Pagan Parents on the Edge

In this episode of Pagan Parents on the Edge, Arrowind and Foxfire jump into a random conversation that touches on the topics of compassion and hope, parenting and relationships with our children, and our experiences in scouting. Yes, kind of random, but we do manage to tie the whole thing together. We talk about the ways that we communicate these ideas from both a personal and a societal viewpoint. We respond to a recent listener email by relating the experiences of Thunderwolf and Fox with local scouting, hoping that by sharing our experiences, we can provide an opportunity for other parents to benefit from them. Trust us, there is a point in the long run.

In the segment, 'What Does Fox Do?", he talks about medtiation and how he ties in his relationship to the music in his life as a tool to expand consiousness. We also discuss briefly the topic of stereomancy. Guess you'll just have to listen to find out what that is.

In an unprecedented 'Podcast of the Week', we not only do a fresh, young show, but we do the second episode basically back to back with the last 'Podcast of the Week', Digging Nordic Roots. Where last episode we featured their first show, this episode we feature the second. If you can't tell, we hear at PPOTE are really excited about Digging Nordic Roots. Check it out, you might be as well.

We're so very happy to see that so many listeners have stayed with us despite our long break and our current only semi-reliable schedule. So we hope you're sticking together as the community that we all know and love, and like we said in the show, showing a little compassion with each other, at we least we HOPE so.

Blessed Be,

Arrowind

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On this episode of PPOTE Arrowind and Fox discuss how our inevitable interaction with technology effects our Pagan leanings. Arrowind, with her higher level of technical ability (higher than Fox’s anyways), takes one part of the discussion and Fox, with his mild technophobia, takes the other. It’s not quite that cut and dry and we cover several aspects of this intriguing subject: technology as Magic, as a spiritual component, and even as the divine itself. As with many topics he’s passionate about, Fox occasionally struggles to get his ideas across and rest assured that this episode is no exception. Fox’s thoughts on this issue are mostly only partially expressed here and he could have gone on for hours.

In “Arrowind’s, As Of Yet Unnamed Segment” She reads from Macbeth and treats us to her take on the witches in the cave scene. Fox loves that bit as well and it does kind of break the seriousness of the rest of the show a bit. Won’t someone write and help name Arrowind’s segment? Someone?

This episode has Fox actually talking about something he doesn’t do in the “What Does Fox Do” segment. He talks a little further about a few of his perceptions regarding technology, computers, their magical components, and the respect he has for those for which such things, as that durn computer machine, come naturally.

The “Podcast of the Week” is “Digging Nordic Roots” with it’s hosts Kari Tauring and Jane Hansen (cool how I worked their names into the show notes when I forgot them during the show). They did such a great job on their inaugural episode that Fox couldn’t help talking about them. I usually don’t do such a newly released show as it drives me a little nuts when I feature a show during “POTW” and they either disappear or change radically shortly after I’ve done so. I do hope that this won’t be the case with this show as I am looking forward to many more episodes.

Well thanks to leap year and it’s extra day in February we have fulfilled our promise of getting out two episodes this month to make up for missing January. Fox has been having some issues with the scar tissue (not really noticeable) around his lips drying out this winter and because of that he might occasionally sound a little slurry and drunk. I mean I had had a few but it really wasn’t like that. I just having to relearn how to speak around some new experiences. I’ll take it over cancer any day. The weather around here has been it’s usual wonky February self and so there’s been a sniffle or two but nothing too bad. Hope everything is well for you and that the bad weather and illness’ that go along with it have skipped your house.

Blessed Be

Fox

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In this episode Arrowind and Fox, inspired by a listener suggestion, talk about their perception of body image. They talk about the internal and external images they have of themselves and the world around them. We talk a bit about how we help the kids experience their own interpretations of these issues. As we travel along another change in heath oriented mindsets we compare some of that as well as a look at some of our artistic backgrounds as they relate to image. It was a quick discussion but we talked pretty fst and got a lot in.

In "What Would Fox Do?" He shares the joy of our Imbolc fire and some of his ideas therein. Fox truly believes that the simple making and "of being responsible" towards this entity is a wondeful bit of sacred magic that is sometimes taken for granted, even by himself.

The "Podcast of the Week" is a bit off the Pagan reservation and into Fox's semi-covert love affair with zombie apocalyptic fiction. A great radio Dude, Alfredo Torres, doe "Torres vs Zombies" It's a goldmine for zombie fans and just intertaining, informative (yes I said it), and funny. We get to talk about our trip to Arrowinds first Sci-Fi convention and how I found this show. Good times.

Yeah we missed January, like we said in the show "unprepared" We hope everybody is riding out the cold season with a measure of personal warmth.

Blessed Be

Foxfire

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Well, well, just in time to keep saying once a month. The season has basically run all over us this year at the PPOTE household and there has been precious little time for editing during all the rushing about. Don't get me wrong, it's been a wonderful Christmas/Yule here and now that it's over I've been able to get the show up and running again. Enjoy!

 In this Yule episode We are blessed to have Arrowind's Brother Evaldi with us to talk about some of our ideas invloved in defending our faith. It all started out in an inspiring email from our listener Christine about defending our positions on Santa Claus. I should point out that our show is unscriptted (sometimes to Arrowinds chagrin) and as usual this episode quickly took on a life and form of it's own moving beyond the boundries of the idea of defending a belief in Santa Claus to ideas gathered around simply defending our faith. We talk about some ideas of faith and what it might be and represent. And we talk about whether or not we even need or desire to make a defense of faith. It's the Yule season and Santa swings in and out of the conversation but really wasn't what I expected when we sat down to begin recording.

In "What Does Fox Do?" He talks about a Santa connected manifestation He refers to as "The Northern Shaman" and how that person and his energies are related Yule and Santa. This is just a small glimpse into one of the deeper levels of Fox's connection to the Santa as I don't think he could explain it all during one show or even a series of them. Hmmmmm an idea there

 In Arrowinds "As of Yet Unamed Segmnet" This week named "ARROW HITS THE MARK" by her brother Evaldi, she reads from Dorothy Morrison's book YULE a Celebration of Light and Warmth. The poam is about the yle log and we talk about a few of ideas on the subject.

 The "Podcast of the Week" is a return to an old favorite "The Ipod Witch" with it's host Brook. Simple and down homey I just love this show and it never ceases to bring me back down to earth on days when I might be otherwise inclinded. We just love Brook around here at the PPOTE household and Fox thinks you will as well.

  Now that the Christmas rush is over, Yule Solstice has passed and there's little left but the celebrations of the turning of the Gregorian calendar I wonder what this next year will bring for us all. Are we going to reach a wonderous paradigm shift in human conscieneness or will zombies over run the planet?!? Just kidding. With all 2012 stuff in the air I couldn't help it. I hope everbodies year is filled to the brim with all the love, light and laughter, they can handle.

Blessed Be

Foxfire

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In this episode of PPOTE Fox and Arrowind explore the power of the spoken word. We read a few selections of poetry from Fox's favorites poets, Gibrahn and Frost, and spend time with each dissecting what the words and images bring to mind as related to our pagan experience. We discuss the power that words have when used in ritual, prayer, and in our everday thoughts. I really enjoyed doing this one as the level of conversation was just right, not to deep but deep enough. In one instance Fox, once again, gives away a little bit about just how differently he see's the world.

In Arrowind's "As of yet Unnamed Segment" She talks a bit about the four powers, an excellent collection of metaspiritual suggestions for the pusuit of the betterment of being.

"What Does Fox Do?" focuses on how he uses the power of words with consideration to rythmn, rhyme, meter, and content to create extrenal and internal magical spaces. He talks about ritual, prayer, and even how the careful consideration of the words we use to define how we think in an everyday mundane way also defines who and what we are on several levels.

The "Podcast of the Week" this episode is "Pagan Chaos Magic" With it's host Kia Dragon. Kia is a friend of the show and someone for whom we hold a special place in our hearts (esecially Fox as there is that whole fatherhood thing going) Kia has been absent from the podioverse for a while and it was great to hear him back again. The show's experientiality is something that Fox thinks is wonderful and not only one of the reasons he listens to the show but one of the reasons he thinks you should give it a try as well.

In the housecleaning segement (you know at the end of the show where we give out all that boring contact information stuff) Fox had a bit of a "light-bulb" moment and has put out the challenge to our listens to come up with a name for Arrowind's "As of Yet Unnamed Segment". Drop us a line and let us know if you have any ideas. We would love to hear them.

The speeding up of what is one of the busiest seasons of the year around the PPOTE household seems to have reduced the show schedule to a one a month kind of thing. There are also issues in the background and we have been contemplating where to go with the show. We are going to stay with the same format but have begun to reconsider hosters, exposures, and a variety of other ideas including, perhaps, a book based on the things we've discussed at length with you listeners. We'll keep everyone informed as we wouldn't want to leave anybody behind as we begin to explore new ground.

Yule is just around the corner and with it usually comes that show dedicated to the season and the inevitable mention of the "Jolly One" himself. The family coven is begining to change and reframe some of ideas of Santa as we move the kids from the vaguely commercial belief to a more Shamanistic approach. I don't think Santa is hanging around car dealerships selling cars, more likely hanging around our hearts giving love and generosity. I hope Yule isn't spoiled for anyone by the commercial mainstreamism of the day and that we remember to let the new light into our hearts and souls this season and have the love and generosity to spread it around to everyone around us.

Blessed Be Foxfire

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In this episode of PPOTE, Arrowind and Foxfire reach deeply into our own personal experiences to talk about spirit encounters that we have had. That's right folks, we tell ghost stories. The personal and somewhat nebulous nature of these events make it difficult to define them in very precise ways. As such, Foxfire and Arrowind do a fair amount of verbal stumbling as we attempt to communicate the essence of these experiences.

In this episode's edition of 'What Does Fox Do?' he talks about his relationship to his books. Research is very important to Fox because, as he describes, some types of information are just not readily available to him from a mental standpoint.

In Arrowind's 'As of Yet Unnamed Segment', she reads from The Crone's Book of Words by Valerie Worth. The selection is the spell 'To Free a House from Haunting'. She points out the importance of incorporating rhythm and rhyme as a way of focusing and increasing the power of spellwork.

The Podcast of the Week this episode is 'The Shaman's Brew' with its host Marcus Leader. Marcus is former student of Carlos Castaneda and as such is full of fascinating information. He is also a friend of PPOTE and a much respected supporter. Currently you can listen to selected back episodes of PPOTE on his show, as he prepares for a new chapter in 'The Shaman's Brew'.

In the end of the show, Foxfire and Arrowind dedicate it to our friend Chamberwolf. It's a bit of an emotional moment for us since he was a dear friend who has now passed beyond the veil.

There has been an odd bit of energy floating about the air in our group of friends. It seems to be suppressing everyone's spirit this year. Perhaps it is just a reflection of the energies about us as they turn inward and become darker. We do so hope that you are having a Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain wherever you are and however you may perceive and celebrate the season.

Blessed Be,

Foxfire and Arrowind

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Better late than never, this episode manages to make it to air despite the business of our schedule. In this show, Foxfire and Arrowind ramble around through various ideas we associate with the season of Mabon. We discuss how experiences from our childhood have shaped those ideas, and talk about how we have learned from doing rituals designed for children. We explore our ideas of the second harvest and with Yule right around the corner, Fox can't help but talk about some of his connections to Santa Claus, aka the Northern Shaman.

In Arrowind's still as of yet unnamed segment, she reads a passage from a book by Z. Budapest, The Grandmother of Time. It focuses on the aspect of the Goddess as the Muse, bringing inspiration at the changing of the season.

In What Does Fox Do?, he discusses his work with charms, amulets, and talismans. Fox describes several of these that are very special to him, and how he incorporates them into his metaspiritual practice.

The Podcast of the Week for this episode is The Spiral Dance with Hawthorne. This is a great seasonally oriented show with wonderful music and a plethora of fascinating, insightful, and helpful information to pagans. Hawthorne produces his show weekly and we have no idea how he does it while managing to maintain a caliber that never fails to impress.

The show continues to struggle with varying technical issues and because of this over the next couple of months we will be taking a serious look at how we plan to continue to move forward. We may be archiving episodes and recording past episodes to disc with idea of in some way marketing them. But never fear, we are on a roll and we plan to continue. We hope that you can find your roll and keep the good things in your life going forward in the best ways possible.

Blessed Be

Foxfire and Arrowind

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In this episode, Arrowind and Foxfire discuss the role of emotions as they play a part in our pagan experience. They talk about being responsible for our emotional states as pagans, the role of emotion in ritual, both as a powerful ally and a detrimental force, and share some personal revelations about dealing with emotions in their lives. In a community, sometimes ruled by the passions and powerful emotions, this episode may perhaps give the listeners a new set of tools for understanding and managing these often overwhelming issues.

Fox continues the discussion in his segment, "What Does Fox Do" by describing some of his personal methods for generating and controlling emotional states as a part of his metaspiritual and metaphysical practices. This is good stuff, folks, and is perhaps something we should all think about.

In Arrowind's segment, yet to be named, she reads a selection from The Prophet which speaks directly to the issue of emotions and balance.

The Podcast of the Week this episode is "The Magick Jukebox" with its host David Banach. All the wonderful information out there in the podcast world aside, sometimes you just want to listen to some music, just some music. "The Magick Jukebox" provides this. Fox is loving this podcast and if you just need a musical break, he thinks you will love it too.

It's been a heck of a month around here, with the arrival of Earth, Wind and Fire, the re-starting of homeschooling, and preparations for attending an upcoming pagan festival, but we here at the PPOTE household are thankful that things aren't any more chaotic than they are. The Northeast has been hammered repeatedly by one record-setting disaster after another it seems. The rain doesn't seem to stop and more than one person that we know has been directly affected by the floods. We hope for the best for everybody, and hope that everyone will remember that as Pagans, despite perhaps our differences in views, we are still a community. Hopefully everyone in the community is there for everyone else to lean on in times of trouble if it is needed. Here's a quote from one of Fox's favorite movies, The Crow: "It can't rain all the time." I certainly hope that this is true in more ways than one.

Blessed Be, Foxfire and Arrowind

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In this episode, Arrowind and Foxfire talk about the ideas of sacrifice and offerings. We talk about some of the sacrifices and offerings we had made in our own pagan experience, and some of our ideas of what sacrifices and offerings mean in general to the pagan community at large. Topics include evolution of sacrifices, including animal sacrifice, and the exchanging of energies in these acts. We here at PPOTE, considering the time and effort that we take to put into the show, think of the podcast as our offering to our listeners. By putting ourselves out there we like to think that we create an atmosphere of open dialogue about these types of pagan topics.

This week in "What Does Fox Do?", Fox temporarily loses his mind and responds with the mentality of a five year old. "I like color, mmmK. I like red. mmmK Color is good, you should get some." There, now I've summed up the WDFD segment and you can skip it if you like and if you haven't figured it out, it is about Fox's association with color magic.

The Podcast of the Week for this episode is The Pagan Homesteader with its host Rhianna Stone. In this show Rhianna discusses many topics involved in attempting to leave the Grid, a topic that strikes to the hearts of many pagans, including Fox. In her most recent episode, she reads a selection from the publication Foxfire about the lives of a simpler time. Wow, I really loved that.

This episode Fox is surprised by the unveiling of Arrowind's poetic talents. She is published you know, and she reads to us one of her own compositions, a poem entitled "Odin's Sonnet".

The show is a little late this week due to the distractions of Hurricane Irene. We rode the storm out very well here, despite the local media's attempt to make it seem as if Armageddon had commenced. It became a bit of a local joke that Irene was not that big a deal where we live, and we were stunned to see just how devastating it became in the Northeast. We do hope that our listeners in those areas were able to ride it out well, and if not, we pray for the best for them. As pagans, I like to think that our connection to the natural world around us makes us more aware and prepared for events such as this. I wish it could be so for everyone.

Blessed Be, Foxfire

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