Polytheism Today

Last month, I spoke about divine diversity and inclusion at the Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society in Connecticut. I distilled my thoughts from a few episodes of Season 1 of the Polytheism Today podcast: What is Polytheism?, What is a God?, and Divine Diversity. I encourage you to check out those episodes if you enjoy this video.

I wish I could share with you the wonderful comments and conversations I had with congregation members after the service and during the fellowship. Some were curious and open to a perspective they had not considered before. Some were familiar with Wicca and were excited to hear about the gods in their church. Some wondered if I thought the gods were “real” and if they talked to me (the answer is “yes” to both). These comments and questions have given some a lot to think about, which may fuel future writing or podcast episodes.

With all that is going on in our current political climate in the U.S., I think it is vital for those of us who can speak publicly about polytheism, the diversity of the gods, and link that to diversity in our natural and cultural world, to do so. There is another way — there are MANY other ways — to be in relationship with each other and the world around us. Ways that are nurturing and liberating. Ways in which the whole person and the whole of existence is embraced and valued. I, for one, think that polytheism as an intellectual and spiritual construct and worldview is a way forward that we should consider. That’s my flag in the sand.

Blessings from a strong and open heart,

Angela Raincatcher

Thanks for reading! This post is public, so feel free to share it.

In this last episode of Season 2, Angela Raincatcher discusses the history of religious freedom in the United States, shares some personal experiences from her childhood about religious prejudice, and reads some audience responses to the question, “Why is religious freedom important to you?”

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Some resources for further reading:

History.com: Freedom of Religion

Smithsonian Magazine: America's True History of Religious Tolerance

The Conversation.com: Religious Liberty has a Long and Messy History

Founders Online, U.S. Archives: Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments

Interpretation: The Establishment Clause | Constitution Center

Interpretation: The Free Exercise Clause | Constitution Center

Britannica.com: Thirty Years War

Law.Cornell.edu: Establishment Clause

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

The Wild Hunt Editorial: The Stare that Petrifies Injustice

Daily Oklahoman: OK Superintendent Ryan Walters Calls for Schools to Teach Bible

Ivo Dominguez, Jr, has been a witch since 1978 and is one of the founders and Elders of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel. He is the anchor author for Lwellyn’s new twelve-book Witch’s Sun Sign Series. He is also the author of The Four Elements of the Wise, Keys to Perception, Casting Sacred Space, Practical Astrology for Witches & Pagans, and Spirit Speak. His techniques are rooted in a synthesis of traditional metaphysical teachings, modern science, and memories from past lives. In his mundane life, he has been a computer programmer, the executive director of an AIDS/HIV service organization, a metaphysical bookstore owner, and more. He is queer, poly, and lives in the woods of Southern Delaware with his family of choice.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

You can find Ivo online at https://ivodominguezjr.com

Facebook: @ivodominguezjr

Instagram: @ivodominguezjr

Some resources and people mentioned in the interview include:

Assembly of the Sacred Wheel

Sacred Space Conference

Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki

Shakmah Winddrum

My guest today is author and New Orleans voodoo priestess Lilith Dorsey. Lilith has been doing successful magick for patrons of her business since 1991. She is the editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly, and the filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water:Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation. She is also the author of Orishas, Goddesses and Voodoo Queens, Love Magic, Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism and The African-American Ritual Cookbook, and she was a choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John’s “Night Tripper” Voodoo Show. She has initiations in voodoo from Mambo Bonnie Devlin and Priestess Miriam Chamani at the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in New Orleans. Her Santeria house is led by Ochun Olukari Al’aye and based in Florida. Lilith holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology and a graduate degree in cinema/television studies and anthropology.

You can find Lilith online at her website and on Instagram @lilithdorsey.

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

My guest today is John Beckett, Druid and author of The Path of Paganism and Paganism in Depth.  John is a Druid in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin. He has served 12 years as the Coordinating Officer of the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans and 3 years on the Board of Trustees of CUUPS Continental. His blog, Under the Ancient Oaks, is part of the Pagan channel of Patheos, the largest multi-religion website in the world. John lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and earns his keep as an engineer. He calls his personal practice “ancestral, devotional, ecstatic, oracular, magical, public, Pagan polytheism” because, as he says, he hasn’t come up with a catchy name for it yet.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Some of the resources mentioned in this interview include:

A World Full of Gods by John Michael Greer

The Book of Cernunnos edited by John Beckett and Jason Mankey

The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens by Morgan Daimler

Raven Goddess: Going Deeper with the Morrigan by Morgan Daimler

The Book of the Great Queen: The Many Faces of the Morrigan from Ancient Legends to Modern Devotions by Morpheus Ravenna

The Morrigan: Celtic Goddess of Magick and Might by Courtney Weber

My guest today is polytheist mental health counselor and owner of Hygeia Counseling Services in Baltimore, Maryland, Michael Reeder. Michael has a Masters in Clinical Community Counseling and a post-master degree in Spiritual and Existential Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. He has been a licensed clinical professional counselor for almost 20 years and has worked with hundreds of clients in Maryland and the District of Columbia. He is the author of the chapter on Neo-Pagan traditions in Spiritual Guidance Across Religions, published in 2014, and has presented multiple workshops on spirituality and counseling, trauma disorders, peer counseling skills, and more for organizations such as the Harford County Department of Social Services, Hospice of Baltimore, Baltimore County Community College, and several religious groups. You can find him online at www.hygeiacounseling.com.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

A few resources we referenced in this interview include:

Cherry Hill Seminary

Spiritual Mentoring: A Pagan Guide by Judy Harrow, 2002

My guest today is Dr. Sabina Magliocco, Ph.D. She is Professor of Anthropology and Chair of the Interdisciplinary Program in the Study of Religion at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.  A recipient of Guggenheim, National Endowment for the Humanities, SSHRC, Fulbright and Hewlett fellowships, and an honorary Fellow of the American Folklore Society, Dr. Magliocco has published on religion, folklore, foodways, festival, and witchcraft in Europe and North America, and is a leading authority on the modern Pagan movement. She is the author of numerous books and academic articles, including The Two Madonnas: the Politics of Festival in a Sardinian Community, Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America, Neopagan Sacred Art & Altars: Making Things Whole, and “Reclamation, Appropriation and the Ecstatic Imagination,” in the Handbook of Contemporary Paganism, edited by James R. Lewis. With filmmaker John M. Bishop, she produced the documentary film series “Oss Tales,” on a May Day custom in Cornwall and its reclamation by American Pagans. I will put links to all these works in the show notes. Dr. Magliocco’s current research is on fairies in the Anthropocene.  She is also trained in the Gardnerian and Reclaiming traditions and co-leads a coven in Vancouver, B.C. 

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Web: https://anth.ubc.ca/faculty/sabina-magliocco/

Other papers and people referenced in this interview include:

Nova Religio Journal, volume 23, number 4, May 2020

Egil Asprem

My guest today is Solomon Pakal, who was born and raised in the Latino Folk Magic scene of Washington DC. Solomon came to know and exercise his indigenous witchcraft roots over the span of two decades, while also cross-training and participating in various forms of spirituality ranging from Santeria, Ceremonial Magic, Nichiren Buddhism, and many more traditions.  He is a former United States Army Officer with experience in Latin America, the Indian Subcontinent, North and East Africa, and Central and Southern Europe.  Solomon actively works to educate about authentic Maya pagan practices through presentations and rituals at occult festivals, conferences, and museums.  As a former soldier and Mixed Martial Artist, his combat analysis frameworks bring a unique perspective to the mechanics underlying the many forms of the occult.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

You can find Solomon online on Facebook at Solomon Pakal Spirit Services and Solomon Pakal.

Some of the resources, people, and books mentioned in our conversation include:

Popul Vuh by Dennis Tedlock

Chilam Balam

Dr. Edwin Barnhart, director of the Maya Exploration Center

Save Ancient Studies Alliance

Mesoamerican Studies Online

Mayan Atlantis by Luke Caverns (video)

Jade Maya

My guest today, Mhara Starling, was born in North Wales, was raised on the Isle of Anglesey, and speaks Welsh as her native language. She is a Swynwraig, a modern-day Welsh Witch, and leads Cylch y Sarffes Goch (Circle of the Red Serpent), a Welsh coven operating in the Welsh marches. She is the author of Welsh Witchcraft and Welsh Faeries, an Awenydd of the Anglesey Druid Order, and teaches on the subject of Welsh magic and lore both online and in person.

Transcript for this show is coming soon.

You can find Mhara online at:

Mhara Starling @ Llewellyn Worldwide

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

Patreon

Other links at Linktree

Some of the other resources and organizations referenced in this episode include:

The Mabinogion

Anglesey Druid Order

Sisterhood of Avalon

My guest today is Mesopotamian polytheist, artist, writer, researcher, and educator Samuel David from Sangamon County, Illinois. Samuel facilitates rituals, community workshops, and presentations as a representative and steward for É-Sangamon, or Temple Sangamon, and founded the Order of the Rod and Ring. He is also the founder of Four Reeds, a legally registered 501(c)3 non-profit religious organization primarily dedicated to maintaining the spiritual legacy of the Mesopotamian people. He is also a chairperson for The Council of Near Eastern Pagan Religions and is actively involved with the Temple of Inanna. As a writer, Samuel’s focus is primarily on the reconstruction movement, and his work includes Rod & Ring: An Initiation into a Mesopotamian Mystery Tradition, Lioness: The Song of Inanna, and The Red Shepherd: Toward a New Image of Dumuzid.

You can find him online at:

* Facebook.com/iamsanueldavid/

* Instagram at @rodandring

* Youtube.com/@rodandring

* Patreon.com/rodandring

* Rod & Ring: Ancient Near East Meets Modern West | Ancient Near East Meets Modern West (wordpress.com)

You can find many of the books referenced during our conversation on Samuel’s recommended reading list.

Click here for a transcript of this episode.

Other resources referenced in this episode include:

Halley’s Bible Handbook

academia.edu

Greek Magical Papyri (PGM)