People Are Like Firewood

The only way to precisely engineer a wood fire is to pelletize the wood, to crush and grind and homogenize it. Short of that, each piece of wood is unique, and building and maintaining a fire from those pieces takes at least as much art as engineering.

The System Killed Jordan Neely

Daniel Penny, whether he acted reasonably and killed by accident or recklessly and committed manslaughter, was merely the randomly-chosen final mechanism of Neely's death, set up by a system dedicated to cruelty and profit rather than human well-being.

Death, Dogs, and Cherry Blossoms

As if to fit that mood, there was trash dumped in my old playground, and the hill was overgrown with brambles. But also amidst the weeds were a few small cherry trees, in full blossom.

Eulogy For A Difficult Brother

How do we eulogize people who were difficult to others and to themselves? And how do we, as Pagan folk, perform death rites, especially for those of ambiguous spirituality and for an interfaith gathering?

My Brother Died Today

But right now I'm tempted to consider whether putting unglamorous photos of dead alcoholics up on liquor store walls might help restrain excess. I wish that I could flash those minutes into the brains of those struggling with sobriety, for motivation, a "Don't Let This Happen To You" public service announcement.

When censoring fascists, who gets to decide who's "fascist"?

Giving anyone the power to label someone "fascist" and censor them is far more of a threat than a handful of Nazi punks.

1917: The Real Start of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

The story starts with British imperialism

Police violence: seeing the fnords

Imposition of Order = Escalation of Disorder. "Armed with the Law of Eristic Escalation and Fenderson’s Amendment any
imbecile – not just a sociologist – can understand politics."

The Weird Turn Pro: Commentary from a weird perspective.

“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” — Hunter S. Thompson Inarguablely, we live in weird times. So: welcome to The Weird Turn Pro. This will be sort of a companion to my blog The Zen Pagan: TZP will focus more on matters of magick and spirit, while TWTP will focus on political philosophy, commentary, and analysis.

Starwood 40

I will be presenting at the Starwood Festival, July 13-18, in Pomeroy OH or on your computer screen.
And Saturday, July 11, after the Concert, I will be working with the Family of Fire to put on the Virtual Bonfire

Seido Karate - Outdoors

We're doing outdoor karate classes during the COVID-19 crisis. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:15pm.

Open to all! We love absolute beginners!

See our website or the Catonsville Seido Karate Facebook page.

Humpback Happy Hour / Virtual House Concert, June 2, 7p,

Grab a drink (from your own fridge) and settle in from some tunes with The Reverend Tom Swiss, in the comfort of wherever you are! Activate your telepresence device and join me for original tunes, traditional songs, and folky rock covers. Maybe a poem or three...

(A whimsical name; there will not, actually, be whales here.)

"Hail Eris, All Hail Discordia" (original song)

For the 2023 #FunADay project, a new song. A hymn of sorts to my patron Goddess, who asked me to remind you that you are free. Hail Eris!

Song: "Leadbetter's Tavern", Tom Swiss

For part of my #FunADay project in January 2023, I wrote a song about Baltimore's best dive bar. Miss that place and its "Music EFN."

"Double Handful of Fire" (original song)

For the January 5th instalment of my 2023 Fun-A-Day, a song.

"Punk Magick", Autumn Fires 2022

Tom Swiss speaking on "Punk Magick" at Autumn Fires at Wisteria Event Site, October 2022. Strip the art of ritual magick down to its basics and go forward with the same attitude as the punk 'zine which showed its readers three guitar chords and then said "Now go form a band." More information at https://punkmagickbook.com

Parental Death, Ancestor Work, And The Search For Love

It’s been five years since my father died, changing my relationship with my ancestors. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thezenpagan/2022/09/parental-death-ancestor-work-and-the-search-for-love/