Witches&Pagans #35 - Natural Paganism
This special issue features the stories of Pagans who find their spiritual center in Nature.
"I never ask myself — as I sit at my altar to pray and offer and worship — if my gods are really real. Because my gods speak through the wind, and the rain, and the night sky, and the colors at dusk, and those little cracks that open up in time when I stand still in the sun and hear bird-song and leaves rustling. In those moments, I feel the earth move. And I move with it."—(Aine Orga, "Gods of the Earth, Gods of My Heart", W&P #35)
People, Place, & Practice It’s All About the Water. “I stand shirtless and barefoot on the dry ground. Everything is desperate for water. Then I feel a change in the air and my skin begins to prickle.” Article and photos by Bryan Hewitt. Trees as Otherkin. Minoan Crete, Biblical Religion, and Paganism Today. The religion of prehistoric or “Minoan” Crete involved the cultivation of an intimate relationship with a literally living, numinous, landscape. Article and photos by Caroline Tully. The Path of the Godless. John Halstead interviews T J Fox on the place of a card-carrying skeptical rationalist in modern Paganism. Focus on Nature-Based Paganism So You Think You Can Dance? How, exactly, do you go about becoming an animist? Walk with Alison Leigh Lilly on a journey into connecting with all beings. With original artwork by Dan Goodfellow. From Soil to Sky: Genius Loci in Pagan Practice. In Paganism we often call on the genius loci — the spirit of a place — in our rituals. But how much time do we really spend with these spirits outside of that sacred space? Lupa describes how we can respectfully interact with these beings both in the wilderness and at home. With original artwork by Bob Cuneo. Nature, Thou Art My Goddess. Druid Nimue Brown muses “Nature is what I hold sacred. Life is where I find my sense of the divine — not something stood behind life pulling the strings, but the moment-to-moment experience, with no more meaning to it than the glorious fact that it’s all there.” Wisdom from Our Columnists Introducing our newest columnist: Ivo Dominguez, Jr. has been active in Wicca and the Pagan community since 1978 and has been teaching since 1982. He serves as one of the Elders of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel and is the author of many books, including most recently Keys to Perception: A Practical Guide to Psychic Development (Weiser, 2017.) His new column, “Second Star to the Right,” begins in this issue. In this issue:
Raven Grimassi on the sentient spirits of the land
Archer on "awe at the edges.”
Hecate Demetersdatter finding natural magic in the city.
Jamie Della on the magic of rosemary.
Jason Mankey asks, "Are you looking for a coven?”
Diotima Mantineia offers an astrologer's perspective on Pagan holidays
H Byron Ballard proclaims herself a “dirt-hugging dirt worshiper.”
Shirl Sazynski shares Heathen workings to honor the land spirits.
Christopher Penczak asks us to find our inner Sovereignty
Our irreverent “Two Many Witches" advice column answers your question: "Should I Take Witchcraft classes?"
Plus there's more: Pagan poetry; Pagan short fiction “River Women” by Patrick Butler with original art by Tanya Stewart ; reviews, your letters in the Feedback Loop (including short articles on Heathery and celebrating Candlemas in Celtic countries) and Mark Green closes out this issue with a meditation on the path of an Pagan atheist. 88 pages, published in February, 2018.
Purchase a print copy here and an electronic PDF version here.
