A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

Musings of a Queer Pagan

  • Language in Paganism: The Necessity of Learning the Language of an Ancient Religion

    Now Playing: Heathen Divine by Elvenking Words are funny markings (or collections of funny sounds, depending on what part of language you’re looking at) that we’ve collectively decided to mean specific things, and now I have to learn how to speak two separate times to actually have more of a chance of getting a job…

  • Home Worship in Non Ideal Circumstances: Temporary Altars and Disturbing Permanent Altars

    Now Playing: Not My Final Song by Elvenking Many pagans will have some form of home altar, and that can be anything from a small area on their desk where they keep ritual equipment to a full dedicated table, or even an entire dedicated room, if you’re feeling ambitious. The specifics on size, location, and…

  • Distance from the Gods: Detachment in Paganism

    Now Playing: King of the Elves by Elvenking Each person who turns to paganism has their own reasons for doing so, but most often because they felt some sort of calling to this path. But what happens when that calling goes away? Losing that sense of calling to the path can cause some to feel…

  • Pagan Metal: My Deep Love of Elvenking

    Now Playing: Pagan Purity by Elvenking I’m not sure how obvious it is, but I am, in fact, a massive Elvenking fan. Maybe it’s the violin, maybe it’s the fact that they’re pretty Italian elf boys, maybe it’s the folk metal start leading into powerfolk in more recent albums, who knows. Maybe it’s the fact…

  • Spirit or Something Else: What Are the Gods?

    Now Playing: Draugen’s Maelstrom by Elvenking The title may seem like a stupid question, but I promise it makes sense. When having specific experiences within Heathenry (and paganism in general), it can be hard to distinguish if an experience is from a god or a local nature spirit or house spirit or even the spirit…

  • Music and Religion: Performance of Christian Music as a Pagan

    Now Playing: Midnight Madonna by Powerwolf Currently, I sing in a community choir. As with most community choirs, this choir rehearses and performs in a church as a way to reduce expenses, since rehearsal spaces can get quite expensive, especially for larger groups. Many of the pieces we perform are also based around Christian themes…

  • Paganism and Representation in Popular Media

    Now Playing: Northern Lights by Tungsten Everything in this is from my perspective based on what I know, and is not meant as a commentary on global issues that may concern issues that I don’t face as a white person living in Canada. Within the Western social sphere, media have traditionally (at least for the…

  • Pagan Leadership and Organised Hierarchy

    Now Playing: Freya by Brothers of Metal When considering the major religions of the world, there are a few things that stick out as common between most of them. There’s usually a centralised text or book (or collection of texts) and a specific group of people who are considered to have a certain authority within…

  • Paganism and Gender: A Trans Man’s Perspective

    Now Playing: The Blackest of My Hearts by Elvenking While not necessarily a “common” concept, gender is something we see come up from time to time in various pagan circles, most prominently in Wicca, where there is a heavy focus on the masculine God and feminine Goddess duality. Before going further, I feel it important…

  • Individuality in the Pagan Experience

    Now Playing: Forest of Hope – Pikmin | Jazz Cover (insaneintherainmusic) Paganism as a religion is incredibly varied. Much of the reason for this, in my opinion, is because the word “pagan” as we use it today is an umbrella term for many distinct pre-Christian European religions, as well as the modern practice of these…