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Oct. 22nd, 2011 02:08 amOn the art front, I listed a bunch of new wearable tails and ears of a variety of species over on my Etsy shop. Order by Monday daytime and I'll be shipping Monday night, and items that go out priority first thing Tuesday morning should arrive by Friday. Otherwise, if you want something by Halloween proper, get your order in by Wednesday evening. I promise I'll be making stuff besides tails and ears soon--just with all the writing projects and whatnot, I've been focusing less on big art projects, and more on artwork to keep my hands occupied while I think about writing.
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smcinpdx and I have been trading pictures of cute critters all day. This one is my latest offering.
I've been watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos while working. Despite the anti-astrology portions that some may find offensive, I highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves to be a nature-based pagan--and anyone else, too. We get so caught up in day to day concerns and cares, and especially anthropocentric ones, that we often forget just how fucking amazing everything is. This series really brings together the best of a variety of areas of scientific study, from astronomy to biology and then some, and makes the facts of our sheer existence every bit as compelling and awe-inspiring as any religious experience.
I recognize that pagans (who make up a large part of my readership) are generally more science-friendly than some religious and spiritual groupings, so in a lot of ways I'm preaching to the choir (please forgive the term). Even when science and religion are seemingly in conflict, pagans tend to ascribe different spheres of influence to each--science is the how, spirit is the why.
Still, I've seen some pretty awful science denialism even among pagans, even those who claim to be nature religionists. Thankfully it's rare. Mostly it's along the lines of denying the effectiveness of Western medicine. There haven't been any high-profile cases (as of yet), no neopagan parents whose children died due to the parents' refusal to take them to a hospital because of a fear of Western medicine, but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time. After all, we do have a handful of anti-vaxxers* in our ranks. So I wouldn't be surprised if there were pagan parents who denied their children medical care for other ailments, other than herbs, Reiki, and maybe applications of "healing" crystals.
Granted, Cosmos is about much, much more than just the sphere of human health. It's a damned strong argument for the effectiveness of the scientific method, and also a strong cautionary tale of how religion, when misapplied as a tool to express one's neophobia, can get in the way of genuinely beneficial progress. And, quite honestly, it gives more context for understanding just how immense and powerful the Universe and all its parts really are. When you find deep meaning in being a part of that Something Greater, something like the Cosmic Calendar literally illustrates just how great that really is.
I see it as just one more set of knowledge and tools for making the most of this brief, tiny interval of time in which I as an individual am privileged to be here.
smcinpdx and I have been trading pictures of cute critters all day. This one is my latest offering.
I've been watching Carl Sagan's Cosmos while working. Despite the anti-astrology portions that some may find offensive, I highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves to be a nature-based pagan--and anyone else, too. We get so caught up in day to day concerns and cares, and especially anthropocentric ones, that we often forget just how fucking amazing everything is. This series really brings together the best of a variety of areas of scientific study, from astronomy to biology and then some, and makes the facts of our sheer existence every bit as compelling and awe-inspiring as any religious experience.
I recognize that pagans (who make up a large part of my readership) are generally more science-friendly than some religious and spiritual groupings, so in a lot of ways I'm preaching to the choir (please forgive the term). Even when science and religion are seemingly in conflict, pagans tend to ascribe different spheres of influence to each--science is the how, spirit is the why.
Still, I've seen some pretty awful science denialism even among pagans, even those who claim to be nature religionists. Thankfully it's rare. Mostly it's along the lines of denying the effectiveness of Western medicine. There haven't been any high-profile cases (as of yet), no neopagan parents whose children died due to the parents' refusal to take them to a hospital because of a fear of Western medicine, but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time. After all, we do have a handful of anti-vaxxers* in our ranks. So I wouldn't be surprised if there were pagan parents who denied their children medical care for other ailments, other than herbs, Reiki, and maybe applications of "healing" crystals.
Granted, Cosmos is about much, much more than just the sphere of human health. It's a damned strong argument for the effectiveness of the scientific method, and also a strong cautionary tale of how religion, when misapplied as a tool to express one's neophobia, can get in the way of genuinely beneficial progress. And, quite honestly, it gives more context for understanding just how immense and powerful the Universe and all its parts really are. When you find deep meaning in being a part of that Something Greater, something like the Cosmic Calendar literally illustrates just how great that really is.
I see it as just one more set of knowledge and tools for making the most of this brief, tiny interval of time in which I as an individual am privileged to be here.