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Some thoughts…
I’ve often heard Americans and Europeans (i.e., people from culturally Christian societies) argue that Buddhism isn’t a religion, but a philosophy — even though most Asian Buddhists would tell them that of course it’s a religion. I think this gets into a larger cultural (mis)understanding of what a religion is and what it means to…
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✨🏳️🌈 Deities, Saints, Crystals, and Herbs For All Your Gay Magick Needs 🏳️🌈✨
Happy Pride Month, my loves! June is upon us, which means it’s all gay, all the time for the next few weeks. Being queer is a big part of my life and my identity, so I wanted to do something special for Pride. The end result was my most recent video, which you can watch…
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New YouTube Video: Is Magick The Same As Prayer?
There’s another new video up on my YouTube channel! In this one, I talk about the difference between magick and prayer, and how each can serve different spiritual needs. I also get yelled at by my neighbor’s dog and don’t realize I have lipstick on my teeth until halfway through the video. You can watch…
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A Universalist Perspective on Easter
(Cover image for this post is “And He Rose: The Resurrection” by Vincent Barzoni.) Note: When I use the terms “univeralist” and “universalism,” I’m talking about the concept of underlying themes or principles that all religions share in common, and the idea that these common themes are more important than surface-level differences. This is…
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Stephen King, “Children of the Corn,” and Childhood Trauma in the Church
It seems like every few months, another religious group makes global news for their abuse of members, specifically children. Catholic priests molesting altar boys. Extremist Muslim groups in Africa mutilating little girls. Pagan teachers extorting teenaged students for sex. Every religion has its monsters. Sacred spaces are typically places where we allow ourselves to be…
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Reflecting On My First Experience with Organized Paganism
Note: the image at the top of this post is “Witches Circle” by Babette Langer, who is a very talented artist and whom I definitely recommend checking out if you like beautiful, fantastical art! I went to my first Wiccan event this past weekend. It was kind of underwhelming. There weren’t any orgies, not…
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Religion and Mythology in Dark Souls
“The eyes show a world destitute of fire, a barren plane of endless darkness. A place born of betrayal. So I will’d myself Lord, to link the fire, to paint a new vision.” – Ludleth of Courland, Dark Souls 3 “Like a moth drawn to a flame, your wings will burn in anguish. Time after…
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Christmas, Yule, and the Cycle of Rebirth
I haven’t gotten to do much for Christmas this year. Between college finals, my jobs, and leasing my first apartment (which, by the way, is a thing that happened!), the last month of my life has been a whirlwind. I’ve barely had time to sleep between study sessions, work, and home inspections, let alone bake…
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Reflecting On My First Experience With Unprogrammed Worship
“There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord — but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake — but the Lord was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire — but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire,…
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Book Review: The Gospel of Mary of Magdala by Karen L. King
“Lost for more than fifteen hundred years, the Gospel of Mary is the only existing early Christian gospel written in the name of a woman. Unlike the controversial ‘Jesus’ Wife’ gospel fragment, the Gospel of Mary does not claim Mary was married to Jesus. But it does show her to be an important disciple to…
Sam Wise 