Living

Column: Celebrating Kwanzaa

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The holidays in December are plentiful, and there are many different intersections of practice among Pagans today. Winter Solstice, Yule, and Saturnalia are three of the more commonly referenced in the modern Pagan community at this time. Yet there are other holidays that continue to find their way into the practices of Pagan homes. While some people continue to celebrate Christmas and some observe Hanukkah, Kwanzaa is one of the December holidays that is not often discussed in Pagan circles. Celebrated over seven days, Kwanzaa is a Pan-African, cultural holiday that celebrates a set of seven principles.

Paganism

Culture and Community: Restorative Practices in the Age of Social Media

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Restorative and Transformative Justice are concepts we have heard more about recently in justice and criminal work, institutions, and inside of schools. Oakland, Denver, Portland, Chicago and many other cities have implemented Restorative Justice practices in their schools to deal with issues of violence, trauma, and in the building of community. Trained facilitators in restorative work have become increasingly common, and the need for such skills have become more apparent. Yet we live in a culture that often supports response instead of contemplation, and the popularity of social media has compounded this culture of reactivity. The nature of social media and tools of expression at our fingertips promote instant responses any time of the day.

Paganism

Culture and Community: Black Lives Mattering At The Parliament

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[Crystal Blanton is one of our talented monthly columnists. She writes the Culture and Community column, focusing on a number of very vital community topics, like the one below. If you like reading her work, please consider donating to our fall funding campaign and sharing our IndieGoGo link. There are only 9 days left! It is your wonderful and dedicated support that makes it possible for Crystal to be part of our writing team.

News

Culture And Community: Losing Harbin to the Valley Fire

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif —  Lake County, California has been on fire since September 12, 2015. This fast moving and powerful fire has swept the county at remarkable and horrifying speed, burning over 67,000 acres in the first three days. According to the Cal Fire website, in those first three days, there were 585 houses lost, 9,000 structures threatened, and only 30% of the fire was contained. As of September 17, 2015, three deaths have been confirmed and the fire is only at 35% containment. The devastation has become insurmountable.

Paganism

Culture and Community: The Impact of Diversity Within Modern Paganism

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Diversity is one of those funny things. There never seems to be enough diversity in any community to reflect all the many different intersections within society. Ideas of diversity are often limited to race, ethnicity and gender in larger conversations, and yet there are so many more variations and flavors to the many different types of people, ideas, experiences and circumstances. It has become more of a buzz word in many spaces, such as the workplace, academic institutions and even spiritual spaces – an expectation instead of a reality in some circumstances. 

We know that diversity means variety and the representation of a range of differences. Do we have diversity within modern Paganism?