Wheel of Wonder December 15, 2013

For those of us who live in Cascadia, December's Dark, Damp, Days can cause a Seasonal Affect Disorder (a state a bit like depression).  This isn't unique to Cascadia though, Countries and Cultures the world over have sought help through community to observe, honor and celebrate the return of the sun, the spring, and summer to survive and be happy through the cold days of Winter.  Some say it is the Crone of the snows (the Caillieach) who brings the ice and cold, sad and grim as a Crone she is.  For others the winter is a time when Gods of chaos, or evil have slain, or nearly slain Gods of the Sun and hope.  The winter then becomes a time of healing and recovery, to return from apparent death as the plants and the light in the sky must do.  Many feel a new hopeful energy in the brightening of the days.  Its a time to stand together and seek friendship and comfort.  I won't be on the air for the actual Solstice this year, I believe Loi Consuela, will be sitting in for me, for Yule. I'll return before the end of  December. This week on Wheel of Wonder we'll have a guest; musician, philosopher, and healer: Denean.  A beautiful soul who brings her vision of  heart based living  to everyone through the sound of her music.  A conversation we can share with you, as Cathartic, I hope, as experiencing the return of the sun, and the optimism of spring.  This week on Wheel of Wonder!

Wheel of Wonder November 24, 2013

There is the idea of the Bardic Journey.  Bards in the Celtic/Druidic sense are the keepers and at the same time, seekers of wisdom.  this wisdom is believed to come from the spirit of inspiration, sometimes called the Awen, and in many cases is believed to involve Shamanic journeying.  A conscious choice to meditate, or  "fly on the wings of spirit" into what many indigenous beliefs would call The Dreaming.  The Dreaming is a place of symbolic language, Universal and Mythic Archetypes, or perhaps, from the ascensionist or new age perspective, a different reality made up of different frequencies, or vibrations of thought and light.  Music is also made up of vibrations in space created by voice or instruments, and carried across the wind, or through the air and into our range of hearing.  Its quite a tradition for Medicine Men, Shamans, Bards and Musicians to be the people among us who can perceive the energies of the universe as a song or perhaps a harmonic tone (or tones ) flowing through everything.  they are the ones who are believed to be able to hear the song of the plants invoking them to heal, or they are the ones who can ride the waves of music into other realities for wisdom and guidance (shamanic journeys), or perceive the song of the land and couple it with the stories, legends and recurring cultural themes of its people into the forms of poetry or song.
Inspired by some of the work of Shakti Gawain, and Yvonne Owens (especially the book: Journey of the Bard) I've been exploring that these past few weeks on Wheel of Wonder, through music and most recently the story of the Journey of Ayve (A bard character of my own devising) into the realms of kay-gant (Ceugant, in its welsh spelling) or the land of the stars and spiritual ascension, the upper branches of the great tree of life.  This week we'll continue that journey.  Doing my part to inspire expansive thinking, and introduce amazing ideas, this week on Wheel of Wonder.

The picture above is called Stonhenge at night and I found it on an interesting blog

Wheel of Wonder November 10, 2013

 The veil was thin, the ancestors looked in, and hopefully that helped you in your pursuit of Wisdom too.  On the wheel of the year, we've now travelled to the other side of Samhain.  This puts us in the dark part of the year when we look inward to appreciate our accumulated knowledge and the harvest of opportunities for ourselves and our communities, reaped from the seeds we've sown.
For any of you who appreciate Wheel of Wonder, or even visiting this blog to link to great music and information, this week, November 8th to 15th KAOS, the community radio station that made these forums possible, is hosting the fall membership drive.  I'm sure no one follows this blog for advertisements, and most community radio stations don't broadcast them, so the only thing that keeps a little, independent , non-commercial station like KAOS going is people starting or renewing memberships. That's why they have membership drives.  All our lives our interconnected and what seeds you sew for ourselves and for the too few non-commercial voices in the world media, means opportunities for all of us to grow in relationships and knowledge.  Please start or renew a membership this time.  It can be as little as $2 (USD), or as much as you like.  It is needed.

This week on Wheel of Wonder, I'm working on bringing all new music to the show.  Music from Louisa John Krol (thanks for following Louisa!), SJ Tucker, Denean, Wendy Rule, and others.  I'm hoping you will join me on the journey!

The picture above is called Samhain, and was found in the portfolio of creations by Midnight's Touch, on Deviant Art

Wheel of Wonder October 20, 2013

Esbat!  We're just finishing up with our window of the energy as some would say surrounding the Full Moon of October 2013 (was actually the 18th).  According to a Druid Tree Calendar I've seen this Moon was known as "The Ivy Moon" according to a Farmer's Almanac article I read this would be the Hunter Moon.  Its also called the Aries Moon.  For those who see the Moon as not only a satellite, but also an energy source, this is an opportunity for Invocation of its energy, unique among all the thirteen moons of the Celtic Year.  This week we'll be speaking about Esbats and Full moon Dances and celebrations.  According to many viewpoints, every full moon of the year has a unique name and energy, and within three days before, or three days after, is a great time for craftwork with that energy.  We'll speak a bit about that this week on Wheel of Wonder.

Wheel of Wonder October 13, 2013

As we know, Humans come in gender forms of Male and Female, so do the other mammals, most animals , and some plants have been attributed with these genders as well (i.e Apple trees are considered to be sexual reproducers, that's why there has to be more than one alone, another needs to be nearby).  For many modern spiritualists there are male energies and female energies, or polarities, some will say.  Among modern Neo-Pagans, there are paths that focus wholly on one of these energies, and some which make a point of training priests and priestesses to work with both.  In the Anderson Feri Tradition, as I understand they see genders and gendered energy as mutable.  This is the thing though, we as Humans live in relationship to others, we're a cooperative species.  Many spiritualists and animists find it easier to relate to one energy or another, but as they learn  and grow on their spiritual paths they find balance between these two polarities, allowing them to feel whole and complete.  I have to say the most worthy Druids and Priestesses I have met have achieved that, yet this male /female dichotomy does still exist.
Having travelled the Wheel of the Year last week through the images of the Green Man (male embodiment of nature), this week we'll explore the triple Goddess as the female embodiment of Nature, in order to keep a sense of balance in our explorations.  I'll share information drawn from Wicca, and some from the cauldron of Cerridwynn, and I hope you will join me this week on Wheel of Wonder (kaosradio.org).  The Picture below is by Constanza Ehrenhaus and found on Elfwood Art

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Wheel of Wonder, Lughnasadh through Alban Elfed

Time has flown and the seasons have turned, sometimes I feel I'm "back in my element" as it were, when Autumn comes blowing out of the north, and the leaves just begin to start turning.
 Lughnasadh and Alban Elfed are the Druid names for the holidays of August 1st (sometimes called Lammas, but usually by witches/wiccans in my experience) and the Autumn equinox (sometimes called Mabon by those who are also partial to the name Lammas). Lughnasadh celebrates the time of the metaphorical sacrifice of the Oak King, Corn King, or John Barleycorn as he is variously known, according to the Druids.  It is seen in the harvest of corn, the cutting of the grain, and the leaves beginning to fall from the branches of the trees; deaths to continue the cycle of life, as shown through the plants and trees.  Alban Elfed or "Light of the Water" marks the balance of the dark and light before the dark starts to take over the light, as shown by the shortening of daylight and the distance of the sun from the northern or southern hemisphere of the Earth.  It is also "Pagan Thanksgiving" a time to be thankful and celebrate the bounty of the harvest and the food we gather, can, and store for the winter.  Yes these days most developed countries have supermarkets through which to acquire food, but the prices of various items will change with their season of harvest (especially if you buy organic, or local; a generally good thing to do in order to move towards a sustainable future with our Mother Earth). More information on the Druidic observances of these holidays available on the OBOD site.
This picture of the Harvest Lord was found on this site

For the length of this past Summer, I've been living 3/4 time on the Pacific Coast, traversing the forests, beaches and lighthouses of an area they call the Long Beach Peninsula.  I spent my days in the places of the Land and The Sky and The Sea.  No easily available Internet, but I did have the opportunity to write, hike and visit Historical sites of the Chinook people and the earliest overland settlers of European ancestry in North America.  I was surrounded by many stories and great beauty.  Pleased to be back to focus on Wheel of Wonder and independent, community radio!

Shedding light on Spiritual paths and sustainable living!

Wheel of Wonder July 14,2013

Vendana Shiva says, in her article for YES! magazine "Everything I need to know, I learned in the Forest."

This week, we'll explore that idea on Wheel of Wonder.  What does the Forest teach us?  Well, first off its a closed system, a cycle if you will, the Forest wastes nothing all that dies adds nutrients to the soil that all the still living lifeforms (in this I am referring to plants too) utilize for food and often shelter (for example, insects and animals inside the hollow log).  We can also see new trees growing on the remains of rotting stumps or logs:  nurse logs.  Even the old and strong trees can on occasion, be completely burnt through the middle and still live and grow, and even offer homes to Bats and Owls.  I know of at least one cedar tree just like that, it stands near a stream, and on occasion I've been known to go set within it, gathering my thoughts.  So what does a Forest teach us about life?  Its very existence is a living expression of the interconnected web of all life, and isn't Human society a lot like that too?  Something to think about next time you're in the Forest.  Or
when you listen to Wheel of Wonder,  I hope you'll engage the Journey.