Category: Pagan History

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The Crucible of July: White-Hot Magic and the Power of the Furnace

By Katrina Rasbold

Look outside your window during the mid-afternoon hours of July, and you will see a landscape standing in a state of absolute, baking intensity. The gentle, shifting rains of spring are a distant memory. The soil is hard, the air is thick with heat, and the sun hangs in the sky like an unblinking, golden eye.

In modern society, we spend this month retreating indoors, turning up the air conditioning, and waiting for the temperature to drop. We treat the high heat as an inconvenience to endure.

But ancient earth-spiritual traditions view this specific stretch of summer completely differently. They recognize it as the crucible of the year.

A crucible is a severe test—a vessel designed to withstand extreme temperatures so that whatever is placed inside can melt, transform, and purify. July is not a time for passive, comfortable comfort. It is the month of white-hot alchemy, and it demands that we step directly into the furnace. Continue reading The Crucible of July: White-Hot Magic and the Power of the Furnace

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Ink, Identity, and the Pentagon: Erasing the Minority Faiths

By Katrina Rasbold

On paper, bureaucracy looks sterile. It moves in the quiet rustle of memos, the dry language of administrative updates, and the clinical scrubbing of data fields. But earlier this week, a pencil stroke at the Pentagon sent a shockwave through the global Pagan community.

The U.S. Department of Defense officially slashed its list of recognized religious affiliation codes from over 200 faith traditions down to just 31.

The administrative axe fell heavily on minority belief systems. In an instant, designations for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, Heathens, Asatru, Unitarian Universalists, and Humanists ceased to exist in the official military tracking system. In their place, a heavily streamlined list emerged—one where nearly two-thirds of the remaining codes represent specific Christian denominations. Continue reading Ink, Identity, and the Pentagon: Erasing the Minority Faiths

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Magic in Movies: Is Hollywood Reflecting Our Soul or Just Selling Our Skin?

By Katrina Rasbold

In the half-century since Green Egg first began chronicling the Awakening of Gaia, our community has moved from the shadowy fringes of the “Occult” section to the glittering center of the global marquee. In 2026, you can’t swing a ritual cord without hitting a streaming service featuring a teenage necromancer, a kitchen witch with a podcast, or a reimagined folk-horror deity.

But as the Witchy Aesthetic becomes a billion-dollar industry, we have to ask: Is Hollywood reflecting our soul, or just selling our skin?

As Pagans and Witches, our relationship with the screen is a complex one—a dance between the thrill of being seen and the sting of being distorted. Continue reading Magic in Movies: Is Hollywood Reflecting Our Soul or Just Selling Our Skin?

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The Un-Authorized Lexicon: An Unofficial Guide to Pagan Parlance

By Katrina Rasbold

In the early days of Neopaganism, we learned a vital lesson: if you can’t laugh at your own ritual bloopers, the Gods certainly will. Over the last several decades, the Pagan movement developed a vocabulary so dense it could sink a Viking longship. In today’s Green Egg Blog, I step out of the circle and share the Inner Court, Super Secret Squirrel definitions of some of the most common magical terms.

Welcome to the Alternate Lexicon of Magical Practice. Here is what those fancy terms actually mean when the mead starts flowing and the incense gets a bit too thick. But before we get into that, I want to tell you a story. Continue reading The Un-Authorized Lexicon: An Unofficial Guide to Pagan Parlance

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The New Vanguard: 10 Pagan Voices Shaping Our Future

By Katrina Rasbold

As we stand at the crossroads of a shifting spiritual landscape, the torch of modern Paganism is being passed to a new generation of visionaries. While we will always honor the foundational texts of our elders, the voices rising today address the complexities of the 21st century—blending ancient wisdom with social justice, digital connectivity, and deep ecological urgency.

Unlike times in the past when we had a handful of authors defining who we are in the world as contemporary Pagans, we are now flooded with names and books to the point that it can be difficult to know who to read. Those of us who have been around for a while feel compelled to wonder who our new Janet Farrar, Laurie Cabot, Oberon Zell, Starhawk, and Raymond Buckland will be. As we begin to lose the vital icons, who steps up to continue what they began? Continue reading The New Vanguard: 10 Pagan Voices Shaping Our Future

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From Polarity to Pluralism: The Evolution of Inclusive Paganism

By Katrina Rasbold

The landscape of modern Paganism has shifted dramatically over the last fifty years. What began in the mid-20th century as a movement deeply rooted in the divine gender binary has blossomed into a diverse, decentralized spiritual umbrella that increasingly prioritizes radical inclusivity.

Continue reading From Polarity to Pluralism: The Evolution of Inclusive Paganism

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The Crossroads of Coin and Craft: Why Modern Souls are Returning to the Pagan Path

By Katrina Rasbold

In the shadow of a volatile economy and a fracturing social landscape, a quiet but profound migration is taking place. While traditional pews sit increasingly empty, the forest paths, digital altars, and moonlit circles are seeing a surge of new footprints. As we stand at the crossroads of 2026, the rise of Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States isn’t just a trend—it’s a spiritual homecoming for those whom the modern world has left behind.

Continue reading The Crossroads of Coin and Craft: Why Modern Souls are Returning to the Pagan Path

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Imbolc: Because Nature Needs a Caffeine Kick (and So Do You)

By Katrina Rasbold

By the time February 1st rolls around, most of us are essentially sentient blankets. We’ve spent the last six weeks vibrating at the frequency of a slow-cooker, surviving on leftover Yule chocolate and the desperate hope that the sun wasn’t just a fever dream we all had last July.

Enter Imbolc.

While the rest of the world is distracted by groundhogs and overpriced Valentine’s candy, we Pagans are out here lighting every candle in the house to remind the Earth that it has a job to do. Imbolc (pronounced im-bulk, or em-bowl-ug if you want to sound fancy at the moot) is the “Great Quickening.” It’s that subtle, slightly frantic heartbeat beneath the frost.

Continue reading Imbolc: Because Nature Needs a Caffeine Kick (and So Do You)

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The Great Quickening: Mapping the Pendulum Swing of the Craft (1986–2026)

By Katrina Rasbold

40 Years – Gone in the blink of an eye.

To flip through the yellowed, newsprint pages of a 1980s Green Egg is to touch a different dimension. In those days, the ink came off on your fingers, and the ideas—bold, radical, and often dangerously counter-cultural—felt like they could set the paper on fire. We were a tribe of correspondences, P.O. Boxes, and wilderness gatherings where the drums beat against a silence that the modern world has all but forgotten.

Of course, Green Egg Magazine goes back to the 1960, so tack on an additional two decades. I threw a dart into the 1980s because that is when I came to the Craft and subsequently, to Green Egg Magazine.

Today, the “Old Religion” has entered the “New Information Age.” As we stand in 2026, the contrast between the Paganism of forty years ago and the Paganism of today is not just a shift in fashion; it is a fundamental evolution of how the human spirit interfaces with the Divine. Continue reading The Great Quickening: Mapping the Pendulum Swing of the Craft (1986–2026)

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The Egg Gets Laid – The First Issue of Green Egg Magazine

By Cat Gina Cole

Did you know the Green Egg magazine has been running since 1968? It began as a newsletter on what is now a very old machine that only had four colors of ink, and well, green it was. Oberon himself tells the whole story in an interview on YouTube on Katrina and friends (https://youtu.be/3ssm0P0ofow)  so, I thought I would provide a peek at the very first volume of the newsletter. Continue reading The Egg Gets Laid – The First Issue of Green Egg Magazine

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Ancient Spells and Incantations by Enid Baxter Ryce

Reviewed By Katrina Rasbold

Enid Baxter Ryce’s Ancient Spells and Incantations is a captivating journey into the heart of humanity’s magical heritage. This beautifully crafted grimoire serves as both a historical preservation and a poetic re-envisioning of the words our ancestors used to shape their world.

Continue reading Ancient Spells and Incantations by Enid Baxter Ryce

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Pantheon – The Romans by Rachel S. Roberts

Reviewed by Katrina Rasbold

In her latest addition to the Pantheon series, historian and spiritual teacher Rachel S. Roberts invites readers to step past the marble ruins and cold statues of the history books and into the vibrant, beating heart of the Ancient World. The Romans is not just a dry recounting of dates and conquests; it is a spiritual travelogue that reanimates the “City of a Thousand Gods.” Continue reading Pantheon – The Romans by Rachel S. Roberts

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Two Lights, One Dawn: Eugene’s Historic Yule Celebration

By Echo Sherman

This winter, Eugene is about to witness something rare, radiant, and wonderfully unexpected: a Yule celebration that unites faiths, communities, and hearts in one shared evening of ritual, music, and care.

On December 21st, 2025, the First Christian Church will open its doors at 5:00 PM for a historic event: an interfaith solstice service where the Christian tradition of the Son meets the Pagan celebration of the returning light. For those who love the warmth of ceremony, the flicker of candles, and the poetry of ritual, this is a moment you won’t want to miss. Continue reading Two Lights, One Dawn: Eugene’s Historic Yule Celebration

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Samhain: Gateway Between Worlds and Seasons

By Katrina Rasbold

As the last leaves fall and the year’s light wanes, the veil between the worlds thins. Samhain (pronounced SOW-in or SAH-win), one of the four great fire festivals of the Celtic calendar, stands as the final spoke on the Wheel of the Year. It is both an ending and a beginning—a time when the harvest is complete, and the dark half of the year begins. Continue reading Samhain: Gateway Between Worlds and Seasons

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Paganism and Church

By Cat Gina Cole

How did Pagans ever become a church? I thought Pagans were anti-church! Similar questions flood social media these days. The word church has become something of a swearword in our time. It’s often associated with control, abuse of power, corruption, and dictating how people should live and what they should believe—essentially an attitude of “our way or the highway.” There’s now widespread resistance to that idea, not just among Pagans but in society at large—and they are not wrong. Christian churches do have that history. However, this made me wonder about the origins of the word church and its original meaning. Continue reading Paganism and Church

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Paganism and Church

By Cat Gina Cole

How did Pagans ever become a church? I thought Pagans were anti-church? These and other similar questions flood social media these days. The word “church” has become something of a swear word in our time. It is currently a word that represents control, abuse of power, corruption, telling people how to live, what to believe, and being “Our way or the highway” about every aspect of a person’s life. There is a big resistance to that now, not just in the Pagan communities but in general and they are not wrong. Christian churches do have that history to them; however, it made me wonder about the origins of the word “church” and its original meaning. Continue reading Paganism and Church

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Beltane: From Ancient Fire Festival to Modern Celebration of Life

By Katrina Rasbold

As the wheel of the year turns and April fades into May, the vibrant festival of Beltane bursts forth in a blaze of fire, flowers, and fertility. Rooted in ancient Celtic tradition, Beltane has evolved through centuries, weaving together threads of mythology, seasonal change, and human connection. Today, it thrives as a modern spiritual and cultural celebration, honoring the earth’s abundance and the sacred dance between light and life. Continue reading Beltane: From Ancient Fire Festival to Modern Celebration of Life

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Unboxing Pagan History: Pagan Solidarity

By Cat Gina Cole

Greetings all! In this column I will write a series of articles about American Pagan history. The very first thing I want to tell you about is the current movement of Pagan Solidarity because it is historical in many ways. Pagan Solidarity began in late January or early February of 2025 when our nation turned upside down. Continue reading Unboxing Pagan History: Pagan Solidarity