The Enchantment by GaiaTribe

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-STARHAWK

The collaboration GaiaTribe is the inspiration of by a particularly magical river canyon, a sacred and willful place of power in the Gila mountains of SW New Mexico. Their album was produced to benefit the work of the not-for-profit Earthen Spirituality Project & Sweet Medicine Women's Center. The Project attracts deep-feeling students and seekers from all over the world make their pilgrimages there, questing, apprenticing, or participating in programs such as wildlands restoration, wild foods gathering, healing sweats and special women's events. Gaian spirituality informs and supports other spiritual and magical paths with its integration of holistic science, ecology, shamanic insight and ancient pan-racial wisdom- "a new model for teaching and practicing, in reciprocal relationship with the instructive natural world." Here we're called to make an intentional and passionate ritual of our very lives, while fulfilling our "most meaningful purpose."

"A surprising experience; archaic, fresh, future, wild, refined, all at once. Which should be no surprise-- that 's how the real world is!"

-GARY SNYDER

"....bringing Gaia into the forefront of modern human consciousness."

-OBERON ZELL-RAVENHEART Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard

GaiaTribe Musicians

LOBA:

Loba is a passionate and intuitive songstress, author and presenter- affecting her audience and readers with her enthusiastic connection to self, Earth and Spirit. She describes and affirms the image of a women in touch with their intuition and instinct, and thus with the will of sentient Gaia. "We're made more alive by coming into our senses," she tells us, "trusting and following our intuition, rediscovering our little-girl neediness and unmet desires, and reengaging our medicine woman purpose. We realize that who we really are is not only at home in nature, but naturally purposeful and wild!"

Loba's work is informed by eleven years of experience living on a river on an isolated wildlife sanctuary she shares, deep in the mountains of Southwest New Mexico. The feeling she puts into it comes from how much she loves her enchanted home, and how much she misses it when she's gone. Through stories about nature, the communion of food, and women's special power, we're awakened to the magic of each moment. Through her example of rootedness, enthusiasm, openness and vulnerability we glimpse a look at our own hungry beings, and accelerate the process of living more intense, responsive, sense-filled lives.

Loba's inspiring articles appear in numerous magazines including SageWoman, PagaNet News, Circle Nature Quarterly, Goddessing, Talking Leaves and The Beltane Papers. She presents on diverse topics at conferences and festivals, hosts wild foods workshops, facilitates women's quests, and organizes the annual Wild Women's Gathering.

Her contribution to GaiaTribe is immense. She is in many ways the connective spirit that binds the themes of the project together, uniting the artists in a single woven fabric of magickal intent. Her enthralling melodies are the gifts of the canyon spirits inhabiting her special sanctuary, and of the sacred Earth herself. Most are wordless notes that cascade through us like a crystalline waterfall over polished rock, others are in a language with no known name, phonetic words from a time past... and perhaps from a time yet to come. She awakens us with her siren's call, to the truth of our authentic selves, to our hungers, our hopes, and our bliss.

"Loba is a light. She inspires us with profound wisdom gained from her deep listening to the natural world.... reminding us of the joy, ease, and, ecstatic wonder of being human. I am grateful for these Magic Canyon mysteries... and Loba, the sweet daughter of the Earth, performing her alchemy. I am blessed. I am blessed more.!" -Justine Toms New Dimensions Radio

"Loba magically reminds us of the power of unconditional love, of women together without separation from each other or from our authentic selves. We are women yearning to 're-become' their true selves... women wanting to wholly, truly live!"

-Terri Segal

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JESSE WOLF HARDIN

Before there was any such thing as rap music, there was a tradition of spoken word set to music exemplified by the beat poets Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, and activist poet/musicians like Native American activist John Trudell and the poetic interludes of Jim Morrison of The Doors. His Earth First! Deep Ecology Medicine Shows during the 1980's resulted in the formation of new social and environmental activist groups, and were often followed by civil disobedience actions in behalf of ancient old growth forests and extirpated species. Wolf has been both arrested and applauded for his efforts on behalf of the natural world, successfully combining insight and agitation, inspiration and celebration, spirituality and activism, magickal practice and enlivened presence in his musical and non musical performances. He's adjusted his rhythm and style to invoke spirits when playing with Indian flutists and singers, sped it up to rap with rock and reggae bands like Rootstock and Little Women, and stretched his words out for folk acts like Dana Lyons, John Hartford, Walkin Jim Stoltz, Mary McCaslin and Dakota Sid Clifford,. World bands he's worked with include Baba Olatunji, Clan Dyken, Suaveson and the John Trudell Band.

Wolf Hardin began his "career" as a young runaway from military school in the 1960's, publishing short pieces and poems in alternative periodicals (Win, Bay Area Guardian, Communities, etc.). Writing later as "Lone Wolf Circles," his essays for various environmental publications such as The Trumpeter, 5th Estate, and Earth First! Journal helped further the evolution of a contemporary land ethic. He is credited with helping to bring the magickal/spiritual and environmentalist communities together, inspiring church congregations to get more active "for the Earth" while injecting a spiritual component into environmental groups, events and publications. At a time when Anglo workshop facilitators were getting pressure for appropriating Native American rituals, Wolf Hardin was helping non-Indians to feel their own connection to an "inspirited Earth." He was the main influence in the development of Talking Leaves Journal into a cherished voice of spiritual ecology, and been the primary voice of deep ecology in the pagan community for years as well- penning a column for Circle Nature Quarterly, Green Egg Elements and Green Man magazines. He also writes regularly for Magical Blend, PagaNet News, Earthlight and numerous regional new-spiritual periodicals such as Ashland's Sentient Times, Seattle's New Times , NYC's Creations and Virginia's One Heart. Other articles have appeared in mainstream magazines including Mother Earth News, Lapis and Backpacker, and niche publications such as the food magazine La Cocinita and Wilderness Way. He's a proud contributor to numerous web sites including Mystical Gate, Pagan Poet and Witch's Voice.

Hardin is the author of Full Circle: A Song of Ecology & Earthen Spirituality (Llewellyn Pub. '91) Kindred Spirits: Sacred Earth Wisdom (Swan*Raven 2001), and Gaia Eros: Connecting To The Magic & Spirit Of Nature (New Page, 2004). His contributions have been featured in various collections including The Soul Unearthed (Tarcher/Putnam, '96) and Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard (New Page 2004). He's presented at hundreds of pagan festivals (including Starwood), conferences (such as "Voices Of The Earth") and universities on topics of spiritual ecology, Gaian theory and practice, mindfulness, reindigination, animals as teachers.... often getting a standing (howling!) ovation. Wolf Hardin's recorded tapes are what inspired John Seed's "Howl" chapter in the Shambhala book Dharma Gaia. He has been interviewed in numerous magazines, as well as radio programs such as Michael Toms' Wisdom Radio. The author's early personal mentors included Alan Watts and and Paul Sheperd. Ed Abbey was one of his friends and supporters until his death, and he mentions the author in his novel Hayduke Lives! His work has been praised by most of the better known writers and thinkers in related fields, including Sedonia Cahill, Peter Berg, Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder, Roderick Nash, Jerry Mander, Bill Devall, Jim Nollman, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Joanna Macy.

"It is only through the power, strength, integrity, and courage of people such as Wolf Hardin that our society will be able to change its direction. Wolf's voice inspires our passion to take us further- seeing the world whole- even holy."

-Terry Tempest Williams

"His vision is clear and inclusive, taking us into the world we're looking to restore and create." -Sedonia Cahill coauthor of The Ceremonial Circle

Whenever not making public appearances, the Wolf and Loba can be found at their wildlife sanctuary and wilderness restoration project, the Earthen Spirituality Project & Sweet Medicine Women's Center (www.earthenspirituality.org), hosting guests for Gaian teachings, workshops, quests and wilderness retreats.

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JENNY BIRD

Jenny is a wonderful singer and songwriter in the folk tradition, based in Taos. She wrote her two cuts special for the project and performed the "War To Save The Wilderness" with Wolf live as well as in the studio. She has recorded several albums of her own, and toured with major acts.

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TELES GOODMORNING

Teles was a revered Taos Indian elder who shared his wisdom with Anglos as well as Native American students of Spirit. He had to be held by both elbows to steady him at the microphone, and he died not too long after adding his prayer blessing to this project and all lovers and defenders of the Mother Earth.

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JOANNE RAND

Joanne and her Little Big Band are popular especially in the Northwest, where she is known for a voice alternating between volcanic power and tender little girl pleadings. Wolf and Joanne performed many times together at various benefit shows, one of their most memorable pieces being the melody "This Magic Place."

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JOSEPH WHITE-DOG WHEELER

Joe is a world class drummer who exudes both humility and grace. He's toured with Wolf, and here joins him in a hand-drum jam in honor of the dancer with the burden basket, Kokopelli.

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THE STONE BISCUIT BAND

The Biscuits were a short lived Eugene, Oregon band that kicked butt. Here they leave behind their original sound to explore a Spanish flavored number, joining Wolf in getting over 600 folks to dance half naked in the dust at an Earth Day concert.

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CARLOS LOMAS

Carlos is a master flamenco player who also works with the Arabic oud. He's recorded two albums, and taught such famous performers as Ottmar Liebert.

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RICARDO MENDOZA

Rick plays a fusion of Middle Eastern and European music, performing in Santa Fe mostly. On "The Enchantment" he sings a Syrian love song and demonstrates his soulful approach to the oud, a mystical sounding stringed instrument that is the predecessor of the sitar.

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BARBARA MOR

Barbara is the primary, under acknowledged author of the classic goddess book "The Great Cosmic Mother," and a poet who's lived on the streets. Her spoken imagery is earth-shaking and unforgettable.

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To quote musician Paul Winter, The Earthen Spirtuality Project "incites the recovery of our own instincts and aliveness. Fiery... passionate..." Join in this sonic journey into self, Earth and Spirit- as members of an ancient Shaman's village, the awakened participants of a most magickal Gaian tribe!

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