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Workings in the Inner Temple: Developing Your Spiritual Core
Categories: ArticlesTags: inner templeOnce you have constructed your inner temple, you might wonder what you can do with it besides conduct astral rituals. The answer is, whatever you can imagine. I’ve listed a few ideas below, based on my own experience, with brief instructions on how to perform the exercises. May they serve as inspiration for your own…
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Initiations
Categories: Creative NonfictionTags: personal experience0. I walked through the stacks of Barnes & Noble, not particularly looking for anything. I was content to simply stroll around and let my eyes pick out interesting titles to peruse. I wandered past Philosophy and took a left at the end of the stacks into New Age. The shelves were filled with books…
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Dechristianizing Yourself: Building Practice as a New Pagan
Categories: ArticlesTags: dechristianizationMoving from a belief-based religion to a practice-based religion can be daunting, especially for those with little experience with personal spiritual practice to begin with. Shifting away from a system where your thoughts and feelings rather than your actions define your spirituality can be very empowering, but some people may worry — as I did…
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Revealing the Mysteries: Open-Sourcing the Craft
Wicca is an experiential religion. For a long time, this meant that people didn’t talk about the mysteries central to its practice. There are a variety of arguments for this. First, some people believe that talking about the Mysteries, or the experiential truths that practitioners become aware of through practice and initiatory rites, cheapens them…
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Dechristianizing Yourself: Addressing Church-Related Trauma
Categories: ArticlesTags: dechristianizationSome people leave the Christian faith because they have been traumatized by the beliefs of the church or by leaders or other trusted people within it. These traumas can affect people for years afterward if left unresolved, even if they seek a new faith path in the Pagan movement. While healing from these traumatic experiences…