On Wednesday, July 7, there will be a second crossroads meeting.  Crossroads
is a gathering for people interested in finding circle or coven partners.
The purpose of the gathering is to help people meet others, work with thwm
in a safe space, and begin to get an idea who they'd like to continue
working with.  People are encouraged to make contact with others on an
individual basis between the monthly meetings.

Please don't come if you're not seriously considering working with others.
If you *are* looking for a circle--this  is a good place to start.

Starts at 7pm and County farm park...call Dreamsinger663-3276 for updates
or more info.


(With thanks to Talking Stick, Ann Arbor's Pagan Community Newsletter
Subscription: $10 year to POBox 4274 A2 48106.)

(Borrowed without permission)

268 responses total.

You know, I was meaning to post this myself, as I went to the last one
and had a great time.  Thanks, Misti!

what was it like ans will this one be similar?  Like fr'instance, should
I bring a small gift this time?  The last one got away without my
noticing until 3 days later.  Someone wanna yell at me the day previous or
something?

I'm not sure what's planned for this time, I was going to e-mail
Dreamsinger and ask.  (Yes, I know her real name, but if she's using
a pseudo, I'd rather not give it out.)  If you call her, I'm sure
she'll talk your ear off about it.  (This is not a bad thing.)

Dreamsinger tells me that we don't need to bring anything this time,
and that it will be less ritual-like and there will be more
talking, introductions, etc.  Oh, she does say we can bring food and
drink to pass around.

I'm glad there'll be more socializing!! Last time was fun, but sure
seemed rushed!
-Phaedrus

Trying to recycle an old item, there will be an open Full Moon
ritual at the ICC Ed Center (1516 Hill) at 7 PM on Saturday the
29th.

thanks.  I think the address is actually 1522.  One of us is right.  Anyway,
it's set back between two buildings, one of which is 1520.

Re#^: Be it exactly as orignally described?

Hmm?  Originally decribed?  #6 contains all of the info that I have...

Okay, tanks.

there will be another full moon circle
at open arches on Sat. Feb 26 1994 at 
the ICC ED bldg, 7 p.  
this place is a small bldg set back behind and between two large bldgs at the
corner of Washtenaw and Hill.  Either the  first or second driveway on Hill
will get you there.  Show up on time, 'cause if  you don't, you don't get in. I
attended both there full moon and Candlemas ceremonies last month and thought
them good & worth attending.  Pass this news around, if you would, see y'all
there.

Ooh, I'd nearly forgotten about this one!  Thanks, gwenm!

thanks, gwen.  What's up next?

I didn't get to go to the last full moon, so like Kami said- What'
s up next?

It's not exactly "next"- I hope!- but I want to do a maze/labyrinth for Spring
Equinox, if we have snow, and I would consider making it open to all here, 
especially if anyone has more experience with such things than I do...

I have no experience, but I'd love to participate. : )

re: what's up next
March 19, Spring Equinox Rit probably @ 
the Friends bldg a block or so west of 
the ICC Ed bldg.  This location was 
probable as of Sat Nite.

Sat. March 26 @ ICC ed Bldg 7p full moon
see #11 for directions.

Kami- I thought that we were going to get together for Spring Equinox.  I
invited A.J. personally & he's funky about new folks.  More on this later,
probably over voice.  

Here's a few things from the GLPC mailing I just got:
(See, Kami, it's not a plot!)

SPRING EQUINOX RITUAL - run by the Crafters.  Lower Huron
Metropark (near Belleville, not Ypsilanti as this flyer says),
2-5 PM, Saturday March 19th.  It's a potluck, and donations are
requested but not required.

PSYCHIC NIGHT AT EMU - March 25th, 7-10 PM, in the McKinny
Union.  Magickal Life and Great Lakes Pagan Council are the
sponsors.  Tarot readers, psychics, vendors, craftspersons,
and more.  It says "nominal fees", make of that what you will.

For more info on either, call:

        Oberon          (313) 871-9252
        Unica-Anu       (313) 461-4861
        Wind*Weaver     (313) 838-9190

I'm going to the one at Huron Metropark, anyone want to join me?  I have no
idea how to get there, of course.  What is Open Arches doing? (or did you
already post that?)  What else is happening for Equinox? I seem to recall that
that was to be a busy weekend.

Didn't gwenm mention the Open Arches one a few responses ago?
Anyway, they're having one at 7 PM the 19th, ICC Ed Center,
the usual, yadda yadda yadda.

To get ot the Metropark - Get off I-94 at exit 192.  Go right.
The entrance will appear shortly.

thank you.  Wonder how many places one can be in one day? Sigh.

Kami, I'd like to go with you.  But I have no idea where it is either.
Although my boss lives in Belleville, maybe I can get directions from
her.  I'll talk to her next time I see her.

Shining Lakes Grove, ADF (a local Neopagan Druid group) will be holding an
open meeting on Thursday March 24th at 7:00 in the Common Languages Bookstore
in Ann Arbor.  For more details see note #16 from me in item #27.
Fox

Anne, Rob's directions sound very simple.  Here's the brief description I got:
> March 19th - *Spring Equinox at Lower Huron MetroPark near Ypsilanti, MI
> FREE! (we would appreciate a small donation for our expenses.  There is also
a small fee to enter the park.  Potluck! with warm food - we'll bring the food
> warmers! Please see our guidelones below for information on our Potlucks.
> From 2 - 5 PM.  Ritual facilitated by The Crafters (2nd Annual!)

the "guidelines" just say to bring non-disposable settings and containers and
real food rather than snacks.  

If it ends at 5, one could conceivably go from there to the Open Arches ritual.
Insanity, but I may do it.  Depending on what partion of my family comes along,
I will have room for one to three riders.  It WILL be cold!

Come to think of it, Fox, I will plan to come to your open meeting if at all
possible, and maybe bring a couple of people who may be interested, if I can.

So is anything ELSE going on to make our lives busy?  I know there's a Sci Fi
con on the weekend of Beltaine- that should be good for a bit of chaos. }:^)

Chaos, is good, makes life awfully interesting :)
Fox, as I told Jaguar I may be at your meeting too, just to see what it
is all about.  
I think I'm trying to see how hectic I can make my schedule :) sigh. . .

of course- isn't that what you go to college for?

Undoubta.

last I heard, (Feb. Full Moon) the usual site for Open Arches was busy & so
they were moving it over to the quaker meeting house a block or two East.  I
have been out of touch for a while, is this still true?

Saturday, Mar 19 at 7:PM there will be a ritual in the Freinds' Meeting
House at 1422 (14 something, anyway) Hill.  The ritual will be an enactment
of Persephone's trip to (and back from) the underworld.  Please be on time-
we will be locking the doors at 7:20. Really.  A donation of $4 or $5 would
be greatly appreciated, as we had to pay for the site.  Bring munchies.

Now, for the truly stupid (scratch that-)ah, ambitious, a bunch of us will 
ALSO (right- we're nuts!) be going to Lower Huron Metropark for an afternoon
ritual and chili potluck from 2-5 pm on Saturday the 19th.  It will be 
outdoors or under a pavilion if the weather is bad.  The ritual should be
a bit lighter and more playful.  Kids are welcome.  A donation of a buck or
two would be nice and there is a charge for parking- per car. There will be
air-voids or hot plates or something, so warm food would be a cool thing to
bring.  OK- if the organizers of the afternoon ritual are crazy enough to 
come to the evening one (as they plan to), it should certainly be possible
to get to both.

I've also heard rumors of a short public ritual to be held on the Diag on
Sunday, close to the exact-point of the Equinox (3:30ish in the afternoon).
THe purpose is "to encourage the sun to show us in a good light to the public".
Check it out.  You should be able to get further details on Sat. night.

I've decided to pass on the MetroPark ritual, but that Diag one
sounds interesting.

why have you "decided to pass on the MetroPark ritual"? Just curious. Coming
in the evening?  See you there.

(a) Because I don't trust my car to survive the fifteen-minute trip.
(b) Because I can't afford the $3 for parking.  (I'm not kidding.)
(c) Because I was at last year's ritual by the same group, and wasn't
    entirely impressed.  (Personal opinion, of course.)
(d) Because I've been hit by an irrational springtime urge to clean
    my room, and I see no reason to impede it.  >8)

I will definitely be at the AA one.

I went to both.  I liked both.  The "Crafters" one in the afternoon wasn't as
"fluffy" as I feared, nor as disorganized, nor did it use a myth that directly
contradicted what I am used to, as did their Imbolc ritual.  And I got to
bring the rest of my family, who also had a good time.  I also liked some of
the poetry in the ritual, and the fact that they made available transcripts of
the ritual for all who wished.  On the other hand, it was still very "light
weight", short (not necessarily a bad thing :} ), a bit disorganized in spots,
and I find their circle-casting a bit nebulous.
By comparison, the Open Arches ritual was also better than I expected.  I wa
(oops) was glad to go without the kids- easier to concentrate.  I thought the
people running the ritual did an excellent job, the "blocking"- mavement, 
transitions, etc.- went quite well.  A neat touch- casting the circle by 
passing the wand used for the casting from person to person: everyone put a
LOT of energy into it.  Slightly inconsistent in spots, but most people were
helping to smooth that out so it wasn't bad.  I liked having the circle around
the whole building which allowed us to use different parts without disturbance.
The whole evening was very high energy- the drums and chanting helped there.
Some new people there- all really cool.  I liked the fact that individual gods,
all from one pantheon, were used- even though it wasn't one that I tend to 
choose, it was both internally consistent and very appropriate.  A couple 
elements of the ritual weren't really used as fully as might have been, but 
not so that they stood out as unfinished business.  I also appreciated the
attention paid to seeing that everyone was ok and properly grounded with all
the silliness we got into.
Rob- a better summary if you care to?
Well, g'night all.  A truly joyous and inexorably fruitful spring to you.

Rob, were you there?  I don't know what you look like so I wouldn't recognise
you.  I really enjoyed it.  It was, for me, high energy, and it seemed like
some people were having a hard time grounng.

Sorry, Anne- I didn't think to introduce you two: too many contexts got their
wires crossed.  Rob, want to describe yourself?

Describe myself.  Let's see, a foul, evil man, repelling the sight
of all good people...  No, never mind.  I had the black sweater
with blue and purple splotches.  (Not food stains, they're actually
part of the sweater!)

I did enjoy the Open Arches ritual, apart from whoever it was who
fled the circle crying.  At first, I thought it might be part of the
ritual.  (Persephone being kidnapped.)  But then I thought, why
would they do that when we're still in the middle of the
guided visualization?  Hmm.  A slight annoyance.

Certainly, the crowd there was good.  No shortage of energy this
time!  And I was thinking shortly before the ritual, how neat it
would be to have a ritual where everyone gets to move around, go
on a journey of sorts, like the Eleusynian (sp?) Mysteries.

I'll be on the Diag by 3:28 to see what's going on there.  Anyone else?

sorry I can't be there.  Have fun.  A playful Spring to all.
Rob- your tone is waspish: I understand that her distress was distracting, but
not everyone knows ahead of time what will be too much for them or even what
to expect.  I thought it was pretty well handled.  I don't know the young
lady well enough to judge why she wigged out, but I tend to take such things
in stride and go on if at all possible.  After all, what else is one to do? Who
is to blame, or is any blame even needed?  What would you have done differently
in order to avoid such an interruption?
Glad you got the ritual you wanted- a lovely bit of serendipity!

You're calling me a WASP?  (White Anglo-Saxon Pagan)  Well, I guess
I can agree with that.

I understand that this sort of thing happens, but usually when someone
realizes "Hey, this isn't for me," it's before the ritual begins, and
they can leave gracefully.  I thought that was the reason why, at
the Open Arches ritual, they explain everything in detail, to let
the wus... er, timid leave.

I dunno, I've just never seen that happen during a ritual.  I thought
I dealt with it well, but that doesn't stop me from kvetching about
it after the fact!  >8)

I don't know what happened to the girl, but she was fine at the earlier
ritual.
I've recently discovered that WASP still fits for me.  That being as
robh pointed out- White Anglo Saxon Pagan.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss