Dancing the Wheel

10/30/2025

Dziady and the ritual Slavic masks
In recent years the ritual masks (also known as karaboshki) have become more and more popular among Slavic Rodnovery. The masks are currently a necessary element of many (most?) Dziady rituals and are worn by all the ritual’s participants, because they are considered (by volhvs or zhrets) to be a form of protection against “evil spirits”. Some zadrugas (Rodnovers’ religious communities) require that people who do not have the masks, participate in the Dziady ritual standing back to the fire (facing the outside of the ritual circle), in order to ensure that those unmasked people are not spotted by “evil spirits”. It all sounds very magical and, as you can guess, it is enthusiastically taken on by more and more of Rodnovery communities.

https://witia.squarespace.com/blogeng/dziady-and-the-ritual-slavic-masks

Foods for the spirits of the deceased and masks (kraboszki) symbolizing them – Dziady 2009, NPC, Mazovian temple.

10/30/2025

Lessons from Chinese Wisdom: Treating the Disadvantaged with Humanity

In these times of growing inequality, the words of Chinese sages still resonate: a society cannot thrive if it ignores those at its margins. While politics may shift, the principle of caring for the disadvantaged remains at the heart of a lawful and harmonious community.

"Sending Charcoal in the Snow" is a common Chinese idiom that reflects such wisdom.

More about this at www.qi-journal.com/3428

10/30/2025

'Vasilisa the Beautiful ' by Ivan Bilibin, 1899.

10/30/2025

“You must stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.” - D’Angelo 🕊️

How is it that two voices, centuries and continents apart, can speak with different words but one heart to the same truth?

Gentleness is a choice, and strength can be soft. What if we started normalizing the idea that being soft is not a sign of naivety? Could we begin to view softness as a deliberate decision to break cycles of pain and respond with compassion, even after immense suffering?

D’Angelo sang to us in hushed tones, “We’ll make it by with love.” Across time, cultures, melodies, and poetry from every corner of the world, the message is clear and everlasting: To be soft is to be courageous. To be gentle is to be powerful.

Choose love, my dear ones, even when the weight of it all tries to lead you astray.

In this season of triumphs and sorrows, cycles of losing and letting go, there is only one universal language, and it can be heard in the pulse of every living thing. Love is the conscious action of remaining soft in a hard world.

Tag someone who needs this message today.

10/30/2025

🌳🍃The Plants That Cleanse the Earth — and Remind Us How to Rebalance Within - Plants purify our environment and mirror a deeper process of purification within. https://mailchi.mp/animamundiherbals/phytoremediation

10/30/2025

10/24/2025

08/01/2025

THESE INCREDIBLE FEATHERED SOULS ARE NOT ONLY DEVOTED PARTNERS — THEY ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND COMPLEX BEINGS.

Many people don’t know that pigeons have tiny magnetic crystals in their beaks that act like biological compasses. This allows them to sense Earth’s magnetic field and navigate thousands of miles. They can also detect sounds too low for humans to hear and read polarized light patterns in the sky.

Scientists have found that pigeons can count, recognize themselves in mirrors, learn abstract concepts, and even understand probability. In fact, they rank among the top ten most intelligent beings on the planet — and some studies show they outperform young children on certain cognitive tests.

While humans see only three primary colors, pigeons see four, including ultraviolet light. This allows them to see patterns on each other’s feathers that are completely invisible to us. They also produce a protein-rich “crop milk” in their throats to feed their babies — just like doves, flamingos, and emperor penguins.

These amazing birds can fly over 60 mph in sustained flight. They form lifelong partnerships, although their “divorce rate” increases under environmental stress — just like in other species. Pigeons also use different types of calls for specific purposes, and they can recognize individual voices over long distances. They even have specific “words” for danger, territory, and courtship.

Pigeons have helped humans in times of war. One famous bird, Cher Ami, lost one of her legs while delivering a message tied to her remaining leg — saving 194 soldiers in the process.

They need our help. Once domesticated, pigeons were abandoned and left to survive in the wild. They’ve stayed close to humans in cities because they are used to us. Please feed them oats or bird seed, and leave water out for them.

PIGEONS ARE NOT "PESTS" — THEY ARE HIGHLY ADVANCED AND THOUGHTFUL SOULS WHO DESERVE OUR EMPATHY AND CARE. THEY SHOULD BE CHERISHED.
— Animal Freedom Fighter

PHOTO CREDIT: “A Wood Pigeon Couple” by Ernesto Orellana

08/01/2025