Beckett - The path of paganism: an experience-based guide to modern pagan practice

Photo by Tesa Morin

About The Author

John Beckett grew up in Tennessee with the woods right outside his back door. Wandering through them gave him a sense of connection to nature and to a certain forest god.

John is a Druid in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and a member of r nDraocht Fin. Locally, he serves as the coordinating officer of the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans and is a former v ice president of CUUPS Continental. His blog, Under the Ancient Oaks, is part of the Pagan channel of the multifaith website Patheos. John has been writing, speaking, teaching, and leading public rituals since 2003.

John lives in the DallasFort Worth area with his wife, Cathy, and their cat Sophie. Blogging wont pay the bills, so John earns his keep as an engineer.

Acknowledgments

Most of the material in this book was originally written for my blog, Under the Ancient Oaks . Its been organized, edited, reorganized, re-edited, and then edited again. What you hold is not the result of copying and pasting text from blog to book. Rather, its an entity all its own.

There are many people who helped make this unusual book a reality, and I am extremely grateful to them all.

To the members of Denton CUUPS, you are my fellow priests and co-religionists, and my good friends. Weve built a dedicated, functional, drama-free Pagan group that serves the public and our gods, and weve done it in Texas. Theres no place Id rather be.

To the editors of the Patheos Pagan Channel: to Star Foster, who invited me to join Patheos. To Christine Kraemer, who completed the blog move and who convinced me there was a book in the blog. To Jason Mankey, who promotes and encourages me constantly.

To Morpheus Ravenna, who shared her book writing experience and who provided more encouragement than she probably knows. To Theanos Thrax, who makes many sacrifices in support of polytheism. You both epitomize priesthood and youre fun to hang out with. I am honored to have you as colleagues and friends.

To the alpha readers: Yvonne Aburrow, Sean Harbaugh, Jason Mankey, and Cynthia Talbot. Your feedback and suggestions were extremely helpful.

To Kristoffer Hughes, for your encouragement throughout the writing process, for a magical day on Anglesey, and especially for your friendship.

And finally, to Cathy: you knew you were marrying an engineer, but you had no idea you were also marrying a Druid and a writer. I am so thankful for your understanding, your patience, and your support. I could not have done this without you.

May the blessings of the gods, ancestors, and spirits of nature be with you now and always!

Foreword

At the heart of Pagan practice swims the fundamental concept of relationship, and it is the integrity and depth of relationship that breathes life into the intricacies, wonder, and beauty of connection. As a Druid, my entire worldview and practice is held firmly by the principle of honourable relationship and the sacred nature of connection. I am fortunate to have a relationship with the author of this book; a man I do not simply admire but hold in the highest esteem as a gentleman who epitomizes the sheer power and magic of relationship. Within the pages that follow I can hear his voice, an added bonus when one knows the author; this in itself holds another form of magic based on connection. Not only do his words guide me to revaluate aspects of my own practice, but they also serve to challenge my own path through the glades and groves of the Pagan forest.

In my practice of Paganismnow reaching its twenty-sixth yearI have read a lot of books and indeed written a few myself. I have often considered that the role of an author is to inspire, to reach out by means of experience and relationship to touch the paths of others. Johns book does just that, and in typical tripartite Celtic fashion, this book genuinely serves to inspire, test, and transform the reader. If truth be told, a vast proportion of books contain a hefty dose of padding, and as my own practice has developed I find myself leafing through pages, passing over anecdotal accounts and verbosity to jump at pearls of wisdom that I long to find in the works of my fellow authors. Rarely has a book revealed such sagacious pearlescent treasures until now.