A Grove of Ashes and Aspens

  • Pagan Invocations in Metal

    Now Playing: A Prayer to Cernunnos by Elvenking As has been previously discussed here, metal can be deeply spiritual. (Yes, I know this applies to music in general, but I’m trying to make a point here.) But does that extend to making actual prayer a part of metal? I argue that yes, it does. Let…

  • Early February: Anniversary and a High Day

    Now Playing: Live or Die by Apocalyptica feat Joakim Brodén The first week or so of February is always a bit of a hectic time for me. There’s a high day right off the bat, with my anniversary with one of my partners a couple days later. That’s a lot of things happening over a…

  • 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…

  • Arts and Paganism: How to Connect with the Divine through Creation

    Now Playing: The Wolves Will Be Howling Your Name by Elvenking So I’m a Germanic polytheist and, in more recent times, a Lokean. This means that I follow a (loosely) reconstructed version of the religion from northern Europe, and that I specifically work with the deity Loki. On the surface, this has little to do…

  • Track of the Year: What New Songs Caught My Ear?

    Now Playing: Throes of Atonement by Elvenking It’s no secret that we as metal fans were showered in gifts this year. Two Elvenking singles (one supporting an album announcement), a Tungsten album, an Orden Ogan album, a Powerwolf album, are just a few of the new releases we got in 2024. But which ones caught…

  • 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…

  • Fimbulvinter: My Thoughts on the New Brothers of Metal Album

    Now Playing: Sowilo by Brothers of Metal This is an album that has been a long time in the making. From the first single released summer of 2022 in The Other Son of Odin, this album is finally available to the public after two years of teasing. It once again features vocalist Ylva Eriksson as…

  • Samhain: The Cross Quarter and the Root of Halloween

    Now Playing: Seasonspeech by Elvenking Samhain is a particular favourite cross quarter for me. I tend to really enjoy autumn, the changing leaves and cooler temperatures a welcome change from the heat of summer. This particular cross quarter was always just Halloween for me until I came to the pagan path, having been raised Christian…

  • Afterlives and Undeath: Rituals and Offerings in History

    Now Playing: Grandier’s Funeral Pyre by Elvenking Throughout history, burial rituals have existed in basically every culture ever. What these rituals look like will change depending on which region or time period one looks at, but they’ll be there. But what does this mean with paganism? Many pagan practices from before Christianity had their own…

  • ADHD and Practice: Neurodivergence in Paganism

    Now Playing: Stand In Veneration by Falconer Being neurodivergent can be really weird, especially with paganism. Many pagans are neurodivergent in some capacity, and it can be very comforting to have people who understand that experience. However, being neurodivergent can still make any sort of regularity with practice very complicated. Undiagnosed burnout is real, and…