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Laura Perry - Author and Artist

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Calling to the Gods: Some Things Never Change

Laura Perry

Oct 5, 2016
2 min

Calling to the Gods: Some Things Never Change

I was going to write an article about the Pleiades in Minoan spirituality and culture for today’s blog, but the research time for that got pre-empted by the fact that my husband was hospitalized and then had major surgery. I promise to write about the Pleiades later. But the whole surgery-and-hospital thing got me thinking about the role of the gods in our lives and how that has changed—or hasn’t—since ancient times. My husband just had surgery for diverticulitis, a problem h

Ancient Crete Was No Utopia

Laura Perry

Sep 14, 2016
1 min

Ancient Crete Was No Utopia

It's really tempting to idealize the ancient societies that are the basis of our spirituality. After all, we're good people, so we want them to be good as well. But what counts as "good" varies from one culture to another, from one age to another. And some of the things that went on in ancient Crete during Minoan times would be quite shocking to the modern world. Find out the details in today's Minoan Path blog post: Ancient Crete Was No Utopia In spite of the negatives, ther

Book Review: The Old Ones in the Old Book

Laura Perry

Aug 24, 2016
2 min

Book Review: The Old Ones in the Old Book

I recently had the pleasure of reading a really unique book. For years I've been fascinated by the tidbits about ancient pagan spiritual practice that are scattered throughout the Bible's Old Testament, a.k.a. the Tanakh. But I was never able to put those bits together into a cohesive picture of what that spirituality might have looked like. Then I read The Old Ones in the Old Book by Philip West. And it turns out, the world of the Old Testament wasn't nearly as monotheistic

Journeying to the Realm of the Dead

Laura Perry

Jul 20, 2016
1 min

Journeying to the Realm of the Dead

This week on the Minoan Path blog I'm exploring another ritual posture from ancient Crete. I've discovered some interesting aspects of this one that are different from what other people have experienced, all because I stopped to think about how these figurines were meant to be positioned (hint: It's not upright like the photo shows). To find out what I discovered, hop on over to the blog post: Minoan Ecstatic Postures: The Realm of the Dead If you're interested in Minoan spir

Hold onto the Ancestors

Laura Perry

Jun 29, 2016
2 min

Hold onto the Ancestors

These are trying times. The economy has been horrible for a while now. My British friends are struggling between fear and hope after the Brexit vote. American politics are heating up in an ugly way as we near the 2016 presidential election. The climate is causing problems around the globe. Peace seems very far away. What on earth can we hold onto, to maintain a little sanity in a world gone mad? The ancestors. Those are my great-grandparents, Eliza Smith Douglass and Frederic

Minoan Midsummer: Layers of Religion

Laura Perry

Jun 22, 2016
3 min

Minoan Midsummer: Layers of Religion

Religion isn’t a static thing. We don’t invent a religion once and leave it as is for centuries. Cultures change, people change, and spiritual practice changes, too. Minoan civilization lasted for centuries. Just the “palace” periods, the times when the big temple complexes were being built and rebuilt, lasted about 500 years. Minoan civilization as a whole lasted more than two millennia. And during that time, the spiritual practice in ancient Crete changed and grew. We can t

The Colors of Minoan Life and Art

Laura Perry

Jun 15, 2016
1 min

The Colors of Minoan Life and Art

Minoan art is so vibrant and colorful, I feel like I could walk right into the scenes on the frescoes. Where did they get those beautiful colors? You might be surprised. You might also be surprised to know that some of the colors have meanings beyond just 'This is pretty.' To find out more, have a read through my latest Minoan Path blog post: The Colors of Minoan Life and Art To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, hop on over to Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. #min

Faking History: Minoan Spirituality on the Line

Laura Perry

May 18, 2016
1 min

Faking History: Minoan Spirituality on the Line

This isn't something most people think about very often, but archaeological forgeries can be a problem when we're trying to reconstruct ancient spiritual practices. Today I look at the fake Minoan snake goddess statues, among others that have had an impact on modern Minoan Paganism: Faking History: Minoan Spirituality on the Line To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to Ariadne's Tribe, our welcoming community of spiritual adventurers. In the name

How history changes: The Minoans and their neighbors

Laura Perry

Apr 27, 2016
1 min

How history changes: The Minoans and their neighbors

Life doesn't happen in a vacuum and history isn't interpreted in a vacuum, either. Each of us brings preconceptions to the table when we're investigating the ancient world, and Sir Arthur Evans was no different. Learn more about how much our view of the ancient Minoans has changed in the century since he excavated Knossos: How history changes: The Minoans and their neighbors And remember, some of the things we think we know today about the ancient world are probably wrong, to

Sealed with a ... seal

Laura Perry

Apr 20, 2016
1 min

Sealed with a ... seal

Most of the people in ancient Crete couldn't write, but they did have a way to sign their name, in a manner of speaking: seals. Find out more about these unique gold and stone objects that are so iconic of Minoan civilization in today's Minoan Path blog post: Sealed with a ... seal To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, hop on over to Ariadne's Tribe. #minoan #history #culture #writing #crete #symbolism

How do you know that's a ritual object?

Laura Perry

Apr 6, 2016
1 min

How do you know that's a ritual object?

Over in Ariadne's Tribe (my discussion group that focuses on modern Minoan Paganism) we often find ourselves questioning the label 'ritual object' that's applied to so many archaeological finds with such abandon. Of course, there are ways to figure out whether most artifacts are ritual items or not, but since most archaeologists aren't practicing Pagans, they might not understand how this works: How do you know that's a ritual object? So take those 'ritual object' labels with

Bulldozing History

Laura Perry

Mar 30, 2016
1 min

Bulldozing History

We all want success, sure, but at what cost? In difficult economic times, people tend to value short-term profit over long-term benefits. One recent incident involves the approval of a large luxury resort development in Crete, whose construction will destroy irreplaceable ancient remains: Bulldozing History Let's value the past that our ancestors built and do our best to preserve it and learn from it. To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, hop on over to Ariadne

Book Review: The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens

Laura Perry

Mar 23, 2016
3 min

Book Review: The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens

Morgan Daimler’s book about the Morrigan, that multifarious and fascinating Irish goddess, may be small but it has done great things for me. It’s one of the Pagan Portals series, short-but-deep introductions to a variety of Pagan subjects including deities. And it really has changed my relationship with this goddess – for the better, of course. First let me tell you about the book, titled The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens. It’s full of all sorts of fascinating informatio

Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?

Laura Perry

Mar 16, 2016
1 min

Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?

The Snake Goddess is iconic of Minoan civilization and religion, but who is she really and what place does she have in modern Minoan Paganism? Read today's Minoan Path blog post to find out: Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes? To join the discussion about ancient Minoan civilization and modern Minoan Paganism, pop on over to Ariadne's Tribe. In the name of the bee And of the butterfly And of the breeze, amen! #minoan #crete #spirituality #symbolism #paganism #culture

Book Review: End of Days

Laura Perry

Mar 9, 2016
2 min

Book Review: End of Days

More vampires! Or rather, more of the twisted tale about these vampires, in the second volume of the Night Runner trilogy. First of all, let me point out that this is Young Adult fiction and yes, I read YA fiction regularly. There's a lot of good lit out there under the YA label, and this one definitely counts as good lit. It's not dumbed-down or naive, and the story shines without resorting to steamy sex scenes or gratuitous violence. Quite refreshing, really. So yes, vampir

How Writers Write: The Perils of Working from Home

Laura Perry

Feb 24, 2016
3 min

How Writers Write: The Perils of Working from Home

I wrote my first novel during slow times at a deathly boring office job. It was awful - the novel, that is. I never published it or even showed it to anyone. Actually, the job was pretty awful, too, but that's beside the point. Here's the thing: It was easy to write that novel because I was already in Work Mode, stuck at a desk, with no Internet connection and nothing else to do. When I shifted to working from home, writing wasn't so easy any more. Now, some of the difficulti

Grandmother Ocean: Constant Inspiration

Laura Perry

Feb 17, 2016
1 min

Grandmother Ocean: Constant Inspiration

The ancient Minoans lived on an island surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Those blue waters inspired their livelihood, their cuisine, and their religion. Have a look at some of their beautiful, marine-inspired art in today's Minoan Path blog post: Grandmother Ocean: constant inspiration To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. Everyone is welcome. In the name of the Bee - And of the Butterfly - And of the Breeze - A

What's the big deal about bronze?

Laura Perry

Feb 3, 2016
1 min

What's the big deal about bronze?

The ancient Minoans lived during the Bronze Age, a time when people learned how to combine metals together to make alloys strong enough for usable blades. This had a major impact on their lives. Sure, they could make pretty bronze figurines, but it's the daggers and spearheads they manufactured that made them famous all over the ancient world. Learn the details in my post on the Minoan Path blog: What's the big deal about bronze? If you'd like to participate in the discussion

Minoan Cosmetics: DIY

Laura Perry

Jan 6, 2016
1 min

Minoan Cosmetics: DIY

People in the ancient world were just as concerned about appearance as we are, and they enjoyed a bit of self-adornment. For a peek into the kinds of cosmetics the Minoans used (and recipes to make your own, if you're feeling adventurous) have a look at my Minoan Path blog post: Minoan Cosmetics: Do It Yourself To join the discussion about modern Minoan Paganism, come on over to Ariadne's Tribe. In the name of the Bee - And of the Butterfly - And of the Breeze - Amen! #paga

Moon, Stars, and Questions

Laura Perry

Dec 16, 2015
1 min

Moon, Stars, and Questions

One thing Pagans like to do is connect with the past: find out what our ancestors used to do and bring ancient cultures and religions back to life. But that can be tricky when there isn't much historical evidence to go on. Today on the Minoan Path blog I share my thoughts about a particular Minoan deity whose identity is not clear. We can only rely on the historical record to a certain extent, and then we must fill in the blanks with our own intuition. Moon, Stars, and Questi

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