home. (Those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate the Spring Equinox, Ostara, at this time.)

Growing Darkness…….

Mike Nichols writes of the day: “Mythically, this is the day of the year when the God of Light is defeated by his twin and alter ego, the God of Darkness. It is the time of the year when night conquers day.” The metaphor for the natural solar cycle is perfectly clear, and easily appreciable by naturalists. Likewise with the agricultural myth of John Barleycorn, personification of the ripened grain:

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Druidry

Thinking about Lughnasadh

July 26, 2019July 26, 2019 Caspersgrin

Lughnasadh is a Gaelic festival that marks the beginning of the harvest season. Lugh is an Irish Celtic deity, son of Cian and grandson of Danu and Dian Cécht of the Tuatha Dé Dunann, and his mother was Ethniu/Ethlinn, daughter of Balor of the Fomorians. His foster mother is Tailtiu. Tailtiu is a presumed earth… Continue reading Thinking about Lughnasadh

Mythology

Do Pagans Think Mythologically

June 27, 2019 Caspersgrin

What is mythological thinking, and do pagans think mythologically? Let’s answer the first part of that question and let the second part take care of itself. Mythology is a kind of mysticism, sort of. According to at least one dictionary, mystics focus their attention on the spiritual mysteries. And that means to delve deeply beneath… Continue reading Do Pagans Think Mythologically

Druidry

What Happens When You Attend a Druid Rite

June 24, 2019October 22, 2019 Caspersgrin

I attended the Columbia Grove ADF Gaulish Midsummer Rite. It was my first time at such an event and I never really was able to get my mind wrapped around all that I experienced. Yet, even though I never fully intellectually grasped the content, it was nevertheless an emotionally moving experience and I am very… Continue reading What Happens When You Attend a Druid Rite

Mythology

What is Pagan Mythology and Why Does it Matter

June 22, 2019June 22, 2019 Caspersgrin

When I see the full moon and the man in the moon looks straight at me, I always wonder what he's thinking. Perhaps what he wonders about the most is what we are thinking. The days go by very slowly on the moon. A day on the moon is like a month on earth. It… Continue reading What is Pagan Mythology and Why Does it Matter

The Sun, the Moon and the Stars

A Pagan View of the Summer Solstice

June 19, 2019June 20, 2019 Caspersgrin

Mainline Western religious traditions teach that everything that happens more or less happens because a god is in charge, whether it’s the Hebrew El Shaddai, the Christian Jesus or the Islamic Allah. But long before those traditions were born, our earliest ancestors believed pretty much the same thing. While the idea of a single high… Continue reading A Pagan View of the Summer Solstice

Paganism

A History of Who Pagans Are

June 16, 2019October 22, 2019 Caspersgrin

Pagan was a term that originally simply meant country dweller. In the fourth century, early Christians began using it to describe people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism. Of course, it had become a pejorative to describe any kind of polytheism in much the same way as the ancient Israelites labeled non-Israelites as idol-worshippers.… Continue reading A History of Who Pagans Are

CUUPs

All about CUUPS

June 15, 2019June 19, 2019 Caspersgrin

CUUPS, the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans is a pagan organization under the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) umbrella. According to Wikipedia, CUUPS was originally formed at the UUA General Assembly in 1987 and then incorporated as a not for profit organization in 1997. Initially a UUA Independent Affiliate and as of 2015, a UUA Conventing… Continue reading All about CUUPS

Druidry

Expanding my Horizons

June 4, 2019June 19, 2019 Caspersgrin

I had a long talk with a good Wiccan friend of mine a couple of days ago. We talked about my tangential interest in Druidry. She encouraged me to look into ADF. I did so and ended up joining yesterday as a solitary practitioner. There's a Grove in Portland (ye old 30 miles away again)… Continue reading Expanding my Horizons

CUUPs

Pagan Affiliations

May 27, 2019June 19, 2019 Caspersgrin

I attend a Unitarian Universalist (UU) fellowship in McMinnville and then I discovered CUUPS, Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, a pagan organization under the UU umbrella. Unfortunately, the nearest local chapter is in Salem some 30 miles away. I also attend an eclectic monthly discussion group, Magickal Musings, a child of the Witches of Cascadia… Continue reading Pagan Affiliations