Spring Equinox is approaching which means it’s time for the annual debunking of the BS that gets spouted about Eostre. There is only one historical reference to Eostre and it is in Bede’s history of the English church.
Continue readingPagan Studies
The Christmas tree
The Christmas tree was invented in 1520s Germany and was popularized in England by Prince Albert.
However: the practice of bringing greenery into the house does date back to ancient pagan practices. Source: Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton.
Continue readingDual faith folk witches
Polish Folk Witch (on instagram and Patreon) has an excellent article on dual faith practice and syncretism among folk witches: Dual Faith: the elephant in the room of the witchcraft community.
The topic of dual faith keeps returning on a regular basis in the broader witchcraft community online, especially on the intersection of folk magic, paganism and christian occultism.
Folk witches often practice some form of dual faith, developed based on the mixture their cultural background, religious background, as well as bioregional features and animistic immersion in the world around them. Each folk witch’s exact praxis will therefore vary.
—Joanna Wiedźma (Polish folk witch)
This reminded me of my articles on dual faith practice based on an essay I wrote for my masters degree.
Dual-faith practice (part 1 of 4)
Dual-faith practice (part 2 of 4)
Dual-faith practice (part 3 of 4)
Dual-faith practice (part 4 of 4)
And this article that I wrote about my personal experiences of practising more than one religion (not the same as syncretic practices):
And here’s one that I wrote about my spiritual wobbles:
Myths about Wicca
Fantastic article by River Enodian from the Tea-Addicted Witch blog.
A Tale of Two Wiccas: Tackling Misinformation
Explains how eclectic Wicca and initiatory Wicca are two different things; discusses cultural appropriation in Wicca; looks at the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law; and explains Wicca’s relationship with Crowley, Thelema, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. I’ve tackled some of these topics myself but this is an excellent overview.
Census results for Paganism in Canada
The breakdown of the Canadian census results is frustrating because it does not show Heathens, Druids, or polytheists; and the Pagan category includes Wicca. So it’s hard to compare with the UK data.
Continue readingCensus results for Paganism in England and Wales
I always have a look at the census results whenever they’re published, and the articles never report the Pagan numbers properly as they only look at people who write “Pagan” or “Wicca” (they never think to include Druidry and Heathenry in the total). So I always go to the detailed spreadsheets and make my own list.
Continue readingNot the messiah
A few years ago, I organized an event where Philip Heselton gave a talk based on his excellent multi-volume biography of Gerald Gardner. He was looking for a title and said that the talk was about the murkier aspects of Gardner’s life. I suggested calling it “He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy” which I’m sure you will recognize as a line from The Life of Brian by Monty Python. So that was the title of the talk.
Continue readingEverything you think you know about Wicca is wrong
This blogpost was inspired by this conversation on Twitter:
The snark quotient of this post may be dangerously high — you’re strongly advised to put your snark goggles on, because I have a snark hammer and I am not afraid to use it.
Continue readingNew book project: spiritual wobbles
Have you had a “wobble” in your Pagan path where you joined another religion, either temporarily or permanently? What caused it, and what other religion did you choose? Did it help you resolve the issue? Did you return to Paganism, or did you stay with the other religion? What did you gain or lose by your exploration of the other path?
Continue readingMore potted history
In my last potted history post, I was half way through my ‘potted history of witchcraft‘ series. I have now completed it, and added a video on key concepts in Paganism.
Coming soon: a potted history of Paganism, and a video on recovering from fundamentalism. Subscribe to my YouTube channel so as not to miss any of my upcoming videos.
Continue reading
Dowsing for Divinity 