Reading paths

Epicureanism

A first evening about 35 minutes

1. Epicureanism: the overview 5 min
   The shape of the philosophy before any detail.
2. Letter to Menoeceus 11 min
   Epicurus in his own words, in the one letter that is about how to live. It is short and clearer than most summaries of it.
3. The Principal Doctrines in plain English 8 min
   Forty short sayings that a reader can take one at a time.
4. Death and the gods 7 min
   The two fears Epicurus most wanted to remove, and the arguments he offered.
5. Epicureanism today 5 min
   Common misunderstandings, and how to try it with friends.

A longer way in several evenings

1. Epicurus and Lucretius 9 min
   The man, the community he built and the poet who carried his ideas to Rome.
2. The three letters: a reading guide 8 min
   What each letter is for, before you read the two you have not yet met.
3. Letter to Herodotus longer
   His physics, which is harder going and shows what the ethics rests on. Skim it if you like.
4. Lucretius, Book III about 1 hour, in sittings
   The most sustained Epicurean argument about the mind and death, in verse. It reads better in pieces.
5. Epicurean and Stoic 6 min
   The quick comparison with the rival school.
6. Epicurus and the Stoics 18 min
   The same quarrel in full, with where the two schools agreed.
7. Oenoanda and the wall of Diogenes 6 min
   The philosophy carved on a wall for strangers to read.
8. Herculaneum and the Villa of the Papyri 7 min
   An Epicurean library under volcanic ash, and the scrolls now being read.

Questions that come up along the way are answered in the FAQ, and the glossary explains the terms.

Paganism

A first evening about 30 minutes

1. Paganism: the overview 3 min
   What the word covers, and the eight paths the site describes.
2. Where to begin 4 min
   A gentle order of steps: read first, start small, find people carefully.
3. Ethics and cautions 7 min
   Cultural borrowing, judging sources, and finding groups safely. Worth reading before you join anything.
4. One path that interests you about 5 min
   Pick any of the eight. Each ends with notes saying which of its claims were checked and where to read more.
5. The Paganism questions in the FAQ 4 min
   Short answers to the questions people ask most, including the myths.

A longer way in a few evenings

1. Where the Wheel of the Year came from 10 min
   Which parts of the wheel are old, which are modern, and why that need not matter.
2. The festivals about 5 min each
   Each festival page has its history, its names and what is known about it, with the checks listed at the foot.
3. A second and third path about 5 min each
   The paths differ more than they seem to, and reading two side by side shows how.
4. The glossary 12 min, or dip in
   Terms from altar to wyrd. It is easier to read after you have met them in context.
5. The calendar feed 4 min
   If you want the festivals in your own calendar.

Shinrin-Yoku

A first evening about 30 minutes

1. Shinrin-Yoku: the overview 4 min
   What forest bathing is, where it comes from, and what it is not.
2. The five senses guide 3 min
   Short exercises you can try on your next walk.
3. Through the seasons 4 min
   How to adapt it in winter, in rain, and in a town.
4. Build your own practice read, then try it
   Choosing a place, staying safe, and a session you can follow.
5. The Shinrin-Yoku questions in the FAQ 3 min
   Including the honest answer to whether it treats anything.

A longer way in an evening or two

1. What the research says 8 min
   The main studies, and how strong the evidence is.
2. The research, read closely 16 min
   Who took part in the best-known studies, what they were compared with, and how far each result can be pushed.
3. The glossary dip in
   Terms such as phytoncides, biophilia and the sit spot.

If you want something different

Try the search, the FAQ, or tell me what is missing through the contact page.