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The Future of Neopaganism in the West, Part II: Going Organic

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

In the previous post, I outlined a model of prestige and stigma which predicts whether a language or religion will grow or wither in a society. Now let’s take the prestige/stigma model and look at Neopaganism today. By these measures, Neopaganism is in trouble.

Stigmatized Neopaganism

Imagine trying to revive the Latin language. Imagine speaking it at home, teaching it to your children, seeking out Latin translations of modern works, and using it instead of English whenever you could. What would your friends and neighbors think? Do you think lots of people would jump on the bandwagon with you? Do you think that the revived Latin movement — “Neolatinism” — would have much of a future in your society? There are no celebrities speaking Latin on TV. There are no government officials speaking Latin in press conferences. Latin is stigmatized as a dead language with no future; why would anyone want to learn it?

If the analogy between religion and language holds, Neopaganism is in exactly the same situation as Neolatinism would be. (more…)

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Europe, Latin, Massachusetts, Odin, Zeus, atheism, children as natural pagans, holidays, linguistics, monotheism, paganism, polytheism, religion, shamanism | 13 Comments »

The Truth of Religion (or: Yes, Virginia…)

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008

I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of truth this holiday season. My oldest daughter is nine, and she still believes in Santa, bless her heart. The question is, do I?

I mean, think about it. I’m a pagan. I believe in, and have personal experience with, Apollo, Athena, Belanus, Cernunnos, Bridget, and various lesser spirit guides. Why not Santa?

Well, one reason is that I know quite well who puts those presents under the Solstice tree; our credit cards have the scars to prove it. On the other hand, where does the magic of the season come from — the magic in the children’s hearts and in our own — if not from Spirit? And why not call that Spirit Santa Claus? (Have any mediums out there tried to contact him? I’m asking this seriously!)

Take another example: my second daughter, who is 7, believes quite firmly that Thor causes lightning. (I’m not sure what my 9-year-old thinks — she may be agnostic on the point.) I personally believe in Thor. But as for whether he’s out there with his hammer when lightning strikes — well, I’ve never seen him, and there seems to be quite a bit of meteorological evidence that it has something to do with charged particles in the ground and the atmosphere.

Nastier questions arise when you start mixing up pantheons like I have (e.g., do I believe in Zeus? If so, who’s really in charge of lightning here?). Then there’s the issue of angelic visitations, “aspects” of the God and Goddess of Wicca, Christians with powerful religious experiences, and all that. I mean, it can’t all be true, can it?? How do you decide? (more…)

Posted in Apollo, Christianity, Christmas, Heathenism, Law of Attraction, Norse theology, Santa Claus, Thor, Zeus, atheism, belief community, child raising, children as natural pagans, metaphor, monotheism, my children, paganism, polytheism, religion, subjective reality | 44 Comments »

Interfaith Blog Event #6: FAITH (Faith in Druidism)

Tuesday, May 15th, 2007

I’m honored to have been invitied to join in an interfaith blog conversation held by Mike (writing from the Mahayana Buddhist perspective), Jon (a Protestant Christian), Sojourner (pagan/UU), and Matt (an evangelical Christian) — all bloggers I hold in high esteem. Every month (or thereabouts), we write on a topic of interest to us all. This month’s topic is faith:

What is your view regarding the meaning and the role of faith? What importance does it play in your community and in your daily life?

The links to the other articles in the conversation will be updated as they are posted:

[Mike’s Essay] [Jon’s Essay] [Sojourner’s Essay] [Matt’s Essay]

Faith in Druidism

Faith in Druidism is a tricky topic.

There are plenty of polytheistic druids, who try to adhere as closely as they can to the pantheon of gods worshipped by the ancient Celts. I am one of those. Then there are duotheistic druids, who believe in a God and Goddess, much as many Wiccans do; and panethiestic druids, and animist druids… There are druids who worship a pantheon of gods who were admittedly made up (or discovered?) out of thin air by college students in the 1960’s. There are druids that practice a mixture of Celtic mysticism and Buddhism (which are not nearly so far apart as you might think — in fact, the similarities are frequently striking). There are even Christian druids, who practice a form of Christianity native to Scotland and Ireland in the latter half of the first millenium (known as “Celtic Christianity”). For all I know, there may be agnostic or atheistic druids as well.

How can this be? What unites all these belief systems? (more…)

Posted in Celts, Christianity, paganism, polytheism, religion, the Interfaith Blog Event | 14 Comments »

A Quick Note on Polytheism

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

I have spent a fascinating morning discussing polytheism with some great folks over at Songs of Unforgetting. Check it out! Thank you, Kay, for kicking off the fascinating discussion, and James, Bernulf, and Hrafnkell for all your insight.

Posted in Christianity, God (of monotheistic religions), Heathenism, Norse theology, archetypes, children as natural pagans, elements, paganism, polytheism, religion | No Comments »

Children in Paganism

Tuesday, January 9th, 2007

This past Samhain, my family and I went up to New Hampshire to attend a festival thrown by the Spiral Scouts of Peterborough. The Spiral Scouts are a sort of Boy/Girl Scout group for non-monotheistic children, and the event, to be held in the Unitarian Church, was geared toward all ages, with crafts, music, drumming, a costume contest, storytelling, and ritual. We figured it was the perfect opportunity to plug into the local Pagan community and meet some other families with children that we can build relationships with.

We succeeded; but I have to say we were also a little disappointed. There were clearly over a hundred people in attendance, but only a dozen of them were children. Four of those were mine. (more…)

Posted in Christianity, Pagan Sojourn, Samhain, Santa Claus, Spiral Scouts, Unitarian Church, Zen, agnosticism, atheism, children as natural pagans, holidays, my children, paganism, polytheism, ritual, sidhe | 3 Comments »

How to Choose a Religion IV: Why Be Religious?

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006

Why choose a religion?

This post is addressed to agnostics — those who haven’t decided what they believe, or who have decided not to decide. If you believe strongly that there is no God, or that science is the ultimate answer, then I count that as a religion too (see this post for why). But if you base your worldview on the scientific method (which requires a stance of permanent doubt), then you’re agnostic, and this post is for you.

Agnosticism is like riding a bicycle. (more…)

Posted in Adams, Douglas, Buddhism, Christianity, God (of monotheistic religions), agnosticism, atheism, evangelism, paganism, polytheism, religion, shamanism | 4 Comments »


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For the spiritual searcher who feels called or connected to Nature and the Ancient World, my articles and recordings provide spiritual guidance, inspiration, and beauty, by fostering communication, openness, groundedness, and a sense of childlike awe.


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Not just a word. A guided tour of a tiny piece of the human experience.

These are words you already know - simple words like god and sun and home. Words that are part of the furniture of your mind, the vocabulary of your subconscious, the words in your heart. You�ll read about where they come from and what they mean, just like in a regular word-of-the-day, but you�ll also read about how their sounds contribute to their meaning in subtle ways (phonosemantics), related words, and their place in the universal subconscious.


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I believe our names reflect both our character and our purpose in life. For a donation of your choice, I'll give you a complete etymological analysis and phonosemantic reading -- a full historical and spiritual assessment.

Every name means something. What about yours?


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Do you like the artwork on this site? -- Get some for yourself.

I create each of these pictures using a powerful landscape generation program. I strive to bring out the heart's inner world -- the spiritual landscape that informs the most ancient religions, and the symbolic landscapes that speak to us today. Free for a short time, I will create one specifically for you. You may choose the landscape features you want, or I will meditate on your needs and create one tailored to your spiritual circumstances.

Roam in places that are your own... the pasture of ardent clearness and mindfulness... your own place, your natural range. --Samyutta Nikaya


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Want to experience meditation for yourself?

It's an excellent way to communicate with guides, develop your intuition, explore inner space, and reach a state of peace. I've created a series of guided meditations designed to get you started on this path, available at the Druid Journal Meditation blog.


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