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Some Ritual Etiquette
Once upon a time, long, long ago, people would gather in groups for social interaction. They had parties, attended performances and sporting events, and some of them, the Pagan ones, held group rituals. Perhaps soon, they will begin doing such things again. In the hope of that happy day, here are some of the many considerations when inviting people to join you for a gathering and ritual. In the invitation, let people know what to expect, especially if there are non-Pagans in your invitation list. You can’t “ambush” people into participating in a ritual–they have to want to be there. So for example, if you’re having a Sabbath feast for…
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Bring Me That Horizon
In 2015, it was our home of 18 years being sold out from under us, and having to move, but having no money. In 2016, it was unemployment, deep depression and financial desperation. In 2017, it was the Tubbs wildfire, which evacuated us for 9 days, came within a half-block of burning our home, burned 20% of the city where I live, killed some unfortunates, and tanked our region’s economy. In 2018, it was the smoke of the Camp Fire that turned the sky black and the air unbreathable for days. More death. Paradise, California, erased from the Earth. In 2019, it was the Kincade Fire, which nearly eradicated the…
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Please Join Us for Zoom Events!
The Atheopagan community holds a variety of events on Zoom for fellowship, conversation, and even planning and conducting online rituals. Here are some of the events coming up: Saturday Zoom Mixer: Weekly on Saturdays at 10:15 AM Pacific Time. We discuss pertinent topics, plan rituals for the Sabbaths, and otherwise have a good time. Zoom link Sunday Zoom Mixer: Most weeks, Sunday afternoons Pacific Time. Announcements posted in the Atheopaganism Facebook group about an hour before starting. Monthly Book Club: various Sundays. See The Atheopagan Society News and Events page for the next scheduled meeting and the book being read. Atheopagan Sex Salon: June 5 at 3:30 PM PDT. Monthly,…
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In the Silken Air
At this time of year, I like to spend as much time without clothing as possible. The soft Spring air is delightful, caressing my body, and it just feels liberating and alive to be naked. Now, this isn’t for everyone, and I’m not saying it should be. You have to come to terms with the state of your body, which is a real challenge for some of us (not that their bodies aren’t fine as they are, but body-image issues are a real thing). I am a middle-aged man with a typical middle-aged man’s body, somewhat the worse for the COVID-19 (lbs.)’ weight gain over the past year. To be…
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Yuri’s Triumph
It is 60 years ago today that the era of humanity in space began with the remarkable, courageous orbit of Yuri Gagarin around our beloved planet. OFF WE GO! he said as his rocket, Vostok 1, began the long, roaring climb out of Earth’s gravity well. And nothing has been the same since. Today, we marvel at the Hubble images, the crystal-clear shots of our Solar System’s planets, asteroids, comets, the alien landscapes of Mars and the Moon. We look up to where human feet have walked on our Earth’s own satellite, and listen for the distant peeps of the Voyagers, far beyond the worlds of our Sun. We have…
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Joy Hunt
It’s been a long time. I mean, a really long time. For many of us, since long before even the pandemic. Since we strode, or ran, or wheeled, or paddled into the wild, lungs gulping precious air, consumed with The Moment of Aliveness. Or, being unable to do any of those things, simply witnessed one of the many miracles of life on this exquisite Earth—a sunset or rise, a rainbow, a bolt of lightning, a crashing wave, a moonrise, snow falling, an aurora—and had our breath taken away. It’s more than a year now since our socialization, our group activities were taken from us. And I’m writing now to suggest…
