Love Is… (A Pagan Take)

I had an epiphany once while waiting to be seen in an emergency room. I was there for a severe stomach complaint, sent there directly by my doctor and yet still had to wait four hours to be seen. My best friend was with me, waiting all that time. I was wrapped in her old …

On Godly Gifts: Life Is Hard When You Don’t Believe in Giraffes

When I was 19, I took piano, violin, and music theory from an eccentric Hungarian musician who liked to talk a lot about escaping communism. He also liked to tell Hungarian jokes. In a book of translated Hungarian poetry, (by the poet Miklos Radnoti—seriously, check him out. He’s awesome), I read in the translator’s notes …

Those Who Lack: A Pagan Meditation on Love and Dentistry

Taken outside my mother’s board and care facility while she was recovering and my teeth were falling out. I remember my friend Jeana at the bar in Nashville, Tennessee, or actually on her way to the bar saying that her teeth may be crooked, but at least they were all in there. She was referring …

Excerpts from a Letter to a Pagan Devotee

A while ago, a reader sent me a long letter asking questions that ranged from how to approach the gods to the nature of suffering and why the gods allow it in this world. As we all are, she was hungry to understand how all this faith stuff works and to have someone understand her …

A Pagan Learns Evangelical Charity

My best Salvation Army find of all time. I kick myself every day that I didn’t buy it. Except God Now! Human trafficking is a huge problem where I live yet, woefully, there are very few organizations that serve those victimized by it. I recently had occasion to donate goods to a deserving charity and, …

Prayer Song Honoring Goddess Hestia

While it is traditional to honor Brigid during the Imbolc season, it is also fitting to honor Goddess Hestia who is the goddess of hearth and temple fire—the loving goddess of the divine spark. She so wished for humanity to have this connection to the gods that she gave up her throne on Olympus to …

Classic Imbolc Tale of My Epic Social Fail

Happy Imbolc everyone! Gather here with me around the temple hearth where today we celebrate Hestia/Vesta, goddess of hearth and temple flame, and also Brigid, goddess of poetry, the forge, and myriad other bright and blessed things. Sit here with me, the goddesses amongst us, the soft flickering flames inspiring our mystical vision. As the …

Pagan Truthiness

“This is the true religion. All others are thrown-away bandages beside it.” -Rumi In college, while still a Mormon, I saw some article in the local newspaper disparaging Mormonism for claiming to be the “one true religion.” I thought it was funny at the time. Who would want to belong to a church that claimed …

Unsolicited Spiritual Advice: Getting the God Feeling

Aldous Huxleyphotographer unknown “…the place of mind in nature and the relationship between brain and consciousness.” -Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception I’ll tell you what: Right now my brain is starting a headache looking at this quote while my consciousness is in Aldous Huxley’s pants. Such a a spiritual hottie. Great big juicy brain. …

Mercury Day Magic: Planetary Powers Career Spell

Goddess Moon is full and bright.Magical anticipation quivers.Gather your tools and hang on tight.This spell will give you joyful shivers! Tomorrow’s full moon shines in the constellation of Leo which is ruled by the Sun. It will be Thursday, the day of Jupiter. Jupiter’s jovial powers and the Sun’s brilliant energy lend themselves perfectly to …