Sunday, March 22, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org

soc.religion.paganism

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Texts

A Solitary Yule Ritual — Fire, Well, and TreeA complete solitary Druidic Yule ritual by Ian Corrigan, composed in the ADF liturgical tradition — with invocations to the Three Kindreds, hallowing of the Three Hallows, and the Waters of Blessing.Akh — The Shining OneTerry McCombs's cross-cultural survey of the Akh, the luminous post-mortem soul of ancient Egypt, set against the dual-soul traditions of thirteen world cultures — and Peter Novar's modern revival of the concept.An Introductory FAQ — alt.religion.druidThe introductory FAQ of the alt.religion.druid newsgroup, written by long-time community member Elaine Stutt. Twenty-one questions covering Celtic history, Druid identity, modern Druidry in its many forms, theology, practice, and netiquette.Anglo-Saxon Heathendom and Icelandic Asatru — A Comparison and ContrastA comprehensive scholarly essay comparing the religious beliefs, gods, wights, holidays, and governance structures of Anglo-Saxon heathendom and Icelandic Asatru — two branches of the same Germanic tradition separated by four centuries and the Atlantic Ocean.Anubis — Friend of the DeadTerry McCombs's profile of Anubis (Anpu), the jackal-headed Egyptian god of embalming and guide of souls — including his mythology, symbols, synodeities, and the art of mummification he invented for his father Osiris.Arianrhod — Goddess of the Silver WheelTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month profile of Arianrhod, the Welsh moon goddess from the Mabinogion — keeper of Caer Arianrhod (the constellation Corona Borealis), weaver of the fates of the dead, and figure at the center of one of myth's most contested stories of sovereignty and matrilineal power.Chuang Mu — Lady of the BedchamberTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month Club profile of Chuang Mu, Chinese goddess of the bedroom in all its aspects — sleep, sex, birth, illness, and death.Death Gods and Goddesses — The Ultimate EgalitarianTerry McCombs's pan-cultural survey of death deities — from Anubis and Hel to Azrael and the Mayan Yum Cimil — examining why the god of death refuses to be pinned down, and what our fear of them says about us.Electra — The Lost PleiadTerry McCombs's God of the Month profile of Electra, the Titan daughter who became one of the seven Pleiades — source of the word 'electricity' and, according to myth, the one sister who hid her face from the destruction of Troy.Eris — The Lady of DiscordTerry McCombs's profile of the Greek goddess Eris — her golden apple, the Trojan War, and her remarkable afterlife from Hesiod through the Principia Discordia to Cartoon Network.Fortuna — Lady of ChanceTerry McCombs's profile of the Roman goddess Fortuna — her long list of titles, her oracle temples, the Roman fortune cookie, and her enduring life as Lady Luck across twenty centuries.Frequently Asked Questions — soc.religion.paganismThe official FAQ of the soc.religion.paganism newsgroup. A comprehensive guide to neopaganism, Wicca, Witchcraft, Asatru, and related traditions, written and maintained by the community.Ga-oh — Master of the WindsTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month profile of Ga-oh, the Iroquois Master of the Winds — a giant who keeps his lodge of four doors in the Western sky, and who has leashed Bear, Panther, Moose, and Fawn to the four doors to govern the winds of the world. Includes a meditation on the Iroquois Confederacy as the oldest democracy on Earth and the direct inspiration for the American republic.Great Rabbit — The Holy HareTerry McCombs's April 2007 cross-cultural survey of rabbit and hare as sacred figures — from Nanabozho to the Jade Rabbit, the Three Hares symbol, Easter's origins, and dozens of pop culture heirs — with a meditation on why this most unlikely of creatures achieved cosmic significance.Introduction to soc.religion.paganismA scholarly introduction to soc.religion.paganism, one of the principal moderated Usenet forums for modern Pagan practitioners from 2003 to 2014 — a community of Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, and eclectic pagans navigating the intersections of practice, theology, and community.Janus — The Two-Faced God of ThresholdsTerry McCombs's God of the Month profile of Janus, the Roman deity of doorways, beginnings, and the boundaries between all opposing states.Kuan Yin — She Who Hears the Cries of the WorldTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month Club profile of Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion who crossed from India as male Avalokitesvara to China as female Kuan Yin.Loki — The Shape-ChangerTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month Club profile of Loki, the Norse Trickster god whose complexity was flattened to evil by Christian scribes and whose nature defies all constants.Mary as Trickster GoddessR. Lee's essay on Marian apparitions — Guadalupe, Lourdes, Međugorje, Mary on tortillas — as expressions of the Trickster archetype: appearing outside church authority, stirring controversy, and mocking institutional power from Aztec sacred hills to oily window panes.Mati Syra Zemlya — Moist Mother EarthAn essay on the pre-Christian Slavic earth goddess Mati Syra Zemlya, her sacred rites, holy days, and survival into the twentieth century, by Terry McCombs.On Humanistic Heathenry — A Statement of Belief and PracticeThe founding theological and philosophical document of the American Society of Humanistic Heathenry (ASHH), presenting a naturalistic, non-theistic approach to Asatru and Northern European Heathenry. Covers the Nine Noble Virtues, the Heathen festival calendar, ethics, and community values.Promethea — Goddess of ImaginationTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month profile of Promethea, the fictional goddess from Alan Moore's comic book series (1999–2005) — presented as a genuine deity of Imagination. Moore conceived the series as a magical act and initiatory quest through the Kabbalistic Tree of Life; McCombs argues this is the first time such esoteric content has been successfully transmitted through the comic book medium. Includes Promethea's synodeities (Biliku, Saga, the Muses) and her history from Alexandria 411 AD to the modern avatar Sophie Bangs.Samhain Soliloquy — A Gift to the CommunityAn original Wiccan liturgical text written in the mid-1970s by Mike Gleason while a member of the Temple of Uranus in Chicago, shared publicly in 2004. A Samhain ritual monologue spoken from the perspective of the Lord of the Underworld.Sarasvati — Goddess of Learning, Speech, and the Sacred FlowTerry McCombs's profile of Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of learning, knowledge, speech, and music — including her creation myth, her cross-cultural synodeities from Nabu to Thoth to Athena, and her role as patron of all places of learning.Scathach — The Shadowy OneTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month Club profile of Scathach, Celtic warrior goddess, trainer of heroes, and guide of the dead.Sophia — Mrs. GodTerry McCombs's God of the Month profile of Sophia, the divine Wisdom figure of Gnostic and early Jewish-Christian tradition — co-creator, holy spirit, and the feminine face of the divine expunged from modern scripture.Spider — The Web-Weaver and World-ShaperTerry McCombs's cross-cultural survey of Spider as deity — from Navajo Spider Grandmother to Anansi, Arachne, and Uttu — including a meditation on the World Wide Web as a modern expression of the divine weaver archetype.Spider Gods and Goddesses — The Web-WeaversTerry McCombs's comparative survey of Spider as deity across world traditions — Spider Grandmother, Anansi, Areop-Enap, Arachne, and the curious presence of the spider archetype in modern fiction and the World Wide Web itself.The Great God Science — God of the Month, January 2006Terry McCombs applies his God/dess of the Month Club format to Science itself — its holy days, avatars (Newton to Mr. Spock), priests (nerds), fundamentalists (debunkers), and the Iron Snake of the railroads.The Morrigan — Queen of PhantomsTerry McCombs's God of the Month profile of the Irish goddess of battle, prophecy, and sovereignty — a shape-shifting triple deity who has returned, age after age, in new forms from the Celtic myths to Shakespeare's Weird Sisters.The Trickster — The Universal Fool and Boundary-CrosserTerry McCombs's cross-cultural survey of the Trickster archetype — from Coyote, Loki, and Anansi to Hermes and Hanuman — identifying ten consistent characteristics shared across hundreds of cultures worldwide.Urcaguay — God of Hidden TreasureTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month profile of Urcaguay, the Incan god of underground treasure — a giant serpent with the antlered head of a deer, bearing golden chains. Includes cross-cultural comparisons to horned serpent figures across pre-Columbian America: Avanyu (Tewa), Sint Holo (Cherokee), and the Serpent Mounds tradition.Vulcan — The Fire ItselfTerry McCombs's God/dess of the Month Club profile of Vulcan, the original Roman fire deity who predates his conflation with the Greek Hephaestus and had neither myth, parent, nor weakness.Yog-Sothoth — The Key and Guardian of the GateTerry McCombs applies his God/dess of the Month Club format to H.P. Lovecraft's Outer God, asking how real a deity needs to be to count — and why Yog-Sothothism outlasted its creator by a century.