Wheel of Wonder September 30, 2012

Back at it again, after having spent the Autumn Equinox witnessing the seeding of a new Bardic Gorsedd in the stone circle up at the Redmond Longhouse!  This "Gathering of Bards" intends to be an annual event and they called it, appropriately enough; Caer Mabon in honor of the Holiday.  This event was one of the many workshops and/or rituals that made up the OLOTEAS(Our Lady of the Earth and Sky) concentric circles gathering, there were Wicca/Witchcraft and Druid rituals in abundance there.  There were also vendors , Tarot readers, and workshops present too.  I had occasion to meet the some folks from Eleusyve Productions; a Seattle based theater troupe who take Alistair Crowley's rites of Eleusis and changes them into Rock Musicals.  I' m looking forward to inviting them onto Wheel of Wonder soon!

All in all it was a good way to spend the Autumn Equinox.  There's nothing quite so dramatic on a Mabon eve as to stand in a stone circle after dark on the Equinox, seeing the torches lit at every stone, and a brazier of burning fire in the center of the circle while a half waxing moon glows orange (yes, orange!) in the sky above.

This week on Wheel of Wonder we'll speak about the legend of the Mabon, Journeys to the Underworld in pursuit of Wisdom, The image of the Cauldron, and the Harvest Moon.  While your at it, check out the new links talking about OLOTEAS, and Eleusyve productions!

I didn't get a good picture of the Stone Circle in Redmond.  The one above is in Ireland:  a great picture taken by a fellow named Ojibwa for the internet news magazine Daily Kos.

Wheel of Wonder September 16, 2012

The Autumn is coming around again, and Wheel of Wonder, broadcasting as it does from the radio station of a Liberal Arts College, will soon be reaching the ears of a whole new set of curious learners, questors, seekers and spiritualists.  It is around this time of year, fast approaching Alban Elfed (Mabon) and Samhain (Halloween), that I take the listeners back to the original inspiration for the radio show, and a good portion of my lifestyle:  The Celtic Wheel of the Year.  We'll be discussing the wheel of the year this week, so any who are interested please tune in, learn a bit more about one earth spirit observance, or pass it on to someone new, who's curious.  Wheel of Wonder streams on line 8am-10am Pacific Standard time on kaosradio.org, and comcast cable channel 982.  Its only live, no podcasts of this show.  As a host, I love how that feel so real! Check out the independent music and info as we circumambulate the Celt Pagan Wheel of the Year!

This beautiful wheel of the year was found on the Wiccan site lovedriven.com Neat links in the margin too!

Wheel of Wonder September 9, 2012

Hello again.  As I sat in a park yesterday evening,  feeling showered by a very light mist of Fir Tree pollen, watching the sun sink down beyond the ridge earlier than it had been for a while, a cool wind blew through the trees foreshadowing the coming of Autumn.  There have been many Harvest festivals in this area lately, and more to come in the next couple of weeks, the weather has been perfect for outdoor activities, it still seems like summer, but the trees, the trees always know what time it is.  I've been seeing the yellow plum leaves begin to carpet my garden, and I'll be planting my over winter crops soon (the leaves will mulch it for me).  All these images and experiences remind me of the Oak king and his winter transformation, dying to assure good soil in the spring.  So this week on Wheel of Wonder, I'll be putting a little bit of focus on Cernunnos.

  The Pagan Book of Days, I checked out from my local library, has inspired me again; listing September 9th as Cernunnus(or "Horned God") day, and also the traditional day of the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance in Staffordshire, UK. We'll speak a bit on that with some help from John Matthews and his insightful book "The Quest for the Green Man" (2001 godsfield press). Of course, we will also have music.  A bit of "Old Horney" to balance, slightly, last week's focus on the teachings of Gaia. This week on Wheel of Wonder!
(Remember my cartoon-y Cernunnos picture above?)

Wheel of Wonder September 2, 2012

September already?  Well, August was a good month for study.  I've been thinking about Ascension, as a path to spiritual evolution.  Many Ascensionists find channeled information a great path towards insight and learning, and there are very many channelers out in the world, working to share their insights and knowledge.  Sometimes it may seem hard to know if those who are considered "Mediums"  for more highly evolved spirits are indeed truly channelers.  Be that as it may, it would be good to listen to what they have to say, open, or at least broad mindedly, for there may be some wisdom in their words, once one works past the spooky bugaboo of "are they for real, or not?"  What do their words say?  Does that make sense to you?  If so, consider it.  I love bringing you what information I find, but the path to each person's unique truth, that which speaks to their spirit, that is a journey they must take themselves.
This week I'll be sharing some of the words believed to be channelled from other spirits, and more great music from independent and expansively thinking artists. For more, please listen to Wheel of Wonder (kaosradio.org)

The picture above is of a set of crop circles I found compiled on the ufomystic blog.  Some channeled information states some crop circles are placed in the fields of Earth to help Humans expand there thinking beyond this, the 3rd Dimension, even perhaps placed here by beings in fourth, fifth, or sixth dimensional existence.

Wheel of Wonder July 22, 2012

The wheels turn and its time for me to take to the road and the research again, just like a veritable Bard.  I won't be hosting Wheel of Wonder for a couple of  weeks, as I sally forth (energetically, but non-violently) to secure new Music, New Interviews and New Information to bring to Wheel of Wonder!  This week, July 22 Sy, from the Junglee hour will be hosting the show and next week, on July 29, it will be brought to you by Lois, from Morning Star Cafe.  Will I be back shortly after Lammas? I will try.  This weekend a great event is occuring down along the Columbia:  Summerstar spiritual retreat (and first ever real life quidditch!) followed next weekend by Faerieworlds in Eugene, OR.  I intend to get my shoes dusty!  Last week we spoke of New Age/Neo Pagan Relationships to spirits and Nature and a bit about public ritual.  The message from that show I share again:  May you all have good relations, with the world and those you meet in it.  Blessings!  Thanks for continuing to listen to Wheel of Wonder!

---Radio Ray  (The picture above is from one of my walks in the woods, near Deception Pass)

Wheel of Wonder July 8, 2012

Shamanism, also the art of prophecy, is a practice that has existed in nearly every culture all around the world, throughout time.  These days it is usually associated with Native American spirituality, but many non natives and new age spiritualists have found these practises along their spirit paths as well.  This week we'll focus on specifically Celtic Shamanism.

  Yes indeed, Celtic.   Ireland, Scotland, and Britain have a rich history of Poet Shamans and prophetic visionaries in their past too.  Some of the most famous of these were Finn MacCoumail, his son, the poet Ossien, Amerigan the Druid, Merlin, and most especially the Welsh Bard of Bards Taliesin (believed from research and archaeological evidence to have been active, or at least consciously reincarnated, around the 5th century AD).  There are many Traditions in Celtic Shamanism and the practice is often attributed to Bards, Vates and Druids.  Though there is evidence that some Shamans were only Shamans too.  Citing some references from John Matthews book "Taliesin:  The Last Celtic Shaman" (1991 Aquarian Press), we'll explore the ideas and evidence found and shared about the Celtic Shamans.  Punctuated by great music, and good information, this week on Wheel of Wonder.
The picture above can be found on the Celtic Shamanism Site of Paul H. Richard.

Wheel of Wonder July 1 2012

Half way through 2012 Western Washington is still here.  I've encountered more spiritual people though.  Could that be the change of things 2012 is going to bring us?  Some believe it's the  Medicine Wheel Rituals so often performed these days that are helping us through this time.  Last week I had the occasion to experience such a ceremony on Midsummer's Eve, a holiday the Neo-Pagans call Litha.  The energy was strong and the healing and connecting quite present.  It was fortuitous for me as well.  I've just recently been reading the book "Walking on the Wind:  Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance" by Michael Garret (1998 Bear and Company Publishing, Santa Fe, NM)  I was most interested in "The Rule of Opposites" it states among other things that both opposites are real and both are right, its just the same idea seen from a different perspective.  Much like the Native American Elder at The Medicine Wheel ceremony described the more "European" (I say Neo-Pagan) ceremonies people are doing.  They are all trying to achieve the same thing: Living harmoniously together, and healing the Earth.  It turns out that the Elder in question was part Cherokee too!  After I told her about Wheel of Wonder she asked if I would share some of the words from "Walking on the Wind"  with the people listening, as long as I gave credit to the Native American Man who wrote the book.  I did, and I focussed on the "Rule of Opposites" the Author shared seven main lessons from it, and I made it through most of them.  This week I will share the last two. "Understanding underlying truths eliminates any need for discord in our lives."  and  "Through Choice of perspective and appropriate action, we are free to balance ourselves as we see fit." (pp. 99-101 Garret) and perhaps a bit more of his work and some of the work of Christopher Penczak as well.  Of course the same musical ambience and independent voices you have come to expect if you listen to Wheel of Wonder will be present too!

PS:  Check out the new links!  The Medicine Wheel picture above was created by a Cree artist named Gordon Perreault.  Check out more of his work here. Those who do not want to follow this link check google, one of the strings to his work may have malware. (I don't think its this one)