The Serpent and the Tree

The Temple of Astral Devotion (TOAD, a delightful acronym) project is one that I've been working on for a little bit. The idea behind it is to have a devotional calendar based on the rhythms of traditional astrology; honoring the planets/deities associated with the planets/deities associated with the qualities of the planets, timed to match … Continue reading Temple of Astral Devotion Project

Other than using the Orphic hymns I have been ad-libbing my prayers to the Mother. I wrote this out so that I had a standard daily prayer for her that I'd written myself and reflected more things. The prayer is a bit syncretic, but that reflects my own exploration of these syncretisms based on learning … Continue reading Kybele Prayer

So I saw this image being shared on Twitter and realized that I had more to say on this subject. I've already explained how in a way, my earliest polytheism was inspired by the Solar System and the planets. Our Earth is deity/deities/has many deities/however you want to unpack that; of course other planets are … Continue reading Stars and Gods Part 2

My personal journey has taken me to some strange places lately. See, I used to write a lot about religion, and that was great when I knew what I was doing with religion. When I belonged to A Tradition of some sort, it was easy to write about that. When I was going to conferences … Continue reading Stars and Gods

(Personal practice and theology) I try to dance every morning for Kybele. I put on music that energizes me, put my hair up, and pretend I’m in a goth club/rave for 20 minutes or so. I’m grateful to be alive and grateful for my body and as a devotional activity dancing reflects that. I experience … Continue reading Dancing for Kybele

The Matronae are a collective of Powers that were worshipped through the Roman Empire. We don't have any writings on them, but we do have a great collection of shrines, artifacts, offerings, and images, suggesting a powerful and complex cultus that was oral in nature. I learned about the Matronae through the work of River … Continue reading The Matronae, The Snake, The Tree

"Life. Death. Life. Truth. Zagreus. Dionysos." A powerful line from an Orphic funerary tablet, a transformative chant, a call to the cycle of death and rebirth, of life and death and Apotheosis, of remembering, of re-membering after being dismembered. Chant it fourty nine times, seven by seven, while contemplating these themes. Dionysos is a liberator, … Continue reading Re-Member Dionysos

(Statue of Brigid from Her well, photo by Star Wolf) When I was first studying Paganism in the 90's we were told that "not much" was known about Imbolc. I'm not surprised; we were told that "not much" was known about the other festivals that have come to be known in Paganism as the Wheel … Continue reading Imbolc, Culture, and Context

(Lookit that face, saying, "I hear you, mortal, how can I help?" Don't you just love a God who listens?) Actually this is more about the Worship Hermes part but I probably got your attention. This text, written by the originators of the phrase "Be Gay Do Crimes", might give you a bit of the … Continue reading How To: Be Gay, Do Crime, Worship Hermes