What’s New - Lughnassadh 2008
Lughnassadh marks the beginning of the Harvest season as many berries are ripe for the picking. Leaves are actually starting to change colour at this time and we start to notice that the days are growing a little shorter as Autumn approaches. This is an iffy time for our farmers as they pray that no frost will strike (it is likely to at the beginning of August). It is a chance for us to look at the goals we have set for the year and how close we are to “harvesting” the results of our planned work throughout the year.
Enjoy the fruits of your own personal “harvest” at this time of year!
Recent news, ongoing events and upcoming events:
Awen Grove Study Group meetings have resumed after a break for Summer holidays, which started earlier this year with the planning of The Spirit of the West Druid Gathering. Meetings will still occur on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00pm at the usual location. (If you are interested in attending Study Group meetings, please send us an email)
Brendan (Cathbad) Myers is coming to Calgary from September 19 - 21, 2008. Awen Grove is planning an outdoor brunch at either Edworthy Park or Fish Creek Park (details TBA) to welcome him to Calgary.
The Calgary Druid Meetup is a great place to meet other Druids in Calgary and it happens every fourth Thursday of the month at Denny’s on McKnight Blvd. and Edmonton Trail.
Our Autumn Equinox Ritual is being planned for September 25 at 6:30 pm in place of the Druid Meetup. (Details to be posted on the Druid Meetup site - Location TBA)
What’s been happening…
- Athelia’s Online Shaping the Wheel Course in Wisdom and Values from Celtic Culture, Myth, Legend and Lore for Modern Druid Practice, which is a two-part course based on the Weekly Celtic Wisdom posts from 2005/2006, is now available on the Druid Network website.
- The Spirit of the West Druid Gathering
Back in November of 2007, an idea was conceived to set up a weekend gathering for Druids here in Western Canada, which would give us a chance to meet each other and relax in a natural setting. The Spirit of the West Druid Gathering was scheduled for the weekend of June 13 - 15, 2008 and was a great success! We found a nice little residential camp in Central Alberta, which featured a beautiful lake, lots of trees and comfortable lodging for all. Awen Grove was very involved in the organization of the gathering, as well as members of ADF and OBOD.
The weekend featured:
Special Guest - Rev. Kirk Thomas, Vice Arch-Druid of ADF, who presented an excellent workshop on preparing for ritual as well as assisted in the Summer Solstice Ritual which was put together by the ADF Beaver Hills Protogrove from Edmonton.
Beautiful scenery - Mid-June is a beautiful time here in Alberta because all of the trees are sporting lots of new foliage and everything is quite green. Our camp was located on the edge of beautiful Pigeon Lake in Central Alberta. Many birds were still on migration paths, so we saw large groups of pelicans, geese, ducks and many other water birds.
Great people - About 35 people attended, all from different Druid groups and traditions, which made for a weekend of making new friends and strengthening existing friendships. Everyone helped to make the weekend run smoothly.
The Bardic Event of the year! (Maybe) - Guests got a chance to show off their bardic talents around the fire on the Saturday night. We had many songs, stories as well as an amazing re-telling of the “Cremation of Sam McGee”!
Educational and fun workshops - Guests got a chance to try their hand at spiritual wood carving, preparing for ritual, tasting mead, looking at the various Druid traditions, while the kiddies got to make ice cream, paint rocks and learn about water bugs and other critters.
The most amazing food - We were fortunate to have on our organizing committee a professional chef who has many years of experience in feeding large groups at camps and other events. Specialized diets were well accommodated, everything was made from scratch, and I don’t think anyone went hungry all weekend, at any time of day or night!
Shopping - Even in the middle of the woods, some Druids like to shop and we had plenty of opportunity to do so with our merchant tent and silent auction.
Very comfortable accommodations - The main lodge was open 24 hours a day and featured couches, chairs, and a full kitchen. All of the cabins featured brand new mattresses and heaters, so very few people had problems sleeping. There was plenty of room for all.
Lots of free time - One of the most important aspects of the weekend was the focus on free time. The goal was to put on a relaxing weekend, and folks had lots of time to explore, chat with others and relax.
