Weekly Linkage

When you start demanding respect, simply for existing, there tends to be a severe erosion of trust for that same individual. Perhaps, this is where we tend to have the issues that tend to arise in Pagan leadership.

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In our Pagan communities, it seems that the leadership is more concerned with keeping power than practice the art of compassion and seeking to grow others to be leaders for the future.

Tommy Elf, ‘With Respect and Trust

Tommy Elf also has another post about leadership and what leadership looks like within Paganism.

A post from Keen about Feast Week (back in September), a fun weeklong ‘festival’ of meals relating to Tolkein’s Fellowship of the Ring.

Jason Mankey made a list of ‘5 Ways to Make Your Paganism Better‘. I found all of his points worth consideration and adopting to my own practice (where I wasn’t already doing them!), but apart from that don’t have much to say except ‘go read it’.

John Beckett wrote a post on house cleansing, a topic that I feel is rather underappreciated within Paganism and polytheism. Often we find ourselves focusing on establishing sacred space for certain rites and can neglect our greater home. The importance of having a physically clean space shouldn’t be ignored, though your space doesn’t need to be perfect either. But if your space is covered in grime or unknown sticky gunk or just a mess, it will be harder to focus on spiritual or religious matters.

Then again, arguably all ritual involves consciously enacting/participating in an image of divine principles using the theology, ritual, myth, and other resources that come from the wellsprings that the Gods have given us. Perhaps it doesn’t matter if others do not see the essence of them as long as the people who worship the Gods do.

Kaye, ‘Stepping Back Is Important