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by Brighn
Hi there! I'm going to say a little more than is usual here, so sit back and relax...
* I wonder if cats have publishing in their blood. A cheetah has taken over as Chronicler from a jaguar, and my faithful assistant and partner-in-crime, Jenna, identifies with the snow leopard.
The title of my editor's column, for those of you who don't know, derives from one of several physiological anomalies of the cheetah (among family Felidae): their claws don't retract. This helps them in running, providing traction that the other big cats don't have.
Given this, and the sense of anxiety editors feel after their words go to print, I thought "Nonretractables" would make an interesting title for an editor's column. Besides, "Brighn Jottings" just doesn't have the same ring as "Jaguar Jottings".
* In assuming the position of Chronicler, I also noticed that Ripples has in its masthead the friendly and informative, "The Quarterly Journal of Shining Lakes Grove, ADF", but that Shining Lakes News didn't have a corollary phrase.
Well, my Virgo rising set out to fix that. But what does one call a publication that comes out eight times a year? Four times a year is easy: quarterly, or (to be silly) trimonthly. But eight?
First I considered "Sabbatical", since News comes out on each Sabbath, but that word's tied too much to the concept of vacation, and its synonym, "Sabbatarian", is just plain weird.
Next I considered words prefixed with octo- (Latin/Greek for "eight"). "Octenniel", of course, means "once every eight years", which seems more appropriate forDruid's Progress of late. "Octant" has the right meaning, but is a noun, not an adjective, and has math connotations. "Octantly", "octantial", and "octantic" all sound stilted.
I briefly considered "bit" - "Shining Lakes News, A bit of the Grove". Catchy, no? I was afraid the connection would be too obscure, though. (There was a time that coins were broken into eight parts, and each part could be used. The parts were called bits. Hence "two bits" means 25 cents, or a quarter.)
So that left me with the fabricated monstrosities "eighthly", "semiquarterly" (twice a quarter, hence eight times a year) and "sesquimonthly" (once every month and a half). The first one seemed silly, the second one overly derivative. As for the third, the Latin prefix "bi" flows quite nicely with the English "month", but "sesqui"?
I finally settled for the full Latin feel of "sesquimenstrual". Hey, we're Pagans, we can handle the word "menstrual", can't we? Its original meaning, after all, derives from Latin "menses", meaning "moon".
Ah well, I'm the editor, and I like "sesquimenstrual", so that's what it shall be. If we're going to have a monstrosity in the masthead, why stop at a mere half a monstrosity when we can go all out?
* As with SLN, I've made a few changes in Ripples. One is the art. I like sketches and drawings, and I know the Grove has at least a few decent artists. Send me your artwork!
I say this because, while I like art, I have a strong aversion to clip art, those commercially available computer-generated images that have populated previous Ripples. Different editors, different opinions.
Besides, maybe seeing page after page of boring text will encourage the artistic among us to submit.
* There's part one of my grovelling for submissions. Here's part two.
Ripples is the newsletter of the Grove, but it tends to be dominated by the writing of a few people. While this makes sense for the more administrative parts of Ripples - Guild Reports, for instance - there is plenty of room for material of a more esoteric nature.
I would like to see a wider range of submissions from a wider range of voices. Everybody has something to share, so, share it!
* Grovelling (third and final part), aka Submission Guidelines: Ripples publishes anything relevant to the Grove, ADF Druidism, and NeoPaganism, space permitting. This includes non-fiction, short stories, poetry, announcements, recipes, artwork, and other things.
To allow for a variety of submissions, try to keep (text) submissions down to two typed pages, double spaced. Please don't send original or sole copies, and when submitting poetry or recipes, print each poem on a separate page (or pages) - don't cluster multiple things on one sheet.
Electronic format, DOS or Windows 3.1-compatible, is preferred. I can't read Windows 95 or Macintosh files. I use MS Publisher, so any compatible filetype is fine - check first if you're not sure. I'm e-mail friendly. If you submit via hard copy, make sure it's legible. Typed is preferred, but I'll take short pieces handwritten. I don't take responsibility for an inability to read your handwriting.
Artwork, of course, should be camera ready (or, preferably, pre-scanned in a GIF, JPEG, or BMP format).
The submission addresses are located in the "Ripples Information" box.
I look forward to being Chronicler, and hope I can continue on in Jaguar's foot-, er, pawprints.
by Brighn
(This is the second article in a series on the role of the Fool in and out of ritual.)
It seems tempting at first blush to associate the Fool with the Outsiders. Both of these roles have ends different from the central ends of most rituals, and both actively fail to obey "the rules", whatever those may be. The Fool is chaotic, the Outsider is (at least perceived to be) destructive. But the association of the Fool with the Outsiders, and even the association of the Outsiders specifically with destruction, is rooted in the same Western misinterpretations of dualism that we (ostensibly) are seeking to correct or look past, as Pagans.
The first step, then, is to identify the source of the confusion. In dualism, everything in the universe can be described in terms of pairs of antonyms: something is good or bad, black or white, male or female, and so on. In complementary dualism, common in Eastern philosophies, the primary emphasis on these descriptions is their scalar quality: one thing is less black than another, one thing is less male than another, and so forth. There is furthermore no value judgment placed on either end of the scale: if there are no black things in the world, then how do we know what things are white? White exists primarily due to its juxtaposition with black, so if black is necessary for the existence of white, and white is necessary for the existence of black, how can one be "better" than the other?
In oppositional dualism, common in Western philosophies and rooted in Zoroastrianism and Christianity, the primary emphasis on these descriptions is the judgment of one of the ends of the scale as the state being sought: good over evil, creation over destruction, mind over body, and so forth. Each set of descriptors is a pair of abstracts at war with each other, and only through the annihilation of one can the other be obtained. Monks would scourge themselves, punishing their bodies for preventing their minds from attaining perfection.
Most Pagans seem to reject this oppositional view in favor of the complementary one. All the same, there are certain descriptors that continue to be confused: most of us were raised in a tradition of oppositionalism, and the thought patterns it creates are hard to shake. Consider the following sets of terms: creative/destructive; order/chaos; good/evil; positive/negative; benevolent/malevolent; co-operative/unco-operative; in-group/out-group. This list is hardly exhaustive, but will suit the illustration.
These terms are clearly related to each other. We expect, for instance, a benevolent being to be co-operative, and a malevolent one to be unco-operative. However, these terms are not synonymous, and the subtle distinctions are important. Let us say, for instance, that it is important to us that a malevolent force do something particularly malevolent. We haven't studied for a test, and on the way to school we run across the school bully. It would help us immensely if, say, the bully punched us, broke our jaw, and hence let us escape our test. Wouldn't the bully be co-operating with our ends if he did the malevolent act we want him to do? In this case, it would be the act of benevolence that would be unco-operative. Furthermore, if we shove the bully, his actions will be ordered: he will punch us. He is, more likely than not, too simple-minded to act in an unpredictable way. His action is then ordered and co-operative, but malevolent.
How is this discussion related to the Fool and the Outsiders? Both of these roles relate to a specific scale in the above list. The Outsider is, principally, a representative of the out-group. As Jaguar writes in a previous Ripples, "The Outsiders, by definition, are those that have been left out, or deliberately put out." We do frequently wish to eliminate chaos, and destruction, and malevolence, but we must keep two things in mind: we do not wish to eliminate all chaos (and destructiveness and malevolence) at all rituals, and we may wish to eliminate other forces as well. The Outsiders are, simply, those forces that we wish to acknowledge but which would prevent us from accomplishing our goals, for whatever reason: They are obstructive, not specifically destructive.
The Fool, on the other hand, is a force of chaos. Jaguar further writes, "[There] is the notion that the Outsiders are that ... which is intrinsically chaotic. ... Inherent in this is the idea that chaos is undesirable, and should be eliminated. ... I suggest that this is a mistake. Chaos is the fundamental agent of change, and without change we die." Certainly there are types of chaos that we wish to omit from ritual; but there are types of chaos which we must have in ritual. Chaos and order are, by themselves, neither obstructive nor constructive; indeed, as I've already stated, constructiveness is a separate scale entirely.
It may be asked, though, what harm it is to limit the Fool energy to the Outsiders. One of Fox's goals in selecting a Grove King of Fools was to find the person in the Grove "most attuned to the Outsiders". It cannot be denied that the Outsiders are often chaotic; it cannot be denied that chaos is often obstructive, or even destructive. But by specifically associating the Fool and the Outsiders, we are isolating specifically two types of energy: the in-group energy, inside the ritual, is ordered and constructive. The out-group energy, outside the ritual, is chaotic and obstructive.
Two points need to be made on this. The first is that we cannot ask chaos to respect our needs: the Outsider's invocation (or revocation, if you will) crucially assumes that the Outsiders we address follow some sort of ordered rules. But the whole point to chaos is that it doesn't obey rules or, rather, that it doesn't obey ordered rules.
The second is that, more ominously, we have to leave the ritual space eventually; benevolent, constructive, and co-operative Trickster energy is difficult enough to manage. Malevolent, obstructive, and unco-operative Trickster energy is nearly impossible. What happens when Loki is not invited to a party because only a few people are invited? Loki mopes and pouts and kicks stones around and deals with it. What happens when Loki is the only one not invited to a party and is specifically disinvited? He gate-crashes, acts like a total and utter Holy Terror, and carries on to no end. Chaos insulted is chaos that is uncontrollable.
It cannot be denied that the Fool is present among the Outsiders, just as the Fool is present in nearly every other ritual role. The Fool has no more special connection to the Outsiders than it does to any other role, and it has no more connection to the Outsiders than any other role does; to act otherwise is to create a dangerous syncretism between chaotic energy and obstructive energy.
by Crane Dancer
We are fast approaching the Winter Solstice, an ancient High Day and, in European Tradition, a time for gift giving. Ideally, we would like to give the children in our lives at least some gifts that convey the values rooted in our Neopagan Druidism, but since "Toys `R' Us" doesn't put out a Neopagan catalogue, where do we look?
Well, a wonderful place to begin is a beautifully illustrated hardcover book called, appropriately enough, The Winter Solstice (Millbrook Press, 1994, $14.95). The author, Ellen Jackson, presents in clear and graceful prose Solstice customs from around the world. Well researched, the book includes Norse "Yule" and certain Celtic customs (I would have preferred more), as well as the Inca sun festival, even including a brief explanation of the positional change of the Earth in relation to the sun.
When speaking of a Scottish ritual bath in water charged by three glowing coals to protect against the dangers of winter's dark, Ms. Jackson writes: "They believed that the magic of fire and water together would protect them..." Yes! Needless to say, this book appeals to even those beyond its target ages of about 6 to 11.
For our youngest children, of about 2 to 6 years, there is Mother Earth (Atheneum, 1992, $13.95), a picture book by Nancy Luenn. With few words and glowing illustrations by Neil Waldman that cover the pages, this book is a praise song to the Earth Mother. "Birds are her songs ... And the listening stones her ears..."
Also for little ones - on up to parents - is Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest (Fox Video, 1992), a feature length cartoon. It combines vivid animation, reverence for the Earth, suspense, humor, and a positively Pagan sensibility. A Solstice treat for the whole family!
To pass on the great Celtic legends to grade school age children, I recommend Gawain and the Green Knight (by Mark Shannon, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994, $15.95), The Selkie Girl (by Susan Cooper, Aladdin Books, 1994, $4.95), Merlin and the Dragons (by Jane Yolen, Cobblehill Books, 1994, $16.99) and a tale of Grainne O'Malley, The Pirate Queen (by Emily Mccully, G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1995, $16.95). All these books elegantly and faithfully convey these age-old stories, do not Christianize the content, and are illustrated by artists who make the legends come alive - the Green Knight is awesome and scary!
Also aimed at grade schoolers is The Celts Activity Book (Thames and Hudson, 1989, $5.95), which is full of factual information on the Celts, pictures to color, puzzles, a pattern for a paper helmet, and a game where the players race to tell the Druids on Mona the latest information on the movements of the Roman army. (Hurry kids!)
Unfortunately, the 1995 movie The Secret of Roan Irish, a modern and mystical retelling of the Selkie legend, is still not available on video, but there is a paperback version (by John Sayles, Little Brown, 1995, $4.95), with photos from the movie that can be found in the "young adult" section of your bookstore or library.
Young people from junior high on who admire the warrior path would surely enjoy Celtic Warriors (by Tim Newark, Blandford Press, 1986) and Celtic Warrior Chiefs (by John Matthews and Bob Stewart, Firebird Books, 1993, $34.95) with their vivid and accurate illustrations and historically correct information.
Also for young people of junior high age is the tale of a young girl in a remote Scottish village who apprentices with a healer skilled in the magical arts, Wise Child (by Monica Furlong, Random House, 1987, $3.50). Ms. Furlong has also written a prequel, Juniper (Random House, 1990, $3.99), set in Cornwall, that tells of how Wise Child's teacher learned her Art and saved her baby brother, the future king, from Black Magic.
I was pleased to discover that the magical movie Into the West (Touchstone, $14.96) is finally available as a home video at a reasonable price. This movie, which features a white horse named Tir n'Nog, is full of Celtic mystery but is set in modern Ireland. Though most of the family will love the entire movie, be aware that young children may be disturbed at early scenes that show children begging for food and a distraught father raging. For older children the harshness of the poverty shown at the beginning makes only more magical the moment when, in the midst of great danger, the white horse is revealed as the Great Mother, the White Mare in the Water who never forgets her children.
And speaking of the White Horse, the Solstice is truly her season in Celtic tradition. As Rhiannon, a Welsh incarnation of the Horse Goddess, gave birth in winter, so is the White Mare remembered at the solstice. In Welsh and Irish villages a great White Horse would go house to house and make scary noises at grown-ups until she was tamed by a child with a piece of cake. Perhaps a stuffed White Horse could be found (or made) for the little ones, or the children could hang White Mare cookies on the Solstice Tree. Better yet, the White Horse might visit your Solstice celebration! (It just takes some white sheets, some cardboard, and a little imagination.)
And speaking of celebrations, don't forget the day after, Wren Day! Make a parade, let the little ones bang drums and everyone sing the rhyme about "the King of All Birds" and his unfortunate post-Solstice demise. The traditional penny can be donated and, since we don't want to hurt birds, a toy wren can be buried with ceremony and holly sprigs. Don't forget a sumptuous funeral feast and whatever you do, have a Merry Solstice!
(Crane Dancer has given workshops on Pagan Parenting at "The Goddess is Alive" festival and the "Lake Circle" Gathering.)
(Ed. note: This article was intended for Solstice 1995, but was received too late for publication. For this reason, some material, particularly pricing and availability, may be out-of-date.)
(Ed. note: For more information on the situation discussed below, see Ripples, vol. 3, issue 2. The pre-trial date is also listed in Shining Lakes News)
Greetings fellow Pagans. I would like to take this opportunity to let everyone know how very grateful Robert and I are for all the help and moral support everyone has given us in our time of need. We would like to thank you. For Robert and me, this has been a very difficult time, and we have so much more to go through before winning our victory. I'm confident that we will come out on top so that we may get on with our lives. We are in dire need of legal aid and donations for attorney fees so that we may proceed with our Civil Rights case against the city. All donations will be greatly appreciated. I am in the process of arranging a countersuit with the prosecutor or the state prosecutor against the daughter for credit card fraud, but so far we're hitting a dead end. It seems that no-one will help us without money, and that's one thing Robert and I don't have. It would be great if everyone put their heads together to come up with some ideas for fund raising.
Robert was forced to go into bankruptcy because of the daughter's fraudulent credit card charges. Robert was advised by several attorneys that the only way to avoid further harassment by his alleged creditors was to file for bankruptcy. It took Robert a year to save enough money to even pay the bankruptcy attorney.
In closing, I would again like to say "Thank you" to everyone for all the love and moral support, and to everyone who donated their time by offering Robert and me rides to Downtown Detroit, showing up in court to give your support, and donating money for our food when we were robbed. Fox, I thank you especially for all of your patience and time that you offered when we needed someone to talk to. We hope that we see everyone at the pre-trial on February 6th at 8:30 am on the 13th floor of the City-County Building. For anyone who wishes to write. we can be contacted through Katrina, P.O. Box 1195, Garden City, MI 48136-1195 (I'm using my Craft name so my mail doesn't get mixed in with my regular mail - for those of you kind enough to donate money, contact me to get my legal name first). If you include your phone number, I'll call you back. Blessed be,
- Morgana (Katrina)
If you are interested in joining the Warriors' Guild, contact Gwydion ap'Morrygan at (313) 485-8632. If you are currently a member of the Warriors' Guild, whether or not you've attended any recent meetings, contact Gwydion. He's trying to set up meeting times that would be convenient for as many people as possible, and needs your input.
- Brighn
Johnna ap'Morrygan will join Raven Hecate-Ana Spiritdancer as the Artisans' Guild's second official member at our Yule ritual. Johnna will be receiving a Journeyman status in the specialty of Embroidery. Still in the application process are Mama Moon and Victor Foshion. Mama Moon will be initially pursuing the specialty of Costume, while Victor is an experienced beadworker and has helped the Guild by structuring the guidelines for that specialty. If you are interested in getting involved with the Artisan's Guild, please contact Johnna ap'Morrygan at (313) 485-8632.
- Johnna
The S.L.G. Bardic Guild has been hard at work this year, with much accomplished and many projects ahead. We have written a number of chants for rituals throughout the year, our latest being a group effort honoring Ana for Yule. Our musicians are slowly organizing, with the aim of providing better music and drumming for rituals. We are planning to record Grove album, eventually giving performances. We have put out one songbook this year, and expect to have a more complete book of Grove songs before too long. Our storytellers are also busy developing tales about our Grove lore. We will soon have two stories based on our cosmology, and ultimately hope to have a story for each High Day.
We have made progress with our Bardic Education Program this year also. We have prepared and presented a one-hour workshop at the beginning of each Bardic Night. Topics have included drumming, rhythm, storytelling, lyric writing, and dance. We are also developing our Bardic Seminars. These are gatherings of Guild members to discuss, practice, and learn in depth about bardic arts and disciplines.
A few weeks ago, we spent some time trying to learn who the Bardic Guild's patron or matron deity is, and came to the conclusion that patronage is a very individual thing for us bards. We therefore decided that each Bard should seek his or her own deity. We have devised a series of initiations for each bardic level, beginning with Journeyman. Each initiation is an opportunity not only to seek one's matron/patron, but to learn more about one's specific bardic path. The initiations take the form of personal meditations and experiences on the land, with more emphasis on making connections and far less on the "trial" aspect one usually associates with initiation.
We are also working with the Chief Bard and Assistant Chief Bard to determine A.D.F.'s wants and needs. Some of us have entered the national Bardic Study Program.
- Marae Price, Bard Mor
In the 1996 Grove elections, 40 ballots were issued by mail or hand-delivered to the voting members. Of these ballots, 28 were returned completed to the Scribe, representing the participation of 70% of the voting members. To conduct a legal election, at least 60% of all issued ballots had to be returned. Since a quorum for election of officers had been reached, the votes were totaled. The 28 ballots returned represented a total of 60 possible votes, due to the weighted voting system. Any candidate needed to receive at least 31 votes to be elected.
The votes, abstentions, and write-ins were as follows.
For the office of Senior Druid.
For the office of Chronicler.
For the office of Youth Activities Coordinator.
The new Chronicler and Youth Activities Coordinator took office at Samhain, 1996.
A volunteer space was provided for the office of Public Service Coordinator, as there were no candidates for this position. Two people volunteered for the position: Kami Landy and Janet Kniaz. The two volunteers for Public Service Coordinator agreed to serve on a committee together with the Grove Ecologist to bring focus and new energy to S.L.G.'s public service vision.
The election ballots will be retained in a sealed envelope until Fall Equinox 1997, when they will be destroyed. Congratulations to our new officers and many thanks to Fox for his continuing service.
Respectfully submitted by Johnna ap'Morrygan, Scribe, on December 10, 1996.
At the last Grove Intensive, we took some time to discuss local environmental concerns. The question was posed, "We say we are the People of Ana; what we have done for our Mother lately?" It turns out we have been doing some things, but there is a lot more we could do.
We thought it might be helpful to regularly describe what members have already been doing, outside of ordinary curbside recycling, to care for the land. This little column will be a place to do just that. Hopefully it will inspire other Grove members to follow suit, or to come up with other helpful activites. If you have done something for our Mother lately, let us know!
At a recent An Bruane event, several grove members cleaned up a trash dump near Chelsea. They collected thirty-two LARGE bags of garbage and a reclining chair. They also found the name of the litterbug on some discarded mail, and reported them to the police.
If you see someone littering, you can report them to 1-800-44TRASH. Fox does this on a regular basis.
I pick up trash along my street when I am walking home from the bus stop. If there is a route you regularly travel on foot, you can take a bag along to fill with trash. There are at least a couple of Grove members who always carry litter bags with them.
If you have a "green" habit you wish to share, or if you or someone else in the Grove has done something special for our land, please send it to the Ecologists' Niche at the Grove address, or give me a call at (313) 663-3276. Our Mother thanks you!
- Marae Price, Grove Ecologist
by Johnna ap'Morrygan
(Ed. note: This article is presented for entertainment, not to suggest a specific medicinal course. Always consult a licensed herbalist or doctor before using herbs medicinally.)
My focus for this issue's column will be on an herb that can be obtained all year round no farther than your grocery store, and is one of our oldest healing plants. Rosemary is widely available in dried form, and can even be bought fresh at larger grocery stores during part of the year. It is scientifically recognized as a medicinal plant, and has many other culinary, cosmetic and magical uses.
The history and folklore of rosemary stretches back over 2,500 years. It is native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and its range stretches around the entire coast of the Iberian Peninsula as well. It was recognized as a healing plant as far back as the Greek physicians Dioscorides and Galen. The ancient Greeks also believed that its odor had memory-enhancing properties, and students wore wreaths of it to help them on examinations. In the Middle Ages, one common folk magic practice was to place sprigs of rosemary under one's pillow to keep away evil spirits and bad dreams. It was also burned in homes in the 14th and 15th centuries in the belief that it helped prevent the Black Death. Rosemary is also mentioned in the first herbal ever printed in Europe in 1525. In the 1500s rosemary was also widely used by perfumers to scent the homes of the wealthy. It has long been considered symbolic of remembrance, friendship, and love. Because of these attributions, rosemary was often included in brides' bouquets. As an evergreen, thus symbolic of everlasting life, it was sprinkled on coffins at funerals.
In its natural environment, rosemary is a large shrub up to 6 feet tall. It grows in bunches of tall spikes which have abundant needle-like leaves, dusty green in color, on tough, woody stems. The attractive purplish flowers, which typically bloom in May, grow in clusters at the tops of the spikes and are very sweetly scented. It is the small, upper leaves and the flowers which are used medicinally. According to laboratory analysis, rosemary is rich in calcium, and contains vitamins A and C, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc. It also contains saponin, organic acids, and, most importantly, an essential oil similar to that of the camphor tree. The essential oil is principally a stimulant, but it also has anti-bacterial qualities, and acts as a nervous tonic or equalizer. The specific conditions which lend themselves to the use of rosemary are many, but those most suited include gastric disturbances, especially indigestion and flatulence, arthritis, and head-aches and other conditions caused by stress or nerves.
There are a number of ways to prepare and use rosemary, the first being as a decoction, or tea. To prepare a decoction, pour one cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of rosemary leaves or tops. Let this stand, covered, until cool and then drink. This can be taken from 1 to 4 times daily. Rosemary tea should not be ingested by pregnant women, because of its stimulant properties.
Another way to prepare rosemary for internal use is to make rosemary wine. This is prepared by steeping, or soaking, 1/3 to 2/3 oz. of rosemary tops or leaves in 3/4 quart of white wine for five days. Strain out the rosemary and pour off the wine into a dark, tightly stoppered bottle. You can drink a small glass of this twice a day, preferably just before meals, to improve your digestion. This preparation can also be used as a mouth rinse to kill bacteria in the mouth.
Rosemary also has a number of external uses. To prepare an invigorating bath which improves the circulation, add a generous quantity of fresh or crushed dried rosemary to the hot water as you draw it. You can also try preparing what is variously called Hungary water or spirits of rosemary. This is prepared by adding oil of rosemary to some type of alcohol; vodka or rubbing alcohol should both work well. I have been unable to determine the proper ratio, but oil of rosemary can be obtained from herbalists and some health food stores. This Hungary water, so named for its fame in curing the joint disease of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, is useful as an invigorating rub for strains, sprains, and arthritis. It also works well as a topical astringent for acne. Please note that oil of rosemary and preparations made from it should NEVER be taken internally, because the essential oil is highly irritating to the digestive and urinary systems when ingested in any highly concentrated form or in large quantities.
Rosemary is probably best known to most people for its uses as a culinary herb. It is indeed a wonderful garnish for vegetables and poultry, but rosemary can be added to nearly any dish. Try adding it to foods that cause you indigestion or gas.
Rosemary also has a whole host of other, less well-known uses. Because it is similar in properties to camphor, it can be used to repel insects in a similar manner with a far more pleasant smell. Try using small bags of rosemary instead of mothballs. Hungary water or rosemary wine can also be used as a facial astringent and toner. A steam facial made with rosemary tea kills bacteria and stimulates circulation, improving complexion. A rinse made with rosemary has long been used to brighten brunette hair. You can use a combination of rosemary and sage, steeped for 24 hours, or simply make a rosemary tea. Work the rinse through your hair just after shampooing. Rosemary can even be used as a dye plant, yielding shades of yellow-green when used to dye wool. Rosemary flowers are also much favored by bees, and honey made from them is reputed to be of superior quality and taste.
In addition to all these marvelous mundane uses, rosemary also has many applications for magic and spellcasting. According to Culpeper, rosemary is an herb of the sun, and is ruled by Aries. He classifies it as very hot and dry, thus belonging to the element of fire. Powdered rosemary makes a very nice incense burned on charcoal, and is probably most appropriate for protection magic. It can also be used for workings to enhance memory, and you might want to take a page from folk magic and put some under or in your pillow to keep away nightmares. I was unable to find specific attributions of rosemary to any God or Goddess, but, given its place of origin, it would make an appropriate incense for Greek or Roman deities, particularly Gods. As rosemary is evergreen, it is also appropriate for Yule, and for magic relating to rebirth or eternal life.
Rosemary obviously cannot be gathered from the wild, but it can, with some difficulty, be cultivated. It will grow as a perennial only in very warm latitudes where the temperature in the winter never drops below 10 degrees. There are a few cultivars (varieties) that are more hardy, but generally speaking rosemary is perennial only in zones 8 through 10. (Most of my gentle readers are in zone 5 or 6). Small rosemary plants can be obtained from a good nursery and, if put in a very large pot, can be container grown. Rosemary is extremely difficult to start from seed, so a live plant really is best. You will need loose, well-drained soil, since rosemary is subject to root rot, like most evergreens. The plant can be placed outside from about May through September, so long as the nighttime temperature stays above freezing. The rest of the year, the plant needs to receive abundant light, but need not be kept much above 45 degrees. Water regularly, but not heavily because of the tendency for root rot. The plant needs to be repotted and fertilized every other year. To harvest, periodically snip off the top 4 inches or so, making sure to cut off no more than 20% of the plant at one time. Otherwise, you can harvest year round whether in blossom or not. To preserve your rosemary, either air-dry it or freeze it. Either way, leave it whole and on the stem rather than plucking off the leaves and bottling them. To use, simply pinch your thumb and forefinger together over the stem, and pull them along it, allowing the leaves to drop off. Frozen rosemary is typically stronger than dried.
I hope you will enjoy the wonderful scent and flavor of rosemary, and all the other gifts of the Earth.
by Marae Price
What have we done for our Mother lately? At the last Grove Intensive we discussed some of the things we have been doing to care for our Mother. Some of us pick up trash, most of us recycle, but we all recognized that we are not doing as much as we could be. We discussed things we could do as a grove, and noted that there are a number of organizations in town who specialize in environmental work. It makes a lot of sense to look for opportunities to help out in other organizations, where the groundwork has been laid and there is an existing body of volunteers with whom we could join, rather than trying to organize and carry out major projects with our currently limited resources.
A few days earlier a brochure had serendipitously (and perhaps precipitously, since Jaguar, who broached the subject, had received one as well) arrived in the mail from the Huron River Watershed Council (HRWC), so I had already been planning to contact them. We all agreed that this was a good thing to pursue, so I called them last week and arranged to drop by their offices and pick up some information. I came home laden with fliers, maps, notes, and a lot of excitement.
The HRWC seems to be just what the doctor ordered. In many ways they are kindred spirits to us, with a respect and love for the river, a desire to learn more about her, and a desire to make humans' use of the land compatible with her health. They have many organized, on-going projects in which we could participate. They offer a variety of volunteer opportunities in various fields, so there is very likely to be something to suit just about anyone in the grove who wants to help out. I have some suggestions for things we could do as a grove, but we can also participate independently if we choose.
The HRWC is a coalition of governments of twenty-eight cities, villages, townships, and counties located within or containing substantial portions of the Huron River Watershed. It is a member of the Michigan Environmental Council and the Environmental Fund for Michigan, and has the support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The HRWC was founded thirty years ago under the Local River Management Act of Michigan to "inspire attitudes, behaviors, and economies that protect, rehabilitate, and sustain the Huron River system." To this end it sponsors a number of projects and activities focused on monitoring and improving the health of the river and her tributaries, including education to foster public awareness of the river and related environmental concerns. The Council works with member governments to provide information on water resources, and research services. The Council also maintains an extensive library, which is open to anyone who wishes to use it. It publishes a quarterly news-letter which comes out at the solstices and equinoxes (I told you they are kindred spirits!), called Huron River Report. I will be receiving the newsletter, and they have requested to be put on the Grove mailing list.
Specific projects of the HRWC include the Drinking Water Protection Program; land use planning initiatives for the Headwaters and Middle Huron; Mudbusters, a program to reduce sediment load to the Huron and her tributaries; and Adopt-A-Stream, which is much more than an aquatic version of Adopt-A-Highway.
One of the big advantages of working with an established organization is that they have a very clear idea of what needs doing and how to go about doing it. They have the assistance and expertise of specialists in the study of riverine environments and their inhabitants. They are able to tap the resources of the entire watershed, whereas we have a more limited sphere of influence. Thus they have organized a program to allow individuals or groups to monitor a particular stretch of water, using methods and procedures which will produce useful data, and useful analysis of that information. Participants not only help the river system, they get an education. The list of interests to check on the response form attached to the Adopt-A-Stream brochure gives an idea of the range of skills needed: "collecting macroinvertebrates, identifying them, planting trees and shrubs, stabilizing crumbling streambanks, cleaning up creeks, stencilling messages by the storm drains, teaching friends about the sensitivity of streams to our routine behaviors, Mud-Busters: preventing soil erosion, publicity, making useful items, office work, computer work." Even if you don't want to get wet and muddy, there are plenty of things you could do!
Group activities sponsored by the Council and Adopt-A-Stream program include field observations, workshops (on topics such as creek mapping), roundtables and discussions, and restorative work (for example, last summer they spent a day cleaning zebra mussels off of native clams).
I expect the grove will want to adopt a stream (I know at least two of us who do, and one of them's our Senior Druid), so I have scheduled a meeting with the HRWC folk to find out what streams are available, and to get more details on what adoption entails. They know that we have a connection with Big Lake, and although the Headwaters have already been adopted, we have been welcomed to work in that area if we wish. I also plan to attend their next public activity, which is January 5. This will be a brief outing to observe winter wildlife (specifically, a search for stoneflies), an important part of evaluating the health of the river system. We will meet at South Conference Room of the NEW Center, where the Council has its offices, at 1:00 p.m., and go from there to the observation site. If you are interested in participating, please contact me immediately (663-3276; leave a message on my machine if I'm not there). I need to let them know a couple of days beforehand how many we expect to have show up. If you prefer, you may contact the Adopt-A-Stream program directly (the phone number is below; ask for Joan).
If you wish to contact the HRWC yourself, they are located at 1100 North Main (in the NEW Center), suite 210 (with offices appropriately overlooking the river). The phone number for the Council is 769-5123; for Adopt-A-Stream, 769-5971. I am looking forward to personal as well as Grove involvement. It's good to know that there are so many people interested in looking after our Mother!
Pan, Cernunnos, Herne
Buck, Hart, Stag
Horns, Points, Rack
Tossing your antlered head
Stride straight and tall
Among us. Claim us!
Lord of the Forest,
Master of
the Woods,
Consort of the Land,
Cover Ana as you would a
doe
Saturate her with your vitality
Until she quivers, filled
with life anew
Come again and again
Coupling with each
of your herd
Ejaculate and fill us
With your virile seed
Moisten my intellect
That I might bear wisdom
Impregnate
my soul
'Til I swell and burst with creativity
Let drops of
your glistening maleness
Wet my heart with over-flowing love
Horned God, Regal Hart
Penetrate each and all
With the
total embrace of fertility
Here we stand and wait
with
lust anticipate
that that only you can sate
to propagate
to copulate
to conjugate
to consummate
to climax
and mate
And from the joining
we know prosperity
and abundance await
- Mama Moon
Water has dripped through
here One thousand years
smoothing
a path through
my heart Leading to the
mysteries of my soul
A heartbeat of raindrops
Fluid memories of
a ship a lake
and you
Watery emotions pour
over me Then, as now,
our
joy is an ocean.
- Starbringer
Listen to a chorus
of candles
flickering flames strum
sing to the energy of
fire
Sing to me
white-hot
tongues
secret stories
passion
silent song of
desire
and every once in a while
SNAP
remind us of
life.
- Starbringer
Clouds roll past,
gray fermentations, ominous.
Fall has
returned,
her chilly fingers wrapped
across the earth.
Indian Summer has fled,
the last bold wave of heat
before the
chill sets in.
Winter is approaching,
her gowns of
filigree and lace
sweeping around her.
Her frigid breath
is blowing in the distance.
Flames are lapping high
in
the hearth fire,
fending off the encroachment
of the frozen
wastelands
outside -
But this is the future -
Fall
has yet to release her grasp
on the land.
October is the
crossroads,
as Persephone stumbles down the pathway
to her
fate.
But, soon enough,
Spring will thaw the earth
again.
- Brighn
On this night,
of all the year,
Hecate rides;
the Old
ones now,
once again,
hold dominion.
- Kami
Landy
Do you have an artistic talent? Can you sing or play an instrument? Do you consider yourself a gourmet cook? If so, we need to hear from you! We are cataloging all of the talent Grove members and friends have. We would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out this questionnaire (or a facsimile) and send it to:
Shining Lakes Grove
P O Box 15585
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-5585
or bring it to the next SLG event, and one of us would be glad to
accept it.
1. List artistic talents, such as drawing, painting, and sculpting. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 2. List musical talents, such as instruments and songwriting. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 3. List literary talents, such as prosewriting, poetrywriting, and storytelling. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ 4. List any other hobbies or interests that you have. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Name: Address (optional):
Join us for an evening of fun at Shining Lakes Grove's first monthly Euchre tournament. We'll have food, fun, and prizes for the first, second, and third place teams. Cost is only $6.00 per person or $12.00 per couple. This exciting event will be January 18, 1997 at 7:00 pm. The location is 1325 Rosewood, Ann Arbor. If you have any questions, or wish to pre-register, please call Rob at (313) 487-4931. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!
We currently have information about the Grove, information on the various Guilds, rituals and invocations, and back issues of Ripples. We also have an on-line schedule of Grove events, which is updated regularly.
Our address is:
http://www.msen.com/~robh/slg/
If you would like to submit anything to be added to the page, including
rituals or your own Web address, send mail to:
robh@cyberspace.org
Come join us for our third year, better than ever! The knowledge flows on as we present a wide variety of presentations and rituals from all traditions. Including presentations by:
Also featuring:
We're back at the Southfield Plaza Hotel, President's Day weekend (February 13-16, 1997). And why not join the MECAA family (and get a discount) by helping out... we need lots of help with security, room setup, errands, and all around assistance!
For more information, contact Kami or Michael at (313) 761-1137 or write:
Magical Council of Ann Arbor
P.O. Box 7727
Ann Arbor, MI
48107-7727
Don't forget to get your copy of Sluggy's Pages! Every High Day, enjoy games, puzzles, songs, and interesting lore about our religious traditions.
And parents, remember, Sluggy's Pages are a good way to pass on our faith to the next generation. Since all of our paths are different, won't you sit down with your little ones and use Sluggy's Pages as a way to share your own ways?
So if you missed your copy, look for Mama Moon at the ritual or call (313) 439-0434 today!
- Brighn
Ripples is the quarterly journal of Shining Lakes Grove, ADF, and is published every other high day, or as close to that as possible. Subscriptions are free for current members of the Grove, and $5/year for everyone else. The single copy price is $1.50; back issues are subject to availability. Proceeds from sales defray publishing and mailing costs, or go to the General Fund. Advertising rates are $3 per issue for business card size, $5 per issue for quarter page. Copy must be camera ready.
Please send letters, submissions, artworks, advertisements, or anything
else that seems relevant to:
Brighn
Editor and Grove
Chronicler
206 E. Main #9
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 487
2643
kershawp@pilot.msu.edu
brighn@cyberspace.org
or to
Ripples at the address below.
See volume 3, issue 3 or contact the editor for submission guidelines. The deadline for submissions to volume 4, number 1 is March 2, 1997.
Shining Lakes Grove is the Ann Arbor-based grove of Ár nDraíocht
Féin, an International Druidic Organization. Shining Lakes Grove
presents rituals, Bardic circles, and other events for the NeoPagan
community and the general public. For more information, contact:
Fox
Senior Druid
Shining Lakes Grove, ADF
P.O. Box 15585
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-5585
(313) 665 8428
FoxADF@aol.com
The editor was assisted by:
Visit our Web site at:
http://www.msen.com/~robh/slg
© 1996 Shining Lakes Grove, ADF (copyrights on individual pieces retained by the authors)
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