February Full Moon, 2012
Stories Are Medicine: Episode Four
"Unafraid"- click to download. 32 minutes, 15 MB. February 7, 2012.
Stories Are Medicine 4
Imbolc: February 1st, 2012
In the old Scottish myth, the story goes that Aengus falls in love with Bride. Aengus is the son of the Cailleach (the Old Woman of Winter - blue skinned, one-eyed and fearsome!), and she holds Bride captive. Aengus borrows three days from the warm months, and uses them at the beginning of February in order to rescue his love...and so the beginning of the end of the Cailleach's winter reign has come!
Thus, wishing you a happy Imbolc - celebration of Bride, the lady of Spring.
Spring is still a distant promise of course, but much easier to believe as the days lengthen and the sky seems bluer!
Delighted to be immersed in the work I love, a brief update - and a heads up to 'stay tuned' here! Received an email at the beginning of January with some really exciting news regarding my storytelling recording 'Wisdom of the Woods'...sometime in February, I will be able to formally announce that news, so check back soon!
Until then - may the promise of Spring begin to awaken the seeds of your own new beginnings and new endeavours!
January Full Moon, 2012
Stories Are Medicine: Episode Three
Happy 2012!!! "Thresholds"- click to download. 36 minutes, 17 MB. January 9, 2012.
Stories_Are_Medicine_3
Winter Solstice: December 22, 2011
The tides of light are turning now, and the days will grow no shorter. The sun stands still, poised to begin the return of first the light, followed by the warmth. Time for fire and song and festivity!
There is a short span of time ahead for me to simply stand still as well, and I am grateful. The recent weeks have been rich with opportunity and adventure, and I have delighted in them. I look forward to the new ones poised for 2012.
May the richness of starlit nights weave well-lit and safe roads for you and yours; may song warm your heart as fire warms your hands; and may each new dawn find you sooner - ready to bring your gifts to a world that needs them.
December Full Moon, 2011
Stories Are Medicine: Episode Two
"Destiny"- click to download. 32 minutes, 30 MB. December 10, 2011.
Stories_are_Medicine 2
December 4, 2011
Well, the concert last evening was a lovely thing - thanks to all those who were able to join all of us for the Once Upon A Midwinter concert! I arrived at the venue and was unloading just before 5:00PM - when the blizzard rolled in! It was a good winter storm, so I was honestly unsure as to whether anyone would even attempt the trek to take in the show. To my delight, many more people than I thought dared the roads! Barb (violin) and Dominic (percussion) were in fine form, and the music wove in and out of the tales for the evening. It was a particular delight to spend part of the evening exploring some family misadventures with my sister Carmen onstage with me. Six of the thirteen brand new pieces I have been developing for the next recording came alive onstage, along with some of my favourites from previous recordings. Already looking forward to next year's Once Upon A Midwinter concert!
November 18, 2011
Will be chatting with Andy Donnelly on this week's 'The Celtic Show' (6:00 - 8:00 PM) on CKUA about the upcoming Once Upon A Midwinter concert.
November Full Moon, 2011
Stories Are Medicine: Episode One
"Treasures"- click to download. 32 minutes, 30 MB. November 10, 2011.
Stories_are_Medicine1
Samhain: November 1, 2011
In the traditional Celtic calendar, the festival of Samhain was brought in with both celebration and time set aside for contemplation of matters of lineage and legacy. At its simplest, there was a recognition threaded through many traditional cultures - not just the Celts - that life needed to be lived in a way that honoured both those who came before, and those yet to come.
It has been a gift to have a moment for two for reflection as the work I do in the world picks up speed. The time of the long nights closes in now. The first lingering snow has come, the crescent moon lights the spaces between the trees - it is the season for song and story.
I am very much looking forward to the 'Once Upon A Midwinter' concert on December 3rd. The evening will flow around many of the new songs that I have been working on for my next recording - envisioned as a double CD set of songs and stories to call back the sun.
Midwinter and the rebirth of the sun is an ages old celebration for humanity, shared by all cultures and all faiths. So though the work on the recording won't get rolling until the springtime, it's time to let some of the new material dance off the strings of the harp.
The new music is of celebration, many of the tunes incorporating traditional melodies that - in past times - would get the whole community on its feet for the dancing. The stories are a particular delight for me...adventures both grand and very intimate. Midwinter is a time for both longing and bravery.
The guest performers will bring their own magic to things. It is always a joy for me to play alongside Barb Olorenshaw - she makes that fiddle sing! Dominic Young will bring along his conga, and a lovely and talented lady will join me for some tale spinning.
My sister Carmen Stockton grew up to be a storyteller in her own realm...she has had a number of spots on CBC and The Comedy Network, and is one smart, funny lady. As she works on her next one woman show, she has graciously agreed to come join me to tell the 'real story' behind some of the funniest family stories I tell about her in my own performance sets.
And if you happen to be out and about the weekend before, I hope you will join me at the Celtic Folk Club on November 26th.
But until then, I hope you will be back to check out the first episode of 'Stories Are Medicine'. The old tales are some of the greatest wealth of humanity, our collected dreams and failings and insights- all wrapped in the flow of language and wonder. The plan is to have it up here for November 10.
Blessings!
Autumn Equinox:
September 23, 2011
The song of Autumn, strong and clear: the woods alight with liquid gold under clear blue sky...Here in the Northern hemisphere, the whole living world around us is fully engaged with the one of the greatest spectacles conceivable: The Great Giving Away...every leaf and blossom, billions of carefully tended and perfected works of life and art - simply released to the rest of the world.
I love late September, and always have. At each of the equinoxes, I find my head considering my understanding of balance...
But what my Heart truly delights in are the extremes in the natural world as Autumn takes the throne...the rush from morning's chilly bite to afternoon's intense summer-like heat...from the depth and strength of the darkness of early morning to the eye-watering intensity of late afternoon sunlight...perhaps balance demands a love and acceptance of extremes.
At any rate, after such a renewing span of summer, I find myself delighting in engagement with the world again. So many new opportunities and possibilities ahead!
One brand new exploration has a particular heart-pull this fall. "Stories Are Medicine" is the title of a monthly podcast I'll be posting here. Each will have a couple of stories brought to life on the harp, and some time exploring the power and inspiration held in the tales. The first will be posted November 10th, and I hope you will be back to listen in.
Until then, may your own Heart be awakened by the fullness of each sight, sound and sensation as the world sings to you of Autumn.
Lughnasagh: August 1st, 2011
In Celtic myth, Lugh is the many-gifted one - and is recalled at this time of the year as the one who brings the harvest and the late summer storms.
This summer has been really exquisite - a span of time where my thoughts have not strayed much further than simply this one day. No timelines, no scheduling, few commitments – just time marked by the flow of cloud and sunlight, engaging in things simply for their own delight. It has been some time since I last took an extended hiatus, and it is with some quiet pleasure that I dwell in that place once more.
So although there is the occasional scent of autumn in the earlier sunsets or a cool morning, I hope that these words find you awake to and delighting in the many gifts that surround you this summer season.
Summer Solstice: June 21st, 2011
The natural world’s rhythms never fail to inspire awe. Early last evening, I sat and watched an exquisite unfolding...the sky to the west perfectly divided in two parts; the southwestern heavens brilliant with blue sky, incandescent sun, not a cloud to be seen…and the northwestern sky dark as night, with a thunderstorm building higher than I have seen one in a long while...rolling steadily closer over the treeline.
And following the dance of thunderstorm and clear sky... fragrant leaves dripping after the rain; water rhythms interwoven with the sharp winnowing sound of a snipe diving through the twilight; the woods behind the cottage alive with the sweet rill of a robin perched on the topmost boughs of the pines, calling out his territory…and the last of the day’s bittersweet call of the mourning dove.
All in flow, all alive with change...the ultimate teacher of the concept of Impermanence.
Three weeks ago, I returned from the coast, just in time to see the green halo of newly emerging leaves over the poplars. Now, the world is so lush and full, that it begins to feel as though it has always been summer. My travels west were deeply nourishing and inspiring.
I was re-reading some reflections from last year at this time…last June, I was eating, sleeping and breathing the latest recordings - ensconced in the studio for many, many hours each day. Part of me misses that…but I am recognizing the need for a different kind of flow this summer. Simple moments of paying attention, long walks, dreaming and listening...an honouring of impermanence, an embracing of its bounty in each moment. There are many, many things that call creatively, but I will write more about that when I update things at the end of July.
May you find moments of stillness at this time of ‘sun stands still’, and may your heart be nourished by the symphony of summer.
Blessings!
Beltane: May 1, 2011
Beltane - the festival of bright fire...well, the bright fire is up there somewhere behind the snowclouds. The snow spirits are reluctant to move on this year, and it remains great weather for tobogganing...but the promise of summer is whispered when the sun peeks out!
Just a quick update, as I am getting ready to head out to the coast early tomorrow morning. So looking forward to the Shamanic conference, and to the performance in Vancouver after. It will be amazing to see blossoms, and green, and to hear the song of the ocean for a little while.
After this winter's immersion in the gifts of story, I am also looking forward to rediscovering the gifts of song in the season ahead.
May the bright fire find and warm you in the days ahead!
Equinox: March 20th, 2011
The promise of Spring gives way to a deep longing for the growing season, as the light and dark come again to balance...
The first three months of 2011 have been so full, and have run at quite a pace. Although I would not have missed any of the gifts since the autumn equinox, it is helpful to have a moment to seek again for a more even flow in life's rhythms. There is an opportunity ahead in the last week of March to simply park the trusty jeep for a few days, slow down, and find those balanced rhythms once more.
The storytelling work is also heading into a transition time - where many residencies complete, and the final residencies for this school year begin. Although every experience has been rich, one in particular stands out at this time - a school where I have done extended storytelling residencies four out of the past five years. It was quite simply astonishing to see those students performing solo in the school's fourth storytelling festival at the end of February. The composure, the confidence, the physicality of the telling, and the skill these young people had were truly remarkable!
As I look back on the recent weeks, the workshop opportunities have been another highlight – opportunities to explore nourishing elements of life with open hearted people. Very much looking forward to the travels to the coast in May!
At any rate, happy hunting for signs of Spring under the Alberta snow.
Blessings!
Imbolc: February 1st, 2011
The promise of Spring, whispered in a few more minutes of light each day...
The lengthening days are most welcome, as I am on the road a great deal right now. I am immersed in the realm of story, and absolutely love it. My work as a storyteller has never been quite so full, and I am out in schools 5 days a week – performing, coaching, re-discovering the power of story with kids. It is so rich.
Of course, with the weeks so full, there are shifts in what there is time and energy for. The time over midwinter was completely alive, with hours each day exploring new arrangements and composing for the midwinter recording I have been working towards for some time – songs exploring the richness of the winter tide, but not through the filter of any one tradition. This work will rest awhile now, as the majority of my energies are invested out in the world. It will be exciting to bring some of the new pieces to the stage in the ‘Once Upon A Midwinter’ shows in November and December of 2011.
As I pause for a brief time over the Celtic festival of Imbolc, there are many things I am looking forward to. New adventures, new opportunities, and a couple of creative projects I am hoping will see completion in 2011. The Shamanic work is as fulfilling as ever, and the conference in May will be a real highlight of the year ahead.
And so, as the natural world begins its unseen preparations for the winter’s end, may bounty and blessing be yours. Hoping our paths cross soon!