Tag Archives: ritual

The Devil’s Busy Decade

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Nathan

I had heard of the phrase “Satanic panic” before (hey, it’s very catchy), and had some idea of what it entailed, but I thought it was worth looking into a little more. While there are many components, the phrase largely … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Cults, Fundamentalism, Games, Magic, Music, Mythology, Religion, Satanism, Wicca | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

In the Garden of Sweden

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Nathan

Midsommar – SPOILERS! Ari Aster’s second film is a folk horror piece that ties in with a fictionalized version of Swedish paganism, and also comments on breaking up and mental illness. The outdoors parts take place entirely in the light, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cults, Holidays, Humor, Mythology, Norse, Relationships, Religion, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moving to a Magical Monarchy

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Nathan

Happy birthday, Ozma! It seems common among Oz fans to consider Ozma to be, in a way, our monarch, and Oz as a place we’d like to escape to someday if it were at all possible. C. Warren Hollister’s essay … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stations of the Flag

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Nathan

I don’t follow sports, so I doubt I ever would have heard of Colin Kaepernick’s decision to remain seated during the national anthem before a football game if it hadn’t been all over the news. But I did see a … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, Christianity, Current Events, Fundamentalism, Games, Politics, Prejudice, Religion, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I Have Learned the Value of Human Sacrifice

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Nathan

Human sacrifice is a quite controversial subject, as a lot of the information we have on it was provided by enemy cultures that might have been trying to slander other groups. It kind of seemed to me that people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, History, Judaism, Mesoamerica, Middle East, Mythology, Religion, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Real Pagan-Turner

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Nathan

Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity, by James J. O’Donnell – This book basically covers the switch from polytheistic religion to Christianity in the Roman Empire, largely looking at it from the point of view … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, History, Judaism, Politics, Religion, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Burn Up the Old, Ring in the New

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Nathan

I have to say that I find the notion of religious sacrifice to be rather interesting. I don’t mean sacrifice in the broadest sense of simply giving up something you care about, but the offering of objects, animals, and sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Greek Mythology, Islam, Judaism, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We Do Ritual Right

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Nathan

We’ve all heard the rumors about President Obama not properly saluting the flag, and while the whole thing was clearly taken out of context by people who were grasping at straws to discredit the guy, I have to wonder why … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity, Islam, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

State of Confucianism

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Nathan

Today, we take a trip back to the Warring States period of Chinese history, and to a a guy called Confucius, legendary sage and subject of a lot of broken English jokes. The traditional dates given for his lifetime are … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Confucianism, Historical Personages, History, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments