I know what your thinking; "Radio Ray why have you gone a month without posting on the blog?" Well, its been a time of transition in normal life for me, I'll be working this summer on the Pacific Coast, and I've been deeply involved in setting everything up for the experience. Those of you who've listened know I've never missed being present for Wheel of Wonder every week, and I'll be there this week too. Next week KAOS breakfast Special DJ "Lady Ace" will be sitting in for me, and I hear she's planning to create an episode about "The Festival of the Sun" in Peru. She's been there to experience it first hand as a part of a study abroad program through The Evergreen State College! I'm excited to hear it as that's the Wheel of Wonder episode closest to Litha, Alban Hefin, or The Summer Solstice. The next week; June 23rd I'll be present with Caer Cormorant for their Alban Hefin event, so there may be a substitute for that Sunday too. I'm not dropping Wheel of Wonder though, I'll continue coming North by Northwest every Sunday to join you on the journey we call Wheel of Wonder.
On to very important things. As you may have heard; tragically, the Final Death Toll for the garment worker's in Bangladesh, as of May 13th, when they stopped searching and began the morbid work of trying to identify the dead and clean up the wreckage on May 13, 2013 was 1,127 lives lost. As I helped with the remembrance tree project for the dead we did indeed tie 1,130 tatters to the tree at the Eastside Food Co-op. 1,130 because three Bangladeshi people who were in Olympia, two from the very same area of Bamgladesh that the tragedy took place in came to add tatters too.
The tatters still weep color in the rain and wind and sun for now, and some of the Larger (mostly European) companies that received their clothes from that factory in Rana Plaza have signed on to a charter that they will no longer accept garments from factories in Bangladesh that don't meet proper fire and safety regulations, and the owner of the factory and some the engineers are in Jail in Bangladesh facing harsh Prison sentences (The owner of the factory is facing a life sentence in prison ), look forward cynics, things can change for the better!
According to some Druid Traditions, Gwynedd is a name for the garden or the sacred grove, the starting place for the spiritual journey of learning from nature, engaging the spirits of nature, and learning to hear the song of the plants, trees, and animal spirits. Some druids will say it is preliminary to the Shamanic journey into the world of spirit, or the world of "The Dreaming." That along with remembrance of the ancestors played its part in the last few Wheel of Wonder broadcasts. This week, this month really, I've been hearing the sirensong of the Sea, calling me to the shore as I get ready to spend my Summer at the beach, so this week you can expect to hear the songs of the Selkies, and the voice of inspiration from the Sirens and the Celts on Wheel of Wonder. Thank you for joining me on the Journey!
I found this Image, called "Selkie" on a neat blog, which you can connect to
here. I did not create this picture, but I think its beautiful.
