"Award winning" Wheel of Wonder is moving

Hello again everyone. Time for some more posting what? First I'd like to take a minute to thank KAOS Olympia Community Radio for putting together another volunteer appreciation potluck. I have to tell you, with around 100 volunteer producers at this community radio station, it is really great to have the opportunity to "find the faces that match the voice" for all the great diverse programming this little FM station in Northwest North America pumps out along the airwaves and through the computer stream! (check it out yourself at kaosradio.org) I am also thankful to my fellow Producers and the Staff at the station for voting Wheel of Wonder "Best Show in a tough time slot."(tied with the Punk Show "Campfire Island", which most Saturday nights actually, shuts down the station a few hours before I fire it up again on Sunday morning) I have a nicely framed certificate now to put on my wall, and even more good feeling for the time and energy that goes into this radio program. Hazzah!
I am thankful for the opportunity.
This Sunday; May 29, 2011 is the last time, for a while, that Wheel of Wonder will be starting at 6 am PST on Sunday mornings. The station Schedule is being modified and Wheel of Wonder will be moving to the new timeslot of 8am-10am Sunday Mornings, PST instead, beginning June 5th, 2011. That's two hours later than the current start time, but I'll still be there, perhaps with more listeners? Time will tell.
Sadly, this also means that New Dimensions, the show that follows mine will no longer be on Sunday Mornings from 9am-10am. If you regularly listen to Michael and Justine Thoms after Wheel of Wonder, and would like to hear it on at another day and time (this is a Station Management decision, not mine) please do contact KAOS General Manager Jerry Drummond at 360-867-6895 during regular business hours or Email drummonj@evergreen.edu
I am very glad to be able to keep bringing you Wheel of Wonder, even at two hours instead of three (unless I sneak in early at 7am until the 6-8am slot is filled) and it gives me a chance to move the interviews to 9am, so perhaps more people can hear them. I have interviews with Wendy Rule and Christopher Penczak coming up in June. Hope you'll catch them! Thanks for continuing to follow and comment on the Wheel of Wonder blog. Hope your catching the show on air or streaming!

Radio Ray

the picture above and to the right is a blue Triskelion from a website of Mandalas called oriscus.com

Wheel of Wonder May 8 - 15, 2011

Hello again

This is another compilation post to the Wheel of Wonder blog. Last week I did a Mother's Day special on Wheel of Wonder the focus was of course on honoring mothers and the Mother goddess. It is too bad lack of easy access to a home PC circumvented my posting here for responses. I received some very good messages through my Email: radioray.wheelofwonder@gmail.com
I'll share a little of them with you, leaving the senders anonymous, unless they should contact me and say "why don't you put up my whole message?" In which case, I will.

"....the true meaning of Mother's Day. It's not how we all blew it out for Hallmark and $. I enclosing again. We should worship Mothers EVERYDAY, EVERY MINUTE, Not just once a year, as well as everyone celebration/holy day.
From Marianne Williamson: "Mother's Day started when mothers from the South who'd lost sons during the Civil War joined with mothers from the North who'd lost sons in the war, trying to inspire the women of the world to stop war altogether. Let's make Mother's Day a day when we all make a stand for peace, beginning with where we stand within ourselves..." (& you thought Hallmark Cards began it?)"
and another:
Goddess Isis – Early Egyptian Roots
One of the earliest historical records of a society celebrating a Mother deity can be found among the ancient Egyptians, who held an annual festival to honor the goddess Isis, who was commonly regarded as the Mother of the pharaohs. Her stern, yet handsome head is typically crowned by a pair of bull horns enclosing a fiery sun orb. She is most often depicted sitting on a throne.

Last week I mentioned the creator/destroyer/ rebirthing Mother Goddess Icon. In a positive way of course, Death can just be another word for the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new one. In the process of this I mentioned revisiting the Yoruban episode of Wheel of Wonder. Yoruba is of course Traditional, pre-christian African religion, and still exists though through some changes today. So this week I will be running a Wheel of Wonder with three philosophies of interest: Yoruba, Santeria, and Voodoo. Spooky huh? Well, hopefully not by the time I'm done sharing the information and music with you. Its always good to see things broadmindedly what? Misconceptions can sometimes cause greater problems down the road for people outside of mainstream religion. If something on Wheel of Wonder strikes your interest, investigate it yourself , intelligence intact, and enjoy Wheel of Wonder.

The picture above and to the right is "Isis" by Linda Hunt. Check out her Gallery here

SILENCE ISN'T ALWAYS UNHEARD

The ancient woods carry a silence
A hush that feels sacred
The wind will brush the branches, needles, and leaves
Whispering the wonders of Spirit
While the Birds communicate through their songs
A sacred ancient chorus
Sacred Silence isn't always unheard
It's the sound of the Earth and her place in the Universe
Reminding we Humans we are part of the all
Yes, I understand the language of birds
It's not of normal Human talk
As ancient Eddas may seek to claim
The birds are too far removed from Human expression
It is the Humans who must interpret the birds
We are the ones who listen to the wind
The wind that brushes the branches, needles, and leaves
Carries the birds and their sacred chorus
from tree to tree to tree
This is how they honor them
The Trees in return, offer the birds their protection
They tell them "Welcome home."
" With our wisdom and our strength, we will protect you"
The sacred silence of the Forest
Broken, yet completed, by the heavenly chorus of birds
Would that Humans should listen to the Trees
How honest it seems to have lovingly tended the forests
for Holy millennium, as many have done
How disconnected it seems for some to despoil them
for a short greedy era, beneficial to few
I think this as I walk through ancient silence
In the hush that feels sacred
On a journey for the soul

Written by Ray
Beltane Eve, 2011

Wheel of Wonder April 24 to Beltane, 2011

Happy Beltane! Another multiple week blog, as home PCs can be quite expensive. Its great to be blogging again on this Beltane Eve! This is the second annual Beltane show on Wheel of Wonder. Wheel of Wonder landed in its first weekly timeslot on KAOS shortly after Beltane 2009. That particular episode was not a Beltane show though. It has been my pleasure to bring you many broadcasts since then. Whoever you are, wherever you are, you can still here Wheel of Wonder streaming online at kaosradio.org just adjust your listening time to whatever time occurs at the same moment that is 6am Sunday Morning Pacific Northwest (Seattle) time. Here's a helpful site for that: world clock meeting planner.
Beltane is a time for celebrations and new awakenings! It is the time of the great dance of life between the God and the Goddess; the male and female polarity within us all. The inimitable time of the year when one can feel Nature's energy of spring, most intensely.
We began speaking of new awakenings last week through the story of the character Ayve. Ayve is an individual who walks toward us out of fables untold, he was a person who felt an acute compassion, or love of nature, but lived on a planet where people blinded by greed misused his mother planets natural resources, and he hunted down these perpetrators with the intention of bringing them to justice. Well, Ayve lives on a planet where magic is afoot and it was after a time of learning from the realm of spirit that he met other who sought to protect nature too. He then soon learned that he was part of the whole and that more people sought to protect his world than those who sought to exploit it, it was after learning this that he truly gained great wisdom and worked with this majority to begin to change his world and every person on that planet's relationship to her. Ayve lives on and his story isn't finished yet, but it began with a personal awakening. New awakenings can be part of the experience of Beltane!
There are also many myths, legends, and Archetypes related to May day within the Earth Spiritualist perspective and with some help from the works of John Matthews, Michelle Skye and perhaps Robin Williamson, I will endeavor to share some of them with you this week, on Wheel of Wonder!

Wheel of Wonder April 10, 2011

This week on Wheel of Wonder is the week for the Spring Membership drive for KAOS independent , publicly accessible Radio. It appears the federal(US) funding for such stations as these is being pulled, so its very important that people who like and listen to independent voices like the ones I bring to the airwaves call during the pledge breaks this week or go online to kaosradio.org to offer financial support to this not for profit radio station.
If you call or contact KAOS during Wheel of Wonder (ph# 360 867 KAOS, or if you prefer: 360-867-5267) 8am-9am Pacific Standard Time USA to pledge, the management of the radio station will know that there are pagans and progressive expansive thinkers out there who enjoy hearing the music and philosophies of the modern earth spiritualists, Bards and Musicians like we play and share on Wheel of Wonder. So please connect and support at whatever level you can, even if its just a good comment about the show. That's how we build community!
I know, I know, sounds like a commercial, but it isn't. Membership support is what a small not for profit community radio station runs on in the USA. No Corporate salaries or commercial time for sale here.
This week I'll be here working on sharing information on the artists I play and their spiritual paths, as I understand them, not only is that interesting, but if their songs inspire you, or speak the truth to your heart/head you might be one step closer to understanding your spiritual truth, you may know what to investigate on your own, and their may very well be a link to it right here in the sidebar! Other times one just has to know what one would be losing to appreciate it better. I can't podcast, I might be the only one or one of very few people in the world running a Pagan information and music show on the FM frequency! Hope to keep it running too. Thanks for tuning into Wheel of Wonder throughout the past few years, I hope to hear from you this week. Bright Blessings!
The picture of The Green Man is a CG by Pete O' Malley. Check it out , and his other art to here

Wheel of Wonder March 20-27, 2011

Its been some time since I posted here. The Urban Pagans would say I was out of balance with the Element of Fire, at my home base I've been experiencing some number of Electrical Power Surges. Some Urban Pagans say the Element of Fire is present in the Urban setting in the form of Electricity through the wires. One of these power surges seems to have fried the Home Computer, so I couldn't post. Everything's fine now (though I still don't have a working Computer at home) I'm working on my relationship with fire (always a good idea) and will soon have the functional "virtual Crystal Ball" if you will, but today will be a mixed post for last week and this week coming up.
Last week was the Ostara show, and this Ostara especially was an Equinox of great energy in this area. No disasters occurred but there was a lot of passion hereabouts surrounding The Medicine Wheel Healing Ceremony that went for three days, sunrise to sunrise in a very public area. Passion is often attributed to the Element of Fire. For more information on this issue; look to the sidebar of this blog for Medicine Wheel Healing Ceremony, if you click on that it will take you to the ritual facilitator's website. For information on the "not necessarily positive" feelings towards the event I invite you to begin your search on this website: Evergreen Native Student Alliance I'm definitely one for people making their own decisions. Ostara is a time of balance, so feel free to balance both issues in your decision.
I decided to attend the Healing Ceremony, I find it very worth while to try to add my energy as much as is possible, to the efforts of people trying to achieve positive results, even if not everyone agrees with their cultural approach to rituals.

It inspired me to write:

MOTHER LET US HEAL YOU

Even though my Ancestors are from other Lands across the Sea

Olympia is my Home. I love this place as much as one can.
I honor this land, I honor these Trees, I've found great solace traveling our woodsy waterways
And I too dislike entombing our Mother in Concrete
Mother Let us Heal You

What Mother would not be hurt, damaged and appalled
at seeing, feeling, her blood soaked children die
gasping their last breaths as they lie on her chest?
That is the bad blood conflict has been bringing us all these years
That is the only bad blood that can run through Human veins
It doesn't even earn the title bad blood until it spills out of those veins
Mother Let us Heal You

When the Children are hurt, when our Brothers and Sisters are hurt
It is our Honor to heal them.
And when we see our Mother's tears
What feeling heart is not moved to wipe them away and let her know
"This time Mother, let me heal you."
Mother let us Heal You

Well, our Mother is Crying
Her sobs and Shudders are in the Earthquakes
Her tears and pain are in the Acid Rain
Her red hot face is in the droughts we suffer
Some suffer them year after year.

Mother we can help you, we had just forgotten how.
But now we are learning.
Mother Let us Heal You

written by Ray, Ostara 2011.

Let's not underestimate the strength of Gaia though. Or our place in helping the Earth we live on and the other people who live here with us.
This week on Wheel of Wonder I will be interviewing Rainbow Lightening, a self-identified Druid who works closely with the head organizers of the Medicine Wheel Ceremonies Blue Thunder, and Christine. Blue Thunder is a registered member of the Wind River tribe in Wyoming, and there's a chance he might say a few words as well about what they are endeavoring to do with the many Medicine Wheel Ceremonies they perform around North America and other parts of the world. This will be an 8 o'clock hour Interview with the backdrop of this week's Wheel of Wonder: all about Lightworkers and some people's beliefs about the Ascension Path of Spirituality. It will include some references to Christopher Penczak's book Ascension Magick: Ritual, Myth and Healing for the new Aeon (20o8 Llewellyn Worldwide)
We will also include new Music by Denean and new to Wheel of Wonder music: Red Cedar Medicine Circle Songs from Beaver Chief.

The picture is a "re-broadcast" of Earth from The Space Brotherhood, I still don't know the artist or the Brotherhood.

Wheel of Wonder March 13, 2011

Sunday's Wheel of Wonder occurred on the date closest to the first ever broadcast of the show on the Olympia Airwaves. The first ever broadcast of Wheel of Wonder was on March 18th, 2009, as a "Rookie Radio" installment. So I chose this episode to be a "2nd year Anniversary Special ," went right back to the roots and re-created a Celtic Wheel of the Year show. I followed through song, information, and ideology the meaning of Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh (lammas) and back around to Mabon. I will hope to see posts and opinions around it soon.

The key purpose, the string of meaning through observing these ancient Holidays, beyond the harvest and fun, seems to be in living in closer awareness to the natural flow and energetic cycles of the Earth Mother. I am idealistic enough to believe this could very well be one recognizable path towards living in better relationship with the land and each other.

I think agrarian, indigenous, and environmentalist people know this, even if it does not fit their faith path to consider themselves "Pagan" or "Shamanic." That is the appeal of learning about ancient belief and perhaps even new age, ways of thinking.

I hope you have been enjoying Wheel of Wonder over the past few years, and the information I've tried to make available on this blog. The picture above and to the right is from my Garden.