In the Enchiridion, Epictetus says that we control opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and our own actions. How true is this in an era when social media exploits the vulnerable cracks in our human psyches? What of ourselves do we actually control?
Tag: polytheism
Review: Parker’s Greek Gods Abroad
This is a short book review, as I'm (a) still a bit under the weather; (b) in the throes of the fall semester; (c) writing a scholarly bibliometrics paper on some physicists, which is really fun and takes up a lot of time in Oct-Nov every year; and (d) in the middle of writing short … Continue reading Review: Parker’s Greek Gods Abroad
Some Reflections on Being Second-Gen Pagan/Polytheist
On the Noumenia, I started a journaling project. While I prayed to Apollon for inspiration before I touched nib to page, the core goal of the journaling project has not been religious devotion. As the ink pours out, I have had a lot of time to think. I can remember vividly the bullying I endured … Continue reading Some Reflections on Being Second-Gen Pagan/Polytheist
Review: Watts’ The Final Pagan Generation
The Final Pagan Generation (Edward J. Watts, 2015) covers the 310s – 390s CE. It looks at four elites of the Roman social world — Libanius, Themistius, Praetextatus, and Ausonius. Three were traditional religionists, and one was Christian. Watts follows this cohort's lives to answer the questions of how the radical social, political, and religious … Continue reading Review: Watts’ The Final Pagan Generation
Soft Skills Aren’t “Sexy”: Whom We Befriend and Make Our Allies Matters.
At sixteen and seventeen, I took 200- and 300-level college history courses in East Asian and Russian History. I chose those classes because my high school's treatment of world history was severely lacking. Our history teacher kept getting shipped out to Afghanistan for combat, so my sophomore year had been spent oscillating between him and … Continue reading Soft Skills Aren’t “Sexy”: Whom We Befriend and Make Our Allies Matters.
Devotional Jewelry for Hermes
A week before my 30th birthday, I found a piece of devotional jewelry for Hermes. For several years, I have passively (and sometimes actively) hoped that something would turn up on the Internet that seemed suitable and within my price range. I wear a ring for Apollon as a reminder of my religious commitments and … Continue reading Devotional Jewelry for Hermes
Womanly Herakles
Note: This poetic offering was written before a lot of things happened in US politics. I reread it recently and one of the metaphors kinda falls flat because 2017 and 2018 were not great years politically for most people in the USA. Eventually, I may do a new version of this poem, but since I … Continue reading Womanly Herakles
Enthrallment
In asana, breath moves through my chest, a bellows igniting a bright fire to course through my body. The Yoga Sutras refined my understanding of this. Vikalpaḥ is the imagination of metaphor, sleek, and it is here where the fire inside of me blooms. Asana prepares the body through movement to turn inward and touch … Continue reading Enthrallment
God Against the Gods: Still a Great Intro Read
I've made a new tag called "you are new!" that will collect a series of posts that are of special interest to new polytheists. The first thing I would like to highlight is the book God Against the Gods (Jonathan Kirsch, 2004). Most of this post is drawn from a review I put on Old KALLISTI … Continue reading God Against the Gods: Still a Great Intro Read
KALLISTI 