Pagan Deities and Occult Themes
Ancient Egypt’s unique culture developed along the Nile River and was shaped by the annual flood that deposited rich silt, creating a fertile tract in an otherwise barren region. Early Egyptian religion was animistic, with the important aspects of nature transformed into the divine and worshipped to ensure continued prosperity. The sun god Ra emerged... Continue Reading →
Janus stands out among the Roman gods as one of the few who do not appear to have Greek roots or an equivalent in the Greek pantheon. Janus is a complex god associated with beginnings, endings, and transformations, and as an extension of that, physical gateways. The ancient Romans believed that he controlled the gateway... Continue Reading →
Erzulie is a Lwa in Haitian Voodoo, embodying love, femininity, and the protection of women (she is often called a love goddess). She has many forms across two Lwa families, Rada (benevolent) and Petwo (powerful/harsh). Erzulie is also linked to material wealth and desire; she can bestow blessings but can be vengeful if offended. She's... Continue Reading →
Exu, or Eshu, is one of the important spiritual entities in the African Yoruba religion. He then found his way into Brazilian Candomble as one of the Orixas. His domain is that of the divine intermediary and acts as a messenger between mortals and the other Orixas. This made him a guardian of the crossroads... Continue Reading →
Candomblé is one of the Afro-Brazilian religions practiced in South America, especially Brazil, that mixes traditional religions of West Africa from the Yoruba, Bantu, and Fon people brought to South America with Roman Catholic influences, especially the Catholic saints, creating a new syncretic religion. The African diasporic religion developed in the unique cultural melting pot... Continue Reading →
According to Gnosticism, a heretical form of Christianity that emerged in the centuries following the death of Jesus Christ, God did not create the world. They ascribe different divine origins to existence. Instead, the world was created by a misshapen and evil being called the Demiurge, and because he was imperfect and malevolent, so is... Continue Reading →
The Book of Enoch is an apocryphal Jewish religious text probably written between 300 and 100 BCE during the Second Temple Period and discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls. It claims to record the experience of Enoch, who lived seven generations on from Adam and was the father of Methuselah and the great-grandfather of Noah... Continue Reading →
In 2026, Chinese New Year will take place between 17 February and 3 March as we welcome the year of the Fire Horse. But what is the tradition behind Chinese New Year, how is it calculated, what are the traditions of the two-week festivals, and what are the meanings of the different animals that characterize... Continue Reading →
Othala (ᛟ) is the twenty-fourth and final rune in the Norse Futhark runic alphabet and represents the sound o. It translates to "Ancestral Property," "Heritage," or "Estate." It represents the land we inherit, the traditions passed down through bloodlines, and the spiritual "home" we return to at the end of a journey. Othala is the... Continue Reading →
Dagaz (ᛞ) is the twenty-third rune in the Norse Futhark runic alphabet and represents the sound d. It translates to "Day" or "Daylight" and represents the moment of dawn—the tipping point where darkness turns into light. It is the rune of radical transformation, breakthrough, and the union of opposites. Dagaz is the seventh rune in... Continue Reading →