The Ramblings and Wanderings

Archive for the ‘Reviews & Recommendations’ Category

ani difranco 2001

yes,

us people are just poems

we’re 90% metaphor

with a leanness of meaning

bordering on hyper-distillation

and once upon a time we were moonshine

rushing down the throat of a giraffe

yes, rushing down the long hallway

despite what the p.a. announcement says

yes, rushing down the long stairs

with the whiskey of eternity fermented and distilled

to eighteen minutes

burning down our throats

down the hall

down the stairs

in a building so tall

that it will always be there

yes, it’s part of a pair

there on the bow of noah’s ark

the most prestigious couple

just kickin back parked

against a perfectly blue sky

on a morning beatific

in its indian summer breeze

on the day that america

fell to its knees

after strutting around for a century

without saying thank you

or please

and the shock was subsonic

and the smoke was deafening

between the setup and the punch line

cuz we were all on time for work that day

we all boarded that plane for to fly

and then while the fires were raging

we all climbed up on the windowsill

and then we all held hands

and jumped into the sky

and every borough looked up when it heard the first blast

and then every dumb action movie was summarily surpassed

and the exodus uptown by foot and motorcar

looked more like war than anything i’ve seen

so far

so fierce and ingenious

a poetic specter so far gone

that every jackass newscaster was struck dumb and stumbling

over ‘oh my god’ and ‘this is unbelievable’ and on and on and on

and i’ll tell you what, while we’re at it

you can keep the pentagon

keep the propaganda

keep each and every tv

that’s been trying to convince me

to participate in some prep school punk’s plan to perpetuate retribution

perpetuate retribution

even as the blue toxic smoke of our lesson in retribution is still hanging in the air

and there’s ash on our shoes

and there’s ash in our hair

and there’s a fine silt on every mantle

from hell’s kitchen to brooklyn

and the streets are full of stories

sudden twists and near misses

and soon every open bar is crammed to the rafters

with tales of narrowly averted disasters

and the whiskey is flowin

like never before

as all over the country, folks just shake their heads

and pour

so here’s a toast to all the folks who live in palestine

and iraq, and el salvador

here’s a toast to the folks living on the pine ridge reservation

with gi joe still coming back for more

here’s a toast to all those nurses and doctors

who daily provide women with a choice

who stand down a threat the size of oklahoma city

just to listen to a young woman’s voice

here’s a toast to all the folks on death row right now

awaiting hot oil or guillotine

who are shackled there with dread and can only escape into their heads

to find peace in the form of a dream

cuz take away our playstations and we are a third world nation

under the thumb of some blue blood royal son

who bought the oval office in that phony election

and i’ll tell you what, while we’re at it

let me state unequivocally

he is not president of me

he is not president of me

cuz i am a poem heeding hyper-distillation

i’ve got no room for a lie so verbose

i’m looking out over my whole human family

and i’m raising my glass in a toast

here’s to our last drink of fossil fuels

let us vow to get off of this sauce

shoo away the swarms of commuter planes

and find that train ticket we lost

cause once upon a time the line followed the river

and peeked into all the backyards

where laundry was waving

and graffiti was teasing us from brick walls and bridges

we were rolling over ridges

through valleys

under stars

i dream of touring like duke ellington in my own railroad car

i dream of waiting on the big wooden benches

in a grand station aglow with grace

and then standing out on the platform and feeling the air on my face

give back the night its distant whistle

give the darkness back its soul

give the big oil companies the finger finally

and relearn how to rock-n-roll

yes, the lessons are all around us and the truth is waiting there

so it’s time to pick through the rubble, clean the streets

and clear the air

get our government to pull its big dick out the sand

of someone else’s desert

put it back in its pants

and quit the hypocritical chants of “freedom forever!”

cuz when one lone phone rang

in two thousand and one

at ten after nine

on nine one one

which is the number we all called

when that lone phone rang right off the wall

right off our desk and down the long hall

down the long stairs

in a building so tall

that the whole world turned

just to watch it fall

and while we’re at it, remember the first time around?

the bomb?

the ryder truck?

the parking garage?

the princess that didn’t even feel the pea?

remember joking around in our apartment on avenue D?

can you imagine how many paper coffee cups would have to change their design

following a fantastical reversal of the new york skyline!

it was a joke, of course

it was a joke

at the time

and that was just a few years ago

so let the record show that the FBI was all over that case

that the plot was obvious and in everyone’s face

and scoping that scene

religiously

the CIA

(or is it the KGB?)

committing countless crimes against humanity

with this kind of eventuality

as it’s excuse

for abuse after expensive abuse

and it didn’t have a clue

look, another window to see through

way up here

on the 104th floor

look

another key

another door

10% literal

90% metaphor

5000 some poems disguised as people

on an almost too perfect day

must be more than just pawns

in some asshole’s passion play

so now it’s your job

and it’s my job

to make it that way

to make sure they didn’t die in vain

listen…

baby

hear the train?

Call of the Horned Piper – Nigel Jackson

Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits – Emma Wilby

Hedge-Rider: Witches of the Underworld – Eric de Vries

Secrets of East Anglian Magic – Nigel Pennick

Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy – Mircea Eliade

The Nature Path – Starhawk

Masks of Misrule: The Horned God & His Cult in Europe – Nigel Jackson

Natural Magic – Doreen Valiente

Shamans – Ronald Hutton

Psychedelic Shamanism: The Cultivation, Preparation & Shamanic Use of Psychoactive Plants – Jim Dekorne

The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home – Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English History – Owen Davies

The Way of the Green Witch: Rituals, Spells, And Practices to Bring You Back to Nature – Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Spiritwalking – Poppy Palin

Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plantlore and Healing – Stephen Pollington

Encyclopedia of Natural Magick – John Michael Greer

Craft Of The Wild Witch: Green Spirituality & Natural Enchantment – Poppy Palin

Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series) – Susun S. Weed

Ecoshamanism: Sacred Practices of Unity, Power and Earth Healing – James Endredy

Ancient Herbs – Marina Heilmeyer

Plant Spirit Shamanism: Traditional Techniques for Healing the Soul – Ross Heaven, Howard G. Charing, and Pablo Amaringo

Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism – Jenny Blain

The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill – Robin Artisson

The Other Side of Virtue – Dr. Brendan Myers

The Basic Essentials of Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs – Jim Meuninck

Peterson First Guides: Trees – George Petrides, Olivia Petrides , Janet Wehr

The Essential Guide to Herbal Safety – Simon Mills

The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs – Lesley Bremness

The Secret Garden: Talking Beetles and Signaling Trees: The Hidden Ways Gardens Communicate – David Bodanis

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth – James Lovelock

The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth – James E. Lovelock

The Magical Household – Scott Cunningham

Herbs of the Northern Shaman – Steve Andrews

Pagan Visions For A Sustainable Future – Ly de Angeles Emma Restall Orr, Thom van Dooren

Walking With Spirit: A Guide to Working with the Otherworlds – Poppy Palin

Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World – Judika Illes

Irish Witchcraft – Lora O’Brien

Earth Spirit Living: Bringing Heaven and Nature into Your Home – Ann Marie Holmes

Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine – Barbara Griggs

Sacred Gaia: Holistic Theology and Earth System Science – Anne Primavesi

Wild Witchcraft: A Guide to Natural, Herbal and Earth Magic – Marian Green

Natural Witchcraft: The Timeless Arts and Crafts of the Country Witch (Natural Way) – Marian Green

The Wild Plant Companion: A Fresh Understanding of Herbal Food and Medicine – Kathryn G. March

The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy: An Herbalist’s Guide to Preparing Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs – Manfred M. Junius

Veterinary Herbal Medicine – Susan G. Wynn

Psychedelics Encyclopedia – Peter Stafford

The Secret Life of Plants – Peter Tompkins, Christopher Bird

The Magical Garden: Spells, Charms, and Lore for magical Gardens and the Curious Gardeners Who Tell – Sophia and Denny Sargent

The Healing Power of Celtic Plants: Their History, Their Use, and the Scientific Evidence That They Work – Angela Paine

The Fairy Faith In Celtic Countries – WY Evans Wentz

The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It – John Seymour

The Meaning of Herbs: Myth, Language & Lore – Ann Field

Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up – Ellen Dugan

Spellcraft – Robin Skelton

White Magic: And the Cunning Folk – Karen L. O’Brien

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic – Cat Yronwode

The Horn of Evenwood – Robin Artisson

Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants – Claudia Muller -Ebeling, Christian Ratsch, Wolf Dieter Storl ph.D

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

Aradia: or the Gospel of the Witches – Charles G. Leland

Traditions And Hearthside Stories Of West Cornwall – William Bothell (an old Celt)

The Philosophy of Natural Magic – Henry Cornelius Agrippa, ed. L. W. de Laurence

The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of the Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition – Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane, and Michael Howard

The Pillars of Tubal Cain – Nigel Jackson

Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England: A Collection of Documents, for the Most Part Never Before Printed, Illustrating the History of Science in This Country Before the Norman Conquest. Volumes I; II: III – Thomas Oswald Cockayne and Charles Singer

The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants – Samuel Thayer

(By no means complete or anything)

Its about time to update the links, to add some, remove some and maybe organize them better. If anyone sees their website (or what have you) is missing, or if you have a recommendation, or see a link doesn’t work etc. Please post a comment to this post. Thanks!

Well we have finally reached our server storage space, so while I wait for the hosting company to bill me and upgrade us to the next size up, read these:

Wyrd people and community, part one

Wyrd people and community, part two

Cheers!

Success! We have been upgraded, we are now no longer a tiny

website folks. Grow little Hedge grow…

I was inspired by the award I received; Also I have been thinking about the fact that more and more people are calling for the Pagan Community to do better to recognize those hardworking members that make modern Paganism and Witchcraft go ‘round.

I decided to make an award and pass it on so that it folks will pay it forward.

Yes it works a little like a chain letter, but the dammed things are effective, especially online.

This award can go to any website, group, blog, individual, podcast, organization, magazine or newsletter, forum, networking site and so forth that you feel has done a good service to the community or added something important, special, unique etc to the Community.

This is meant to be a show of respect and/or appreciation, but it can still be delivered with some affectionate humour and so forth

(And yes I am capitalizing “Pagan Community” now! Look up the definition of community; we all don’t have to be the same to be a freakshow family people)

To get the ball rolling I will choose a grand total of four awards to hand out, though people are encouraged to award three.

Ladies, gents and everyone in-between, I present to you the Real Witch Achievement Award

When you receive this award, you are to:

* Post the award on your website, blog, etc in some way. Remember to thank your mom!
* Mention the person who gave you the award.
* Select three new recipients of this award you feel are worthy.
* Send them the award via email, by commenting on their forum, by printing it and handing it to them, etc
* Announce your choices on your website, in your magazine, on your podcast etc

***

My nominees are a networking site, a forum, a blog, and a podcast:
The WiccanWeb.ca
Networking site based on the west coast of Canada for Wiccans, and all Pagans, in Canada or who live in or love Canada. They have forums, classifieds, pictures, a wiki, news articles, a chants page that is awesome, two pagan radio stations and more. They are also kind enough to post link to my articles sometimes.

TerraSpirit ~ Canadian Pagan Living
Delivers what it states in its name. A forum linked to other goodies is set up for all Pagans in Canada to talk and discuss. Terra Spirit was created to help unite Canadian Pagans with an interest in topics such as family, health, divination, celebration, pregnancy, and all areas of Pagan Living in Canada. You don’t have to be Pagan, you don’t have to be Canadian, but that is the main theme of the boards. Also very family oriented. Wonderful!

Vanic Thoughts
A thoughtful, intelligent and insightful blog from a Vanic heathen.
I love the practical handing of the woo moments that come from living the life of a mystic (or whatever you want to call it)

The Wigglian Way
The Wigglian Way is a pagan podcast brought to you by Sparrow and Mojo from Beautiful British Columbia. They have been around for a while now and seem to be going strong. All sorts of topics have been covered and they feature great music from people you may have never heard of.

Congratulations guys, please pay it forward!

I had considered handing this out to some of the big guys who would be obvious like Witchvox or the Wild Hunt blog, but I’ll let someone else do that.
Also, yes I choose three nominees that are Canadian well; this is the Journal of a Canadian Hedgewitch after all!

Now I am off to send the awards off … after breakfast.

hehehe!

Oh and here is a link to a smaller image:

I received this award from the Hedgewitch Hollow, a blog I enjoy myself very much.

How wonderful, thank you!

With this award, I am to:

Include the award in my blog post.
~ Link the nominees within my post.
~ Don’t forget to mention the person who gave you the award.
~ Let my chosen winners know that they received The Domestic Witch Blog Award by commenting on their blog.

This is a terrific idea and I am happy to award the following blogs:

The Witch of the Forest Grove blog.
“I’m a folk magic practitioner with a focus in Scottish witchcraft and folk magic. As I live in the new world I also incorporate American folk magic traditions into my practice, those of conjure, rootwork, hoodoo, and shamanism. I have a strong love for folklore, history, and anthropology. I am a librarian, a writer, a gardener, a mead maker, a charm maker, a healer, a diviner, a wife, and the owner of three mischievous black cats. I live in Forest Grove, in the rainforest that is South Western British Columbia.”

&

The Crafty Witch Blog
“Not Witch … Not Wicca … Not anything … Just go with the flow … Walk my own path … Don’t need a label … Go where the wind takes me … Mixing it up … Stirring it … My way … My path …”

&

From Clutter to Shine
“Out of clutter, find simplicity; out of discord, find harmony; in the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.
~Albert Einstein”