Shining Lakes News

A Newsletter for Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F.

Spring Equinox 2002 - Vol. 9, No. 4

What's the Difference Between "Pagan" and "New Age"? . . . About 80 Bucks *

When I look back at the twelve years I've been involved with pagan groups of various sorts, one of the things that stands out is the diversity of our backgrounds. When the gods call to us to follow the old ways, they call some very different people! And as I've often said, this is a good thing. If we're to be a real religion, and not merely some polytheistic deity fan club, we need to reach out and include everyone. As a polytheist, I believe in many different deities, who each have their own perceptions, feelings, and goals, and it only makes sense that the people who worship them would be just as distinctive.

I was reminded of this diversity of worldviews last month at ConVocation, when so many folks from different traditions gathered together for a weekend to share their worldviews and experiences. One of the topics that seemed to have the biggest differences in perception was the old "money" issue. Some people felt that $75 was way too much to spend for the weekend; others were amazed at how little it cost to get in. Some of the same classes being offered at the convention cost well over $75 when they are held privately. (For comparison purposes, my mother is spending this weekend at a drumming retreat in California, and she is paying $300 just for the class. That's not including airfare, lodging, or anything else.)

Obviously I won't give anyone a definite answer of what is "right" in this case. If you think $75 is a lot of money to spend for ConVocation, I doubt I'll be able to convince you otherwise. Some pagans feel it's wrong to charge money for any kind of teaching, and while I don't agree with that, it's certainly their right to feel that way.

I will point out, though, that both Shining Lakes Grove and our parent organization Ár nDraíocht Féin are committed to building and nurturing a pagan community. This can mean many things, depending on who you ask. Having our own building for rituals and other events, having an educational program for our adults and our children, doing public service work, holding a large festival or two each year . . . the list is limited only by our imagination. Sadly, our ability to actually do any of these things is limited by our money and our volunteers.

For this reason, the Leadership Council has decided to publish the Grove's financial information in Shining Lakes News. As I mentioned before, money issues lead to some very different perceptions, and we'd like our members to share a similar foundation for a realistic perception about the Grove's finances.

Right now, we are blessed to be here, during the early years of a new religious movement that can change our selves and our world for the better. I ask everyone reading this, whether a member of SLG or not, to decide what they want our Grove can do to make the world a better place, and to make our own continued from page one lives better. And then we need to ask ourselves what we can do to actually make it happen. And then we need to actually do those things. Dreams are great, but making your dreams come true is even better. And as a community working together, I know that we can make our shared dreams come true.

Yours in service to the Kindreds and the Grove,
Rob Henderson, Senior Druid

*As quoted by a rather cynical college student back in 1991.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; there is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. - Henry David Thoreau

Dawn by the Shore of the Big Lake

Maybe you're the kind of person who can get up at four in the morning without too much difficulty. Maybe you're the sort of person who has an easier time just staying awake until the sun comes up. Either way, you'll want to be with us in the early hours on May 4th, when we make our annual journey to Big Lake in Oakland County, the source of the Huron River.

The Dawn Beltaine Rite is based on a horse blessing ritual from ancient Gaul, in which waters from a spring were held up to the first rays of sunlight in the morning. Paddling out to the center of the lake in a canoe, we (well, as many of us who can fit in the canoe) sink our offerings into the water, while those of us on the shore sing softly to Ana. We then collect water from the lake and bring it back to the shore. Just before the sun rises behind the trees, a young woman holds up the bowl of water , and as the first rays of light on Beltaine morn enter the bowl, we sing to Bel and ask him to bless the water. This is the water we use through the coming year in our rituals and other workings.

Everyone is invited to join us for this lovely and moving rite. We'll meet at Botsford Recreation Preserve, where our Fire Watch will still be going on, and carpool to Big Lake at around 4:45 am.

SLG Financial Report: February 2002

Total Income (includes membership dues, raffle, donations, and merchandise sales): $936.00
Total Expenses: (includes newsletter printing, site rental, bank fees, and ConVocation expenses) $1,578.92
Current Total in Bank Account as of 2/28/02: $240.62

SLG congratulates Rev. Robert Henderson on his lay clergy ordination from A.D.F. He can now legally perform weddings and funerals, and is one of only 10 people in A.D.F. with clergy status (and now two of these are in our very own Grove!).

SLG Leadership Council

Senior Druid
Rob Henderson robh@cyberspace.org

Assistant Senior Druid
Rodney Cox UberRod@aol.com

Administrator
Don Clayton wittke@home.net

Scribe
Deanna Justice sjdeannaj@hotmail.com

Pursewarden
Rodney Cox UberRod@aol.com

Chronicler
Genevieve Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com

Outreach Coordinator
(position open)

Youth Activities Coordinator
(position open)

SLG Guild Leaders

Magicians' Guild
Rodney Cox UberRod@aol.com

Warriors' Guild
Rodney Cox UberRod@aol.com

Healers' Guild
Rodney Cox UberRod@aol.com

Naturalists' Guild
Fred Wark fllwark@htonline.com

Producers' Guild (unofficial)
Gen Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com

Those without e-mail access can contact our officers at our snail-mail address or phone number.

Shining Lakes News (©2002) is published eight times a year by Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F., P.O. Box 1732, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, (734) 697-2514. For information about SLN, contact the Chronicler at (734) 495-0813 or gstoyak@hotmail.com. For information about Shining Lakes Grove, contact the Senior Druid at (248) 446-0730 or robh@cyberspace.org.

Web Hosting · Blog · Guestbooks · Message Forums · Mailing Lists
Allwebco Web Templates · Build your own toolbar · Free Talking Character · Audio, Fonts, Clipart
powered by bravenet.com