You can’t directly compare conditions a hundred or two hundred years ago to today. At first glance, this seems obvious, and yet I consistently see people doing this. The comparisons are made when we talk about vaccination, obesity, infant mortality, childbirth methods, autism, child labor, and probably half a dozen other topics that I can’t […]
Category Archives: Religion
If Today Was Your Last Day
If I only had one day left to live, I would spend it relaxing with my family. I would spend some of my savings to buy a maid service to come in and clean my house so I would have a clean, dust- and mold-free place to spend my last day. I would do something […]
An Abundance of Love
My facebook feed has been full of posts about Leelah Alcorn, a teenage transgirl who committed suicide by stepping out in front of a semi on the highway. I have a friend with a trans child who felt this story hit her like a physical blow in the chest. It shows that the alternative of a […]
Beloved Dead
The dead have been much on my mind this month as we approach the feast of Samhain. Halloween, Dia do los Muertos, Samhain, all remember and celebrate the dead at this time of year. In Wicca, we believe the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead grows thinner at […]
Mabon Reflections
Today is Mabon, the celebration of the fall equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The world sits at the balance between the summer half of the year and the winter. Now the days begin to grow shorter, the nights longer. Now we reap the fruits of the harvest, the corn and the wheat, the apples […]
Need and Fire
I love fire. It burns very close to my heart. I love to watch it, the flames twisting and turning, the blast furnace of the coals underneath, the crackling and sparking, the transformation of everything it touches, the warmth, the need to breathe, the need for fuel. I have always loved to watch fires and […]
Dancing Through Life
The Great and Wonderful Aunt Anne came through last week. It was wonderful to get to visit with her, although we did not get to ride together after all. (Turns out, she didn’t bring her bikes on this trip!) We cooked together, their dog Chucho and A’Kos played together…or at least Chucho tolerated A’Kos trying […]
Wish Upon a Star
The Perseids are expected to peak tonight, providing up to 100 shooting stars every hour. That’s a lot of wishes, if you want to sit out and watch them. I probably will miss the show, since it’s rainy here today, but perhaps we’ll get lucky and the skies will clear. Maybe I can take my […]
The Eye of the Storm
Close your eyes and sit comfortably, spine balanced, arms and legs relaxed, face soft. Breathe in deeply through your nose…and out through your mouth…and again, feeling the breath fill your body. “Mom, can I have cereal for breakfast?” Breathe in slowly to a count of four…one…two…three… *thud* A 45-pound body lands in your lap and […]
The Lonely Path
I live on the edge. That’s sounds a lot more exciting than I meant it to. I don’t go base jumping or drag racing or chase after other adrenalin-junkie activities. I live on the edge of everyday life. My life as a Venn diagram would be a multi-dimensional collection of soap bubbles that converge on […]