The Zen Pagan

07/01/2025

In a time when so many are deliberately cutting off communication -- calling for their political opponents to be censored, or celebrating the idea of going "no contact" with their families over political or cultural disagreements -- I think we need to take a stand for keeping the lines of communication open.

In a time when so many are deliberately cutting off communication -- calling for their political opponents to be censored, or celebrating the idea of going "no contact" with their families over political or cultural disagreements -- I think we need to take a stand for keeping the lines of communicat...

01/01/2025

So I'm making that my theme for 2025: communication. Let the way be opened, not just between the realm of spirit and the realm of humanity, but within the realm of humanity.Let's fix our mailboxes so we can receive messages from all over. We don't have to agree with the people sending those messages, but if we're going to solve our planetary problems, we have to hear the messages.

So I'm making that my theme for 2025: communication. Let the way be opened, not just between the realm of spirit and the realm of humanity, but within the realm of humanity.Let's fix our mailboxes so we can receive messages from all over. We don't have to agree with the people sending those messages...

05/11/2024

The Trickster generally doesn't make trouble so much as reveal the trouble inherent in the order of the world. The chaos is already there, but we want to sweep it under the rug, ignore it, pretend that the existing order of things is just and good.

23/09/2024

Of all the archetypes we're considering, the Warrior may be both the most problematic and the most promising. Why is the Warrior so fraught? Because the Powers That Be have always needed men to fight their wars....There are two words that we must focus on to understand the Warrior: "mission" and "boundaries".

Of all the archetypes we're considering, the Warrior may be both the most problematic and the most promising. Why is the Warrior so fraught? Because the Powers That Be have always needed men to fight their wars....There are two words that we must focus on to understand the Warrior: "mission" and "bo...

01/08/2024

Over the this turn of the “Wheel of the Year”, we are investigating and paying respect to eight archetypes of mature, sacred masculinity. The Captain At Lughnasadh/Lammas is the sixth installment in this series. Context (If you’ve been reading this series, you can skip this repeating section.) Men’s mysteries matter. Today, young men are confronted […]

The Captain is in the field or on the ship with those he leads, in the fray with them, leading the charge. And the Captain cares directly for his men. He is mentor and caretaker, even if he can also be a stern taskmaster. The captain goes down with the ship because he puts his men ahead of himself.....

01/08/2024

Masculine Archetypes: The Captain at Lughnasadh. "The Captain is in the field or on the ship with those he leads, in the fray with them, leading the charge. And the Captain cares directly for his men. He is mentor and caretaker, even if he can also be a stern taskmaster. The captain goes down with the ship because he puts his men ahead of himself. But as a leader of Warriors, he puts the mission before all." Link in comments to appease The Algorithm.

25/06/2024

Back from Summerisle Burn 2024, now a few days to unpack the car, clean the gear, pack in some productive hours at the various jobs (!), pack the car, and then it's out to southeast Ohio for The Starwood Festival, where I'll be speaking about self-care with Asian Bodywork (as in EarthTouch Shiatsu) and magick (as in Punk Magick). It's a strange life, but it's my life.

20/06/2024

He does not command, he is not a conqueror. Instead the King is the conduit of blessings for his people. This kingship is all duty and no power, no temporal power at least.

20/06/2024

Masculine Archetypes: The King At Midsummer. "The sort of King we are speaking of “reigns but does not rule”... He does not command, he is not a conqueror. Instead the King is the conduit of blessings for his people."

He does not command, he is not a conqueror. Instead the King is the conduit of blessings for his people. This kingship is all duty and no power, no temporal power at least.

31/05/2024

I'm scheduled to speak about acupressure and magick at The Starwood Festival XLIV this July

The Starwood Festival is a transformational event, a non-demoninational spiritual and Neo-Pagan gathering dedicated to consciousness exploration and providing new and varied entertaining experiences.

13/05/2024

This is a really good data point about the difference between religious ritual ("poetry in the realm of acts", in Ross Nichols's wonderful phrase) and religious dogma. I've got no use for dogma. I'm interested in ritual.

05/05/2024

In this memeplex we can find misandry, a romantic misview of nature, a base rate fallacy, myths about violent crime and about the gender distribution of power, and a disregard of positive helping behavior by men. So there's a lot to unpack.

05/05/2024

In this "Bears vs. Men" discussion we can find misandry, a romantic misview of nature, a base rate fallacy, myths about violent crime and about the gender distribution of power, and a disregard of positive helping behavior by men. So there’s a lot to unpack. But it's my hope that by taking some time to deconstruct this memeplex, we can make space for more productive discussion towards a positive vision of manhood and a safer society.

In this memeplex we can find misandry, a romantic misview of nature, a base rate fallacy, myths about violent crime and about the gender distribution of power, and a disregard of positive helping behavior by men. So there's a lot to unpack.

01/05/2024

The Preacher does not issue orders or set himself above those he speaks to in a power hierarchy. The authority he has is "moral authority", rooted in the rightness of what he says and in congruence between those words and his actions.

01/05/2024

"The Preacher does not issue orders or set himself above those he speaks to in a power hierarchy. The authority he has is “moral authority”, rooted in the rightness of what he says and in congruence between those words and his actions."

The Preacher does not issue orders or set himself above those he speaks to in a power hierarchy. The authority he has is "moral authority", rooted in the rightness of what he says and in congruence between those words and his actions.

20/04/2024

There is no "spiritual warfare".

There is no enemy anywhere to go to war against. If you think that there is, you are not operating spiritually.

That does not mean there is not warfare (gestures broadly at the world). It means there is not "spiritual warfare", and the popularity of memes about it is paranoid conspiracy theorizing on a cosmic scale.

Usually I'm content to let folks work this one out on their own, but with World War Three and/or Civil War Two as options on the menu, and in a society where astrology influencers snap and do familicides, it seems worth saying explictly.

This has been a public service message from the Enchanter's Guild.

19/04/2024

Saddened to hear of the death of Daniel Dennett. My freshman philosophy class used The Mind's I, the book he and Douglas Hofstadter edited and provided commentary for; a formative influence.

The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul is a 1981 collection of essays and other texts about the nature of the mind and the self, edited with commentary by philosophers Douglas R. Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett. The texts range from early philosophical and fictional musings on a s...

04/04/2024

If some part of your life is in Bad Order and you could use some aid in shaking loose from it, I suggest that this Great North American Eclipse provides a unique magickal opportunity for a reset -- especially for those in the path of totality, but you can work this ritual even if you're in an area where it's only partial.

If some part of your life is in Bad Order and you could use some aid in shaking loose from it, I suggest that this Great North American Eclipse provides a unique magickal opportunity for a reset -- especially for those in the path of totality, but you can work this ritual even if you're in an area w...