Category: Paganism
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Where Does Compassion Belong Among Pagans and Polytheists?
I’m having a hard time with compassion. So far, I’ve developed a daily ritual at my altar, I’ve reconciled (for the time being) my differences with my Christianity, I’m working to hold the tension between my Druid Revival leanings and my ADF approach, and all of that feels good. I feel like I’m developing a […]
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Do Not Speak, and You Will Be Heard
Today I approached my altar in silence. Speaking the words out loud, my standard approach to a daily ritual, felt unnecessary. In my mind, in my heart, the words rang out with perfect clarity, and I trusted that whomever needed to hear them would. The effort I put into my daily practice waxes and wanes, […]
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WARNING: Call on a God, and He just might show up.
I drove an hour to Malibu for my Spring Equinox ritual. The location was a secluded, public beach called “El Matador.” The site opened at 8, and I arrived just a few minutes after the top of the hour. I followed the dirt trail down the edge of the cliff side, wearing jeans and work […]
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Chew on THIS, Pagans.
We set fire to the kitchen last night. Metaphorically, I mean. The conversation started while I was preparing dinner, and it continued on throughout the meal and into the clean-up. I woke up thinking about it, and I feel compelled to share some of it with you, my readers; my community of dig-deepers. I’m not […]
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I, Teo Bishop, am Coming Out as Teo Bishop
It was my first time being fingerprinted and I couldn’t stop giggling. I wasn’t drunk. I wasn’t being arrested, either. I was in the police station by choice, and the man who was gently rolling my inked fingers across the regulation fingerprint-card was taking it all in stride. “You know,” I said, “this action, when taken […]
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Doing It Alone on the Equinox
I find that the best way to get my house clean is to throw a party. My desk may be covered with books and papers, my laundry bin filled, and my various interests — knitting and sewing being those that come with the most accessories — all sprawled out across the dining room table, but […]
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The Spiritual, the Mundane, and the Cash Money
Some days, it’s all we can do not to break. Yesterday felt like one of those days. I’ve done well to keep my focus on matters of spiritual growth since returning from my Pagan pilgrimage. I’ve kept my daily practice, and I’ve delighted in the conversations we’ve had here on the blog about leadership, purpose […]
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Yes, but what do we NEED from our Pagan leaders?
The discussion around the post, What do we want from our Pagan leaders? was enlightening for me. Admittedly, I have a close, personal connection to the subject, as I’m seeking to discover what it might mean that I am, as a friend told me, “called to lead” in some way. This comment really stood out […]
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What do we want from our Pagan leaders?
In this last week of post-Pantheacon decompression, I’ve discovered a few things about myself. First, as much as I am invested in my online work, either through blogging or social networking, nothing compares to real-life, skin and sweat, handshakes and hugs interaction. You can imagine all you want about how great it would feel to dance, […]
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The Action of Worship
My religion is experienced in the doing. This became clear to me as I entered the sacred space of our ADF ritual at Pantheacon, lifted my voice to invoke the spirit of Inspiration, and, for a moment, left my mind behind. When I stepped in front of the altar and began to sing, I was […]
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The Urgency to Understand Pantheacon
I brought my little tin-can altar to Pantheacon, and set it up in my hotel room on the glass, circular end table next to the lounge chair. The conference program was rather stern about not burning incense or lighting candles anywhere in the hotel, but I chose to believe that the rules didn’t include small tea […]
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I Keep Vigil to the Fire: Imbolc Poetry for a Goddess
Today, pious Pagans around the globe are posting poetry online in honor of the Goddess, Brighid (otherwise known as Brigid, Brigit, or simply, “exalted one”). I join them here on Bishop In The Grove. Imbolc, as I wrote about yesterday, may have milky origins, but the day and the season speak to something much deeper […]
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The Lactating Ewes of Imbolc
I don’t know much about cows. Or sheep. I know that cows tip (not from personal experience, though). I know that sheep are cute, and I love their hair. I was just working with some last night. I also, on occasion, like to eat a bit of both. I’m a city boy, born and bred. I […]
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Liturgy is Sexy to *this* Druid
Here’s why ADF is awesome: The Core Order of Ritual. There are other reasons, too, but the Core Order of Ritual (or COoR) tops my list at the moment. The COoR is the key liturgical framework for ritual that unites the Druids of Ár nDraíocht Féin, regardless of what Hearth Tradition they’ve adopted for themselves […]
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Isaac Bonewits holds me up… Pants and all.
I’m wearing Isaac Bonewits’s belt buckle. Have been for days. The pewter Pan, which once held up the pants of a great Druid, is now playing his flute just above my zipper. This seems both an appropriate and terribly dangerous location for the randy God. I’ve never been a devotee of Pan — at least, […]
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Is Anything “Un-Sacred” to a Pagan?
I spend a good bit of time in airports. Culturally speaking, airports offer an interesting glimpse into the generic, surface-level identity of any given place. As I write this, I’m surrounded by Canadian Maple Leafs, shelves of syrup, stuffed moose toys, and — strangely, but not surprisingly — Starbucks. Canada is a big country, as […]
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Questioning Paganism… Again.
I’m not sure why I’m a Pagan. I type those words, and I know I’m taking a risk by making this admission, but it’s what’s going through my head. My Paganism, as well as my Druidry, is feeling more like subject matter for this blog rather than a way of living my life. Being Pagan […]
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My Pagan Yule Sounded A Lot Like Christmas
Pagans sang Christmas carols at the Yule ritual, and it totally caught me off guard. The song sheets handed out to the attendees contained three classic, Christian favorites, re-written with Pagan, mostly Wiccan-themed lyrics. We Three Kings, Away in a Manger, and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen were retitled and reworked as Moon of Silver, Away From […]
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Humbled by the Darkness of Winter
I started out this December with a nose dive into Christmas cheer. Then, I spent some time exploring what parts of the Christian holiday were still resonant with me, and what I’d happily left behind. Now, the introspection of the Dark Days has set in. It hit me unexpectedly. One moment I was working my […]
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A Conscientious Objection to the War on Christmas
While this Pagan was in the middle of the most Christian part of our country, singing “Silent Night” to rooms full of cheery Jesus-folk, a small group of vocal and well represented Christians took up arms in a supposed “war on Christmas,” and now my Pagan brothers and sisters across the internet are all in […]
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A Pagan Reclaiming Forgiveness
In the midst of this Christian extravaganza, standing beneath the red and green blinking lights, and surrounded by the sound of Jesus followers singing hymns and secular Christmas classics, I’m rediscovering the act of forgiveness. I didn’t expect forgiveness to be a theme of this brief caroling experience. I thought my time singing Christmas songs […]
