Around Circle Sanctuary

This year's Imbolc Festival, named Brigid's Day, was held on Saturday, February 4 at Circle Sanctuary land and was well attended. Our Festival began with the handfasting of Winter and Jamie, who first met at our Imbolc Festival last year. Family joined with Community members in this Imbolc themed wedding (see page 54). At midday, Reed led a Nature walk and Windwalker guided Brigid Cross making in the Temple Room. In early afternoon, Drake presented a talk on Brigid, Imbolc, and the Psycho-Spiritual Wheel of the Year, in which he shared his system of correlating chakra and sabbat symbolism. Later in the day, I facilitated our Community's Imbolc Ritual, which focused on honoring and connecting with the Goddess Brigid in many of Her sacred forms. At dusk, we processed with candle lanterns outdoors to Brigid's Spring, where we did spiritual healing work. Then, we burned Oak logs and dried Yuletide greens in a great bonfire in Festival Circle. Our festival concluded with a feast in the Temple Room.

Our other Winter festivals also went well. Our annual Winter Solstice Pageant took place at the First Unitarian Meeting House in Madison, Wisconsin on Friday evening, December 16. This year's Pageant was coordinated by MoonFeather and included meditation, music, storytelling, and her adaptation of a Winter Solstice play. The following day was our Community Yule Festival at Circle Sanctuary land. We began the day with Yuletide Spirit activities that included trimming the tree, Pagan caroling, making popcorn and cranberry garlands, and crafting Ojo's de Dios and prayer sticks. I presented a Yule at Home workshop and then facilitated the Community Yule ritual, which included burning the Yule log in the Stone Circle. Later, Jean delighted all with a Yuletide tale, followed by our annual magical gift exchange and a candlelight feast.

Charity Work

As in past years, we held our annual charity food drive in connection with our Yule events. We collected hundreds of canned goods and other food stuffs. These filled two dozen large paper grocery bags, which Dennis and I delivered on Winter Solstice Eve to the Barneveld Food Pantry, housed in the nearby Lutheran church. This food pantry serves the needy in the local village and surrounding township.

Circle Sanctuary was among the sponsors of singer-storyteller Reid Miller's Katrina Kids Relief Tour. This Winter, Reid made his first trip to Mississippi and Louisiana and cheered hundreds of children impacted by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast of the USA in September, 2005. Reid reported that although debris has been cleared from most roads, destroyed buildings and trees still litter the region. In addition to doing performances for children at a variety of public and parochial schools, he also visited Camp Sister Spirit, which is part of Circle Network. He is preparing to return to the area this Spring.

Circle Cemetery

We are continuing with our process of expanding Circle Cemetery in size and scope. In January, the town plan commission made their requisite site visit. In the meeting that followed, they voted for us to proceed with survey work. In February, we hired a surveyor who platted the Cemetery. On February 21, he accompanied me and our attorney Chip in a follow-up meeting with the plan commission. This Spring, we will be continuing with the plat and zoning review and approval process with local officials. Once this process is completed, we will be able to do body burials as well as place memorial markers.

Networking

Circle Sanctuary was among the religious organizations taking part in Interfaith Awareness Week held December 4 - 10, 2005 in Madison, Wisconsin. We had a display on Winter Solstice traditions in the educational exhibit area and I was among the speakers in the public program held in the Capitol rotunda. In January, I was re-elected President of the Greater Madison Interreligious Association. Now in my second term, I am expanding the networking this group is doing with other interfaith endeavors, including co-sponsorship of International Women's Day in March with the Peace Council, an international interfaith organization also headquartered in Madison.

In recent months, Circle Sanctuary's interfaith networking also has included connecting with different religious communities. In October, Dennis and I attended a multicultural social justice dinner in Madison organized by Dialogue International, a group of Turkish Muslims associated with the University of Wisconsin. In November, Angie and Drake attended the inauguration of a new Sikh Temple in Indiana (see page 50). In late January, I was the keynote speaker at the Womanspirit 2006 conference in Illinois that brings together Unitarian Universalist women from the region.

Religious Freedom

In early January, Circle Sanctuary became the first Wiccan church to apply under new protocols for the Pentacle to be added to the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) list of religious emblems that can be inscribed on headstones and markers of deceased veterans (see page 52). In February, the VA informed us that our application is progressing in the approval process.

In February, under the auspices of Circle Sanctuary, Priestess Nora Cedarwind became the first Pagan hospice chaplain at Jefferson Healthcare in Washington State. In addition, she is one of the first chaplains in the nation to specialize in Pagan hospice care needs.

Community Development

Our Steering Committee, which meets monthly, has been instrumental in developing a team of volunteers to coordinate our festivals and MoonFeather has begun mentoring coordinators. In February, Aspen and breeze switched the Circle Sanctuary website to a new webhost, and Michelle began researching improved methods for on-line registration for our events. Evelyn has begun work as this year's Pagan Spirit Gathering registrar. Sandy has become the Assistant Editor of the magazine and Juliana's Managing Editor position has evolved to include more magazine administration as well as design. Our monthly Community Days are now including open circles as well as volunteer work and meetings.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming festivals at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve include Welcome Spring on March 18, Earth Day on April 22, and Beltane on the weekend of May 5-7. Spring events also include classes and monthly circles.

This year's Pagan Spirit Gathering will focus on Sun Magic and will be held Summer Solstice week, June 18-25, at Wisteria near Athens, Ohio. Brochures will be mailed out this Spring and more details are on-line: www.circlesanctuary.org/psg

More information about all our events is on-line: www.circlesanctuary.org/events. To stay informed about events and other news, subscribe to our free, occasional e-bulletin, Circle Times.