Novembers and change go hand-in-hand here at Mind on Fire. Two Novembers ago, I resolved to make a new spiritual path for myself, and I ritually un/de/re-baptized myself one cold evening in the Pacific Ocean. I began the OC Pilgrimage not long after. Last November, our family completed our exodus from the LDS Church.

This last year was a difficult one for me and Mind on Fire as I’ve tried to redefine my relationship to religion. I no longer feel trapped by religion, and much of the raw pain, betrayal and anger I felt has worked its way out of my system. I feel like I’ve purged my soul of most of my Mormon identity. I have acquired a passel of appealing labels I carry around: atheist, humanist, Quaker, secularist, scholar, skeptic, often accompanied with quirky modifiers like spiritual, Japanese Buddhist, post-Christian.

I’m grateful that xJane has been a constant, stabilizing influence. She has kept Mind on Fire going as I’ve taken time off to work things out. I’ve returned the site’s look and feel to something similar to the Mind on Fire when she first came on board as Miko (almost, but not quite, two Novembers ago). Under the surface, however, change is a-brewing. This should become evident if you follow the content over the coming weeks and months.

There’s a lot of work to do around here. Welcome to the new, improved, Mind on Fire.