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It's impossible to prove a negative, unfortunately. I think the evidence of the codes of Hammurabi and other cuneiform sources are fairly clear on expected behavior. I've read some of the prayer texts in Middle Eastern collections of mythology and translation, and haven't actually seen any...

Okay. I don't have any problem with this, and understand not wanting to get into complicated debates here in your column. Thanks.

You might want to take a look at http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/joseph_mccabe/religious_controversy/chapter_08.html -- a lot of the misconceptions arrived at in the whole "temple prostitute" concept originate with Herodotus, who lived centuries after any such practices would have...

Though, it should be said that "prostitute" is not necessarily accurate for the role of priestesses in those cultures. It's weighted in our culture with some very tawdry associations. Their roles would perhaps be more accurately assessed as intermediaries for a Goddess who was fully possessed of...

I wrote a poem some time back that you might like. I'll share it here but please don't post it elsewhere. Lost Text From the Book of Coming Forth By Day; the journey of the Boat of Millions of Years praise and honor to the gods of this place praise and honor to their eyes which are the...

Hi Brian, I don't personally believe in "The Goddess" -- my perception is that most deities are separate entities. If they are part of a Oneness, it is the same way that all humas are a part of a Oneness without being the same human being. I tend to refer to that Oneness as the Ground of...

Just a note for those interested: Some friends and I have recently started a new Reconstructionist discussion board, called the Multicultural Polytheistic Hearth. We've been in and out of various Reconstructionist discussion boards in the past, and found that there has been a lot of...

Part of the problem with at least some folks is that they are so wedded to their misconceptions and to the inaccurate information they've read in bad books that they refuse to be educated. With some, the ignorance isn't simply a matter of no chance to learn any different, but a willful clinging...

The mind-body-soul triad does have a long history in many religions and spiritualities. I see it as a reasonable division, and one that makes a good deal of sense.

I believe that the spiritual part of a person has many pieces -- soul, spirit, fetch -- whatever you want to call them. I think they're all integral parts of human existance. I believe that we have dreaming spirits, the soul that deals with rational mind and daylight reality, soul parts that...

academia and validation We rely on historical and archaeological research to show us patterns and to suggest directions. Belief and inspiration are also a part of the package. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be exclusively one or the other. One example I like to give is this...

In early insular Celtic culture, people known as filidh (sacred ecstatic poets) practiced several forms of meditation and breath control, at least from what we can tell by early (post-Christian) texts. Most of what we have is vague description and conjecture, rather than actual instruction in...

What's involved in writing a column for you? How often are they due? Do you have particular subject restrictions beyond "they should be spiritual in nature"? I might be interested in writing a column from a Reconstruction pov, should the frequency be (for instance) monthly, rather than a weekly...

Thanks, but no, I'm not in Inis Man. I'm in the Pacific Northwest of the US, actually. Since I'm interested in Manannan, it does make sense that I've done a little study on Manx folklore and mythology. I was quite delighted to find that there was a specific traditional ritual to Manannan...

To be honest, I don't know any Recons who are attempting to recreate the One True and Only Cultural Manifestation of their chosen spirituality. When I was writing down my ideals for CR back in the early 90s, I was very clear that there were aspects of the religions and cultures that we did not...

Hi Kiwimac I would tend to agree with you -- current US fundamentalist Christianity is about as far from what I understand of the ideals of Jesus as one might possibly get. I'm also deeply aware that though they are extremely loud, they're not the majority. It's unfortunate that a man who...

My current stack: The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia McConnel Textual Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche by Bill Plotkin Poets on the Peaks: Gary Snyder, Philip...

Perhaps that is the way "most modern pagans" you know interpret God. I don't think it's necessarily the majority view, and it isn't the view of the majority of Pagans of my acquaintance. I know an awful lot of modern Pagans who see deity as nothing more than psychological archetype in a rather...

Thanks for inviting me.

I'm going to give an answer that may sound a little flip or irreverent here, but I think it's true. "Answers" in divination come from different sources, depending on the method, the person, and the nature of their interaction with the divine and the spirit world. I do believe that sometimes...