Earlier this month I issued An October Viewing and Reading Challenge. I wanted to watch one new movie, one new TV series, one old movie that I’ve forgotten, and read one new book. Challenge accepted, challenge completed. Here’s how it went.

If honoring a particular ancestor causes you suffering and stress, don’t do it. But if you can, you may want to work with – and for – your troublesome ancestors. Doing so can help them, your family, our wider society – and in the process, you.

Before we talk about how we work with the dead, we need to talk about who and what the dead are. We need a theology of the dead. We will never be able to say it’s true in an absolute sense, but we will be able to say that it’s reasonable and helpful.

We give honor to those who are worthy of honor. If someone was abusive in life, they are unworthy of honor in life or in death. If honoring a problematic ancestor causes you stress and suffering, don’t do it. We owe abusive ancestors absolutely nothing.

When someone spouts conspiracy theories about Covid, when they overstate the side effects of vaccines and understate their effectiveness, when they deny or ignore almost 5 million deaths, I hear “there are five lights.”

It’s October, when the media remembers that witches are real and tries to use them to attract viewers and readers. Their definitions of witchcraft vary widely and I don’t want to argue about that. I just want to ask: what kind of witch do you want to be?

Comfort-watching is fine. But at some point, you start missing out on a lot of good books, movies, and TV shows. So I’m challenging myself to watch and read some new stuff in October.

“Content Creator” is an accurate term, but it’s transactional and soulless. It calls to mind people who slap anything on a website to get clicks. That’s not what I do. Yes, I create content. But don’t call me a content creator.

Prayer is one of the ways we maintain our relationships with our Gods. When They respond favorably, the feeling is divine. When They don’t, it leaves us wondering why. These are six of the most common reasons our prayers aren’t answered.

Research from the Springtide Research Institute shows that 39% of young people identify as “none of the above.” Like it or not, religion is becoming an individual thing.

When a religion needs to change, it must change. If it becomes frozen in the past, then priests and practitioners become museum curators, obsessed with preserving what was while the tradition takes another step toward irrelevancy and eventual death.

Learning is a process and none of us get it all right the first time. So when we realize that something we believe or do is wrong, unhelpful, or outdated, we change it.

Praying in public is a challenge. How do you pray in a way that honors and respects your sacred traditions, and that is also inclusive of others who follow different traditions? I offered this as the morning prayer in last Sunday’s service at Denton UU.

Repressive governments understand the power of art. So do artists. What are your skills? Where is your passion? What is your vision? Share it with the rest of the world. Make good art.

It’s difficult to accept that the future you thought was coming – a future you wanted – isn’t coming at all. I don’t like this. But despair doesn’t help things get better, and it doesn’t help us deal with it. So it’s time to get moving.

Tyson Chase, who blogged as Salt City Pagan on the Patheos Agora blog, has left Paganism for Agnostic-Atheism. If that's where he belongs, I respect his decision and I’m genuinely happy for him. But I’ve examined the evidence and I’ve come to a very different conclusion.

Do magic deeply enough for long enough and you’ll find there’s a price on the back end: change. Deep, costly change. But I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Kristoffer Hughes’ new book on Cerridwen is a work of scholarship and a work of devotion, from the perspective of someone native to the land and language of Wales. Highly recommended.

Announcing a new on-line class from Under the Ancient Oaks: “Introduction to Pagan Spiritual Practice – A Polytheist Approach.” Registration is open now; the class begins September 9 and will run for eleven weeks. Details are in Module 0 on the Courses page.

My fellow Pagan writers and teachers aren’t my competitors, they’re my colleagues. When one of us does well, it improves the environment for all of us.

How do we welcome those who expect to make their own guidelines? How do we balance the obligation to preserve our sacred traditions with the obligation to be hospitable to those who simply won’t tolerate being told what to believe or what to do?

One of the big influences on occultist and rocket scientist Jack Parsons was a 1940 horror novel titled Darker Than You Think. If it was that inspiring to Parsons, I wondered if it would be inspiring to me. So I read it.

Prayer, meditation, offerings, observing the changing seasons – this (and more) is what we do. This is who we are. We do these things when they’re easy and we do them when they’re hard. And in doing so, we keep moving when it would be all too easy to quit.

Part of this post is a review of Aidan Wachter’s new book “Weaving Fate.” But more of it is the story of how I’ve used the techniques Aidan teaches, and how I need to use them now.

The lies, misinformation, and general dysfunction in our government and in our society have me so angry I’m distracted from my sacred work. I will not abandon my civic obligations, but I have to crowd out the daily chatter with some very deep spiritual work.

Can you choose your beliefs? Not directly, and not easily. But there are steps you can take to change them. And you always choose your actions.

I will answer questions asked in good faith all day long. The moment I see sea lioning or other games, I’m gone. It’s my job to educate those who want to learn. I’m not here for anyone’s juvenile entertainment.

There is conflict in the spirit world. The stories of our ancestor say there is. Our contemporary experiences say there is. It’s not World War III and it’s certainly not the Christian apocalypse. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

If you can’t get past your foundational assumptions – those things we assume are true because they’re what we were taught as children and we never thought to question them – then you need to hack your worldview.

People are wrong on the internet all the time, and arguing with trolls accomplishes nothing. When should you just ignore them, and when should you decide that you need to correct bad information and try to change people’s thinking?

Finding a diviner is easy. These days it seems like half the people on Twitter offer readings. But are they accurate? Do they speak your religious and magical language? Finding a good reader can be a challenge.

Cat Heath’s new book Elves, Witches & Gods is grounded in what we know about the practices of the ancient Norse and Anglo-Saxons, adapted for contemporary Heathens. It strives to be authentic, but it insists on being effective. Mainly, it’s magic that works.

This is not a post about the “right” name for this holy day or even the “best” name. Just choose mindfully rather than sticking with whatever you heard first. Rather, this is my story of Lughnasadh, and my story with Lugh.

When you get wound up about what somebody said on Twitter or – Gods forbid – on TikTok, ask yourself “who is this person?” and “why should I care what they think?” If their ideas are good, stick with them. If not, just hit the skip button and keep moving.

Perpetual growth is not possible. Better that the birth rate comes down because people are choosing to have fewer children than because of mandatory population controls – or because there are too many of us for the Earth to support. Those who preach against falling birth rates are not your friends.

An update on The Book of Cernunnos, and a request: if you submitted anything for the anthology, please contact me privately.

If you want me to speak at your conference, convention, festival, Pagan Pride Day, or other event in 2022, get in touch and let’s see what we can work out.

The Morrigan is a Battle Goddess and I’m glad people take Her seriously. But I worry that some are holding themselves back due to unnecessary fear. It’s good to be reverent and respectful. But the Morrigan didn’t call you up just so She could smack you down.

Are energy and spirits the same thing? Does energy have a spirit? Is energy a spirit? The question is far deeper than you might think.

Today is the 13th anniversary of Under the Ancient Oaks. On June 29, 2008, I published my first post on BlogSpot. I had no idea I’d still be blogging 13 years later, much less that along the way I’d write two books and start a series of online classes.

Sometimes we need help. Not advice, not instruction, not even wisdom. We need someone – or many someones – to stand behind us, or beside us, or occasionally in front of us. How do we find this help in an era of solitary practitioners?

Pursuing endless wealth is a recipe for obsession, overwork, and a generally miserable life. But poverty is no way to live either. How do you structure your work so that you have both the time and the money to do the things you’re called to do?

Is it better to structure rituals carefully or just go with the flow? There are advantages and disadvantages either way. If it doesn’t matter where you’re going, any path will do. If you need a specific outcome, best to know where you’re going and how to get there.

One morning just after dawn, a bobcat made its way through a Texas suburb. A passing Druid saw it and stopped to observe. The bobcat was doing bobcat things. And now it’s time for humans to do human things.

Any time I see the word “Pagan” or “witch” in a news article I read it carefully. Are they talking about us? Or are they taking these terms out of context and using them as scare words? More often it’s the latter.

Running away is one of humanity’s primary survival strategies – “fight or flight.” Why do so many of us feel threatened… and what can we do about it?

There aren’t a lot of “traditional” Summer Solstice activities, but we can create our own. This year’s Midsummer feels like a turning point. This is a time to exercise what influence we have, especially what influence we have over ourselves.

There’s no simple and straightforward answer here. While the Gods are not literally our parents, there are good reasons to see Them as our parents. And there are also bad reasons to see Them as our parents.

It’s fairly easy to come up with a spell to address a clear and immediate need, but trying to come up with a spell to stay in practice is much more difficult. What do you want… what do you want passionately?

I work magic every full moon, but lately I’ve been setting my sights awfully low. And if I’m feeling this, there are probably a bunch more people who are too. So here’s the challenge: go after something big this month – something really big.

I’m rather late with this review, but Raven Goddess: Going Deeper with the Morrigan is an excellent addition to the resources we have on the Great Queen and I highly recommend it.

Much of the Southern Baptist decline is simply the continued decline of Christianity over the past few centuries. But there are specific reasons behind the SBC’s decline that are worth looking at – in part for schadenfreude and in part so the rest of us can avoid them.

If art imitates life, then all the current movies and TV shows set in the Victorian era say something about our current era… and they’re not good things.

Respect the sovereignty of the Gods. Respect the boundaries of existing groups and traditions. Honor your religious experiences, but have some humility around them. Mainly, keep practicing, in the way your Gods call you to do.

I have three questions left from this round of Conversations Under the Oaks. They don’t match – one is serious and the other two are fun. So let’s talk about grief, books, and basketball.

I’m disturbed that someone would tell someone else that they must commit to a deity in a specific way. Different Gods call different people to worship and work with Them in different ways. What They ask of me is not necessarily what They ask of anyone else.

What is the place of philosophy in the Pagan movement? And what is it about Druidry that works for me and that helps keep me a Druid?

Who are the Goddess and the God? How do you go about introducing yourself to a new deity? And how can you best juggle serving two deities at the same time?

Some “ex-witches” never were witches to begin with. Others were, but they never did the hard work of dealing with their religious baggage. When things got hard they went running back to the religion of their childhood.

This week Italy announced plans to rebuild the wooden floor of the Colosseum in Rome – it’s been missing since the early 1800s. I think that’s a good thing, and it got me to thinking about how we relate to ancient sites… and to ancient practices.

An Evangelical writer looks at the vastness of the universe and finds significance by claiming humans are at the top of a hierarchy of beings. I find such a claim to be unlikely, and also unnecessary. We are part of the vastness, and in it there is freedom.

There are many divination systems – you should pick the one that’s best for you. Tarot is best for me for multiple reasons, the most important of which is that it works.

Do I have a serious point to make here or is this a “get off my lawn” post? I’m not sure – you decide for yourself. I just know I’m annoyed and I want to talk about it.

As a young but attentive child, I learned that too often “words of comfort” serve to reinforce orthodox beliefs but fail to provide any real comfort to the grieving. We can do better.

The Under the Ancient Oaks Online Beltane Ritual will be Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 PM CDT on YouTube.

The economy is booming and many people are making party plans for when the Covid-19 pandemic is over. Only they’re not waiting for the pandemic to be over. Season 2 of the Roaring 20s is starting now, for better or for worse.

I’ve seen a lot of talk about ancestors and ancestor work recently, including some truly ridiculous statements. I tried to come up with a response and it kept going nowhere. So I threw my outline away and just wrote what’s on my mind.

I have a theory (that’s more like informed speculation) of what’s going on between the worlds, but I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have all the questions. Paying attention is how we’ll learn more.

I got my second Covid vaccination today because like wearing seat belts, it's a good bet.

I was legally entitled to vote absentee when I was away from home in college, but it was so much trouble I didn’t. If Republicans can make it harder for people they don’t like to vote, some of them won’t. And that may be enough to keep them in power.

I have something to say to those who are trying to convert me to their religion because they say they love me: that’s not love. That’s arrogance, disrespect, fear, ego, and a lot more.

The Irregulars grabbed me. It’s not great, but it is good. The 8-episode series dropped last Friday on Netflix, I finished it on Tuesday, and I’m still thinking about it.

A simple question – if you could live anywhere, where would you want to live? – turns out to have a rather complicated answer. There really is no place like home.

If you’re not stepping on a rake in your spiritual practice at least occasionally, you’re getting too comfortable.

A review of Camelia Elias’ new book on reading the Marseille Tarot… or really, any Tarot. It’s a very different approach from what I was taught, but it’s also a very effective approach.

What we know about the Gods comes from our experiences of Them. And if we’re experiencing Them in the context of Tower Time, what does that tell us about Them?

When I no longer had access to a gym last year, I started walking in the local parks. They’re great places for exercise, for being in nature, and for taking pictures. Lots of pictures.

Denton CUUPS matriarch and my dear friend Dolores Nabors died peacefully on Wednesday morning. She was 88.

The Under the Ancient Oaks Online Spring Equinox Ritual will be Friday, March 19 at 8:00 PM CDT on YouTube.

Recently I saw a social media post by someone complaining that no one had contacted them even though they were “coming into their power.” Most people didn’t take it seriously. I did.

Playing small is a coping mechanism. It keeps us out of trouble, some of the time. But then when it doesn’t work we’re left facing something very big while we’re very small. Playing small won’t keep you safe.

If you knew this time last year what you know now, what would you do differently? For most of us, the answer is “not much.” Foreknowledge of major events is good. Having the knowledge, skills, and relationships to handle whatever comes your way is better.

The Odal rune on the CPAC stage may not have been intentional, but the need for magical and tangible workings to protect voting and other rights remains. The need to build magical skills remains. And the need to not underestimate unethical magicians remains.

Jumping to conclusions is one way conspiracy theories get started. At the same time, there is virtually no way this was an accident. Someone intentionally designed the CPAC stage in the shape of a rune used by the Nazis. Who was it? I see three possibilities.

I’ve never invested much time in the lives of celebrities. But a recent round of discussion on celebrity deaths made me realize that some of them did have an impact on me. Here are the six celebrity deaths that impacted me the most, and why.

When contentious people die we often hear “speak no ill of the dead.” There have been few people whose deaths I celebrated, but many who I was very glad were finally gone. Where does this idea come from, and is it something we must always do?

While I do my best to answer spiritual questions, I rarely have much to offer when people ask me to interpret their dreams for them. This is why, and what I do when I try to interpret my own dreams.

I’m thankful for stories of otherworldly experiences. When we tell our stories we give other people context for their own experiences, and that helps us set realistic expectations for what we see and hear and do in our own spiritual lives.

I listened to Rush Limbaugh many years ago, before my political views matured. I remember he was entertaining and insightful in his early years, promoting common sense conservatism. Turns out my memory isn’t so good.

What can we do with the Restless Dead? What are the differences between how Christianity approaches magic and how Paganism approaches it? And what’s on the horizon for the world over the next few years?

It’s good to talk about our spiritual and magical experiences. But people who brag about how witchy or how pious they are generally do more harm than good.

How do we maintain our spiritual practice when we feel stressed and overwhelmed due to life's circumstances? Sometimes we need to rest. Sometimes we continue by force of will. Sometimes we mix things up. And sometimes we don’t really have a choice.

A quote often misattributed to the Buddha says “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” I’ve never found that to be true. However, I have found the reverse to be true: when the teacher is ready the students will appear.

Imposter syndrome can suck the joy out of our religious and spiritual experiences. It can strike people from beginners to elders. For me, the cure is to focus on my practice, and to remember that doing all this has made my life substantially better.

What can you do when you find out that one of your teachers or mentors is abusive, racist, TERFish, or has gone off the QAnon deep end? Can we still honor their earlier works or would that be hypocritical?

The QAnon followers who were shocked and dismayed at Joe Biden’s inauguration remind me of the Great Disappointment of 1844. And like the Millerites, the QAnon folks aren’t likely to go away any time soon.

Not everyone is called to take an oath to a deity. And for those who are, there’s no one right way to do it. Based on my experiences – including the experiences of facilitating and witnessing oaths made by others – this is my suggested approach.

Denton CUUPS Online Imbolc Ritual will be Saturday, January 30 at 8:00 PM CDT on YouTube.

I’ve had good results from the Celtic Cross. And while I’m not an evangelist for it – or for any other spread, or divination method – I would hate to see people abandon it just because some don’t like it.