Episode 9 - Summer Time and the Witchin is Easy...

Episode 9

Sorry for the problems with getting this episode up and online. There were some difficulties with our hosting service that had to be overcame.


Welcome to another trip on the Magical Earth! The photos are from last year's Summer Solstice Open Circle at Pagan Park - the sun coming up over the trees by the river ... glorious.

Thanks so much for giving us a listen. We know you're out there, the download numbers tell us so. To those of you who have found us for the first time - a special welcome, and if you like what you hear, please check out the earlier episodes. For those of you who walk with us regularly - thank you for tuning in again and again. We'd love to hear from you - whoever "you" are - to let us know what's going on in YOUR corner of the Circle. Email us at themagicalearth@gmail.com

So - we recorded this just before Summer Solstice. We do our check in - Cliff & Alex welcome a new-to-them car, Susan & Jacinthe say farewell to a friend, Alex's voice gets potentially recognized on a work related call, and Jacinthe celebrates her daughter's choice to "work the program" and make her current stay in a rehab facility a success - and then there's the garden...
digging - planting - plant trading - and potential photos either on this blog or on Cliff's blog.

Sacred Poetry - once again from Her Words by Burleigh Mullen, an anthology of poetry about the Great Mother.

• The Goddesses by Jeanine Canan
• The Power of the Soul by Sheila Glover
  

We say farewell to The Pagan Activist - a wonderful site that educated, entertained, informed and delighted a world wide pagan audience - we honor the work of the Publisher (Edain Duguay and her publishing venture, Wyrdwood and all the contributors of the wonderful columns. Sad to see it go - and acknowledging that all things have the season. It was a magnificent collection of diverse voices - and it will be missed.

We talk about the state of Pagan Periodicals - real time and online - and Pagan online gathering places like The Witches Voice - PaganSpace - all the various groups on Facebook - the pagan themed groups on other special interest groups like Ravelry (for Knitters) and Etsy (for crafters) - the yahoo groups - the google groups - the Ning groups.

One question about these various community gathering places - so many people "opt out" of wanting to receive invitations - so how do people get together if no one wants to be invited to anything? How do you find out about what is going on in your community - how do you connect to other pagans and pagan events. How many lists are you on? Do you have a store in your community that is the hub of the wheel?

Who and what is your community? Does it have young families - young singles - families with near adult children - seniors - who is filling up the open circles?

Are you curious about what is going on elsewhere in Canada or the greater Pagan world - to learn from what other community groups are doing?

People - we're serious about wanting some feedback here. We have good questions - we just need some rally good answers. :) help us understand! We're so confused!

Come Plurk with us - Cliff and Susan and Alex are all on Plurk - Susan also Twitters as well as Plurk - Cliff is a Plurker, as is Alex. Join the Facebook Page and "friend us" if you'd like - send us an email - we want to know what you think.

Book Review: Alex talks about the classic The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. We also mention her 2004 release "The Earth Path - we consider both books "must reads".

Also we mourn the loss of The Crooked Path - Peter Paddon has closed down his site as well and is now focusing his efforts on Pendraig Publishing. We all found his site extraordinarily special - and part of the spell was woven through the magick of Peter's voice - made for broadcasting - we thank you Peter Paddon for all you have given to us on the Crooked Path. You leave a gap in the Pagn Podcasting community that will not likely be filled.

On that note, we wrap up - Jacinthe is looking forward to the Winnipeg Folk Festival - "where our light show is the sun" - Sunday night's closing concert is Loreena McKennitt. Cliff has agreed to camp - real tent camping. Alex is looking forward to Fringe Festival as well as Folk Fest and all the cultural events that happen here over the summer months - we get a huge cultural infusion from June to September. Alex celebrates her birthday at Midsummer. Susan wants to sing along with Summer is a Comin In by Paul Newman that she heard on Episode 14 of Druidcast - thanks to Damh the Bard for sharing such wonderful music- not to mention the general oaky goodness of Druidcast.

Hope you had a joyous and Blessed Solstice - and that there was a man with a rack of antlers on his head dancing in your garden at sunrise. Hope you sent him into the sunset well fed, well loved and full of the Goddess's blessing!

Until next time,

Walk softly....