Australian singer-guitarist Wendy Rule says her music "is my main tool for connecting to the divine world of nature and magic. Many of my songs explore the nature of Goddess and God through the characters in the ancient mythologies of the Celts and Greeks." And, she says on her Web site, "As a practicing witch, naturally my music is going to contain many references to, and explorations of, my spirituality."
With six studio albums to her credit, Rule has performed in her native Australia as well as France, Germany, England and Scotland. Her current tour of the United States -- her tenth -- includes two area concerts: June 10 at the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center and June 11 at the Colby Temple in Cassadaga.
Rule will perform songs from her album "The Wolf Sky," released in 2006.
"Witchcraft is a beautiful and wild spiritual tradition that honors and strengthens our deep connection with the cosmos, and especially with the magical planet Earth," Rule says. "My music explores many of the themes and symbols of modern witchcraft: a love of nature, a willingness to explore deep emotion, an acknowledgment of the spirit world, and recognition of the wisdom contained within the world's mythologies."
Such tracks as "Hecate" and "The Raven Song," both from her 2003 album
"The Lotus Eaters," feature earthy, tribal percussion, somber cello and
an incantation-style of singing.
The song "Elemental Chant" from "The Wolf Sky" features those tribal drums as well as flute.
"My live performance is ritual," Rule says on her Web site. "I invoke the elements. I dive in and feel each song. I journey, I trance ... I consciously enter the role of shaman when I perform. I aim to open a door to areas unexplored."
The Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine praised Rule, saying she "creates dark, sensual, sonic theater."
A Sydney native who calls Melbourne home, Rules says, "It's not such an unusual thing for music to have a magical and spiritual purpose. All the ritual music of traditional cultures -- Aboriginal Australian and Native American shamans, folk music from across the globe, Gregorian chants and gospel music -- share this same goal: to alter our consciousness and bring us in contact with the divine."
But, she adds, "I'm no more a Wiccan songwriter than I am a Scorpio songwriter, or an Australian one, or a female one. I'm just living and writing and singing and exploring my heart and soul -- and I happen to be an Australian Scorpio Witch."
Rule also released a live jazz album, "A Night of Jazz," in 2004; a meditation album, "Meditations on the 4 Elements," in 2007; and "Beneath the Below Is a River," a collaboration with musician Craig Patterson that came out in early 2009.
The song "Elemental Chant" from "The Wolf Sky" features those tribal drums as well as flute.
"My live performance is ritual," Rule says on her Web site. "I invoke the elements. I dive in and feel each song. I journey, I trance ... I consciously enter the role of shaman when I perform. I aim to open a door to areas unexplored."
The Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine praised Rule, saying she "creates dark, sensual, sonic theater."
A Sydney native who calls Melbourne home, Rules says, "It's not such an unusual thing for music to have a magical and spiritual purpose. All the ritual music of traditional cultures -- Aboriginal Australian and Native American shamans, folk music from across the globe, Gregorian chants and gospel music -- share this same goal: to alter our consciousness and bring us in contact with the divine."
But, she adds, "I'm no more a Wiccan songwriter than I am a Scorpio songwriter, or an Australian one, or a female one. I'm just living and writing and singing and exploring my heart and soul -- and I happen to be an Australian Scorpio Witch."
Rule also released a live jazz album, "A Night of Jazz," in 2004; a meditation album, "Meditations on the 4 Elements," in 2007; and "Beneath the Below Is a River," a collaboration with musician Craig Patterson that came out in early 2009.
Leave a comment