The North Star Podcast: Conversations on Pagan Life and Meaning

The North Star Podcast is a podcast for pagans seeking deeper meaning, thoughtful practice, and a well-lived life. Hosted by four practicing pagans, the show explores pagan philosophy, theology, and ethics through both an academic lens and real-world experience. Each episode blends scholarship with practical insight as we examine rituals, worldviews, and daily practices that help orient us toward living a good, intentional pagan life—rooted in tradition, curiosity, and lived wisdom.

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Latest episodes

18 January 2026

What is a Religion and is it Intrinsically Important to Human Life?

In the very first episode of the North Star Podcast, the hosts tackle a deceptively simple question: what is a religion, really? They unpack the baggage around the word “religion,” explore how it differs from “spirituality,” and look at what all of this means for modern heathens and anyone trying to live inside a living tradition rather than outside of one.

They draw on thinkers like Mircea Eliade, Kenneth Pargament, Descartes, Hobbes, and others, while grounding the conversation in practical questions: community vs. individuality, belief vs. practice, and why humans seem to keep reinventing religion even when they think they’ve left it behind.

In this episode, we talk about:

Religion vs. spirituality
- A working definition of spirituality as “the search for the sacred”
- A working definition of religion as “the search for significance within institutions that support spirituality” (after Kenneth Pargament)
- Why “spiritual but not religious” often means “individual but not institutional”
Are humans inherently religious?
- Mircea Eliade’s idea of homo religiosus—human beings as religious by nature
- How explicitly non‑religious ideologies (like Marxism, fascism, communism) can function like religions in practice
Collective vs. individual: what is religion for?
- State cults and household cults in Rome and Greece
- The difference between salvific religions (focused on individual salvation) and state/tribal religions (focused on the well‑being of the group)
- Why most religions in history were not primarily about having “the right beliefs”
Modern individualism and why heathenry is so fractious
- How Western individualism (Descartes, Locke, Hobbes, etc.) rewired how we see the self
- Why people who have already rejected one tradition are quick to splinter again inside new ones
- The tension between “do my own thing” spirituality and group‑centered religion
Takeaways for modern heathens (and other reconstructionists)
- Why building real collectives (kindreds, theods, groups) is essential
- Focusing on shared practice instead of policing everyone’s inner beliefs
- The importance of at least someone in the group striving to deepen and refine practice over time

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18 January 2026

The North Star Podcast: A Journey into Heathenry

In this episode of The North Star Podcast, four heathens delve into the complexities of practicing an ancient Germanic religion in modern times. They discuss their motivations, personal journeys, and the essential beliefs that guide their lives. The podcast aims to be more than an introductory course on heathenry—it's a deep exploration of beliefs that might resonate with any thoughtful listener. Through insightful conversations that leap between ancient truths and contemporary challenges, the hosts share their collective wisdom and personal insights, offering listeners a fresh perspective on how old worldviews can still apply today.

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