A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

  • To The Souls Of The Fallen

    Now Playing: In Flanders Fields by Sabaton Now, I think it’s no secret that I’m a military history nerd, or that I have a partner in the military. (No, I won’t tell you what unit. Please don’t ask. This is a strict boundary.) I also don’t try to hide the fact that while I would…

  • Wicca: What Is It? A Pagan Perspective

    Now Playing: Witches Gather by Elvenking So, you’ve stumbled across Wicca, paganism, and witchcraft. You’re curious, maybe because you want to practice, maybe because you have a more academic interest in it, maybe because you’re a fundamentalist Christian and want to discredit those pesky demonic heathens who are just mad at your god. (I don’t…

  • Interests and Composition Style: Should They Overlap?

    Content warning: Mentions of death, mental health, suicide, and war. Now Playing: The Time of Your Life by Elvenking A question that composers who are just starting out sometimes ask, and one that is very worth considering, is the question of how to make music, specifically what music one should make. This is an interesting…

  • Chance Encounters: People We Remember

    Now Playing: Forest of Destiny by Twilight Force So one thing that I think is interesting is that sometimes, we meet someone by chance and we remember them for years to come, even though we’ll probably never meet them again. These people may not have been anyone of any particular note, they may not have…

  • Release Incoming: Autumn Leaves

    Now Playing: The wolf path by Sanctorum So, I’m a musician. “You must write music then,” one might say. First of all, how dare you assume things of me. Second of all, how dare you assume things of me and have the audacity to be correct. /lh Yes, I do write music, and it can…

  • Bird Friends

    Now Playing: Snow by Alec Holowka So for about 3 months this summer, I had to take care of my partner’s apartment, as he was away on business. I didn’t really ask for details, so I don’t really know exactly what he was doing. While he was gone, one of my duties in caring for…

  • Music Theory: Necessary or Obsolete?

    Now Playing: Hydra by Twilight Force As a longtime musician, something my new musician friends sometimes ask me is some variation of “do I need music theory to be a good musician?” This is also a question that isn’t uncommon among musicians in general. My answer, and opinion, is always something along the lines of…

  • Ghost Stories but Make It Historical

    Now Playing: A Ghost In The Trenches – History Version by Sabaton I got thinking today, which is never a good sign. Ghost stories are rather interesting to me, especially from the perspective of a pagan and general lover of history. When asked, most people will probably tell you that ghosts and spirits are the…

  • Hello World

    Now Playing: Dreadnought by Sabaton Hi, welcome to my little corner of the internet. So, I guess a run down on who I am and what I do is in order. My name is Ashton, I use he/they pronouns, I’m graysexual (maybe a post to come at some point) and biromantic, and I have a…