For None but Itself – No Unsacred Place →
I approach the water carefully. The path is steep and covered with loose rock cover. Never one of Nature’s most graceful creatures, I am especially cautious here. I stick to the trail today. Though it’s hardly the thickest wilderness beyond, suddenly the trees overwhelm me with their thick, unruly exuberance.
Many of us raised in Judeo-Christian traditions inherited a lesson of “Nature for us”. God gave humans dominion over the plants, animals, waterbodies, mineral resources, and airspace of Earth, and as long as our actions furthered God’s glory, we were free to do with those other beings as we saw fit. Even those of us who embrace an ethic of Nature reverence as part of our Paganism sometimes struggle to break the habit of seeing Nature as our own neverending supply store.
Therioshamanism: A Call to My Fellow Bloggers: Show Me Your Small, Sacred Places →
Sorry I’ve been so quiet folks—I started that summer job at my old internship site that I mentioned a while back, so I’ve mostly been adjusting to that. I did, however, get a chance to do a bit of writing—and I have an invitation for my fellow bloggers…
Just a quick bump for those who didn’t see this earlier today. Feel free to pass it along to anyone who may be interested, too :)
Therioshamanism: A Call to My Fellow Bloggers: Show Me Your Small, Sacred Places →
Sorry I’ve been so quiet folks—I started that summer job at my old internship site that I mentioned a while back, so I’ve mostly been adjusting to that. I did, however, get a chance to do a bit of writing—and I have an invitation for my fellow bloggers…
A Much-Needed Overhaul →
Back in 2007 when I started this blog, I wasn’t all that concerned about design. I wanted to write about all these neat ideas I had, and so I opened an account with Wordpress.com, picked a theme th…
So my blog, Therioshamanism, was in need of an overhaul. I detail the changes in this post, to include why John Muir is out, and Richard Louv is in.
Pagan festival n00bs.
Humans Are Not Either/Or Creatures →
First, a quick hello from internet-land! I spent this past weekend down in Long Beach and surrounding areas for Ghostwriters Unite!; I was at the conference to help moderate panels and lend my smal…
Here’s a quick update about where I’ve been the past few days (in case you missed my text updates here), and some thoughts on the false dichotomy between nature and technology!
Therioshamanism: Small, Sacred Places →
Note: This is my contribution for the May edition of the Animist Blog Carnival. This month’s theme is Place Magic. I’ve talked before about some of the places that raised me, and how badly their lo…
Note: This is my contribution for the May edition of the Animist Blog Carnival. This month’s theme is Place Magic.
I’ve talked before about some of the places that raised me, and how badly their loss affected me. Other people in response told me about their own small, sacred places that they clung to when they were young, some of which had also been destroyed as they got older.
When we talk about “nature”, the first thing a lot of people picture is a wilderness setting with little to no overt human influence. These are certainly a significant part of nature, but they are not the sum total of nature itself. Most of us didn’t grow up right next to vast forests, fields and deserts, and even if we had we wouldn’t have been allowed to ramble across them unfettered. Instead, what many of us had were small open lots, parks, yards (our own or neighbors’) and the like. Because these may have been all we had, they became the definition of “nature” for us, and that imprint can last a lifetime.
For myself, when I was in my own small places, my fields and little patches of woods, for that time I was free and autonomous. I could explore those scant half-acres with impunity, and as a young child they seemed so vast and inviting that I didn’t want for more space. Instead of hiking for miles, I was exploring every inch of the land, every stone and stump and tree and pathway. I can even still remember the smells of sun on stone and cedar branches. That attention to detail is something I’m still learning to recapture as an adult recovering from the trauma of losing those places to destruction.
But it is coming back, and so is the sense of adventure and exploration that I had growing up.
Festivities of Natural Annual Events: Midway Equinox & Solstice – No Unsacred Place →
Happy Beltane! Need even more reasons to celebrate? Here’s a fantastic collection of seasonal occurrences and festivities over the next six weeks!
Stop the Criminalization of Homelessness: Nightingale Public Advocacy Collective →
Help fund a new organization fighting for the rights and interests of those who experience harassment, discrimination, and criminalization due to homelessness.
You know, pagans have complained over the years that all the charities are Christian. Well, here’s your chance to support a pagan-organized advocacy group that’s doing boots-on-the-ground work to help the homeless in Eugene, Oregon! I know Alley Valkyrie personally, and she is one of the most fervent, courageous people I’ve ever met. Even if you can’t donate, please pass this on so others can see the good work she and hers are doing!
Happy Earth Day From No Unsacred Place! – No Unsacred Place →
Forty-three years ago, the first Earth Day was held with a collection of demonstrations and other activities meant to bring awareness to the many environmental crises at the time. Decades of industrial “progress” fueled by relentless resource consumption and largely unbridled pollution were taking their toll on air, land, and water. It’s arguable that today the problems we face are just as bad, if not worse. Some of this is simply because we are aware of more problems; four decades ago the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the effects offracking weren’t on the radar. Some of it’s also due to an increase in the severity of environmental issues; the effects of climate change have increased, as have the numbers of endangered–and extinct–animal and plant species. And the increased commercialization of Earth Day takes the focus away from actually doing something, instead turning the event into a big party with increased consumption of “green” goods (and maybe some cleanups here and there).
Understandably, it can feel pretty discouraging to see all this. And we’ve been so bombarded with negative news from the media and earnest activists that it’s no surprise that people can start feeling pretty burned out, turning off and tuning out as it were. Which is why I’d like to tell you to ignore those things.
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