Happy Calendar Changing Day

Happy Calendar Changing Day

From all of us here at the Magical Earth, we would like to wish you a Happy Calendar Changing day.

Episode #3 - Happy ho ho!

Click on the Pod Icon to listen


Welcome, Fellow Travelers - it's Yule-tide - and we are happy to be with you all again for our last show of 2008. We start, as always, with Ralph Blum's "Greeting" - the way we have opened our sacred work with this poem for years and years .... Our 2nd "take" - due to the blowing up of the lightbulb in our Himalayan Salt Lamp - which made for a flurry of sparks and activity. Nothing dire - just an unexpected "sizzle" to the start of our first take. We're all fine.

We quote the late visionary Arthur C Clarke - who said "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." This is one of Clarke's Three Laws that govern the Universe.

Our quick check-in reveals that we are hyped up on hot chocolate, pumpkin pound cake and whipped cream, and that Alex got some more work done on her tattoos - see pics on our Facebook Fan Page - and we all have tattoos by Jodie Wentz of Rock Road Tattoo - the best tattoo artists anywhere for spiritual themed pagan tattoo work - in our humble opinion. Her "secular" tattoo work is also wondrous, but for we Crafty folk - she has been our first choice.


This episode is brought to you by the Rune - Isa - and we talk about the beauty of winter and the need, at this most hectic time of year, to take time to STOP - PAUSE - REST - and enjoy the moments in winter where nothing seems to be moving.


Pumpkin Pound Cake Recipe - courtesy of Jacinthe's Kitchen, and taken from 1500 Best Bars, Cookies, Muffins, Cakes, & More by Esther Brody.

3 cups all-purpose flour - ½ tsp salt -½ tsp baking powder - 1 tsp cinnamon -¼ tsp ground cloves - ½ tsp ginger -1 ½ cups butter, softened -2 ½ cups granulated sugar -1 tsp vanilla - 6 eggs -1 cup canned cooked pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

1. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
2. In a large mixer bowl, cream butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, until well blended.
3. Beat in flour mixture alternately with pumpkin, making 3 additions of flour and 2 of pumpkin, on low speed, beating only until well combined. Spoon into two prepared baking pans (greased and floured).
4. Bake in pre-heated oven for 60 to 70 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry). Let cool the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes – then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Changes that I made to the original recipe: I used a mix of wholewheat, graham and unbleached flour. I thought that the graham flour would give it a nuttier flavor. I used ¾ persimmon purée and ¼ pumpkin purée – both created in my kitchen.


Best served topped by whipped cream, with a steaming mug of Hot Chocolate (also topped by whipped cream - the balm to all the season's stresses.)


We are so blessed and amazed to have so many of you listen to us. Thanks and we appreciate every download! We only keep going because you keep listening! Thanks to our Podkin for their support!

Speaking of Podkin... Pick a Pack of Pickled Pagan Podcasts - We listen to a lot of podcasts - we compare days of stored podcasts on our computers - and wonder how many days of podcasts YOU have to listen to? What do you listen FOR in a podcast? What makes you subscribe - or unsubscribe to a podcast? What is important? What matters? Should it be edited or "live and raw"? Does sound quality matter? Music - how much is the right amount? We want to "review" a couple podcasts each episode, to introduce our listeners to other great Pagan Podcasts out there - so please go and explore these three podcasts that are our "regular listens" -

• The Wigglian Way - Mojo and Sparrow are the Elders of the Pagan Podcast community - not that theirs is the oldest podcast, necessarily, but their generosity of spirit, their support and encouragement to their Podkin (that's us) to go out and try to do it.
• Druidcast - Damh the Bard (Dave, for you non-Gaelic speakers) from the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids - an amazingly intelligent show that has great music (and occasional music themed show).
• Moonshine - Tegan has the best theme music of any podcast (though Susan has a soft spot for Druidcast's "The Hills They Are Hollow" - but that is a proper song, not a "theme" per se). A great podcast with a great perspective and some "southern spice".
  

Sacred Poetry this episode is from Andrew Harvey, and is called "Song for the Divine Mother.

Alex leads a discussion about "Triumph of the Moon" by Prof. Ronald Hutton - the book that our circle as been studying for the past year (or more). (new people always welcome to join the book study, by the way - if you are in the Wpg area, email us for information). This winds its way about how media has influenced our "visioning" of Craft images and then winds its way back to the book and how Wicca is a syncretic religion, whether we like it or not.

We recommend listening to Episode Four of Druidcast to hear Prof. Hutton deliver a lecture on the Horned God - hearing his speaking style and being able to enjoy his sense of wit and humor really open up "getting" Prof. Hutton's writing style. It "is" an academic text (and is printed in 6pt type) but what some people "read" as dry-ness is really a cutting sense of wit and "edge" that does not translate well to the printed page. There are several of Prof. Hutton's lectures on various Druidcast episodes - and all are well worth the listen - as is Druidcast in its own right. We also mention Prof. Hutton's "stirring and uplifting" rendition of Crowley's "Hymn to Pan" from Episode Four.


Cliff won Nano this year so his blogging has been a bit "tardy" but we are very proud of him for writing 50,000 words in 3 days! We discuss how to put the sacred back into the season. What does it mean to Pagans to put the "Sacred" back into this holiday season? What do you do? Let us know!


There will be a small token of congratulations to the first person who can correctly identify by name the newly started blog by Jacinthe. (disclaimer: members of The Magical Earth, their immediate families, and anyone that Jacinthe has personally told, are not eligible to win the prize. so there.)

We close with our own holiday wishes, and a poem submitted to us by a listener, Craig - thank you for sharing with us, and our listeners... Hope you had a "Cool Yule" and spent it exactly the way you wanted to!

Yuletide is Here

Flame ye the old Yule log, with scythe cut mistletoe
Spiral oak and ivy, holly hung head to toe

The hooves of Herne strike the crag, early in the morn
The Boar is slain for the roast, to rejoice the Sun reborn

Wassailing in our hearts and hearth to a healthy, happy home
Children gather stockings awaiting the jolly Gnome

To fill with sweets and treats delight as in the days of yore
As Fathers told the tales of old and ancient Yuletide lore

Mother sits by the fire sipping a hot mulled wine
Remembering a Winter long since past and a lad so handsome and fine.

Who kissed her once, under the sprig when she was ere a lass
As snow did blow the cold wind fro and icicles glittered like glass

So make merry ye folk who toil with yoke, come gather under the tree
and to all of ye young and old behold a bright warm Blessed Be!

(c)CraigWicce Yule 2008

Episode 3 - Blessed Yule

Welcome to episode 3 of the Magical Earth.

the show notes will be posted December 23rd sorry for the delay.

Welcome to the iTunians and a Hey There to YOU!

Greetings, Fellow Travelers,

Just wanted to put out a word of welcome to the fine folk who are finding us through iTunes.  Thanks to everyone who has been listening, reading, commenting, emailing.  We appreciate it more than you know.  Send us your Yule shout-outs by email - we'll be recording the Yulecast next weekend - so don't delay!

A big thanks to our Podkin for their quiet encouragment, support, shoutouts on their own podcasts, and getting friended on Facebook - we learn from you every time we listen to you - and we'll be giving out props in the next episode as we launch "Pick a Pack of Pickled Pagan Podcasts" segment.  

Its a bit overwhelming seeing our logo on the iTunes feature banner - the Pentacle Rose was designed by a dear friend (salut, Gregory L! Ca va?) many years ago, and has finally found its home as the logo for our little quadcast.

There have been a few casual, off-hand suggestions that we should get some "stuff" made up with the Magical Earth logo/taglines - but the question is .... does anyone care?  And if you do - what would want to see?

No immediate plans to "merch out" - but always doing research, because as a wise old man once said, "Give the People What They Want".  Thanks, Brother Ray - good advice.

so - whaddya want? :)

Until our paths cross again ....

Walk softly.

A call for Yule blessings

A Call for Yule blessings promo


We here at the Magical Earth Quadcast are looking for submissions of short Yule
blessings for our up coming show. In much the same way that regular
Radio and TV channels offer their audience a chance to record a greeting for the
world this time of year. We are expecting to recieve a number of these
so we do ask that you keep them under 15 seconds. If you are able to
record the wav file yourself you can e-mail that to us. if not just
write down the greeting and e-mail to it to themagicalearth@gmail.com

From all of us here at the Magical Earth thanks for listening and for the support and until the next episode we hope you enjoyed the singing by the members of the Gaiaist Wiccan Tradition.

Walk softly

Great Day

It has been a very strange day for me today. I noticed this morning that we had a spike in listeners this morning. There were a couple of things I knew that could have caused it. We received a couple of shout outs from beloved podkin Darklyfey from the Darker side of Fey as well as from Oseaana over at Getwitchified over the weekend. We also were just recently added to Itunes.

So when I got home tonight I thought I would give Itunes a check and see if anyone had posted a review or anything like that yet. As I started searching The Magical Earth in Itunes I was stun and nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the Top Podcast list in Spirituality / Other. I just had to do a screen capture and share it with the world.

As I write this our first episode has just broken 100 downloads.

Thank you to all of our listeners and to all those who have encouraged us on our journey. Please remember to e-mail your Yule blessings for the world to themagicalearth@gmail.com

Remember walk softly...

Now Available on iTunes

Greetings, Fellow Travelers

It is with a mixture of shock, awe, pride, and humility that are now able to be downloaded from iTunes - and are (as of last viewing a minute ago) to be found on page 5 of the Spirituality podcast feature pages.

Hopefully this will make download life simpler for many of you!

Thanks for your continued support - and please - give us some feedback - either on the blog comments - or by email at themagicalearth@gmail.com. ALSO - if you want us to read your Yule-tide greetings in our next podcast - send them along.

Stay warm - stay well - and

walk softly........

Yule Episode "Under Construction"

Greetings, Fellow Travelers,

We are currently planning our Yule Episode, due to be set free in the wild about a week before Yule itself - if all goes according to Plan.  (Hello..... Murphy!)

We would like to offer our listeners the opportunity to send a Yule wish or a New Calendar Day greeting to a friend or loved one "somewhere out there".  If you would like to send a brief greeting to someone via "us'" here at the Magical Earth Quadcast - please email it to us at themagicalearth@gmail.com.

We'll read as many as we can in between our other segments - please keep them short and sweet - who it's to and where they are, and who it's from and where you are.  We will edit as necessary - and we'll do our best - but we make no promises - except "first received, best chance of being read." 

And if you want to send a 10 second sound file - we'll do our best to give it a spin.  

Until our paths cross again, 

Walk softly...

Thank you for listening! 110+

Greetings, Fellow Travelers...

We just wanted to say thank you for listening to the Magical Earth - between our first two episodes, we have been downloaded over 110 times - which is very humbling! 

Thanks also to those of you who are "following" us on Blogger - and who have joined the Facebook Magical Earth page - great to see some new faces there as well.  welcome welcome welcome to our corner of the circle.

Please let us know what you think - what you liked - what you'd like to see - we're planning our Yule episode and would love to hear from you.  We've had a couple comments here on the blog, and one or two emails at themagicalearth@gmail.com - and we may read them on the next episode.

The Great Mother is changing from her reds and rusts and golds to the beauty of her Winter White dress - the world looks clean and bright (until you step into that puddle of slush).  The evergreen trees here in Winnipeg are being weighed down with globs of heavy wet snow.  Will it stay for the season, or are there a few more days left before Lady Winter moves in for her seasonal visit.  Maybe she's just flirting with us for now.  Maybe not.  Stay warm, be well, and share a cup of something warm and chocolatey with someone close to your heart.  Embrace the best of the coming season, and know that the Light will be returning in just a few short weeks.

Until next time our paths cross.... 

Walk Softly.

Episode Two - We Do It Again!

The Magical Earth Episode 2 - We are on the Air

Greetings, Fellow Travellers,

Thanks to everyone who gave our first episode a listen - we really appreciate it! Welcome back for the second episode of The Magical Earth. Excuse the sonic clutter - there's a bit more background noise than we'd like - we're still learning how to do this gracefully. We recorded this on John Lennon's birthday (Imagine!), and this edition of The Magical Earth is brought to you by The Strength Card.

Once again, the magickal music of Patrick Bernard takes into our Ritual Greeting and we're ambling along the path of conversation. Thanks to Mojo & Sparrow of the Wigglian Way podcast for the encouragment. Be sure to vote for them in the 2008 Podcast Awards - they are the only Pagan Podcast nominated! Show the Podkin some love - vote early and vote often!

We also a shout out to the Pagan Parents on the Edge as a valued community resource for any pagan with kids in their life. (That would be just about everyone).

A vibrant discussion about the deeper meanings in The Greeting ensues, which includes a mention of Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements and then we get into a discussion about The Strength Card.

Cliff talks about his preparations for NanoWriMo - his work for 2008 will be inspired by three years of his "Questions of the Week" on the Communitas Paganus list. You are invited to join the group and jump into the discussions. We'd love to have you join us. We also have a Communitas Paganus group on Facebook.


The Magical Earth also has a Facebook Page - come on over if you are on Facebook!

Next, we are pleased to present the second part of our interview with "The Small Medium at Large" - Rev. Vicki Eaton, Spiritualist, Teacher and friend of our community. If you haven't listened to Part One- please give it a listen as Part Two jumps right in from where we left off in the first half. She talks quite extensively about how to raise a child that sees the invisible world. A great fit for any Pagan Parents on the Edge!

This segment's Sacred Poetry is from an anonymous Akkadian Poet from 2000 BCE who gave us "They are Seven" - a testament to the powers of darkness, and a great fit for the time of year as we head into Sacred Season of Samhain. Could these 7 Powers be the precursor of what became known as "7 Deadly Sins?" This poem inspired a Cantata by Sergei Prokovief. You can find this poem in this World Poetry anthology.

We didn't want to do a Samhain themed show - but this time of year is definitely "Media Find-A-Witch Season" for pagan elders in almost every community. Our discussion about the dialogue between the media and the pagan community may sound familiar to anyone who gets that annual phone call from someone who needs to talk to a Witch before Oct. 31st. Cliff references our current bookstudy book - Professor Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon, and a past book study title "The Historical Mary - revealing the Pagan Identity of the Virgin Mother" by Michael Jordan (no not THAT Michael Jordan).

It isn't too early to start thinking about what you / we want to do for Earth Hour! And check out another great pagan blog - "Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom".

We conclude with Alex reading one of our collective favourite pieces - "She Returns: The Hallowe'en Witch."

And that wraps up this stroll along the byways of The Magical Earth. Please let us know what you think - what you like - what you'd like to hear. You can post comments here on the blog page, or via email at themagicalearth@gmail.com. Thank you for giving us the gift of your time and attention. We hope you'll come back for Episode Three - which will be out around Yule.

Until then - be well, stay warm... and

Walk Softly.

Episode Two on the Way

Greetings, Fellow Travellers,

We wanted to let you know that we had a blast in the Magical Earth Studios this past Thursday, working on our second episode.  We hope to have it ready for release in the week before Samhain - so watch for updates.

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded the show and given it a listen.  We've passed the 50 downloads mark - and are truly grateful that you've invested your time in giving us a listen.  Looking forward to some feedback either here on the Magical Earth blog, or on our Facebook Page.  

We will be closing the Facebook "Group" - so if you haven't made the leap - lurch - stumble - shift over to the other "interface" - please stay with us and jump over.  The "page" format offers us more options and the ability to have downloads straight from the Facebook Page.  Cliff will be making sure everyone who wants to move on over gets there okay.

Until next time, enjoy the wonderful planet we live on, and give thanks to its Creator for the blessings received - its Canadian Thanksgiving weekend - and a great time to reflect on all that we have -and all that we can give back.  

Walk Softly.....

a heartfelt thanks

Greetings, Fellow Travellers,

The collective we of the quadcast just wanted to say a deep and delicious thanks to everyone who downloaded our first episode.  We've had over 40 downloads from near and far - and visits to our blogger page from as far away as Turkey and Denmark.  

Thanks to Mojo and Sparrow of the Wigglian Way for adding our our "bumper" to their show (we love the Wigglian Way") and for the words of encouragement that Mojo offers to the new "podkin". We love you guys!

We are working on the Samhain episode -and if you have any comments or suggestions, add them to the blog comments field, or drop us an email at themagicalearth@gmail.com.  Love to hear from you!

Walk softly!

Episode One - Show Notes - We Are "On the Air"!

Mon, 22 September 2008

We are "On the Air"

Episode One - The Magical Earth

In the beginning, there were four witches - each holding the energy of one of the four directions.  They laughed, they cried, they felt every human emotion, and then they gave birth to a quadcast.  And it was .... The Magical Earth.

Greetings, Fellow Travellers, and welcome to The Magickal Earth.  In this, our inaugural episode, we take a leap of faith (empty handed into the void of the Internet) and invite you to share a moment of magical connection with us.

Intro music is a snippet by Patrick Bernhardt from his album, Solaris Universalis. 

In this episode, we open with the first part of the Gaiaist Wiccan Liturgy  - a poem by Ralph Blum (he of the Runes) that we use as a ritual greeting.  

After some introductions, we learn that numerologically speaking, the recording date of this show resonates to the energy of The Heirophant.  Discover "why the Magical Earth", and meander along  with our chatter until our interview with "Small Medium at Large" Vicki Eaton.  

Cliff reads a brief passage from a classic text "The Goat-foot God" by Dion Fortune and Susan shares some Sacred Poetry from her collection. (Its pretty juicy stuff!).  We close with the Rede - and look forward to the next time we gather with you at our corner of the Circle, here at The Magical Earth.

Join our online discussion group at  Communitas Paganus .  Join our Facebook group! Email us with ideas, suggestions, questions or feedback.

Cliff's Blog - Between The Ticks
Alex's Blog - A Crafty Witch 
Susan's Blog - Where I Am, Knitting is Also

Jacinthe's Blog - its a mystery.

Next Episode - Samhain-ish, give or take a few days.

Join the Pagan Bloggers Network!