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Meanwhile, Down South…
Yesterday I posted on the impending Northern Hemisphere Sabbath of Summer’s Waning or Dimming. But of course, this also means that what approaches in the Southern Hemisphere is Brightening, the holiday marking the point at which winter is technically over and the days have noticeably lengthened from their shortest phase at the solstice. Brightening is a hopeful holiday, a time to make plans for achievement of the coming year’s goals. I wrote in more detail about it here. So to Southern Atheopagans, I wish you the new hope of the strengthening Sun, audacity and aspiration in your new plans, and the tenacity to get through this last little bit of…
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Summer’s Waning
So I’ve finally settled on a name for the August Sabbath…or two of them, really, because I like “Dimming” quite a bit as well. It’s not really “Summer’s End”–at least, not where I live–although I can still consider it the beginning of the autumn season. Hot days lay ahead, especially in September. But it is undoubtedly Summer’s Waning–the days are notably shorter than at Midsummer, and the sky has begun to find the hard blue of autumn. Summer’s Waning is an elusive holiday, particularly since it has no Overcultural corollary. Defining what it means and how to celebrate it can be tricky. But here is what I have come up…
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Confronting Our Demons: A Guide to Atheopagan “Demonology”
This article draws heavily on concepts suggested by my friend Hummingbear in an essay he provided to me more than 25 years ago. I no longer have the essay, and he lost it in a computer disaster, but this is my riff on his basic concepts. Thanks, Hummingbear! Our Atheopagan approach to “magic” is that it is psychological: we do rituals to change our consciousness, address our issues, heal our wounds and focus our intentions. We understand that this does not change the physical world, but it changes our internal worlds, and by so doing can lead us to make substantive changes in our lives. Most (but not all) Atheopagans…
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When Life is Hard
It’s been a tough few months. Within the space of three days at the beginning of May, we received a 60-day notice to move (illegally, as it turns out), and had to euthanize Miri, the Very Soft Cat. The housing market around here is a nightmare and it took more than 60 days to find a new place and move. But the new place is much nicer, and only a little more expensive. And we now have a feisy and playful new tuxedo cat, Kiki, who I prefer to call Rocket J. Squirrel. Life, however, was not done with us. Yesterday, I lost my job. Now, there is a lot…
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GUEST POST: Just Talk to Each Other (About Sex)
by Alexandra Palmer Information about and illustrations of heterosexual cisgender vanilla sex are all many of us have in regards to formal education about sex. It is touted by some as the only sex one “should” be having unless they are at the very least a “pervert”. This hetero-cis-vanilla language we are given with which to explore our needs and desires leaves many of us feeling unwelcome and without a voice. The pressure we are under from cultural norms that disregard some sensations as valid forms of pleasure has been longstanding and influenced by history’s major religions. Attitudes are changing, however, and people are beginning to see beyond their own…
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GUEST POST: Relating to Silk Moths and Dying Stars
by Emily Ryan In the corner of my living room, in a white mesh enclosure the last of my hyalophora cecropia nears death. Tattered, her once swollen abdomen is emptied of her precious eggs and the stores of fats and lipids that nourished her is depleted. Even tattered and dying, she is heart wrenchingly beautiful. Her red and white body is furred and fluffy. Her six inch wingspan is painted with strata of orange, red, and white. She is the largest and most spectacular species of moth in North America. The small flame of her life puffs out, but the cycle continues ever on. A few feet away from where…
