Descriptions
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What We Turn Back into the Soil, Redux: A Guided Visualization
I improvised this guided meditation for the Atheopagan Saturday Zoom Mixer’s Hallows ritual on the theme I wrote about here, and people liked it so I thought I would write it down before I forgot it. First, get comfortable. Take a deep breath and feel that life-giving oxygen like a wave running from your chest out to the tips of your fingers and toes, the top of your head. If you’re comfortable with it, close your eyes–if not, just lower them so light becomes dim. You find yourself in the woods at night, at the foot of a hill. A warm wind whirls and gusts around you, unseasonably warm and…
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Revisiting the Sin-Eater for Hallows
I am fascinated by the tradition of the sin-eater. Found in several European cultures but primarily known from southern Wales and parts of England adjacent, the tradition is that after someone dies, their body is laid out with food atop its chest or on a sideboard next to it, with a small coin in a dish. A designated person, the sin-eater (who is poor and generally shunned by the local community) is called to enter, and comes to eat the food and take the money, “eating the sins” of the deceased person and leaving them purified to go to heaven. There is something so Gothic, so folk-horror, so primal and…
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It’s here!
My new book, Round We Dance: Creating Meaning Through Seasonal Rituals is published and launched! I had a lovely book launch party yesterday in Oakland, California. It was great to see friends, read some passages and sell and sign some books. It has been about a year and a half since I submitted the manuscript for Round We Dance, and as I read pieces of it I found myself thinking hey, this is good stuff! Nice to feel that sense of pride in my craft. Here I am, signing. Isn’t Kimba’s coat amazing? She said it was like being inside a Muppet. I’m really proud of this book and I…
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First Look at My New Book!
I got some galley proof copies of ROUND WE DANCE: Creating Meaning Through Seasonal Rituals, and it looks and feels great! It is always a real thrill to hold a first copy of one of my books in my hands, and this is no exception. ROUND WE DANCE releases on April 8–the same day as the impending solar eclipse. You can read more about it and pre-order your copy by clicking here.
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The Atheopagan Libation–A Ritual We Can Share Globally
Recently, as we interviewed her for THE WONDER podcast, guest Susan Paterson of the Atheopagan Society Council suggested that it would be cool if there were a particular ritual that was shared by Atheopagan practitioners all over the world. I love this idea, so here is a suggestion that Atheopagans across the globe can adopt if they so choose. Thirteen being a special number for us, I suggest Atheopagans do this ritual at Thirteen o’clock (1 pm) on the 13th of each month, wherever you are–or whenever you gather with other Atheopagans. If you are at work (as I will be if it’s a weekday), take a few minutes to…
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Planning for Eerie Season
October is nearly here! The witchiest, gothiest, most autumntacular time of year is once again approaching. If you’re like me, October requires some time commitment and advanced planning in order to get every sanguine drop out of the season. So here is a description of all the stuff I do in October to steep myself in its gothy goodness. Throughout the month, I watch movies: I like to watch creepy, campy and thematic films in October on my way to Halloween. Perennial favorites include Practical Magic, The Others, Jacob’s Ladder, The Sixth Sense, various Hammer Horror films (lots of Christopher Lee!), classics like James Whale’s Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein,…
