Wheel of Wonder April 12 2020

"Reflecting on Animism"

"Animism encompasses the beliefs that all material phenomena have agency, that there exists no hard and fast distinction between the spiritual and physical (or material) world and that soul or spirit or sentience exists not only in humans, but also in other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers or other entities of the natural environment: water sprites, vegetation deities, tree sprites..." (Wikipedia, because, why not?)

Another aspect of Animism lies in the idea that there is a divine intelligence at work in nature, and in the universe. When modern neo pagans speak of Mother Earth or Gaia it is often from a belief that the Earth spirit manifested is an entity one can feel, connect with and interact with. Interestingly, scientific discoveries about the interconnectedness of life cycles and biomes also attribute an amazing ability for nature to keep everything in balance as well, almost as if it were operating with a divine intelligence!  Hmmn.

Today on Wheel of Wonder the focus of the journey will be not on the christian holiday (surprised?), but on the interface, the interactions of the nature of Humans and the importance of plants to our lives, our mental and physical health, and our livelihoods. I don't know if quarantines where you are, designed to protect  you from the potentially savage intelligence of a mysterious virus, allow you to get outside and walk beneath o among the green, through the desert, or along the shore, but perhaps the musical mindflight of Wheel of Wonder will help you connect with nature from a place of safety and comfort.

As celt pagan artist Mickie Mueller observes in her intuitive description of the resonance  of the Ogham power Ngetal (Broom or Reed) "Shelter the Spirit with the power of Hearth and Home ,and allow harmony to shelter body and mind" (from "Voice of the Trees" Tarot companion book p.81, by Mueler)

The Coleus to the right is a photograph from plant Shaman Howard G. Charing. check out his blog here

Wheel of Wonder April 5 2020

This Sunday on Wheel of wonder we'll journey through the music of dreams, the dreaming, and stories of the sidhe. Dreams create their own realities. The dreaming is the place where some have said the Shamans go to heal and help their people. As Robert Moss says in the introduction to his book Dreaming True: How to dream your future and change your life for the better "In our dream travels, we not only enter other times, but other dimensions where we may encounter spiritual sources of insight and healing.  In big dreams, we may be open to a higher guidance we screen out in the midst of our hurriedor ego-driven agendas. The guidance may come from a dream messenger--an angelic being, a departed loved one, an animal guardian--or direct from the Source.  We might call this the Higher Self. I sometimes think of this spiritual source as the God we can talk to."
May the dream music help you find insight as well

The picture above is called Fairy Dream Symbol from the website dreamstop.com, and appears to have been created by Stephen Klein

Wheel of Wonder March 29, 2020

This week's Wheel of Wonder will be all music. It will be music that celebrates the spring equinox, living in balance and even rebirth (Alban Eiler, the Druids would call it) but it will be all music. I'm planning to work narration in as pre-recorded Wheel of Wonder episodes continue, so stay tuned!

Wheel of Wonder Ostara 2020

During this time of  caution related to curtailing the spread of the Corvid-19, "Coronavirus" Wheel of Wonder will not be broadcast live on KAOS 89.3fm. KAOS functions out of The Evergreen State College, an institute of higher learning, where one can earn a Bachelors of Arts or Bachelors of Science degree, it also offers a couple of Masters degree tracks. But as with many colleges in America, it closed for a time until the threat of catching novel coronavirus passes. So, its time to revisit the old blog, dusty as the strings of my harp in the upstairs art studio, and connect with some of the people who may have followed this blog in the past or might decide to start reading it now if they have spare time on their hands. I'll be creating MP3s to send to KAOS so they can run pre-recorded Wheel of Wonder episodes.
Beyond all of that, it is still spring! I can sit in my little garden and watch the Tulips, Daffodils and Hyacinths come in to bloom. I can watch the bluebirds, chickadees, and squirrels build their nests, and find their mates. Crows and Seagulls voices still carry across the wind.

Nature has a way of balancing herself and with 7.5 Billion people on our Earth, we might just be witnessing part of her process. But we still are compassionate and caring people with a free will of our own, and we are at a crossroads, do we choose fear, or do we choose to care for each other through the challenges before us? Perhaps its a balance of both? We keep ourselves safe, with social distancing,very regular hand washing and exemplary courage and compassion for a time, as we work towards a world, even towards cohesive government policies that help us to take care of the sick and ill. Then, this too shall pass. Spring equinox is all about balance and the beginnings of a new life. Blessed Be.
----Radio Ray

The picture above is a place I like to call Fearn Duir in the foothills above the southern tip of the Salish Sea. Nature spirits and Salmon wisdom are found here.