This Week In Heresy

This week’s episode is a special Samhain edition of This Week in Heresy. This approximately one hour meditation is a journey to the Underworld and the Isle of Apples, under the protection of Inanna, to commune with the Beloved Dead. The music was written, composed, and performed by Sarah Thompson, also known as Mage of Machines. You'll recognize a little bit of this album as the show music for both This Week in Heresy and The Heretic Speaks.  Some of you, if you had attended Pantheacon in 2013, will also recognize this music. The Circle of Cerridwen, with friends, performed The Descent live with an early edition of the music. The final edition of the album was released on Samhain 2013.  Sarah Thompson is your Guide. Inanna is voiced by Calyxa Omphalos, and Rev. Gina is the voice of Ereshikgal. The script was written by Rev. Gina and Sarah Thompson.  We offer this as a Samhain blessing for you, as a gift to the community, and to honor the Beloved Dead.  The album version of The Descent is available via iTunes.

In this episode, Ember Cooke describes what Heathenry is and talks about the different types of Heathen paths. Who are the Heathen (also known collectively as Norse) Gods? What do Heathens do? What does race have to do with Heathen practice, and why is that all people know of the Heathen traditions?   Ember Cooke has been a member of Hrafnar and Seidhjallr for more thana decade, where she trained with Diana Paxson and Lorrie Wood to be aSeidhkona, Vitka, and Gythia. She founded the Vanic Conspiracy in fallof 2004 and made ordination vows to the Vanir and her congregation inthe summer of 2013. She has contributed to several publications onHeathen and Northern Pagan subjects, including books published byDiana Paxson, Raven Kaldera, and Noroniel Lokason, and has presentedrituals and workshops at festivals like PantheaCon for many years.Her personal practice is more diverse, as the Vanir have lead her intocross-training, interfaith work, and ritual service for the widerPagan community. This has including nine yea

This week we talk to Lon Sarver, devotee of Dionysus and polytheist. What is polytheism, and why does it matter? Are we too hung up on the meaning of words like Wiccan, polytheist, duo theist, and others? We discuss the emerging arguments about pagan theology and how it benefits, and doesn’t benefit, the community as a whole. Lon Sarver is a devote of Dionysos, polytheist, and editor living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. He's been a tarot reader at the Ancient Ways store in Oakland, helped run the Ancient Ways festival for years, and been otherwise involved in Pagan communities in the Bay Area and Midwest for twenty-five years. You can find his most recent writing on spirituality at iodionysos.wordpress.com Links Lon’s Blog: Drinking From the Cup of Life  Email: lonsarver@gmail.com Social Media: Facebook and Ello The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America

This week’s guest is Shavon Walker. In this episode we talk about the role of women in the Baptist church that she attends, feminism, and the differences of the roles of women between conservative and open and affirming African American churches. We also venture into why feminism is important for all genders, body image, sex education, and of course the Big Hats. (Because, Church Hats!) Shavon Walker is a self proclaimed foodie, and a former English teacher who just can't stop teaching. She can research and write about anything, but her specialty lies in restaurant reviews, cooking, and cocktails. She also believes that there is a strong connection between food and faith--after all, what do most people do after services? Go out to eat!   Links Shavon on Google+: walkie74 Shavon on Ello: @siobhankathleen The Good Men Project: http://goodmenproject.com/    

This week’s guest is Tanesh Watson Nutall, TransSaints Chaplain and transgender minister at City of Refuge UCC. In this interview, Tanesh tells the story of her life and how her faith and prayer brought her to where she is today. This powerful testimony was recorded on location at City of Refuge UCC in Oakland, CA.  Links Tanesh’s Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/tanesh.watson?fref=ts Tanesh’s email: taneshwatson76@gmail.com City of Refuge UCC: http://cityofrefugeucc.org/ TransSaints: http://www.transsaints.org/ TransSaints Prayer Call:  An hour of Intercessory prayer by and for transgendered persons with Tanesh and others from the TransSaints and City of Refuge communities. 11 AM Saturday mornings. Call: 1-661-673-8600 Access Code: 478753  

Valerie Walker, Feri tradition priestess and elder, joins us this week to talk about life, death, and navigating not only the Pagan community, but her own tradition. We also talk about her struggle with cancer, and how it has changed her practice. This episode was recorded at Valerie’s house (over tea) in San Francisco. Valerie Walker is an initiate of Starhawk (1976), an initiate of Niklas Gander and Willow Moon (2001), and informal student of Cora Anderson (2001-2008). She is the founder of the DustBunny line of Feri witchcraft and teaches out of her home in San Francisco. You can learn more about her and her tradition from her website (linked below).    Links: Valerie’s Website: http://www.wiggage.com Valerie’s Email: v.weatherwax@gmail.com   Books: The Dust Bunnies Big Damn Handout Book The Big Damn Coloring Book Other Books by Valerie Walker on Lulu.com

On this week’s episode, Athena Wallander returns to talk about the history of magick and grimoires in the Christian tradition. While most people try and deny that there is any connection between Christianity, the occult, and modern witchcraft (and other pagan groups), the reality is that they are quite strongly connected. We also discuss how to go about learning from and using grimoires and other magickal texts.  For more about Athena, visit her website: http://www.enochian.org/faq.shtml   Links   Twilit Grotto: Archives of Western Esoterica: http://www.esotericarchives.com/   Internet Sacred Texts Archive: http://www.sacred-texts.com/   Athena’s Site: http://www.enochian.org   Click here to find Athena on Facebook.

This week’s guest is my mother, Nancy Pond. Besides probably learning a little bit more about my childhood, we talk about what it means to be agnostic, and why being agnostic doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re still seeking. Mom and I also share personal stories about how God (however one defines God), and Love, is present in our lives.  Nancy Pond is a devout Agnostic, but brought up Catholic. She has a BS in Business with a minor in Philosophy, and has an MBA. She is also an accomplished artist. Nancy does not believe that God is religious, but that God is Love! If you have questions or would like to contact my Mom, you can leave a message in the comments and I will make sure that she sees it!    

On this week’s episode, we continue the discussion with Rev. Philip Tanner, the Greek Geek, about the “gotcha verses” in the Bible that are used for condemning LGBTQIA people. In this episode, we also analyze why these verses are used, who uses them, and why it is important to know about context and translation issues. See Rev. Philip’s bio on our Regulars page where you will find links to his blogs and his new podcast.    Links: Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html BibleGateway (for comparing different translations of the Bible): https://www.biblegateway.com/ The Blue Letter Bible (another concordance website): http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=death&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 The Online Greek Bible: http://www.greekbible.com/  “The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why” by Phyllis Tickle (Amazon)

This week we have the first of two episodes with Rev. Philip Tanner, the Greek Geek, about the “gotcha verses” in the Bible that are used for condemning LGBTQIA people. We begin these episodes by talking about the verses themselves, and why they may not mean what you have been told they mean.  See Rev. Philip’s bio on our Regulars page which includes links to his blogs and his new podcast.     Links: Strong’s Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html BibleGateway (for comparing different translations of the Bible): https://www.biblegateway.com/ The Blue Letter Bible (another concordance website): http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=death&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 The Online Greek Bible: http://www.greekbible.com/

This week our guest is Ragen Chastain of the Dances with Fat blog. In this episode, we talk about how body policing and body shaming in a religious setting can do spiritual damage. Where does the religious body shaming come from? What is the responsibility of clergy when it comes to the health of their members? What are clergy telling people when they have “Biggest Loser” type contests in their churches? This episode coincides with the online Fat Activism Conference. The conference is completely online and has a sliding scale. Ragen Chastain is a trained researcher, three-time National Champion dancer and marathoner who writes and speaks full-time about self-esteem, body image, and health.  Ragen is the author of the blog DancesWithFat and the book Fat: The Owner's Manual, and her writing has been published in forums including the Huffington Post, Jezebel.com and The Frisky.com.  She has been a guest on programs including Fox News, Alberta Primetime, HuffPost Live, NPR, BBC,  and NBC News, and has been featur

Sarah Thompson returns in this episode to talk about navigating pagan traditions and an asexual, especially when many traditions follow a fertility cycle based on the sexual union of a God and Goddess. How do we adapt and redact rituals and traditions in order to include those who don't fit into the narrative? What is a “Relationship” and does a committed, intimate relationship always have to lead to sex?  You can learn more about Sarah on our Regulars page.   Links  Sarah’s Patheos Article: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2014/08/queer-of-swords-the-beast-with-no-backs/  “Bi Any Other Name” by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu (Amazon)  “Black Blossom” by M.C.A. Hogarth (Amazon)   “(A)sexual” (Movie): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1811293/  “Distress” by Greg Egan (Amazon) The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN): http://www.asexuality.org/home/

This week we talk about the ins and outs about being a spiritual teacher with Athena Wallander. We explore the benefits, the ethics, and the pitfalls of teaching a spiritual tradition. For more about Athena, visit her website: http://www.enochian.org/faq.shtml Links: … Continue reading →

This week’s guest is Rev. Beth Parab (who I call Pastor Beth), an Episcopal priest, whose spouse is Hindu. We talk about being in a multi-faith family, teaching children, and practicing, more than one faith path, and the evolution of … Continue reading →

This week’s guest is Devin Hunter, host of the Modern Witch Podcast. In this episode, we, two witchy heretics, talk about evolutions in the greater Pagan community. We start with gender issues, then move on to pagan and witchcraft theology, … Continue reading →

This week we have Rev. Lee back to discuss body shame, disability, and how to be responsible and welcoming clergy around issues of the body. The biggest question is: If we say that ALL people are made in the image … Continue reading →

(Apologies for this episode being late! Life got in the way!) This week see the return of The Greek Geek, Philip Tanner! In this episode, we talk about the Bible and the problems with translation, context, and why we can … Continue reading →

This week’s co-host is Rev. Lee Whittaker, one of my very good friends from seminary, and a recent graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. On this week’s show we talk about the “emerging church” and how the welcome … Continue reading →

This week’s co-host is Jae Howlett, one of my earliest friends in California and someone with whom I have had many discussions about spirituality and race. This week, we have a conversation about how Christianity, and other religions, can be … Continue reading →

My first in-studio guest is my wife, Sarah Thompson. She’s a for-reals rocket scientist, 3rd Degree priest and co-founder of the Circle of Cerridwen, and co-founder of the Witches’ Order of the Golden Dawn. She just started writing a column … Continue reading →