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Classic depictions of Death personified include skeletons carrying an hourglass or a scythe, mummified persons extending leathery hands, armies of skeletal warriors mowing down the living, or Pale Horsemen laying waste to kings, priests and children, as in the Coleman-Waite "Rider" Tarot deck.

At this time of year, I pay a lot of attention to one part of my Focus*.

As altar-y spaces go, it is unquestionably the "witchiest" part of mine: bones, skulls, fossils of extinct species, a mummified bat, images of prehistoric cave paintings, megalithic spiral carvings and departed loved ones, a dried pomegranate. It is where I keep the black jar of rose water with which I have anointed several dead people, and the tiny jar of cedar oil, veteran of so many Hallows rituals, whose scent reminds me of the inside of a coffin.

We are pleased to announce the formation of a tax-exempt nonprofit religious organization, The Atheopagan Society, the mission of which is to foster and inform the growth and practice of Atheopaganism throughout the world. The Society conducts educational programs, publishes training materials, ordains clerics, and engages in other activities to support Atheopagans in their religious paths.

Since being conceptualized originally as just Some Dude's individual path, Atheopaganism has enjoyed a remarkable flowering as a path embraced by thousands of people all over the world. With its science-based cosmology, progressive values and meaningful rituals and observances, Atheopaganism provides a deep, rich spirituality while remaining cognizant of the difference between objective fact and metaphorical meaning.

We have a discussion thread right now on the Atheopaganism Facebook group about “institutional religion”, and in it, I have made very clear that I don’t ever want to see Atheopaganism incorporated as a “church” or a legal religious institution. Atheopaganism is for everyone who wants it, and it is fundamentally free. It is a set of IDEAS, and religious ideas cannot be owned.

As we collectively shelter in place to slow the advance of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, the world and the Wheel continue to turn. Spring is rolling around into summer (at least, in many places in the Northern Hemisphere), and we have come to that major pillar of the annual celebrations of many Pagans, May Day or Beltane, and the night before, which is known by many as Walpurgisnacht.

While we may not be able to conduct the usual festivities, we can still observe this Sabbath in all its richness while sheltering in place.

The world has the novel coronavirus. The pandemic is serious, spreading, and causing major disruption.

Many of us have been sent home from work, hopefully to work remotely but, for the less fortunate, simply to tough it out. And in our non-work time, we have hours and hours of empty space we might otherwise fill with gatherings, events, outings and activities.