You don’t believe
Occasionally I'm asked how I reconcile being both a physicist and a Wiccan. My answer is long and I think most people find it tedious. But in today's Writer's Almanac, I learned that William Blake expressed it much more succinctly: You don’t believe by William Blake You don't believe — I won't attempt to make ye. You…
Advantages and disadvantages
I'm reorganizing my apartment. I bought three new book cases, donating those books I no longer need, and moving the remaining books to different shelves. This has its advantages. For one thing, all my Wicca-, pagan-, and magic-related books are in one place my students can access easily, in case they have to reference something. It also…
The Ren Faire and me: the Craft
(This post is part of a series of ruminations on why I’m leaving the New York Ren Faire after 13 years.)
With the ever-increasing number of pagans at the New York Ren Faire, in five years we could do it skyclad. "Authentic medieval renaissance nudity!"
A Dangerous Book
Fire Child: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders ‘Witch Queen’
I’ve often claimed that Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia is the most dangerous movie ever made. The reason is that, after you watch it, you may have the overwhelming urge to tell the whole truth to the ones you love.
Fire Child is a dangerous book for any teacher of the Craft to read, because it can leave them with the feeling that they’ve short-changed their students; at least, if they haven’t passed on the experiences that Maxine Sanders describes in this autobiography.
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My Samhain thought for 2009
On the eaves of my booth at the New York Renaissance Faire, I had the following words painted:
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Views of Hell
I like to listen to audio books. I typically listen to books I've read more than a decade ago; the Harry Potter books are the main exception (Jim Dale is a fine reader). I listen to them when I drive, or when I do my exercise walks.When I set up the order of the books in my…
Wicca’s gifts to me
I am in an introspective mood at the moment, at least with regards to Wicca, my religion of choice. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I became involved with the Craft in 1991. It’s been eighteen years since I started, and Wicca has consumed much of my time and energy. What do I have to show for it?