December Traditions - Sunday Sessions 2020

December Traditions - Sunday Sessions 2020

Author: Woodland Bard December 8, 2020 Duration: 1:26:48
Through December, and Christmas, we put up the Christmas decorations, buy a tree, or get out the artificial tree from the attic or shed, and decorate that too. We do our Christmas shopping for food treats, and items to give as gifts to people. Much of this tradition that we do every December seems to be of habits and routine, We feel an obligation to do all of this, despite not being able to afford it and maxing out our credit to make all of this 'fun' happen. So, during this Sunday Sessions we visit a few nature based and human fellowship traditions, of December, that we may have forgotten, never heard of, or we celebrate today in ways that seem to be very disconnected from their origins. Through this Sunday Session I will include trees for celebration, tree blessings such as fruit tree 'wassailing', songs from ancient times that we have adapted today, and folk drama fun and healing rituals that have become mumming, guising, straw boys and wren boys these days. Enjoy the mysteries of ancient December Traditions and how you may perform them today. In return, perhaps enjoy more meaning and blessings than from the familiar consumer ways.

Step into a living tradition where the landscape itself holds the stories. Nature Folklore, hosted by the Woodland Bard, is a weekly gathering that explores the deep spiritual connections between people and the natural world, rooted in the ancient soil of Ireland. This isn't a lecture, but an immersive audio experience. Each episode delves into a specific thread of lore-you might wander into the hidden sidhe realm, learn the old wisdom held by specific trees, or decipher the messages carried by water and weather. The conversation naturally extends into the creative practices born from this connection: dream vision writing, poetry, and the art of oral storytelling, all while honoring the legacy of the harper bards. Recorded live, often from the very heart of a growing Tree Labyrinth at Carrowcrory in County Sligo, the podcast carries the ambient sounds of that sacred space-the rustle of leaves, the call of birds, the whisper of wind. Listening feels less like pressing play and more like being invited to sit on a mossy stone within the circle, partaking in a timeless exchange. The Woodland Bard acts as your guide, not as a distant expert, weaving together research, personal reflection, and spoken word to re-enchant the everyday world. This is a podcast for those who feel the pulse of old magic in wild places and seek to understand its language, a regular touchstone for a spirituality felt through the land.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 55

Nature Folklore
Podcast Episodes
Brighid Tales & Traditions - Sunday Sessions 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39:48
Flame, hearth, oaks & Brighid's journey to Cill Dara. During the modern setting of the Gregorian Calender Brighid's Eve & Day, 31st January & 1st February, thoughts, prayers, intentions, ceremony, ritual, and storytellin…
Ogham, The Iona Scribes Story - Sunday Sessions 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:20
My first connection with Ogham symbols was during the 50s before I was a teen, and as a 60s teen dabbled with Ogham Divination as a 'toy. It was not until I met my stone mason boss on Iona, Attie McKechnie, during the 70…
Labyrinths & Labyrinthing - Sunday Sessions 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:56
Labyrinths have been created and used by humans for, it seems, at least 15,000 years. Ever since humans learned the craft of converting calibrations into maths and geometry. This seems to have a Babylonian origin. But wh…
Divination - Sunday Sessions 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:12
Divination seems to be our attempts to gain clearer insight to the pathways created by our questions. A kind of trying to find 'the spoilers' to display where our life's story is going. Some diviners may say this 'craft'…
Introduction To Sunday Sessions 2021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:14
Thank you for your support of Carrowcrory Sunday Sessions that went online March 2020 due to the current Coronavirus prevention practices. Our Sunday Sessions transferred to live streaming format until this virus faded a…
First Footing & Wassailing into 2021 - Sunday Sessions 2020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:28
Through my personal experiences of first footing for several years on a Scottish island and Wassailing apple trees in Somerset and Ireland I notice similarities. There is a common bonding of wonderful and essential perso…
Yule Log Tales - Sunday Sessions 2020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:52
From a local tale of the mating of the Cailleach conceiving the new light to be birthed in Spring, to reverence for the Tree Of Life, and the slow burning of the Yule Log. The joy of the Green we bring into out homes to…
Ogham, The Divination Story - Sunday Sessions 2020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:47
One of five Ogham subject sessions I now host each year, and perhaps divination with Ogham is the most popular and most mysterious, because there are no defined scripted ancient archives. All we have is a combination of…
Introduction To Harps & Bardic Folklore - Sunday Sessions 2020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:08
Harp lessons are generally about how to play tunes on a harp. This session is about how a 'novice'. anybody really, can obtain a harp and use it to accompany poems, songs, imagination in general. This is about learning t…