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.

Wheel of Wonder Imbolc 2018

Our ninth cycle around the Wheel of the Year!  I like Imbolc as a time of new beginnings and a time of confirming one's intentions. Every ending is a beginning though when turn with the cycles of the year. This year I intend to continue Wheel of Wonder. Since the inception of this show we've passed the great shift of 2012 (some say this brings us closer to the age of Aquarius) some say this is the time when we move closer to the Christ Consciousness (Consciousness of Compassion) because we Humans are evolving as a species. I think the work of the 21st Century is to learn how to survive and thrive cooperatively. We have reached astounding levels of technological and industrial mastery, that may have been the work of the 20th century, unfotunately it may have also ushered in the Anthropocene era, where we as Humans have more impact on the natural world than she can recover from through her normal cycle of death rebirth growth in nature.  Universal truth though: Climate change doesn't care about us, it is a result of our hubris.  Perhaps the great Mother does not need Human Beings, over millions of years she's had many children, we are just the latest generation. We need the great Mother and from a pedestrian, non-spiritual perspective, we need to learn how to live in tune with nature, even in an Anthropocene era. It is what keeps us alive. Money seems to be a tool for things, but if there is no food left to eat, or clean air and water left to drink and breathe? We cannot buy what doesn't exist! May our Inspired, Informed, Awareness bring us into a world of peace and health beginning this year. The great work of the 21st Century has begun!

Above are Imbolc inspired pictures: "Aquarian Awakening: The Perfection" and 'Santa Lucia'
re postings of pictures we've used before in this blog happy Candelmass!

Wheel of Wonder January 21 2018

Sometimes it seems we Humans are all part of an interconnected web of life, but as individuals we find ourselves in a false dichotomy where we believe we can't be both an individual and part of  a whole.  Perhaps then the true dichotomy is that we are all separate threads in a greater tapestry of life.
Most of us individually want a sense of personal autonomy, we've seen this reflected in the countrywide women's marches of the USA just yesterday, part of the motivation seems to have been Mr. Trump deciding to decrease funding to planned parenthood, under the mistaken idea that all they do in that organization is give women abortions.  Planned Parenthood actually is focused on family planning and educating women about their choice to be or not to be a Mother and how that can be facilitated.  The going idea seems to be, at least with the Trump administration that women aren't allowed to choose whether or not they become Mothers at any particular time, whether this is completly true or night is beside the point here. It comes across to the women of America, and their allies that the US Government is not respecting their personal autonomy. Though this may be less about the Government than about the influence of the Catholic Church, which has a long history of not respecting Women's personal autonomy. I do not gender identify as a woman so I can not speak much more about that and still feel that I'm being respectful to my friends, relations and sisters Pagan or otherwise and what they have and do go through as individuals of female identity.

Picture above "The Dancing Muse" from Wiccan Together, a website that seems to have been taken out by a computer virus.
How has the desire for independence revealed itself in the past? Especially among the historic cultures I am co-opting nothing to talk about, as they are part of my ancestry. For many hundreds of years Ireland and Scotland fought hard to retain their independence from England. For cultures connected to the land they live on, this could be understood as a matter of autonomy and their rights to traditional lands, not so different a dynamic than rights to the body when you are that connected to the land. What pushes one to act? How far will people allow things to go before they say "enough is enough!" How far would you go to protect the land you call home? This is pertinent to the 21st century and is what we explored today on Wheel of Wonder. Profit seeking economies or person serving economies seems to be what this comes down to these days.  Long ago the Scots had their heroes affectionately known as William Wallace and "The Bruce" These days though, we have to be our own heroes as we learn the meaning of courage while still understanding the efficacy of firm non-violence, so as not to just depose one dictator for another. This is one of the largest challenges I think we face in this 21st century, this perhaps, anthropocene era.

Portrait above Robert the Bruce from the historic website Ancient Pages

Wheel of Wonder January 7 2018

As we prepare to take another Journey around the Sun, some of us cannot help but wonder  "Is this the year we learn to walk in balance? Balanced between masculine and feminine, balanced between human needs and natural systems?" Looking at the political movements across the global landscape is this the beginning of a time of balance between socialism and capitalism? Neither economic system seems capable of staying just and sustainable if let alone to go all the way to its ultimate expression, both outcomes would seem to be tyranny. For the health of humans and our home planet it seems we must remain vigilant and strong, yet open to some change. We seem to be in an Anthropocene era, which does not mean we have finally conquered nature, no, Mother Nature will remind us not to give way to hubris: flood, fire, freezing, forming hurricanes are still real possibilities to remind us we are not omnipotent, regardless of our scientific advances.

Perhaps this year will be another step towards transformation and balance. If we as Humans work together, empowered by that which has inspired us, informed through our new, and ongoing scientific discoveries and achieving awareness of each other's challenges through Compassion and Empathy truly amazing things can be done.

INSPIRED INFORMED AWARENESS is my wish for all in this new year

May light and hope guide us on our journeys, and blessed be.

A fine wheel of the year/interconnected world image from The Celtic Journey website

And a link to a wonderful video, related, but not quite the same composed/created by one Melody Sheep at this Link