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Contemplating a Red Moon
Last night, 2019’s only lunar eclipse took place: a spectacular “supermoon” eclipse. We watched it from our back yard, watching the Moon slowly darken into a ruddy ball, and then, dramatically, the bright edge of ordinary Sun-lit surface burst into being and steadily reclaim it. Lunar eclipses are really cool. Astronomical events as a whole are really cool: meteor showers, eclipses, transits, and particularly that extraordinary rarity, a prominent comet visible to the naked eye. Whenever possible, I take the opportunity to experience these phenomena, as they bring home in a visceral way that we are on a planet, in space, and there’s a lot of other stuff going on…
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Atheopaganism: An Introduction
In recent months, hundreds of new Atheopagans have joined the Facebook group and followed the blog. Lots of folks viewing our path with new eyes, and many wondering how to get started. Accordingly, I thought I’d provide an overview of this Pagan path. Today I posted a video, “An Introduction to Atheopaganism”, to the Atheopagan YouTube Channel. This is a talk I will present at Pantheacon next month. View it below!
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In Memoriam: Mary Oliver
The celebrated poet Mary Oliver has left us at the age of 83. Details of her life and achievements may be found here, but I’d like to say, as an Atheopagan, how meaningful her work was to me, and, I think, to all who find grace and meaning in the movements and manifestations of the natural world. Oliver’s poetry was conversational, accessible. Mostly, she wrote in complete sentences broken by white space. Not for her the opacity that so often passes for “great poetry”; hers was a body of work addressed to people who live here, in the world, and who are struck by moments of wonder and reflection. She famously…
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CALL FOR NOMINEES: Atheopagan Charitable Cause 2019
Well, we took a poll and the results are in: this year, the majority of the community feels we should choose for our support a charitable organization which deals with conservation of the Sacred Earth itself. So now it’s time to submit your nominees! One per person, please, so we have a manageable number to consider. You can submit them in the comments thread below or in the discussion thread in the Facebook group. Please submit your nominee with a short (1-2 sentence) description of what the group does. Deadline for submitting a nominee is January 31. Thanks for participating!
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Raineth Drop and Staineth Slop
Winter is icumen in, Lhude sing Goddamm Raineth drop and staineth slop and how the wind doth Ramm Sing: Goddamm! —Ezra Pound This parody of the famous 13th century English round “Sumer is Icumen In” perfectly reflects how many of us experience the month of January. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s dark, and it just…keeps…going. In the mainstream Christian culture, there isn’t a thing to celebrate after New Year except for a couple of long “official” weekends with little if any widely acknowledged ceremonial significance, until Easter in March or April*. That’s a very long drought between celebrations. Pagans get a Sabbath at the beginning of February, commonly called Imbolc…
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Atheopagan Events at Pantheacon 2019 [UPDATED!]
Though we were disappointed that Atheopagan submissions for presentation at Pantheacon weren’t accepted to the official schedule this year, that’s not slowing us down! We have three events scheduled in hospitality suites this year, including the popular annual Nontheist Pagan Mixer. The events are: FACING FORWARD: A talk on nontheist Paganism: 1-2:00 pm Saturday, in the Fire Family Suite (Room 247). How is human religious behavior evolving? Where is it likely to go, and how does nontheist Paganism fit into that trend? Nontheist Pagan Mixer: immediately following “Facing Forward”, from 2-3:30 in the Fire Family Suite (Room 247). Wine and snacks served. Enjoy fellowship and conversation with like-minded Pagans! An…
