Culture

Column: Hail to Our Victims

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Pagan Perspectives

Today’s column comes to us from Karl E.H. Seigfried, goði of Thor’s Oak Kindred in Chicago. In addition to his award-winning website, The Norse Mythology Blog, Karl has written for the BBC, Iceland Magazine, Journal of the Oriental Institute, On Religion, Religion Stylebook, and many other outlets. He holds degrees in literature, music, and religion, and he is the first Ásatrú practitioner to hold a graduate degree from University of Chicago Divinity School. Our weekend section is always open for submissions. Please submit queries to eric@wildhunt.org.

Culture

Column: Coming Home

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Pagan Perspectives

Today’s column comes to us from Clio Ajana. Clio is an Archieria for the House of Our Lady of Celestial Fire in the Hellenic Alexandrian Witchcraft & Spiritual Tradition, and she also practices Romuva (Baltic Heathenry). She currently lives in Central Minnesota.  Her interests include divination, eldercare, prison ministry, and death midwifery. 

The Wild Hunt’s weekend section is always open for submissions. Please send queries to eric@wildhunt.org. One of my favorite times lies in the span between the last two sabbats of the calendar year.  Nights lengthen, temperatures cool and bring a hint of snow,  and the ground hardens beneath the fallen leaves.

Living

Column: Leaning Into the Lessons of Samhain

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Pagan Perspectives

The shifting of the seasons and the feel of fall in the air brings about some of the most meaningful and symbolic times of the year. Whether it is the crispness in the air, the Halloween decor, or the increasing conversations about the ancestors in mainstream circles, October is a busy month for all things witchy. It is one of the times of the year where some aspects of the Pagan world collide with the mainstream over-culture. While this time can be exciting for many of us, the depths of the coming celebration of Samhain is significant in many ways. We celebrate the turning wheel, the closing year, the power of the underworld, and the thinning of the veil between worlds.

Living

Column: Riding the River of Life and Death

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Pagan Perspectives

[Today’s piece is a guest submission by Carrie Pitzulo. Carrie Pitzulo holds a Ph.D. in American History, but she would rather talk about ghost hunting, tarot cards, or her dinner with Hugh Hefner. Spiritual and metaphysical exploration is a lifelong passion that has brought Carrie to writing, teaching, and mentoring women on alternative spiritual paths. You can follow Carrie on Instagram, Facebook, or her personal website, Ancient Magic Modern Living.]

It began at this time last year, autumn eve, when my three-year-old daughter asked me to play dead. We did this on several occasions until she solemnly inquired, “What is die?” Unprepared, I fumbled through a lame, stuttering answer.

Culture

Column: Reflecting on the Mighty Living

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Pagan Perspectives

Reverence is the way of radical respect. It recognizes and honors the presence of the sacred in everything — our bodies, other people, animals, plants, rocks, the earth, and the waters. – Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
As the seasons change and we move into the fall months, discussions of ancestor reverence and the Mighty Dead become more prominent. Seasonal ancestor altars are erected and many practices engaging our connection to those who have transitioned from their physical existence become the focal points of our traditions. These very practices are a part of many different cultures, and are not exclusive to Paganism or Polytheism by any means.