Contemplative animist monasticism with a goth nesting instinct — online and onchain.
Ulf Söderberg on his early influences, creative process, literary tastes, Old Norse religion, philosophy of sound design, and career as a pro sound designer.
Black Stone Sanctuary uses darkness incubation spaces as tools to promote time spaciousness and attention sovereignty in animist monastic contexts.
Monasteries can support religious aspirations, intentional focus, community cohesion, longevity of traditions, and a sense of belonging outside conventional norms.
Liturgy and service projects for the Nordic goddesses we call the Holy Powers of Lyfjaberg: Mengloð and Her Court, known as the nine maidens Hlíf, Hlífþrasa, Þjóðvarta, Björt, Blíð, Fríð, Aurboða, and Eir.
A devotional prayer to Fulla, a Nordic goddess Who is one of Frigg's Court. Written by Danica Swanson.
Why is spirituality so often associated with upward movement and driving out the darkness? Explore the value of incubation time in restorative, restful darkness.
Devotional prayers to Nótt, the Nordic goddess of night.
Following the ways of non-contrivance means learning to release habits of effortful pursuit, and confronting the limits of conscious objectives.
Reflections on the subtleties involved in releasing habits of contrivance and allowing animist monasticism to emerge by "non-doing."
In which I speculate about monastic yearnings for "enclosure" and the animist roots of my love of subterranea.
Exploring a sacristan's call to monastic service in the context of contemplative animism and polytheism
A polytheist rants about the dearth of organized religious infrastructure in Paganism, recounts a visit to an Episcopalian church, and reflects on the personal cost of 25+ years in a minority religious movement.
Lyrics for "Skade," a song composed and recorded by Birka Skogsberg in Swedish. English translation by Danica Swanson.
From the Black Stone Sanctuary archives: an interview with Danica Swanson by L. James (2018).
The Sanctuary's experimental liturgical framework for Pagan polytheist monastics (prayer, hymn, chant) centers on Holy Darkness and pre-Christian Nordic/Germanic Holy Powers.
Explore Black Stone Sanctuary's releases from onchain launch week, and peek at what's lined up for the weeks and months ahead.
Trish Deneen introduces herself, her work with Black Stone Sanctuary, and her affinity for darkness-as-healing. Plus: our first Zorbish Meditation video!
What is slowcore? And why did Danica + Trish decide to launch their niche Pagan polytheist monastery-bootstrapping project on Farcaster?
Welcome to our Pagan polytheist monastery-bootstrapping project. We call it contemplative animist monasticism with a goth nesting instinct — online and onchain.
This post teaches you everything you need to know about getting started with Paragraph.
