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PWN #99: Blue Plaque, Okeechobee, Irish People are Pagan & More

The 99th edition of PWN started out with some discussion of the long awaited Supreme Court decision on two cases involving marriage equality. Hollingsworth v Perry and United States v Windsor. These land mark cases are the end all be all on the issue of marriage equality, but they do have some heavy sway over the issue.  A pro-marriage equality ruling in the Hollingsworth case could make same-sex marriage legal in the state of California. A pro-marriage equality ruling in the Windsor case could make it so that all states, regardless of their standing on same-sex marriage, would have to honor a same-sex marriage from states that do recognize them. Both favorable rulings would pave the way for the United States to legally recognize same-sex marriage on a Federal level. The rulings/opinions are scheduled to be announced Wednesday the 26th, you can go to the SCOTUS blog and read/hear the announcements live starting at 10am ET.

Zaracon and RevKess both feel strongly about the marriage equality issue. As a gay man, RevKess would love to see it possible for him to at some point to be legally married to a man he loves. Zaracon has always been a strong proponent of LGBT rights.

Links

  • The significant global loss of millions of honeybees is a topic that worries many in the Pagan world. Albert Einstein is attributed with the quote “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live. No more bees, no more pollination….no more men!” Last fall when 12 million bees dropped dead in Florida in a 1 and half mile radius, everyone was at a loss. Research seems to indicate that their deaths were due to pesticide spraying.
  • Ironically, one of those pesticide manufactures, along with two other GMO scientists, have been awarded the World Food Prize, the Nobel Prize of food.
  • Doreen Valiente blue plaqueThe BBC, and many other news agencies and Pagan media sources, have reported on the Blue Plaque commemoration in honor of Doreen Valiente. Ms. Valiente is called by many “the Mother of Modern Witchcraft.” The block of flats she grew up in Brighton, UK, is the home of this Blue Plaque.
  • BBC Radio 4 story on Modern Witchcraft from 2009.
  • Coy Mathis, a transgender girl in Colorado, has won a case against the public school she attended last year. In this ruling the school must allow her to use the girls’ room.
  • In related transgender news, the OutServe-SLDN leader, Allyson Robinson, has been forced to resign by the board of OutServe-SLDN. Many others in the administration of the military LGBT organization have also resigned in protest of her ouster.
  • Related to both LGBT issues and the military, the interim civilian Secretary of the Air Force is the highest ranking gay man in the United States government. Eric Fanning has been the undersecretary of the Air Force since his confirmation in April and served as deputy undersecretary and deputy chief management officer for the Navy since 2009.
  • Our friend the Mead Muse reports on her experience at the first Summer Solstice festival at Lake Ockeechobee in Florida. As many of you may recall, there was some controversy surrounding this festival because of the evangelical ministers in Pahokee, FL. Peter Dybing of the Lady Liberty League met with those ministers and helped convince them to no stage protests during the festival. By next week we will have more news and information on this festival and other recent festivals.
  • Mama Gina was in attendance at the Ockeechobee festival and played this new song she wrote for the occasion.
  • the Association of Catholic Priests in the United Kingdom are bemoaning that the Irish people seem to be go back to their Pagan ways. They don’t mean Pagan in the sense that most of us mean Pagan. They are saying that the Irish people have become lazy in their faith and in their humanity.
  • Edward Snowden has been charged with espionage over the NSA leaks.
  • Snowden admits that he sought the work with Booz Allen to probe and reveal the information he gained while working the government contract.

Music

  1. Omnia – Teachers – Wolf Love 
  2. Frenchy and the Punk (recorded as Gypsy Nomads) – Vaudeville Voodoo – Happy Madness 

Additional Links

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Musica Pagani Video Bonuses

MPBTRadbannerOn Musica Pagani we bring you music from New Age and Pagan Artists that have graciously given us their permission to podcast their music. But there is so much more music out there than we currently have permissions to air. From time to time, RevKess will bring you a selection of music videos (either slide show, still, or motion picture) that features some of the music out there he doesn’t yet have permission to podcast.

First up on that list is MC Yogi. Taking the stories, myths, and mantras of Hindu spirituality and meshing them with rap music, MC Yogi has brought the ancient to the modern. Here is his rendition of the story of Ganesha, Son of Shiva.

The Goddess Alchemy Project is another group that brings the flavor of rap and hip hop to New Age music. Here is their Science of a New Time off Frequencies of the Motherland. 

There seems to be a trend with this first edition of the MP Video Bonuses – Rap and hip hop…. Next up is the Lost Children of Babylon with “The Venus Project” from their Zeitgeist: The Spirit of the Age release. 

Kellee Maize is an out Pagan rapper. Yes, you read that right. Pagan and a rapper. She has also given us permission to add her music to our podcast play list. While waiting for that to happen, here is a sample of her work.  You can get free downloads of Kellee’s music through her website.

Four looks like a good place to stop for this first Musica Pagani Video Bonuses. MC Yogi, The Goddess Alchemy Project, Lost Children of Babylon and Kellee Maize are just some examples of the R&B, hip hop and rap styles for Pagan and New Age music. Hope you enjoyed.

You can follow what is going on with New Age and Pagan music on MP’s Facebook page and listen to the show on the Pagan-Musings Podcast Channel live on Sundays at 7pm CT or in archives.

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Musica Pagani Ep. 4

Musica Pagani features music from New Age and Pagan musicians. These musicians have graciously given us permission to play their music on the Pagan-Musings Podcast Channel. Not as many videos available for this show. Seems to indicate that RevKess needs to make some videos…..

In the fourth edition of Musica Pagani, RevKess brings the listeners a variety of music from 8 different artists, both New Age and Pagan.

The Music

  1. Blackmore’s Night – Sake of the Song – Autumn Sky
  2. Acoustic Ocean – Under the Starlit Sky –  Chimes of the Spirit
  3. Acoustic Ocean – Rift Rider – Chimes of the Spirit
  4. Acoustic Ocean – If I Had Wings – Chimes of the Spirit
  5. Michael Brant DeMaria – Mysterious Stranger – The Maiden of Stonehenge
  6. Michael Brant DeMaria – Chantress – The Maiden of Stonehenge
  7. Michael Brant DeMaria – Anam Cara – The Maiden of Stonehenge
  8. Paradiso & Rasamayi – Master Teacher – Attuning to Oneness
  9. Paradiso & Rasamayi – In Service – Attuning to Oneness
  10. Paradiso & Rasamayi – As Above, So Below – Attuning to Oneness
  11. Hennie Bekker – Pachelbel’s Cannon in D – Tranquility: Transitions
  12. Hennie Bekker – Revitalized – Spa
  13. Hennie Bekker – Cry of the Wilderness – Temba: African Tapestries
  14. Jenna Greene – Dance of the Goddess – Wild Earth Child
  15. Jenna Greene – Green Man (Wild Earth Child) – Wild Earth Child 
  16. Jenna Greene – Herne – Crossroads
  17. Kellianna – The Ancient Ones – The Ancient Ones
  18. Kellianna – The Return of the Sun – Lady Moon
  19. Kellianna – Stonehenge – Lady Moon 
  20. Damh the Bard – Down in the Garden – Antlered Crown and Standing Stone
  21. Damh the Bard – Land, Sea, and Sky – Cauldron Born 
  22. Damh the Bard – The Dreaming – Antlered Crown and Standing Stone
  23. Cernunnos Rising – Soul Journey – Wild Soul
  24. Cernunnos Rising – The Witches Tree – Urban Druid
  25. Cernunnos Rising – Hawthorn – Urban Druid
  26. Murphey’s Midnight Rounders – As You Depart – I Am the Goddess

Tune in next Sunday (30 June 2013) for another edition of Musica Pagani.  This one will be different. All vocals and a little bit heavier. Music from Tuatha Dea, Telergy, Elvendrums, Omnia and more!

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Murphy’s Magic Mess, Summer Solstice/Super Moon 2013

ad bannerToday on KZUM‘s Murphy’s Magic Mess, Murf, *K8, and Phil celebrated the Summer Solstice and the Full Moon. *K8 diligently typed up the play list as we were going. Summer Solstice celebrations have been going strong all around the world. Doreen Valiente was honored in her place of birth with a “blue plaque” that declares her the “Mother of Modern Witchcraft.”

Click the plaque to see a video of the commemoration.

Click the plaque to see a video of the commemoration.

Included in the list of songs you will find links to videos, lyrics, the artists’ pages and other useful information about the songs. The format *K8 uses is slightly different from what you see on other play lists on this site. She uses “song title”, “artist”, “album”.

Playlist

  1. Isis, Astarte – Kate West & the Hearth of Hecate – Elements of Chant (word of caution when opening this link, it auto plays “Isis, Astarte”.)
  2. The Beginning – Takashi Suzuki – Hiroshima Eternal
  3. Blessings – Stephen DeRuby – Awakening
  4. Last Suitor – Al Conti – The Blue Rose
  5. Age of Wisdom – Lia Scallon – The Luminous Pearl
  6. Sunrise on East Mesa – John Huling – Ancient Canyons
  7. Ocean of Heart – Anima – Light of Aluna
  8. Jumproping – Dan Kennedy – Intuition
  9. After the Circus – Stephen Savage – Future Memory
  10. Goddess of the Sun – Beverly Frederick – Through the Darkness
  11. Strawberry Girl – Blackmore’s Night – Autumn Sky
  12. Hymn to the Goddess – Iris – Season of Song
  13. Magic Wheel (Green Grow the Rushes Oh!) – Chorus of Light – Gaia’s Voice (lyrics at http://www.paganlibrary.com/music_poetry/green_grow_rushes.php)
  14. Lady of the Silver Wheel – Damh the Bard – The hills they are hollow
  15. Children of the Sun – David Arkenstone – Celtic Book of Days
  16. Moon She Rises – Gaia Consort – Evolve
  17. Solstice Call – Gaia Consort – Evolve
  18. Venus Vina Musica – Corvus Corax – Venus Vina Musica 
  19. White Rabbit – Tuatha Dea – The Tribe 
  20. Willow, Water, Moon and Stream – Cernunnos Rising – Urban Druid
  21. The Truth about Ninjas – SJ Tucker – Mischief 
  22. Go Now – Kiva – Live from the Forest Inn

Be sure to tune in next week for Murphy’s Magic Mess as we celebrate Independence Day in the United States of America. Patriotic music, celebrations of freedom and much more!

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Pagan Video Archives Vol 1

11661263-green-dragon-is-in-the-twilight-and-watch-tv-eating-popcornRevKess has been scouring the interwebs this summer and coming across a number of interesting videos on YouTube and Vimeo and other places. Some of these videos are television interviews from the 1970’s, some are more recent educational pieces or interviews with Elders of the Pagan community.

We’ll start out with a 1974 interview show hosted by Tom Snyder called “Tomorrow with Tom snyder”. Around Halloween ’74, Tom Snyder had Ed Fitch, Isaac Bonewits, Fred Adams, and Carroll “Poke” Runyon on the show to talk about Paganism, Witchcraft and Magic.   Along with the information imparted by the guests, the video includes the original TV commercials that aired with the program. They are humorous, to say the least.

Keepers of the Flame has a wonderful series of interviews with  Elders from the Pagan community. This one is the third in the series and is an interview with Queen Zanoni of the Georgian Tradition.  RevKess was a member of the Georgian Tradition at one point. Zanoni declared him a “heretic”  because of his willingness to teach students via the internet. This was in the late 1990’s.

Earlier in the series, Keepers of the Flame included this video of Maxine Sanders, widow of Alex Sanders, from an a lecture she did at Beltaine: a Pagan Odyssey Festival in Oxford, CT from 2007. The lecture is called “Initiation”. 

Many moons ago, Llewellyn Publications worked with Raymond Buckland on a video. Here is that video, “Witchcraft Yesterday and Today”.  Nearly twenty years ago, RevKess was introduced to this video, and others, by his High Priestess. At the time it was available through a branch of his local public library.

Here is another video that RevKess discovered through his HPS and the public library. This one is Scott Cunningham’s “Herb Magic”, a video companion to his Complete Incense, Oils, and Brews. 

Keep checking back with PMPChannel.com for more video archives from the Pagan community.

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Home of the Ancestors Ep 2 – Introduction to Household Practice

On this second installment of Home of the Ancestors, your host Julian Marcus introduced the Home of the Ancestors Household Practice as well as empathized the importance of Ancestor veneration. While BTR decided to be stubborn, I was able to recover and move on to the main topic at hand.

The proposed question for this episode is: Briefly, how do you honor your Ancestors in your practice? Please post your responses on the Home of the Ancestors Facebook page  or email them. You can of course post your responses and comments directly to this blog by clicking “comments” below.

On our last show I proposed the the Question: “What does it mean to you to have a home of the ancestors?” Here are some of the responses:

Megan on Facebook writes:

I still keep to some traditions even if I don’t fully embrace their origins. For example, I still say the prayer that my great grandmother and great aunt taught me to say when you pass a graveyard or funeral. Even when it makes people stare, lol! I keep a crucifix above by doorway even though some people are put off that I would have it and a gay pride flag in the same room. Mostly it’s the little stuff.

Keren on Facebook Writes:

Vesta the Hearth Cat

Vesta the Hearth Cat

Last week I learned my cousin was admitted to a hospice. My first thought was to hunt for a photo of her so I could honor her and how her life touched me. Hunting through bins of old photos, I came upon two letters. One from my Dad to his Dad (Poppy) when he was 20 years old and another from Poppy to my Dad eight years later. My Dad’s letter was full of drive, determination, independence — the know-it-all attitude of anyone in college, telling their parents to “Lay off, I know what I’m doing.” Reading how he stuck to his dream of working in radio broadcasting, even to sacrifice a summer off, helped me understand why my Dad pushed me to succeed. I also recognized a familiar stubbornness. The second letter, from Poppy, was quite revealing. Poppy died when I was barely two years old and reading his kind, supportive words to my 28 year old father showed me I had not fallen too far from the tree. Poppy believed in his son, then a newly minted father, to take the risk and go out West for his career. He even admitted to having always loved the Pacific Northwest — it’s people, the countryside and the beautiful Pacific Ocean; an ocean I was drawn to just as deeply. I found a connection I did not realize existed. In that moment, I knew my Poppy as the person he was….not merely a story. What it means to me to have a Home of the Ancestors, at least in this aspect, is to reach through time and discover there are more threads connecting you to long lost relatives and how they have an affect on who you are…..more than you originally believed.  

Jaymi on FB Writes:

I’m not sure what it means to have a home of the ancestors, because I am adopted. However, I imagine that a home of the ancestors would be a place to communicate with those who have gone past, and honor the linage of where I came from. That said, as an adoptee… I imagine that this home could contain anyone I feel a kinship to.

Other Info from the Show

Worth noting is the mentioning of Teo bishop and his leaving of ADF and the Solitary Druidy   He writes:

“The thing is, this is my life. This is me, right here, trying to be human.  And I think my biggest challenge in being a part of ADF was that I didn’t feel like there was anyone really speaking to the challenges of being human. In a devotional religion, the emphasis is placed over there, not in here. The things that cut deeply for me, that are real and sometimes really difficult for me — things like compassion, despair, forgiveness, hope, kindness, patience, honesty — I don’t feel like we spend any time talking about these things. I think we experience these things, but they always feel secondary to “right relationship.”

You can read the full story here: http://www.bishopinthegrove.com/archives/on-leaving/

Music Played

  1. Frenchy and the Punk – Steampunk Pixie – Hey Hey Cabaret 
  2. Blackmore’s Night – Play Minstrel Play – Shadow of the Moon
  3.  SJ Tucker  – Cheshire Kitten – Mischief 
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PWN #98: Summer Solstice, Snowden & More

The 98th edition of Pagan Weekly News aired at 9am Central on 18 June 2013. Among many topics discussed, RevKess and Zaracon spent some time with Summer Solstice, some recent and upcoming book releases and an update on PRISM and Edward Snowden.

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is being celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. It is also known as Litha by some and Midsummer by others. The names for this festival vary depending on your tradition, heritage, culture and region. Suffice it to say, it is a celebration of Summer and of Life.

Our friends in the Southern Hemisphere are celebrating the Winter Solstice or Yule. We give a salute to them with a song at the end of the show.

LINKS

Music

  1. SJ Tucker – The Truth About Ninjas – Mischief
  2. Isaac Bonewits – We Won’t Shave Any Longer – Avalon is Rising!  (RevKess misspoke during the show, this is We Won’t Any Longer. Still a good song! RevKess may be making a video for We Won’t Shave Any Longer later this year.)
  3. Damh the Bard – Cloak of Feathers – Herne’s Apprentice 
  4. Spiral Dance – Solstice Evergreen – The Quickening

Update & Further Info on Snowden & PRISM

On Tuesday the 11th of June, 2013, RevKess reported on the PRISM scandal and the whistle blower Edward Snowden who at that time was hiding from US officials somewhere in Hong Kong. Since then, there have been some concerns on the veracity of his claims and his history.

Many media sites are defending Edward Snowden, the Guardian being one of them. Snowden approached the Guardian to get his story out instead of US news sources. Read why: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-profile

Yet others say he has gone from whistle blower to traitor. See the story SCMP.com “Edward Snowden: US Government has been hacking Hong Kong and China. You can also read, on the Guardian no less, how Snowden has potentially weakened his own defense if brought to trial in the US on charges of espionage: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/edward-snowden-defence

Other related articles from the Guardian:

In other news….

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Musica Pagani Ep 3

Episode three of the reboot of Musica Pagani has hit the interwebs. Hear music from Brian Henke, Omnia, Acoustic Ocean and many others!

The list of artists that we can play just keeps growing. Some of the artists in this edition you will be familiar with from earlier editions of MP as well as other programming on PMPChannel. The newest on the list below is Brian Henke. RevKess got hear him perform at Heartland 2013 and came home to find his latest two CDs in the review stack from KZUM. Needless to say, permission request was sent off right away.

Upcoming editions will have more NEW music from artists like Jami Sieber, Cernunnos Rising and Michael de Salem. Keep checking in with PMPChannel on BTR and iTunes for the latest in New Age and Pagan music as well as news, views, interviews, and information from the other programming on the channel. Don’t forget to check out Pagan-Musings on Saturday the 22nd of June to hear an interview with George Nicholas and his daughter Katie from Cernunnos Rising and again on the 29th of June to hear an interview with some of the Tribe of Tuatha Dea.

Music

  1. Blackmore’s Night – Sake of the Song – Autumn Sky
  2. Al Conti – Silk and Jasmine – The Blue Rose
  3. Al Conti – Sacred Space – Poeta
  4. Al Conti – Dans For Loki (Loki’s Jig) – Northern Seas 
  5. AeTopus – Alley of Dust and Soul – Angels and Machines
  6. AeTopus – Vast – Between Empires
  7. AeTopus – Reflections in the Glass – Angels and Machines
  8. Lisa Hilton – City Streets – Getaway 
  9. Lisa Hilton – Stepping Into Paradise – Getaway
  10. Lisa Hilton – Unforgotten – Getaway
  11. Leigh Ann Hussey – Greenmantle – Homebrew
  12. Leigh Ann Hussey – Rise Up Witches – Homebrew
  13. Leigh Ann Hussey – Witches Come Again – Homebrew
  14. Gaia Consort – Every Sacred Thing – Secret Voices 
  15. Gaia Consort – No Shadows – Evolve
  16. Gaia Consort – Face in the Clouds – Vitus Dance
  17. Brian Henke – Dancing with the Child in You – A Child’s Garden
  18. Brian Henke – Dancing in the Garden, Head in the Clouds – A Child’s Garden
  19. Brian Henke – A Boy Wizard – Seven Magic Spells
  20. Acoustic Ocean – Into the Mystery Landscape – Chimes of the Spirit
  21. Acoustic Ocean – Tsunami – Chimes of the Spirit 
  22. Acoustic Ocean – Midnight Rendnevous – Chimes of the Spirit
  23. Omnia – Taranis Jupiter – Wold Love 
  24. Omnia – The Well – Pagan Folk
  25. Omnia – Wytches’ Brew – Alive!
  26. Isaac Bonewits – Quarter Farewell – Avalon is Rising

While preparing the show notes today, RevKess stumbled across this site that is devoted to Leigh Ann Hussey. Her music is available for free download at www.motogrrl.org/Bands, but this site has details on her life, music career and her unfortunately and untimely passing. For those of you who enjoy Leigh Ann’s music and want to learn more about her, please visit the sites linked and share her life and love of music with others. Leigh Ann was also an author, you can hear Colin Hussey read her novella “The Lover of Lord Eithras“, or read the story. There doesn’t seem to be any videos on YouTube or elsewhere for Leigh Ann’s music, something just might have to be done about that.

Bonus Videos

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Murphy’s Magic Mess: Father’s Day

ad bannerWhat a combination of music and features for the Mess today! Phew! Father’s Day, Soundbackers Union and the pre-Solstice show.

What is the Soundbackers Union? It is KZUM’s special “elite” membership group for listeners. Along with our usual membership pledge drives in the Spring and Fall, this year we started the Soundbackers Union with limited edition swag and all kinds of bonuses for the members. You can find out more at www.kzum.org, donations are being accepted online through noon Central Friday the 21st.

Music

  1. Inkubus Sukkubus – Wytches’ Chant ’98 – Away with the Faeries
  2. Takashi Suzuki – The Unknown Sight – Voyage: Hiroshima Eternal
  3. Al Conti – the Minstrel’s Song – The Blue Rose
  4. Masako – Forgotten Moments – Masako
  5. Lia Scallon – Joyful Inspiration – The Luminous Pearl
  6. David Arkenstone & Charlee Brooks – Origins – Loveren
  7. Anima – Ancient Future – Light of Aluna (radio edits)
  8. Lunacy – Shango – Lunacy
  9. Al Conti – Odin the Wanderer – Northern Seas
  10. Clannad – Robin, the Hooded Man –
  11. Sj Tucker – Hymn to Herne – Blessings
  12. Blackmore’s Night – March the Heroes Home – Under a Violet Moon
  13. Dave Carter & Tracey Grammar – Gentle Soldier of My Soul – Drum Hat Buddha
  14. Fred Small – I Will Stand Fast – I Will Stand Fast
  15. Fred Small – Scott & Jamie – I Will Stand Fast
  16. Tuatha Dea – The Blessing – The Tribe (feat. Spiral Rhythm
  17. Bryan Bowers – Old Lovers – For You
  18. John McCutcheon – Dad’s Got That Look – Family Garden
  19. Buffy Sainte-Marie – He’s a Pretty Good Man if You Ask Me – Best of….
  20. The Chorus of Life – Gaia’s Circles – Gaia’s Voice
  21. Robin Moore – What’s Wild Is Wild (spoken word from the children’s storyteller himself)
  22. Tuatha Dea – Hypocritical Mass – The Tribe (feat. Murphey’s Midnight Rounders)
  23. Tom Petty – The Last DJ – The Last DJ
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PMP: 2013 Heartland Speakers’ Panel

Click to listen.

Click to listen.

The Saturday 15 June 2013 edition of Pagan-Musings Podcast features segments of the 2013 Heartland Speakers’ Panel. The featured guests for Heartland this year were Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Mike Nichols, and Ed “the Pagan” Hubbard. Barbara Criswell of Aquarius Books in Kansas City acted as moderator. The topic for the panel was “Where do you envision Paganism, Wicca, etc going from here?”

The topic was paired well with the focus of many of the workshops and presentations from the honored guests. Janet and Gavin have decades of experience between them that they shared with the audience of the panel and with the participants of their workshops. Mike Nichols has been teaching about witchcraft since the 1970’s and is the author of The Witches’ Sabbats. Ed Hubbard has over 20 years experience as a priest and is co-manager of Pagans Tonight Radio Network.

The panel discussion was recorded in an open air auditorium, so there is some sound distortion. For that we apologize. Other than the wind and some audience noises, the only real sound issue was that some of the participants from the audience were hesitant on the microphone or even too shy to approach the microphone. Over all, the sound is decent enough to be able to hear everything being said. If you miss something and cannot figure it out, let us know and we would be happy to clarify things for you.

Links for Panelists

Music

  1. Cernunnos Rising – The Witches Tree – Urban Druid 
  2. Damh the Bard – The Two Magicians – Tales from the Crow Man 

Bonus Link