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Last 20 Shows View from the Watchtowers The Watchtowers are, of course, the four cardinal points from which the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water work as guardians of the magick Circle.
In just a moment, through the marvel of recorded audio, Christopher Penczak will lead in calling on the watchtowers to create a Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.
From there I want to discuss the areas of where Magick and Religion intersect.
With all that under our belts, I want to offer a Ritual for Blessing Land Boundaries, to e ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
February; Fire and IceSome say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
“Fire and Ice”, by Robert Frost
This week on The Spiral Dance we honor February, Fire and Ice. February is the second month of the Gregorian calendar, and the year’s shortest month. It’s named for the FEBRUA, a Roman purification festiv ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Blessed ImbolcThis week on The Spiral Dance, we celebrate Imbolc, which will occur on Tuesday, February Second. It’s a little bit early, I know. I’ll be having another show on Feb 1, and I was thinking maybe I should do my Imbolc show then. But I know that a lot of you like to use things from my show for your rituals. So, I figured having the show a week early gives you the chance to listen and decide if there is anything you might want to use.
Imbolc is half-way between Winter Solstice and Sp ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
The Wild Hunt; It's a Doggy Dawg WorldThis week on The Spiral Dance, we’re goin’ to the dogs!
We’ll start with the tradition of The Wild Hunt. The figure central to the Wild Hunt is the hound, and it’s directly related to the Christian idea of Hounds from Hell. Among mortals, seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to presage some catastrophe such as war or plague, or at best the death of the one who witnessed it. But, of course, there’s more to it than that.
The role of the Dog as Spiritual Messenger dates back about 5, ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Arthur and MerlinThis week on The Spiral Dance, we’ll take a special look at the Once and Future King, Arthur.
Who was King Arthur? Is there an historical Arthur, and if so, how different is he from the Arthur of Legend? To answer some of these questions, I want to share with you some excerpts from an article by British historian David Nash Ford called “Arthur, King of the Britons”.
From there, we’ll look at the Arthur of Pop Legend, and we’ll look a bit more closely at the roots of that leg ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
For the Love of WinterThis week on The Spiral Dance, our theme is The Northern Quarter, and its associations: The Winter; Night; Element of Earth; Silence; Regeneration etc. And in this context, we’ll talk about Intuition and Dreams. Intuition and dreams play such an important role in our becoming spiritually awakened.
And also I want to bring you a traditional story of awakened shamanism - it’s called “To the Cauldron Born”
I hope you enjoy the show! Please drop me a line at spiraldance1@excite.c ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Happy New Year!This week on The Spiral Dance, our theme is New Years’ and the month of January. I’ll offer a New Year’s Prayer/Spell; this one using an hour glass to meditate on changes that occur at this time of year.
Plus, I want to talk about a figure from Italian folk-tradition, known as La Befanna – a Crone figure from ancient times who marks the passing of time. Then we’ll travel to Scotland for the Hogmanny. And finally, we’ll take a look at the Pagan meaning and significanc ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Say It Ain't So!!Hey! How 'ya holdin’up? Are you tired of hearing about the miracle of Christ by now? It’s a humbug, I say, and a humbug still!. I’m going to begin by getting right at the heart of the matter.
A couple of shows back I mentioned that I don’t believe Christ ever existed and I offered some theories about this. I have some additional information on this. Somebody posted this information on an info board. The poster said that they got it from a book called “The Jesus Mysteries ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Blessed Yule!This week, we celebrate Yule!
Solstice Poem
The Night is Cold, and oh so Long!
For The Lady is grown old, and the God has long since died.
But, I learn that there is reason for promise and hope.
For there is newly born a Child
The Lord of the Sun Has returned.
Oh, Powers of Air, I seek the New Born Child.
Is He within Your Realm?
(The Powers of Air answer),
”Follow the Star to the Hidden Cave”
Oh, Powers of Fire, I seek the New Born Child.
Is He within Your Realm?
(The Powers of Fire ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Mithras, Mystery Cults and ChristThis week on The Spiral Dance I want to talk about the God, Mithras. It’s appropriate for this time of the year because the cult of Christ is said to be largely based on his predecessor, Mithras. So this week I want to share some history of Mithras and we’ll see where the similarities lie between Him and Christ.
Mithras and Christ are said to be mystery cults. What do we mean by that? We’ll take a look at where the idea of Mystery Cults derived. Then after that I want to give yo ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Home and HearthAs we move ever deeper into the Season of Cold and Dark, we take the opportunity to look ever more Inward. This is not a season for Wanderlust. Rather, this is the time of year that calls us back home. So, that’s what I want to talk about this week - Home and Hearth is our theme. We’re going to take a look at what The Home has meant to humans down the ages, and how people in different cultures have related to that ever so important part of the home - The Hearth.
You know, you DO have ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
The Thanksgiving Feast is On!This week, our theme is Thanksgiving, and we’re going to talk a bit about some of the earlier traditions that this American holiday is born out of. Back in 1621, the Pilgrims were partaking of an ancient tradition - the tradition of the Harvest Home. The Harvest Home, as it was (and is still) called in England, was widely celebrated across Europe in one form or another for centuries.
And I also want to explore North America through a Native American’s eyes. And I have for you some ex ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
3 Topics for the Dark TimesThis week I have some unrelated topics – which may be related in one way or another to the time of year.
A couple of weeks ago we talked about Chaos Magick, and just over the past few days I received a writing from actress Tonya Kay on the subject of creating Chaos Magick through a sigil spell. I’ll present that to ya in the second part of the show.
Preceding that, we’ll talk about ways you could keep your shadow-self in balance. The Hindus say that there are 5 parts to our shadow ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Stories and Myth"Sing, O Muse!
Sing to us of the Glorious Gods who ruled the Land and the Sea.
And tell us of the Fair Beauty of the Goddessess who dwell in Eternal Olympus!
Sing to us, O Muse, of ages that have come to pass;
of those Mighty Warriors wielding their deadly spears,
from the Lores of our Timeless Myths!"
This week on the Spiral Dance, our theme is Stories and Myths. Aristotle said that Myth is “composed of wonders”, and this makes the lover of myth, in a sense, a true philosopher.
... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
November; Chaos and MusingsThis week we welcome the month of November and what I call Samhain-tide; the season between Samhain and Yule. We now slide into the Darkest time of the year – a time of trepidation, a time to put the past behind us, a time to endure loss before we can hope for renewal.
So this week we talk about Chaos Magick, and then I want to share a writing by Pagan author Tony Keely called “Pagan Musings”. It was originally written in 1970, but his thoughts on the Pagan movement are as relevan ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
A Celebration of Samhain“Now is the Night of November Eve, as the Samhain rites begin.
Spirits step from the World Beyond, this night when the Veil is thin.
Coming through the Land of Shadows,
awakening from the World of Dreams,
joining hands with the Children of Midnight
as the Moonlight Lantern gleams.
Drifting in the Wind of Evening, Chanting words in an ancient tongue,
dancing light to the music of Fearies, as the Sacred Prayer is sung.
We honor this In-Between time, this space between Darkness and Light,
... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Ghostly Encounters Part OneI hope that this week’s show will be a haunting experience for you.
I have an interview with Raymond Buckland to talk about his new book, “The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts - Apparitions, Spirits, Spectral Lights and Other Hauntings of History and Legend”. This is a very interesting compendium covering all things spectral and other-worldly. I’ll be presenting our conversation for you in just a few minutes.
In concert with this I’ve put out a request for people who have had act ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Ghostly Encounters PART TWOStop! Go back!
(If you didn't hear part one yet)Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
Casting RunesThis week, we’re going to talk about Runes. Of course, everyone is familiar with Runes. If you have never seen a Rune by now, then you’re really not walking around with your eyes open. You can see them sold in gift stores just about anywhere you go.
But,just what IS a “Rune”?
That’s the sort of questions we’ll be looking at - what they are; where they came from; how they’re used - as well as what they’re NOT and how they’re NOT used.
And, as part of our discussio ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
A Spiral "Pow Wow"This week on The Spiral Dance I want to explore Native American Spirituality.
I have a spoken work piece called “The Lesson of the Land”. I think it’s a beautiful Coming of Age story. It was composed by Edgar Meyer and narrated by Graham Green, and it appears on a compilation CD – “Listen to the Story Teller”.
Also I have a couple of articles from Llewellyn’s 1996 Magickal Almanac by Margarett Elsbeth. First; “Sacred Sweat Lodge”, followed by “Native American Sm ... Listen | Listen in your iPhone | Download | View full cache | Visit Website
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