Word and Spirit
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Crown of Crows: A Meditative Journey Writing Fantasy
The act of writing, I believe, operates directly on our subconscious, working with symbols that hold meaning beyond our conscious understanding. When you write, you’re not just telling a story; you’re engaging in trance-work. Continue reading
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Archetypes of the Witch I: Transformer at the Edge
In my previous posts on the the Archetype of the Druid, I trace my personal journey. Literary figures (Gandalf, Merlin, Sherlock Holmes, and Hari Seldon) shaped my intuitive understanding of the kind of person I wanted to be, and (along with guidance from community and Spirit) ultimately led me to find Druidry in the modern Continue reading
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Archetype of the Druid I: Encounters at the Edge of Druidry
How literature shaped my conception of the Druid. And my conception of the self. Continue reading
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Lions, Gods, and Bears, Oh My: Godhood in Lewis, Tolkien, and Beyond
Exploring godhood through the lens of storytelling and mythology. I look at Lewis’s Narnia and Tolkien’s Arda, reflecting on lion and bear symbolism: leadership, protection, and intimacy with nature. Continue reading
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The Animist and the AI, Part IV: Mechanical Meditations
Is it possible to lead ChatGPT on a guided visualization and get clarity into its subconscious knowledge of self? Continue reading
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The Animist and the AI, Part III: Subconscious Syntax
ChatGPT’s knowledge of grammar seems to reside within its subconscious. It knows, but it doesn’t know what it knows. Continue reading
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The Animist and the AI, Part II: Common Concerns
AI will have a deep impact on creative fields like art, writing, and spirituality. Will AI take away jobs? Will it destroy artistic and spiritual traditions? Or is it a tool that can enhance and augment human creativity? Obviously no one really knows, but I can offer some educated guesses. Continue reading
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Dogma Bites Man: the Role of Reason in Religion
The road to enlightenment can be, and has been, walked by people contemplating the Bible’s oddly phrased, simplistic, and disjointed attestations, precisely because they are odd, simplistic, and disjointed. Continue reading
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Integrating Work and Spirit
For many years, I kept my spiritual life (Druidry) separated from my work (computational linguistics). Of course, there are certainly strong overlaps — you only have to look at the 50+ articles under ‘Word and Spirit’ in the sidebar to see that. And every once in awhile I’d cast a spell for prosperity or something similar. Continue reading
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Story, History, and Meaning
In the episode of Faith, Fern and Compass we posted this week, Alison and I talked a bit about stories, and what their purpose might be. Is storytelling something with evolutionary origins? If so, what? And why? It’s a completely open question, but an essential one: stories and histories, real or imagined, provide entertainment, bind Continue reading
About Me
Word, Card, and Star – a journey through language, divination, and inspiration. A chronicle of my search for guidance, insight, and a connection to nature and the ancient world. Along the way, I hope to discover beauty, connection, groundedness, and a sense of wonder.
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