Once upon a time, Christendom labelled the Emperor Julian “the Apostate” because he reverted to Paganism. Nowadays, the title is applied to people who leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Moss Matthey left the JWs in order to live his truth as a gay man—as many others have left high control religious groups for the same reason.
Not long after he left, he discovered witchcraft, as well as a loving relationship and a community of Pagans and witches and occultists.
This joyous and life-affirming book is the account of his journey from fear and despair to the joy of living as his authentic self, as a gay man and as a witch.
Two other people participated in the Changing Paths blogging challenge 2024: Jarred the Wyrd-worker and The River Crow. Kudos to Jarred for keeping it up for the whole month and continuing to write blogposts in response to the prompts at the end of the chapters in Changing Paths. And The River Crow wrote some beautiful poetry in response to the prompts.
(This is by no means a complete list of people I admire. Some of the people I admire are not famous but have spent a lifetime doing a thing in an admirable way.)
Despite the adage that one supposedly becomes more conservative as one gets older, I have in fact become more left-wing. I’m generation X but apparently this is also true of millennials. Good job millennials, keep it up.
In terms of my Pagan path, my goals have shifted towards community building—perhaps in response to the trend towards social isolation.
My family roots are in nonconformist churches but there’s also a strong tradition of loving Nature. My Mum loved Nature and so did her Mum. I feel very strongly rooted in the chalk and flint hills of Hampshire and Sussex in England.
My belief that both I and the other are sacred has me focusing more on building and nurturing relationships between the sacred self, sacred others, and the sacred world. I find myself looking more at the importance of community.
My favourite times of year are the transitional seasons of spring and autumn, when everything is changing rapidly. In spring there are new blossoms and new leaves emerging, and the days lengthen rapidly. In autumn, the leaves turn red and yellow and orange and are blown away in the wind. The smell of bonfires is in the air, symbolising the transformation of decay into the bright energy of fire.
There are two types of family — the one you were born into, and the one you choose. If your birth family is problematic for some reason, you can create your own.
Changing Paths challenge day 13 — things I do miss about my old path.
Unitarian hymns — specifically the earth-based ones like Peter Mayer’s “Blue Boat Home” (which doesn’t get sung often enough in the UK), “Mother Spirit” by Norbert Čapek, and nature-based ones like “Daisies are our silver” and “Spirit of Life” of course, but also some of the other ones like “Name Unnamed” which is beautiful. And I really appreciate how the Unitarians have defanged some of the classic Christian hymns by removing the obnoxious bits.
“The wide universe is the ocean I travel And the earth is my blue boat home” — UU poster by Gwinna
Blue Boat Home (tune: Hyfrydol) by Peter Mayer
Though below me, I feel no motion Standing on these mountains and plains Far away from the rolling ocean Still my dry land heart can say I’ve been sailing all my life now Never harbor or port have I known The wide universe is the ocean I travel And the earth is my blue boat home
Sun, my sail, and moon my rudder As I ply the starry sea Leaning over the edge in wonder Casting questions into the deep Drifting here with my ship’s companions All we kindred pilgrim souls Making our way by the lights of the heavens In our beautiful blue boat home
I give thanks to the waves upholding me Hail the great winds urging me on Greet the infinite sea before me Sing the sky my sailor’s song I was born upon the fathoms Never harbor or port have I known The wide universe is the ocean I travel And the earth is my blue boat home
The goal of the book is to help you decide your own path by guiding you through the perils and pitfalls of the terrain, and asking questions to help you deepen your understanding of the reasons for your desire to change paths.
Changing Paths 