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Shining Lakes News
A Newsletter for Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F.
Summer Solstice 2004 - Vol. 11, No. 3
A Mannanan Shriners' Convention?
One Saturday,
back in the days when our Grove did the Sacred Hunt twice a year, our intrepid
Hunters ended their day’s travels, lay down their backpacks, and went in search
of water. They went downhill (obviously—how did Jack and Jill find water at the
top of a hill, anyway?) to the shore of Island Lake. Once there, they found a
circular area jutting out into the lake, with the landside edge fenced by trees.
They also heard a crane call. It didn’t take long for them to decide that this
liminal (in-between) space must be sacred to Mannanan. The task was given to An
Bruane: set up a shrine to Mannanan there.
A few weeks later, we went out at dusk (another kind of liminal space) to ask the local Nature Spirits if we could use this space. They agreed, provided that we offer food every time we visit. No problem there! We set up a triangle of sticks as an offering space for the food, found an appropriately sized and shaped rock to serve as a Mannanan altar, and hung one of our Grove necklaces from the tree in the center of the circle. We went out there regularly to honor Mannanan, especially before Samhain, when we honor him especially. We often collected water from the swampy edge of the shrine area to use in our evening Samhain ritual.
It’s been a few years since I've been out, personally, and I think it’s high time we went back. We had scheduled a trip on June 14th, but a false report of strong rain from weather.com (now known by me as “weatherLIARS!.com”) convinced me to postpone it to the 21st, which gives me a chance to invite all of you to join us! We’ll meet at my house (1910 Hill St., Ann Arbor, 734-262-1052) at 7 pm and head out to the site. Yes, everyone is welcome, even non-members. If you’re the sort who complains that we don’t do enough spiritual stuff when it isn’t a High Day, well, now here’s your chance. Make the most of it!
Yours in service to the Kindreds and the Grove,
Rev.
Rob Henderson, Senior Druid
Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Rd., Ann Arbor
11 am – 9 pm, August 7, 2004
An all-day festival and Ár nDraíocht Féin Lughnasadh ritual combined. From opening to closing
we will be celebrating and honoring our Gods in the sacred space of the festival with
our Games, our Talents, and our Wits! A truly unique event.
Featuring:
- Main Rite of Lughnasadh
- Presentations & Workshops
- Potluck Dinner & Dessert Contest
- Games for Grove Champion
Located on the banks of the Huron River, Gallup Park provides an excellent site for our festival. Canoes and paddleboat rentals are available for traveling on the river, and several islands can be reached by footbridge.
How much will it cost to attend? It’s free! But there is a suggested $10 donation to help us cover our costs.
We need volunteers! If you would like to lead a class, workshop,
or ritual, or help organize the festival, please contact us.
(734) 998-1029 * robh@cyberspace.org
* www.shininglakes.org
Community Service
By Jude Howison
You may have noticed that there are volunteer activities in our calendar each quarter. What you may not know is why.
The vision Isaac Bonewits had for ADF was one of a thriving, respected public religion—one that would have Groves in many cities and towns. This vision included congregations active in their communities. As such, Groves are required to perform community service projects and report these activities to the Mother Grove.
Much to our chagrin, our community service projects have not been well attended lately. We’ve focused our projects on the Huron River, since we have a firm connection to Ana, the river’s Goddess. Most likely we will continue participating in these activities, but we are open to suggestions for other projects that may be of interest to you. Some possibilities could be making lap quilts for nursing homes, collecting for food banks, or cleaning up city parks.
On a more positive note, our Humane Society drive at Yule last year went very well, showing just how generous our Grovemates can be!
Since the purpose of these community projects is to have our Grove active in the community, please let us know what activities you feel are interesting and worthwhile.
The Guilds (continued!)
By Jude Howison
Warriors and Naturalists
At first glance these may seem to be strange bed-fellows. But think about it. Both Warriors and Naturalists protect and preserve. The Warriors protect people and property while preserving the peace within. The Naturalists protect Mother Earth and preserve healthy resources for our use.
The Warriors Guild within ADF promotes
the ancient ideals of the warrior. To our ancestors a warrior was more than
a soldier. He or she did not just go to fight wars, they also served as peace
keepers within society. The warrior was a respected member of the community
to whom children (and adults) could look up. The warrior was expected to maintain
high moral values as well as a strong body. So you don’t have to be a tri-athlete
to join the Warriors Guild, just have a desire to build your strength of character
as well as your body.
The Naturalists are warriors
of a different sort. They fight for our long-term survival by protecting and
preserving our natural resources. You don’t have to be a botanist or zoologist
to participate with the Naturalists Guild; they are concerned with everything
from rainforests to recycling. There are discussions about the environment of
the Grand Canyon and about how to live a little more “green” in your daily life.
So you see, the Naturalists Guild has much to offer whether your goals are lofty
or centered in a loft apartment.
Shining Lakes has an active Warriors Guild that meets the first Sunday of every
month along with the Magicians and Healers Guilds. Our local chapter of the
Naturalists Guild has been dormant for a while, but if you are interested, please
let Rob, Rod, or me know and we will be happy to help you get things going again.
As always, if you would like more information, please grab me at the next get
together.
SLG Leadership Council
Senior Druid
Rob Henderson robh@cyberspace.org
Assistant Senior Druid
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net
Administrator
Jude Howison uputat@yahoo.com
Scribe
Jude Howison uputat@yahoo.com
Pursewarden
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net
Chronicler
Genevieve Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com
Outreach Coordinator
(position open)
Youth Activities Coordinator
(position open)
SLG Guild Leaders
Magicians' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net
Warriors' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net
Healers' Guild
Rodney Cox uberrod@comcast.net
Producers' Guild (unofficial)
Gen Stoyak gstoyak@hotmail.com
No e-mail access? Contact our officers at our snail-mail address or phone number.
Shining Lakes News (©2004) is published by Shining Lakes Grove, A.D.F.,
P.O. Box 1732, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, (734) 262-1052. For information about SLN,
contact the Chronicler at gstoyak@hotmail.com
or (734) 262-1462. For information about Shining Lakes Grove, contact the Senior
Druid at (734) 262-1052 or robh@cyberspace.org,
or visit www.shininglakes.org.
Rob Henderson, SLG
Webmaster
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