Let me spin you a scenario that plays out periodically in the pagan community: You’re bobbing along, minding your own business. You’re helping run events or maybe you’re leading them. You’re doing readings, offering counseling, or assisting with spellwork and ritual. Maybe you’re teaching classes or workshops. Everything is going fine and then suddenly, out…
Tag: lifestyle
I find myself repeating a few different themes throughout my work and teachings. Know who you are. Know what you want. If you have those two things, or either of them, at least partially figured out, you’ll weather everything better. And that’s important. Because here we go again. The tide is starting to turn. The…
I sat where I always do, the thready mists of Helheim swirling before me. The crowd had gathered again, an indistinct circle of hundreds around me. More an impression of a gathering of people than anything solid. I could smell apple blossom on the breeze. My heart hammered in my chest and I could feel…
Here in the mid-Atlantic, the winter birdsong is giving way to spring singers. There’s a rush of excitement in the air as returning species arrive and mate-seeking and nest-building begin. Birds have been referred to as the messengers of the gods in many different cultures. This connection of our winged companions to the Divine Ones…
Recently, Seo Helrune posted a question: if you were going to design a 30 day challenge, what would it be? That question got my wheels turning and they’ve been spinning ever since. I used to help manage a yoga studio and our Spring Challenge was one of my pet projects, so I’ve thought a lot…
One of the memes floating around right now talks about the difference between nice and kind, and the way people can be one but not the other. It relates those concepts to different regions of the United States. That meme generates a chuckle for me since the east coast is associated with being kind but…
Anybody who has attended a Pagan event in the Mid-Atlantic region has most likely encountered Irene Glasse. As the president of Frederick Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (FCUUPS) in Frederick, Maryland, and the organizer of that organization’s annual Frederick Pagan Pride Day, Glasse has contributed to numerous events and organizations in Maryland and nearby environs….
Many years ago, I was introduced to the idea of selecting a single word for each calendar year to act as an intention, touchstone, and big-picture goal. The beauty of a single word intention is that the simplicity means multiple ways of connecting are possible. For example, one of my words over the years was…
This short sermon was offered for the December 13th, 2020, streaming service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Full text below. I sometimes joke that paganism is an unusually intense form of environmentalism. One of the common threads that comes up when talking to other pagans is that we were pretty feral as children. …
When I was a kid, I spent many of my summers attending YMCA Day Camp programs. I grew up in Frederick, MD, and the region is blessed with abundant parks and forests. For each session of summer camp I attended, I had a buddy assigned to me. One of the camp field trips I went…