Around Circle Sanctuary - Spring 2003

Festivals

Our Samhain Festival was held on our land November 1-3, 2002. On Friday afternoon was the Croning ceremony for Chris and in the evening was our annual Witches' Ball with music by the Celtic band, Stone Ring. On Saturday morning, Reed guided a Nature walk and we had a meeting of Circle ministers. Our Annual Meeting, which gave an overview of Circle's past, present, and future, happened at midday and concluded with cake and cider in celebration of Circle's 28th birthday. In the afternoon, Diana and Mary Ellen presented an ancestral banner-making workshop. Throughout the day, Shel and Shawn did a raffle to raise funds to sustain our work. On Saturday evening was our Samhain ritual. It included a bonfire of transformation outdoors followed by an honoring of beloved dead in the Temple Room. This year, our tableaux included Chris as Crone, Skywolf as Horned God, Don as Death, and Theresa as Banshee. A great feast followed the ritual. Helen facilitated a drumming circle later in the evening. On Sunday, we had a Memorial for Randy's companion dog Toady at the Canine Shrine, a remembrance of those who died during the Burning Times, and a presentation of offerings for the dead at Circle Cemetery. The festival concluded with a farewell ritual and feast.

We celebrated Yule with two events. Our Community Yule Festival was held at Circle Sanctuary land on Saturday, December 20. Angie presented a workshop on reclaiming Santa Claus and His Pagan roots, and this was followed by our Yule ritual (see photo), which was held outdoors in the Stone Circle. In late afternoon Jean of Storylore treated us to a Yuletide story and then we had our annual Gift exchange. We ended the festival with a potluck feast.

The following evening was our public multicultural Winter Solstice Celebration, held at the First Unitarian Meeting Hall in nearby Madison. This year's pageant featured a variety of Yuletide characters giving blessings: Steve and Gina as Saturn and Ops of Pagan Rome, Reed as Holly King and Don as Oak King, Gwyn as Lucia, Nancy as Amaterasu, Basia as Yuletide Fairy, and Skywolf as Santa. The celebration also included a copal blessing by Gloria, reflections by Dennis, music by Kristi, and poetry by Mari and Cecilia. Angie and I facilitated the evening program. It culminated with a candlelight circle for planetary healing and world peace, followed by drumming and dancing. This year's celebration received positive media coverage on radio and in the press. In our annual food drive held at both of our Yuletide events, we collected over 600 food items, which we donated to an area food pantry to feed the disadvantaged in rural Wisconsin.

On Saturday, February 1, 2003, we held our Imbolc Festival at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve. I facilitated a workshop and community sharing circle on experiences with Brigit as Fire Goddess and Water Goddess. The workshop, which was held indoors in the Temple Room, concluded outside with a Brigit bonfire in Bonfire Circle and work with Brigit as a Healing Goddess at Brigid's Spring. In early afternoon, Reed guided a Nature walk, Theresa taught Brigid crossmaking, and I facilitated a ministers training meeting. Our Imbolc ritual followed. It included Brigit invocations and songs, candlelighting and meditation, blessings of candles and Brigit crosses, Circle Craft dedications, pregnancy blessings for Julie and Shel, and healing work. During the healing part of the ritual, SilverDrake and I honored the astronauts of the Columbia space shuttle, which crashed in Texas that morning. We used symbols from the altar that Gwyn and I had set up in our Temple Room earlier in the day shortly after the tragedy happened and news reached us. The ritual ended with an interfaith global peace working. Following the ritual, we feasted.

Buildings & Grounds

Farmhouse renovation work has continued throughout the Fall and Winter. During our monthly workdays and at other times, volunteers have done more floor and wall refurbishing. We also are in the process of expanding our electrical service. Other volunteer projects have included library cataloging, wood gathering, brush cutting, prairie seeding (see photo), office projects, and cleaning and reorganization of the tool room, the lounge, and my office in the barn. We also have begun doing some much needed upgrading of our computers in the barn. In December, we restructured our monthly workdays, which now include several work teams and a community meeting following a midday lunch. Thanks to Dave and Sylvia for their donation of a computer printer for our library and to Michael for the donation of paintings in the memory of his wife Kerri who died in November (see page 53).

Education

In late Fall, we began more study groups. In addition to Craftway Circle, our monthly study group open to both women and men, we now have a monthly women's spirituality group, Goddess Circle, which I facilitate, and a monthly men's spiritual group, Men's Craft, facilitated by Skywolf. Circle's Ministers Training Program has expanded over the past year and now also includes a monthly study circle. Mari has begun presenting workshops in Madison and elsewhere. Angie continues to coordinate Gaia's Womb events, and SilverDrake, Hermetic Journey's. I am increasing my speaking travels this year and will be a guest speaker at Singing Wolf in Wisconsin in April, Florida Pagan Gathering in May, Sacred Space in Maryland in July, and Gaia's Womb in Illinois in October (see page 57). I also have done writing for several encyclopedias and had articles published on-line at the interreligious belief.net.com.

PSG

Planning for this year's Pagan Spirit Gathering, June 15-22, is already underway. This annual Summer Solstice festival will take place at Wisteria in Ohio, where it has been held since 1997. A registration form and brochure will be mailed to all active CIRCLE subscribers, sponsors, and benefactors, and also will be available upon request and on-line at www.circlesanctuary.org/psg. Those registering for this year's PSG are welcome to be part of the PSG on-line community discussion list.