Mark Green's Atheopaganism Blog: Ritual

Giving Voice: Public Speaking as a Core Ritual Skill

Wed, Nov 15, 2017

Mark Green

4 Comments

Techniques, Ritual

Speaking before an audience is terrifying for many people. In fact, surveys indicate that many fear public speaking more than death itself. However, for ritualists, speaking confidently before a group of listeners is a core skill that enables clear communication, evocation of emotion, and establishment of leadership…

What Makes a Ritual “Successful”?

Thu, Nov 09, 2017

Mark Green

2 Comments

Practice, Techniques

John Halstead over at Humanistic Paganism has published a rather sharply-worded piece about “10 Signs You’re Half-Assing Your Ritual”. It’s well worth a read, and in general, he’s right: there is a lot of ho-hum ritual out there and many, if not most of us can do…

A Dawn Prayer

Sun, Jun 04, 2017

Mark Green

1 Comment

Liturgy

Whose warm love flows across the land each day Stirring Life, the world’s magic, arms yearning up, Turning each green leaf to follow. Whose generous balm Upon the skin is love’s touch, ahhhhhh heated fingers soothing, Whose roar boils water from ocean to sky Drawing sweet from salt, becoming rain,…

May Morning

Sun, Apr 30, 2017

Mark Green

2 Comments

Liturgy

With love for all of you, on this the eve of May Day… May Morning Fresh as the day the world was made, This morning: dew-spattered through feather fans Of foxtail and wild rye. Mars is low on the horizon, for once. Still As a caught…

Ritual Technologies: Movement

Mon, Jul 18, 2016

Mark Green

3 Comments

Practice, Techniques

Since probably before humans were even human, there has been music. Rhythm, at least. And where there is rhythm, there is dance. There are preserved footprints in painted caves in France that indicate young boys dancing 20-30,000 years ago. Some ritual dances are still performed …

Ritual Technologies: Scent

Wed, Jul 06, 2016

Mark Green

1 Comment

Practice, Techniques

As I’ve mentioned before, the most powerfully evocative of the human senses is the sense of smell. The olfactory centers are in the most primitive parts of the brain, and they can summon vivid memories in an instant, simply from a remembered scent. For…