NAVIGATION

     Kate Waterfield

Runa Megin - a personal journey with the runes. The creation of Runa Megin has been almost three years in the making, dating back to September 2002 when I started the one year 'Way of the Kestrel' shamanic healing course:

http://www.isleofavalonfoundation.com/

The first thing we were taught was the Runa Megin. The Runa Megin, devised by Kestrel Oakwood, uses posture, voice and movement to bring in the healing and balancing qualities of nine runes, namely Uruz, Raido, Kenaz, Gebo, Isa, Algiz, Sowilo, Tiwaz and Ingwaz. As the course progressed I started incorporating the chanting of runes as part of my personal practice and into healings with clients. As the system of shamanic healing I use incorporates sound, it occurred to me that combining the chanting of runes with healing sounds and music would be an interesting musical project.

The starting point for each piece was always the name of the rune. The meanings and healing properties of each rune set the tone for the music i.e. Raido - the repetitive beat of the shaman's drum, Isa - stillness, and the music grew up around them. The pieces are based upon layers of voice and experimenting with using the voice as an instrument. In some pieces the voice takes on a percussive function, in others it creates sound scapes of an eerie quality. Some of the sounds were spontaneous and surprising to me, sometimes they felt like they came from somewhere else. The use of whispered sounds - particularly in Isa created a contrasting atmosphere to some of the more tuneful pieces.

The link below is an hour long radio show broadcast on resonance fm about the album.

http://tinyurl.com/m2tr3

I played the demo version to a number of friends and family, and one friend suggested that I send the CDs to Scandinavian film companies. My first reaction, was 'how on earth am I going to do that?' But the Internet is an amazing thing - in itself a web of Wyrd I feel, and I found a page listing film companies in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. I rattled off an email to half a dozen in each country and got one response from a film producer from Oslo. Piotr Kuzinski just happened to be embarking upon a documentary about Scandinavian witches and wondered if the music might work with his film. A few months down the line, and it looks as though he will use the music as part of the documentary.

Runa Megin Track Samples:

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Uruz.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Raido.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Kenaz.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Gebo.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Isa.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Algiz.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Sowilo.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Tiwaz.mp3

http://www.katewaterfield.co.uk/sounds/Ingwaz.mp3

The whole process has presented me with a number of challenges (and I'm sure will continue to do so!) i.e. for a variety of reasons there was a gap of two months before beginning work on the final track, which happened to be Ingwaz - rune of trust! That certainly tested my ability to trust, - it felt like the cd would never be finished! I have had some very lucky breaks along the way from finding the right designer to visually represent the cd to getting a last minute positive review in Pentacle Magazine.

Of course this is only the beginning. There are talks to write, workshops to plan and live performances to programme. There are many people who have helped me along the way to whom I am most grateful. The runes will continue to inform this on-going journey I am sure!

Website: www.katewaterfield.co.uk 

       enquiries@katewaterfield.co.uk

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