Post No. 1,534 - Reading

These articles are worth highlighting, so I won't make them part of my news posts:

• Is Witchcraft Outgrowing Paganism? - very interesting perspective that will change how I use terms; 
• New Gods: The Future Of Paganism And Witchcraft? - I'm always a bit wary of this, as Crowley flippantly invited his followers to "invent new systems of magic", but I consider every Deity brought at least one something new into existence in the physical realm (meaning it had possibly already existed elsewhere), and helped anchor that here - whether it be a thought, characteristic of people, or aspect f existence. Change is part of existence - physical and nonphysical, and thus new Deities are inevitable. I'm just going to be cautious about claiming I know any :) 
• For Those Who Die Alone - another brilliant article from John Beckett.
  "As a child, I was taught that prayers for the dead were useless – “it’s too late to pray for them.” According to fundamentalist doctrine, the dead were immediately either in heaven or in hell and nothing could be done to change their fate.
  This is blasphemy.
  Pray that the dead will move on quickly and painlessly. Pray that their Gods and ancestors will help them make the journey, and that they will receive them into their presence. If this requires you, a Pagan, to pray to Jesus of Nazareth, so be it. There have been many times I’ve prayed “Jesus, this is one of Yours – please help them cross over.” Don’t ask the Morrigan to fetch your Baptist grandmother.".