I address myself to the malingerers of Tumblr;

I’m not sure why you fixate upon me (especially since I haven’t been active in the community or even in maintaining this blog for a while) and feel the need to spread distortions and lies to boot, but you do, so here I am to address them. (Admit it, you miss me and this is some sick attempt to get my attention. Well, it worked. Hope you’re happy.)

To begin with, have the decency to respect my labels. I am far-right, with no political affiliation – not Fascist, let alone Nazi. Clearly you follow my blog closely enough to have seen the multiple times I’ve carefully explained the differences. Your persistence in using such scare terms is not only dishonest and libelous but as rude as continuing to address a trans person by the gender they were born into after they’ve told you their preference. It’s bad form, and you should stop it.   

I have never tried to hide the fact that Rhyd Wildermuth was once a friend. 

If you don’t believe the world is ending please notify that poor Greta Thunberg child, because she seems really upset about the prospect.

Incidentally, I don’t either. It is possible to experience παλιγγενεσία or rebirth without a literal death. Metaphorical is a whole other story. 

Also, you should probably wait until all 13 books in my poetic cycle are complete before critiquing their apocalypticism. Potential spoiler, but I have a great fondness for M. Night Shyamalan style twists. 

You may mock my belief that Dionysos will one day be the Successor of Zeus, but it’s straight out of the Rhapsodic Theogony, according to Otto Kern’s Orphicorum Fragmenta:

Proklos. Zeus the Father ruled all things, but Bakchos ruled after him.

Dionysos will lead the New Pantheon from Nysa or the reclaimed Tower of Kronos, not our cult compound. I am unsure where you got that from, as I’ve never suggested anything like it. 

And yes, our community will defend itself. Would you belong to one that didn’t?

I have never been forced out of any group. 

Hellenion – stepped down from elected position in protest over restrictive bylaws (which I felt stifled the formation of dêmoi) and how a situation involving the sitting president was handled. (The guy had converted to Episcopalianism and thought it was still okay for him to run a Hellenic polytheist organization. Unfortunately, so did several other prominent board members.)

Neokoroi – left to explore Kemeticism and eventually Greco-Egyptian polytheism. 

Neos Alexandria – left to focus on local-focus polytheism and eventually Bacchic Orphism; also disappointed that the group seemed to care more about publishing books than worshiping the Gods, and I had disagreements with the editorial staff and one of our authors to boot. (Note I have nothing but respect for Rebecca and what her team have subsequently accomplished, and she was not part of the dispute.)

Thiasos of the Starry Bull – unwilling to budge on the position of animal sacrifice within the tradition I stepped down as Archiboukolos when this became hotly debated. I remained in an advisory role to the council I appointed to govern the group in my stead until they decided to shut things down a year or two later. 

Bacchic Underground – left over personal disputes and a dislike for the culture that was developing there. 

I have warned of the deleterious effects of prolonged exposure to social media; indeed, I have probably not been critical enough of it. But you go ahead and defend the shenanigans of Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of their technocrat ilk as well as continue to use their services. (Pro tip: if you aren’t paying, you and your private information are the product.) 

However, I have not and would never demean someone for their occupation. “There is no shame in labor, only in idleness,” as Hesiod once quipped. That said, I have argued that our values and ethics should shape all parts of our lives as polytheists, including employment. You will note that I do not state how that should play out, as it’s up to the individual to make such determinations for themselves. I probably wouldn’t think much of a polytheist who ran a corporation that polluted our waterways, or produced child pornography, or published an Antifa ‘zine but then I suspect they wouldn’t be terribly fond of me either. 

I do not “make a living” off of selling books and classes, and I wager most of the folks in Neopaganism, Polytheism, Heathenry and Occultism don’t either. What little I earn through these ventures is usually funneled back into the community, as I have helped multiple people attend conferences and retreats over the years by paying for their transportation, food and related expenses (and also helping out during emergency situations) or used it to host public rituals or fund other devotional projects. When I’m not engaged in such activities I use it for offerings and shrine supplies, purchasing from polytheist artisans when I can.

But, even if I was … – and? Since when is using one’s intelligence and creativity to support oneself a bad thing? Do you believe that writers, artists, teachers, etc. should be compelled to give their services away without just compensation? That’s called slavery, something I thought your kind were supposed to be against.    

This is my blog. I will promote whatever groups or projects I please here, especially my own. If you don’t like it, don’t read me. I don’t venture forth into any other part of the internet to “spam them” – and if you believe otherwise you are delusional or being deceived, and quite possibly both.  

The Year One calendar for the Bakcheion never got off the ground; it would have taken conventional American holidays and grounded them in Bacchic ritual, myth and milieu as a way to probe their deeper meaning. The aition for “Valentine’s Day” was chosen precisely because it was such a problematic story. It raises questions about sacrifice, love, obsession, loyalty, ethics and the place of the Gods in all of this. Wrestling with such matters – and avoiding easy, pat answers – seems a more worthwhile way to spend the day than accumulating cards, flowers, chocolates and other commercialized tokens of affection or worse, wallowing in despair and self-loathing because you don’t.  I apologize if you did not understand that. Clearly the American Canadian educational system has failed you. 

Now, is there anything else you wanted to know?