Tag: Community
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Closing the Comments at Bishop in the Grove
I’ve decided to close the comments at Bishop in the Grove. It’s something I’ve considered for some time, but in recent days it’s become clear that this would be a good decision to make for my own well being. Let me explain a bit of why this seems like the right choice. I blog about […]
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To Be Pagan Without Community
I spent the morning catching up with an “online” friend, forging a new “on ground” relationship. The internet is amazing, really. To be able to initiate these kinds of relationship and build community having only the context of Facebook or an e-mail forum is phenomenal. I’m a transplant to this town, and yet there are […]
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On Leaving
Something broke today: a levee on the inside. My heart, tight and clenched for days, softened. And when it did, I knew… I have to leave ADF. I spoke the words out loud, and they sounded right. They didn’t sound easy, or pretty, or anything remotely uncomplicated. They just sounded right. I’m not leaving because it’s […]
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A Pagan, a Druid, and an Episcopalian walk into a Church
I went to church last night. It was the first time I’d been to church since I left the Church. Taking in an evening mass, done up to the 9’s with incense and vestments, was something I hadn’t planned to do while visiting Eugene, Oregon, nor was it an invitation I expected to receive from […]
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Bishop In The Grove on Temporary Hiatus
Bishop In The Grove needs to go on a temporary hiatus. These are the words that popped into my head yesterday. As soon as I heard them, I knew they were true. Blame it on the New Moon. I’ve had the feeling for a little while that something needed to give. I’m a decent juggler (3 […]
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How Do We Begin?
Sometimes I find myself out of balance. Today, for example, I came into my room — the place where I light my incense, still my mind, perform acts of reverence and celebration — and I found myself uncertain about how to begin. My mind was a repository for too many things. There was clutter everywhere. […]
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He Says The Gods Are Not What Matters
The worship of the gods is not what matters, Brendan Myers says. People and relationships matter. Even as someone who helps to provide others with the tools to worship their gods, these liturgies of the Fellowship, I find myself reading his words and saying — Yes. This is correct. This is not the only correct […]
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A Blessed Imbolc, and a New Book Club!
Blessed Imbolc to all! In case you missed it, I published an Imbolc post on HuffPost Religion called A Faith Made of Fire. Check it out, and feel free to leave a comment there if you feel so inspired. After a wonderful round of comments on my last post, I’m happy to announce that we’re moving forward with […]
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Brainstorming and Crowdsourcing a BITG Book Club
I’m starting a book club. The Bishop In The Grove Book Club. Cool, right? For those who are keeping track of the number of projects mounting on my desk, the thought of one more new endeavor probably seems like insanity. But I don’t care. I think a book club sounds like fun. I could use a dose of […]
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Keeping Vigil to the Fire, Again
In a week I will publish the next Solitary Druid Fellowship liturgy. This morning, I spent some time going over the previous one, seeing where small adjustments might be made and looking for places where supplemental material would be useful. It’s been interesting to take on this position, which is a little like leadership, but […]
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Privilege: The Other “P” Word
Yesterday I said, “Be nice.” Perhaps encouraging nicety is not the right approach. Perhaps to say “be nice” is too simplistic, and worse, reads very much like, “Hush now, your problems are not important,” or, “You are making me uncomfortable with your anger,” or “There really isn’t that much to be angry about, so can’t you […]
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Be Nice, Pagans. Be Nice Polytheists. Be Nice.
I had occasion to speak to a very nice, young man last week about online etiquette. For me, what it boils down to is this: Be nice. It may seem simplistic, or perhaps reductive to some. But, I think it’s a good rule. Be nice when you talk to people, whether you know them or […]
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When Pagan Discourse Becomes Reality TV
I’ve been transfixed by a particular reality television show on Netflix. I’m not typically a reality TV kind of guy, save for a few of the more hands-on creative shows. And the ones with drag queens, of course. This show documents the Olympic-like achievements of super-couponers, who, if you don’t know, are people who stockpile mass amounts of […]
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A New Year’s Blessing from Teo
On this, the last day of 2012, New Year’s Eve, I offer you these words: May you look back on the year, and feel a sense pride. May you remember the strength of your character, the resilience of your spirit, and the inherent worth of your being. May you know that you are a part […]
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Yule on HuffPost and the Question of Decentralization
What a week this has been. The SDF liturgy is live, and the response has been tremendous. I don’t have any way of knowing what the perspective is from every person participating, and I kind of prefer that for the moment. It may seem that I’m coordinating some massively social endeavor, but there is still […]
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Liturgy And A Cocktail
Let me try to explain how I’m feeling right now. When I exhale, my breath shakes a little. Not the crying kind of shake, but almost the laughing kind of shake. My fingers are cold, which is partly on account of the freezingness of Colorado (and I’m using that word, regardless of what the auto-spell […]
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The Solitary Druid Fellowship Lives!!
It is an exciting day in the world of Druidry and Pagandom! (For me, at least.) I’m happy to announce that the Solitary Druid Fellowship has launched! The Solitary Druid Fellowship, an extension of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) is live and running at SolitaryDruid.org. This has been a labor of love, and would not have been […]
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We Don’t Have Faith: We Make Agreements.
A couple weeks ago I wrote about creating the Solitary Druid Fellowship, an extension of ADF designed to serve the broader community of solitary Pagans and Druids by providing them with a shared liturgical practice. I’m currently in discussion with the Clergy Council of ADF to work out the final details of the site launch […]
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I’m Not An Expert On Paganism, But I Play One On The Internet
I’m not an expert on Paganism. If you’ve spent any time here on Bishop In The Grove you’ll know that being an expert on Paganism wasn’t why I got into blogging. I blog in order to be a better student. I ask a lot of questions. I point out the things that are curious to me or that […]
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Heartfelt Thanks And A Call For Letters
This has been a challenging week. My post on Monday transformed this blog into a dynamic, charged space. The reactions and responses to my account of the PPD ritual covered the whole spectrum of human emotion, and reading them took me on quite a ride. Today, I’d like to simply offer my heartfelt thanks to […]
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My Pagan Pride Day Post Went Meta
One of the most valuable contributions to the conversation around my Pagan Pride Day post came from a single commenter, who I’ll leave unnamed. He joined the comment thread and my Pagan Pride Day post went meta, because he gave me cause to take a closer look at the function of this blog, and the […]
