The Fall of Adam and Eve as depicted in the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.

The tree of knowledge

A coworker turned me on to a brilliant podcast called On Being. Each week, award-winning broadcaster and bestselling author Krista Tippett speaks with artists, civil rights activists, spiritual leaders, and other smart and fascinating people on what it means to be human and how we want to live. Last month, Tippett spoke with African-American poet Nikki …

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Woman reading on a Kindle. On Pagans and copyright infringement.

Pagans and copyright infringement

Sharing isn’t always caring. Last week, The Wild Hunt exposed a Facebook group illegally distributing hundreds of ebooks. At the time of reporting, The Wiccan Circle contained over 4,000 files that included information, spells, and hundreds of books by well-known Pagan authors including Scott Cunningham, Christopher Penczak, Dorothy Morrison, John Michael Greer, Deborah Blake, and others. Most …

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Heide Museum of Modern Art.

The Strays and the Heide Museum of Modern Art

This weekend, my partner and I visited the Heide Museum of Modern Art. It sits at the edge of park lands that we have visited many times. I’ve never been prompted to visit Heide because although I know that modern art encompasses several movements, many of which I love, I tend to immediately associate modern …

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A Native American dreamcatcher. On cultural appropriation.

Writing and cultural appropriation

In a Facebook fiction writers group, a white man started a discussion on “cultural appropriation” (his quotes). In short, he claimed that it’s not real and writers should write whatever they want. In the comments, the mostly-white folks agreed. Cultural appropriation in writing is a serious topic worthy of discussion. Unfortunately, that was not the …

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Cakes and candles left on a tree stump outside for Imbolc.

5 ways to make a fresh start on Imbolc

Some people love winter. I am not one of those people. I quietly celebrated the winter solstice last month. I was overjoyed that we were on the other side of winter and the days would now grow longer. The celebration was astronomically supported, but optimistic in light of the actual conditions. July has been bitterly …

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An architect drawing. Australian home styles.

Australian home styles

One of the first things I noticed about Melbourne when I moved here are the beautiful homes: cottages, terrace homes, California Bungalows, charming little houses and grand estates. In recent weeks, I’ve been learning more about Australian home styles. Australia has a rich and eclectic urban landscape influenced by English and American architectural styles that …

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