A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

  • Pagan Metal Drag? What?

    Now Playing: The Horned Ghost and the Sorcerer by Elvenking So in the realm of pagan art, we see music and visual arts (painting and crafting) all the time, but what about things like drag? Because drag is art, right? Yeah, it actually makes more sense than one would initially expect. If you can put…

  • Faith is Complicated: Being a Pagan in a Christian Society

    Now Playing: The Repentant by Elvenking So personal religiosity is complicated. What it means to each person will be different, and how each person goes about it will be different. But if that’s true, why am I only bringing it up now? I’ve brought up other heavy topics on here before. Recently, I was asked…

  • Pagan Metal: Music Getting Unexpectedly Spiritual

    Now Playing: Moonchariot by Elvenking Spirituality is nothing new in the realm of music, not by a long shot. (See the Church controlling the composing and production of music for centuries across history for examples of this.) Where it becomes interesting is within the realm of modern pagan music and especially within the realm of…

  • Yule: The Winter Solstice

    Now Playing: The One We Shall Follow by Elvenking The winter solstice: that time of year when everything is snowy and bitterly cold and generally just kinda cosy. (I am aware that it is summer for the Southern hemisphere, but I’m writing from a Canadian perspective, so work with me here lol.) A lot of…

  • September High Day: The Autumn Equinox

    Now Playing: Dear Fellow Traveller by Sea Wolf The autumn equinox is an interesting time. While it is also the balance of night and day that marks the beginning of autumn and the lead up to winter, it is also a midpoint of harvest season, especially for more northern countries where the onset of cold…

  • Lughnasadh: The Pagan Summer Cross Quarter

    Now Playing: Summon the Dawn Light by Elvenking So this is one of the quieter cross pagan holidays for me. It’s right when a lot of people are out of town, it isn’t a major seasonal change, and in general, there isn’t a lot happening. So instead, what is it? According to Wikipedia (I know,…

  • Litha: A Day of Sun and Summer

    Now Playing: The Moon and Magic by Elvenking The seasonal patterns of the year are always interesting, but the solstices are perhaps the most interesting part of the year for me. The settlements in the far north and far south see drastic changes in the hours of daylight they get and will see the midnight…

  • Solitary Practice: Dealing with Loneliness as a Pagan

    Now Playing: The Solitaire by Elvenking Dealing with loneliness as a pagan can get really weird. While one can experience this for other reasons, the loneliness that can come directly from being a pagan is another beast entirely. Now, I’m an introvert, so I enjoy spending time by myself doing my own thing and not…

  • Earth Day: Giving Back to Mother Earth in a Digital Society

    Now Playing: White Willow by Elvenking Before it comes up, yes, I’m aware of the irony of a folk metal fan being a pagan and wanting to preserve nature and all that. I know I’m a bit of a walking stereotype, and I’m okay with that. Anyway, given that Earth is basically the only place…

  • Paganism and Representation in Popular Media

    Now Playing: Northern Lights by Tungsten Everything in this is from my perspective based on what I know, and is not meant as a commentary on global issues that may concern issues that I don’t face as a white person living in Canada. Within the Western social sphere, media have traditionally (at least for the…