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Lover of leaving
Changing Paths challenge day 11 — why I left I left Unitarianism in the end because of archetypes. The archetype that fits me the best is that of the witch, and it’s an archetype that sits uncomfortably in the Unitarian path. (The combination may work for others: didn’t work for me.) I left Christianity because…
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Still friends
Changing Paths challenge day 10 — still friends. I’m still friends with several Unitarians, either in person or on social media. Last September two of our longest-standing Unitarian friends from the UK came to visit us in Canada and we had a great time together. A quote from one of them found its way into…
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Smash that Protestant lens
Great piece from John Beckett this morning which covers some really good points about how to write about different religions, why the word “religion” should not be used as a synonym for Christianity, and how not all religions fit the “Protestant lens” (the way people tend to use the Protestant paradigm as a way to…
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Old friends
Changing Paths challenge day 9 — old friends. Although Unitarianism * / Unitarian Universalism wasn’t my path, I still value many of their ideas and values. They’re green, they’re LGBT+ inclusive or at least welcoming, they were the first to ordain women ministers (the Universalists in 1860, the English Unitarians in 1904), among the first…
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My old path
Changing Paths challenge day 8 — my old path The photos in this post represent the comforting and ancestral aspects of Christianity. They’re of Kilpeck church in Herefordshire, which is a very beautiful church and has a Sheela na Gig corbel. There are many familiar cultural aspects of Christianity such as carol services and harvest…
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Devotion, awe, reverence
Changing Paths challenge 7 — devotion “devotion (n.) c. 1200, devocioun, “profound religious emotion, awe, reverence” (also relates to vow) —Etymology Online What provokes awe in me is immensity — the immense depths of space, the infinite number of stars, the dancing curtains of light in the Northern Lights, or a huge sweeping mountain range;…
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Ritual
Changing Paths challenge 6 — ritual Candle flames flickering, incense smoke curling in the twilight, standing in a circle of firelight, chanting sacred words. Deep in the woods where everything is transformed by the moonlight. Where the warm summer rain falls softly on the leaves. The atmosphere of ritual is like no other: electrifying, life-enhancing,…
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Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I didn’t know anything about this festival so I looked it up, and apparently it’s a minor holiday in México celebrating the defeat of an invading French army by a small Mexican army at the Battle of Puebla (1862). But it’s celebrated in the USA by the Mexican diaspora. Originally this…
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New friends
Changing Paths Challenge day 4 — new friends I’ve met some lovely new people in Canada — in the Wiccan and Pagan community, at pottery class and also Morris dancers. Plus we’ve joined a (secular) choir recently.
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My Pagan path
Changing Paths challenge day 3 — my new path Well I’m not sure that Paganism is my “new” path any more as I’ve been a Pagan for 38 years now… but what keeps it fresh? Seeing the beauty of nature, and when humans interact with nature harmoniously. The changing round of the seasons. Seeing the…
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May Morning
Changing Paths challenge 1– May Morning May morning seems an appropriate time to start a new writing project. It’s one of the four quarter days of the year, when traditionally there were fairs (often hiring fairs) and celebrations. I always feel like Imbolc / Candlemas is a great time to start groups — when the…
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Blogging/photo challenge
The Changing Paths challenge for May 2023. Feel free to skip a day or post something different from the topic of the day, but if you do the whole thing, I think you’ll arrive at a new perspective on your path.
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“I won’t kneel for their god anymore”
James Gardner Davis has written an amazing reflection on changing paths in response to my guest appearance on the Missing Witches podcast. Their candid discussion of how religious trauma is a catalyst for people to seek out more inclusive spaces, typically outside of Christianity, is so useful for so many people who are seeking out…
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Guest appearance on Missing Witches
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed on the Missing Witches podcast recently and they’ve just released the episode.
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Patron deities
The concept of patron deities in polytheism caused me a lot of trouble back in the day. I was on a polytheist mailing list and it seemed like everyone on the list had a patron deity who had approached them personally. They were also adamant that the deity approached them and not the other way…
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Paperback released today
Available wherever books are sold online.
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Review by Steve Dee
A wonderful review by Steve Dee of Changing Paths is up at The Blog of Baphomet.
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Changing paths survey
Take part in the survey and share your experiences of changing paths.
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