Socially Responsible Magic: The Reality of Racism Can’t Be Ignored

Black Lives Matter

Racism is part of our lives. It’s time we acknowledge that and start working to change it. [Read more...]

Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft: Parenting Around #Ferguson and Social Justice News

Image via Shutterstock

When faced with my son’s frustration and hopelessness about racism, I sought the advice of his aunt, Crystal Blanton, pagan author and social activist. “Validate that sense of hopelessness,” she told me. “That sense of hopelessness is the first step to action because it shows a full understanding of the scope of the problems faced.” [Read more...]

The Zen Pagan: #Ferguson: Righteous Anger and Wrathful Deities


As a power hierarchy becomes more and more unjust, of course more brutal and repressive means will be necessary to preserve it. “No justice, no peace” is not a threat, it’s a moral law of the Universe: injustice can survive only under a rule of force, which generates its own opposition. Or as the Discordian Law of Eristic Escalation says, “Imposition of Order = Escalation of Chaos.” The occasional appearance of this sort of police state is a logical consequence of the fundamentally Neolithic structure of our civilization and our mainstream religion, of a culture that believes that “property” is real but that “mysticism”, the direct and immediate aesthetic religious experience, isn’t. [Read more...]

Queer of Swords: Cultural Inappropriation


Fighting cultural appropriation is a significant part of the struggle for civil rights in modern times. Nevertheless, all religions, including modern neopagan paths, are steeped in cultural appropriation. Clearly significant harm can be caused, but is it always wrong? Where are the boundaries? How can we strive to deal with this issue ethically? [Read more...]

Jewish Witch: The American’s Guide to Getting Ebola

Asa West

Black and brown lives, in the ideology of the West, are simply worth less than white lives. At all times, in every way. This attitude simmers, then erupts when a white person has the gall to treat black and brown lives as important. She’s seen as a traitor. How dare she prioritize “them” over “us.” [Read more...]

Queer of Swords: True Names, True Identities


True Names have power. This is an idea that has been debated by philosophers for millennia, but what does this mean for the Internet age? What are the deeper consequences of the Facebook real names fight? [Read more...]

Wyrd Words: 1 Year of Wyrd Words!


Wyrd Words has now been running for a solid YEAR, and nobody has put an end to our antics yet. We’ve covered a pretty wide variety of topics in this column, and it always fascinating to see which articles go viral for inexplicable reasons. In a way, we can learn about ourselves as a community by exploring which topics seem to generate the most interest. Thus, in the spirit of exploration, I present the top 5 articles of the year! [Read more...]