Author Archives

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PMP: Bone Poets Orchestra

Christopher Bingham and Sue Tinney of Bone Poets Orchestra joined RevKess and KaliSara for a fun conversation about their music and more. Right off the bat, at the request of several listeners, RevKess asked Sue if she is related to our musical friend Betsy. The answer is yes. They are sisters-in-law.

Even with some connection and technical issues, everyone had a great chat about the music, the history, and the future of BPO. KaliSara was quiet for the show as she was battling a head cold.

Chris and Sue spoke at length about the history of Bone Poets and the music that Chris writes for the eight piece band. Once called Gaia Consort, BPO evolved into what it is today. With a collective of talented artists and 40 years of musical experience behind him, Chris has developed a sound that is uniquely Bone Poets. You can find some of Chris’s early solo work at his own website. He’s also been working on an orchestral piece for the last 35 years. The Octava Chamber Orchestra performed the working piece last summer and he is looking forward to the opportunity to have it performed in its entirety by a full orchestra sometime in the near future.

When asked about touring outside of the Pacific Northwest, Chris and Sue said that the would love to. But, the expense of transporting all the instruments, the band members, and tech crew is rather expensive. Got $13,000 to spare? BPO will perform anywhere in the lower 48 for that fee. Not exactly affordable, but not entirely out of the question for a music festival.

All eight members of the band have a long background in music, many of them with degrees related to music.

  1. Bone Poets Orchestra – Seven Sisters – Ecstasy in the Ruins
  2. Gaia Consort – Cry Freedom – Secret Voices
  3. Bone Poets Orchestra – Yes Yes Yes! – Belladonna Smiles
  4. Bone Poets Orchestra – Why Can’t We Just – single
  5. Gaia Consort/Bone Poets Orchestra – Face in the Clouds – Vitus Dance
  6. Gaia Consort – Ravens (live 2007)

BPO is working on their next album. Six songs have been written, one has been recorded already. Check back with the BPO website frequently for updates and find out how you can adopt a track and help the Poets record their next album!

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PWN 2015.3.4: Here we go again

This week’s edition of PWN had a few hiccups. For that we apologize. We do want to thank you for muddling through our audio issues and listening to the show, nonetheless. KaliSara was a bit under the weather and was unable to participate. RevKess managed to slog through on his own. Talking about everything from RFRA’s to Workers’ Compensation, from Pagan music news and upcoming book releases. this edition will tackle a lot of bad and some very good news.

RevKess and KaliSara welcome your comments both here and on the Facebook page for Pagan Weekly News.

Links to Articles and Topics Covered

Music

  1. SJ Tucker – Go Away Godboy  – Sirens
  2. Heather Dale – The Poachers – The Green Knight
  3. Wendy Rule – The Serpent of Silver – Guided by Venus
  4. Jenna Greene – Spring Love – Crosroads
  5. Tuatha Dea – The Sky is Falling – Tuatha Dea

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PMP: DiversiTree with Hollis Taylor

In this week’s edition of Pagan-Musings Podcast KaliSara and RevKess were joined by the publisher of a new blog’zine called DiversiTree. The sight is devoted to inclusive spirituality. What does that mean? Inclusive spirituality, in this case, is about being open and embracing to all sexualities, gender identities, and gender expressions. DiversiTree is also very sex-positive.

The “about” page on the site reads, in part, “Hollis [Taylor] and Arial [Taylor] were inspired to bring together a group of writers that have the potential to consciously support the evolution of the human race. […] Bringing together some of the most spiritually diverse queer sex positive people to write on the evolutionary movement towards inclusive spirituality. Hollis and Arial reached for the soul searching queers, sluts, freaks, weirdos, dirty hippies and other consciously evolving humanitarians and environmentalists willing to share their experiences with the world. They reached out for those bringing a conscious message of love, peace and inclusive spirituality. Spirituality that not only tolerated or accepted who but also celebrated our differences. Spiritual paths invented by mixing the best parts of many paths into a path specifically built for each individual.”

art by Rowye

The page continues with “All our writers have explored a wide variety of spiritual paths including Wicca, Buddhism, Judaism, Paganism, Ravers, Queer Spirituality, Christianity, Burners, Home Free, Yoga, Drumming, Community Evolution, Alchemy, Witchcraft, Unitarian and many other paths traditional and undefined. The one thing everyone has in common is a willingness and a determination to practice inclusive spirituality. We want to include everyone so that EVERYONE feels welcomed and celebrated!”

RevKess’s first contribution to the site is the first article listed, “Clearing Away, Beginning Anew.” He uses this article to introduce himself, hopefully encouraging other contributors to do the same thing in the comments section. Hollis writes “Sprouting an Online Publication” in which Hollis talks about how DiversiTree came into existence. Talking about the journey of a lifetime, a major move halfway across the country, and the transformative power of Yoga to bring about a “divinely inspired” publication. In “Connection, Community, Commitment” contributor Elissa Rich writes about how connection to others leads to community which leads to commitment. Rich also quotes Angela Davis as saying “There can be no great triumph over racism without address capitalism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, the environment that we live in and the food we consume. We have to recognize all of these connections.” All three of these articles were published to the site for the grand-launch on Thursday 20 March 2015.

http://about.me/hollistaylor

DiversiTree publisher, Hollis Taylor

With categories or sections including Divinely Inspired, Inclusive Spirituality, Sacred Sexuality, Home Free, Personal Ponderings, Inclusive Parenting and reviews of events, books, music, and other art media, DiversiTree should prove to be a one-stop resource for personal and academic looks at what it means to be LGBTQIAA+ and spiritually minded. More categories will be cropping up as the need arises. A YouTube channel is also under consideration for those who are more comfortable with the spoken word.

Contributors to the site range from genderqueer feminists to drag queens to straight allies; from parents to young people to old fogies. Regular contributors include Hollis, Dirty Mother, Inara de Luna, Jaice Dumars, Mahria Potter, Missy Wilrecker and RevKess. “Casual” contributors include musicians, artists, ritualists, and more. One contributor will be doing a series on their transition from one gender to another – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spirituality. Some will contribute about living homeless – by choice – and transforming one’s spirituality into visual art of various kinds.

MUSIC

  1. Celia – Shine Your Light – RED Alabaster & Blue
  2. Omnia – Love in the Forest – Wolf Love
  3. Murphey’s Midnight Rounders – Make a Chain Around the World – I Am the Goddess
  4. Elvendrums – Dreamtimes – Gateway to Faerie

Links of Interest

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PWN 2015.3.1: Floating in a State of Confusion

For the week of Wednesday 4 March 2015 KaliSara and RevKess attempted to explain some of the murkiness that is in the world today. They may not have succeeded in anything other than shedding some of their own perspectives on the issues they discussed, but they hope that the listener gains some kind of an understanding of those issues.

Topics

  • Netanyahu before Congress: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his third appearance before a joint session of Congress in the United States. He was invited to speak before Congress by Speaker of the House John Boehner, bypassing the traditional invitation source of the White House and the Office of the President. You can watch the video of his speech through the New York Times YouTube channel and read the transcript on the Washington Post.
  • Hillary Clinton’s private email: The House Benghazi Panel is questioning former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email address to correspond with staffers, elected officials, and other politicians during her time in that office. Some question if she handed over print outs of all her official and work related emails when she left that cabinet post as well as if all official correspondence sent to government email addresses were indeed backed up on official servers. The Wall Street Journal has coverage. Jacob Gershman takes a legal view on the issue on the WSJ Law Blog.
  • AIDS – gorilla connection, abstinence: A recently published study indicates that 50% or more of the lineages of HIV-1 can be linked to the consumption of gorilla bushmeat in Africa and then transmitted through sex. A cost-benefit analysis study by Stanford Medical School student Nathan Lo shows that a ten year $1.3 billion dollar program to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa through abstinence and fidelity classes has been a failure, showing no “measurably change sexual behavior and was largely wasted.”
  • What are our world leaders really trying to do?
    • KaliSara and RevKess do not currently have any links for this topics. There are numerous opinions out there on what various leaders want to do. Both hosts agree that many political and world leaders say they have good intentions, and many of them truly do, but that many of those same leaders are also very human – self serving.
    • Next week’s edition of PWN will address this topic in a vague manner as the hosts discuss what, in the United States, religious and secular non-profits can and cannot do or say in regards to politics. Campaign season is starting for the Oval Office and other seats in federal, state, and local governments.

MUSIC

  1. Damh the Bard – Pagan Ways – Cauldron Born
  2. Sharon Knight – Song of the Sea – Song of the Sea Sharon Knight is conducting an IndieGoGo campaign to support her newest musical project, Portals, which will include a CD, a music video and an art book. You can learn more about her campaign at www.SharonKnightPortals.net.
  3. Arthur Hinds – The Water’s Rising – Dance in the Fire
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PWN 2015.2.1: Climate Change & Paganism

For 2015 the Pagan Weekly News seems to have a theme of tackling broad and controversial topics. This week’s edition is no exception. RevKess and KaliSara have their passions. Environmentalism and conservation could be said to be on their mutual list of passions.

KaliSara is very passionate about the topic of Climate Change. In this week’s PWN she and RevKess attempt to tackle that hot (no pun intended) topic. With humor and good natured debate, they do just that.

“We’re not going to destroy the world, we just won’t be here.” – KaliSara

In 2006 former Vice President Al Gore published his book on environmentalism and climate change, An Inconvenient Truth. This launched a very public debate about climate change and brought out the climate deniers. Both hosts have read the book and seen the film based on the book.

A year before, feminist and environmentalist witch Starhawk released her The Earth Path. Another book that both hosts have read. In Starhawk’s book she talks about living off the grid, getting in touch with the Earth and respecting the Earth.

Through out the show KaliSara and RevKess talked about fracking and the dwindling supply of such fossil fuels as oil and coal. They also spoke of alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro-electric.

Along the way KaliSara brought up chaos theory and how sometimes the simplest act can change the world. Referring to the “butterfly effect” as describe in Jurassic Park they addressed some of the cause and effect of human practices on our environment. Time did not allow for a full discussion of how the “little things” we do to conserve Mother Earth can have a true effect on our future.

On the individual level, we can install solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro-electric systems in our homes or on our land. Starhawk, for example, uses both solar and hydro power to electrify her home. When RevKess asked KaliSara what the likelihood of her installing such alternative power sources on her own property would be she responded “100%”. These are little things, in the grand scheme. But if more and more people took these options we could see some effect on the lifespan o the human race on this planet. Like the cartoon to the right says, despite everything we do to destroy or heal the Earth, it will still be here when we are gone.

On a larger level, many businesses and even governments are beginning to install solar, wind, and hydro power sources on buildings and large plots of land. Despite what some “experts” claim, these alternatives do not take away from the resources – the Sun’s power is limitless (by human standards), nothing can truly stop the wind, water will still flow. Ever been to a large city with high rise buildings? The wind gets channeled between those buildings and if anything gets stronger through that channeling.

Success Stories
  • Burlington, VT uses alternative/renewable energy to supply power to the people.
  • Denmark is the first country to use alternative power to supply electricity to its citizens.
  • Alternative energy sources expected to go down up to 40% in cost of production.
  • 5 countries making head way toward alternative sources.

“One of the worst things to happen to the topic of climate change is the phrase global warming.” – KaliSara

Scary Facts

“Not enough of our society is trained how to understand and interpret quantitative information…” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

MUSIC

  1. Celia – Tell Us What You’re Growing – digital single
  2. Arthur Hinds – The Water’s Rising – Dance in the Fire
  3. Cernunnos Rising – Greenman (Last Tree Falling) – Wild Soul
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PMP: Wiccanate Privilege

KaliSara and RevKess are joined by Shauna Aura Knight and Arthur for a discussion of privilege, especially Wiccanate privilege. Shauna has written many articles on privilege, Wiccanate and color/race based privilege. Arthur has been an advocate for non-gender binary practices in both spirituality and the general culture.

It is unfortunate that this topic still needed to be addressed. The conversation was huge on the Pagan blogosphere four years ago and hasn’t gone away yet. It comes and goes, sometimes heated and sometimes ust briefly mentioned along the way to discussing other topics.

What is Wiccanate or Wiccan privilege? The assumption that all Pagans are Wiccans or at least adhere  to some form of Wiccan structure and “doctrine”.  The only “doctrine” or firm ethical guideline that Wiccans follow is the Rede, and they can’t even completely agree on what it means. This and other similar “golden rules” can be constraining to some who are not Wiccan, or for that matter even to some Wiccans.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will.” – The Book of the Law

Privilege can be addressed through many avenues. The most important thing to remember is that many people who have privilege don’t even know it. There is white privilege, money privilege, male privilege. These thee forms of privilege are quite obvious to those who don’t have it. But those who do, don’t always see it. One of the most insulting things to do is say that the other side of the privilege has comparable privilege. It is like telling a person of color that they have “black privilege” or telling a poor person that they have “wellfare privilege”.

Links on Privilege – in no particular order

Your hosts invite you to listen to a recent episode of the Pagan Weekly News to get more perspectives on privilege. On Thursday 29 January 2015 KaliSara and RevKess tackled controversial issues within the Pagan community. The topic of privilege, especially in regards to Wiccanate and White privilege, were touched upon in that edition of PWN.

MUSIC

  1. Celia – Please Bless This Place – Carry Me Home
  2. Jenna Greene – Believe – Crossroads
  3. Wendy Rule – Circle Song – The Wolf Sky
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MMM: Brighid’s Mess

Sunday 1 February 2015 was Murphy’s Magic Mess‘s Brigid’s Day show. Murf, *K8, Phil put together an amazing collection of Imbolc and Brighid music with a small set devoted to Manannan mac Lir and his stolen statue.

Play List

  1. Brid – Beverly Frederick – Through the Darkness

    Brigid in her Triple Aspect

  2. Holy Well, Sacred Flame – Beverly Frederick – Through the Darkness
  3. Battle for Neverland (remix) – Erik Scott – Spirits
  4. Firelight – Terra Guitarra – Firelight
  5. Elven Dance – Timothy Wenzel – Summon the Wind
  6. Asana Single Shot #1 – David Vito Gregoli – Yogi Heart Healing Single Shots
  7. Om Hari Om 1 – Tim Jordan Kirtan Project – Heart and Spirit
  8. Drums for the Dragon – James Asher & Sandeep Raval – Drum Travel
  9. Childhood/Imbolc – Kay Gardner’s Oratorio – Ouroboros
  10. Brighde, Our Lady – Janna Runnalls – Return to the Goddess
  11. Blessing and Decent of the Goddess Bridget – The Moors – The Moors
  12. Bridget – Ruth Barrett & Cynthia Smith – The heart is the only nation
  13. Brighid – Damh the Bard – Antlered Crown and Standing Stone
  14. Song for Bridghid – Featherscale – Gypsy Heart
  15. Brighid’s Flame – Kellianna – Elemental
  16. Ys – Alan Stivell – Renaissance of the Irish Harp

    Manannan mac Lir

  17. Manannan Mac Lir – Maire Breatnach – Voyage of Bran
  18. Song for Manannan – Cilia – (single)
  19. We Remember – Amergyn – Songs of Mysts and Moon
  20. Brighid – Chronilus – Threshold
  21. Stories of Brigid/Brighid of the Sacred Waters – Phil Kessler, Celia, Selena Fox, Literata Hurley – (unreleased Mess Exclusive)
  22. Imbolc – Cernunnos Rising – Wild Soul

Tune in on 8 February for a special edition of The Mess. KZUM‘s Spring Fund Drive began on Thursday the 5th. Murf and her Minions are putting together some of their favorites and some of the best of Pagan and New Age music. Might even have a surprise or two in store for the listeners!

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PWN 2015.1.3: Controversy in the Pagan World

The Pagan Weekly News for thursday 29 January 2015 found RevKess and KaliSara trying to tackle the general theme of Controversy in the Pagan World. Not an easy task. They began with a brief conversation about political conroversies in the United States and moved on talking about the stolen and desecrated statue of Manannan mac Lir in Ireland before moving into talk about #BlackLivesMatter and the Covenant of the Goddess missteps in addressing that theme.

Links

POLITICS

MANANNAN mac LIR

#BLACKLIVESMATTER & COVENANT of the GODDESS

  • Covenant of the Goddess and other Pagan organizations release statements on racism in November and December of 2014, in response to repeated reports of police brutality and excessive force.
  • Peter Dybing, writing on his personal blog Pagan in Paradise, issued a social indictment of CoG. That post has since been removed from his site. An earlier post on the topic of #BlackLivesMatter and the CoG statement cane be found here.
  • CoG issued a revised statement pending consensus vote in August 2015.
  • Peter Dybing writes again on the issue of minorities in Paganism.
  • Coverage from The Wild Hunt
  • Torn Coyle writes about racism
  • Shauna Aura Knight writes about racism in Paganism
  • Shauna Aura Knight, on PaganActivist.com, admits she is a racist

TWO EVENTS on the SAME DAY in the SAME REIGION

OTHER PAGAN NEWS

MUSIC

  1. Heartbeat – Warrior Within
  2. Celia – Song for Manannan – digital single
  3. Wendy Rule – Creator Destroyer – The Wolf Sky
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MMM: Play List for 25 January 2015

This week on the Mess we didn’t have a set theme. We just kind of threw music at the players and waited to see what stuck. Murf did have a small collection of music on her master, but other wise it was just a messy Mess. All fun and games, of course.

Thank you to *K8 for typing up the play list. Phil made any necessary corrections to spelling.

  1. Direction Song – Kellianna – Elemental          
  2. Communication – Rupam Sarmah – Omkara-The Sound of Divine Love
  3. Foggy Bridges – Erik Scott – Spirits
  4. Whirlwind – Timothy Wenzel – Summon the Wind
  5. Sunshower – Terra Guitarra – Firelight
  6. Journey – Neil Tatar & David Darling – Where Did the Time Go
  7. Circle Song – Wendy Rule – Deity
  8. The Coming of the Tuatha de Dannan – Spiral Dance –
  9. Glastonbury Tor – Waterboys – Dream Harder
  10. Two Bums – Rosalie Sorrels –
  11. Gentlemen of Distinction in the Army – Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt –
  12. Pi Day Song – Danny Brit –
  13. Absolutely Bonkers – Three Weird Sisters –
  14. The Garlic Waltz – Sally Rogers & Claudia Schmidt –
  15. Cheshire Kitten – SJ Tucker – Mischief
  16. Armageddon Polka – John Mitchel –
  17. Pagan Polka – Sona –
  18. Children’s Totem Chant – Spiral Rhythm –
  19. Don’t Go Drinking With Hobbits – Marc Gunn -Don’t Go Drinking with Hobbits
  20. Wreck of the Modern Pagan – Murphey’s Midnight Rounders – Swede Hollow
  21. Pagan Girl – Emerald Rose – Bending Tradition
  22. The Man with the Weird Beard – Heather Bishop – Belly Button
  23. Children of the Earth – Shining Wheel Pagan Chorus – Chants of Balance
  24. Earth Warrior – Omnia – Earth Warrior
  25. Goddess Walking – Mama Gina – Solitaire

Michele was unable to sit in with us, but she did call to say hello. The creu of the Mess looks forward to her joining them again in the studio.

KZUM is gearing up for their 37th birthday celebration. To do so they are opening up their donation page for the Spring Donation Drive 5 February – 12 February 2015. All donations are tax deductible. You can donate in advance of the drive by visiting the KZUM website and clicking on the Donate button or you can do so during the Drive. You can also call the station any time there is a live DJ at the boards or during normal business hours. Both through the site and the phone you can list your favorite shows or share any other comments you have for the station. Stay tuned to our FB page for details on our special premiums or check the KZUM site for normal donation premiums.

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PMP: Mama Gina, Follow Your Passion

RevKess and KaliSara were joined by singer, songwriter Mama Gina. Gina hails from Florida, his a wife and mother. After taking a break from her musical passions to raise her son and help support her family, she left her career as a paralegal to pursue her passion for music. And follow that passion she has. With the release of her third CD only weeks away she sat on her front porch to visit and share her music with the listeners of PMPChannel.

Mama Gina

Mama Gina

Gina last visited with RevKess in August 2013 on an episode of Musica Pagani. That was right around the release of The Undertaker’s Daughter, her second CD.  Since then she has officially said goodbye to her full time job with benefits and embraced her new career as a professional Pagan musician, full time. She’s toured the lower Eastern United States to perform her music for audiences of Pagans, new agers, and the like. This year, after the release of her third CD, Solitaire, she plans to tour into the Midwest, going as far West as Iowa and Missouri. She plans to go all the way to the West Coast by the end of 2016, sharing her music, her joy, and her laughter and tears along the way.

Mama Gina was kind enough to share some cuts from her upcoming CD release with RevKess in advance of the show. The three she sent were beautiful and he is looking forward to hearing the rest of the album. Gina’s sister and her son have both joined her in the recording studio to help lay down tracks. Jeremy Lembo from Didges Christ Super Drum also set down a couple of didgeridoo tracks for inclusion on the CD.

Gina has shared stage time with musicians like Ginger Das, SJ Tucker, and in her early years of rocking it out she even shared the stage with the legendary rock band Nazareth. When asked who she would like to share the stage with in the future she replied that the list is too long for an interview, but she would love to spend more time with Ginger Das and Sooj, Wendy Rule and that she’d be thrilled (and too nervous) to sing with Damh the Bard. And of course, to check something off her bucket list, Tuatha Dea asked her to join them on stage for a couple of songs during one of their concerts.

Music
  1. Flicker and Flame (the Firefly Song) – Goddess Kiss’d
  2. Goddess Walking – Solitaire
  3. The PSG Son – Goddess Kiss’d
  4. Selah – Solitaire
  5. Coyote’s Tattoo – The Undertaker’s Daughter
  6. Weed – Solitaire

As soon as RevKess receives the full length CD from Mama Gina he will be doing a review of the music on his blog site, RevKess Reviews. You can read earlier music reviews of Mama Gina’s music there as well. Along with her website, you can find her music through ReverbNation and purchase her CDs through CDBaby. Digital downloads can be purchased through iTunes and Amazon.