Paganism

Column: the Impact of Collective Grief

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In last month’s column we explored the topic of grief and some of the ways that people experience grief within our community. Such a vast topic cannot be exhausted in one article, nor should it be. With a topic like grief, one that is so very complex, there are many different aspects and approaches to unpacking its impact. Individual grief will always be a part of the process of life just as loss will continue to be a process of life. The past month we have seen several high profile celebrity deaths that have promoted a lot of sharing around the sadness that death leaves behind.

Living

Column: I’ll Fly Away

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It’s just after noon, and I am sitting under the canopy of my friend Sarah’s booth in the merchant circle of the Heartland Pagan Festival. The heat is punishing this year, with temperatures in the 90s and humidity is pushing the heat index up into hundreds, and most of our fellow pilgrims are hiding, languid, in whatever cool spot they can find. If I weren’t scheduled to lead a workshop in an hour, I would have sequestered myself in my cabin, spread out under the inexcusable luxury of a ceiling fan, but alas. Instead I am here, plucking out the chords on a dulcimer in my lap and whispering the lyrics to “Wild Mountain Thyme” under my breath: Well the summer time is comin’, and the fields are sweetly bloomin’…

“That’s a very soothing sound,” says Sarah, being generous. I’m not much good on the dulcimer.

Paganism

Column: Restoring the Body, Mind, Spirit Through Vacation

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One of the hardest things to do in this fast paced world is to pause or to take a break from ordinary routines. June is symbolic of transitional pauses such as weddings, high school graduations, and summer picnics. It is a time for taking a day off work or attending a celebration. While weddings, graduations, and summer fun with the kids can last a day or maybe a weekend, the type of break that refreshes on a deeper level is extended time away to renew the body, mind, and spirit. Taking a full vacation, a weekend or just four or five days away from the normal routine of life can have a tremendous impact on how life resumes post-break.

Paganism

Column: Ásatrú Ritual and Climate Change Ethics, Part Two

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This is part two of a two part series. Click here to read part one. Transtemporal Care
The Ásatrú practice of blót builds a concept of care in three temporal directions: sideways, backward, and forward. The ritual life of the religion nurtures a sense of both intra- and intergenerational solidarity. The sideways relationship exists between current practitioners.

DNA

Column: Cheer Up Sleepy Gene

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Let me save you a couple o’hundred bucks.  Your DNA comes from Africa. You’re welcome. I did the DNA ancestry testing thing; I got curious about it a couple of years ago. My conclusion: my parents didn’t lie to me, which is good given the significant psychological ramifications of genetic testing.  I’m a four continent mutt – four-and-a-smidge, if you count the Ashkenazi genes. Do I believe it?