Shining Lakes News

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

Yule 2000 - Vol. 8, No. 2

Bríd is Coming . . . Are You Ready?

One of the most eagerly anticipated High Days of our year is coming up next: Imbolc. This is the holiday when we honor Bríd, our Grove's hearth goddess. This holiday also has many traditions associated with it, from the ancient Celts to the modern-day Irish. I thought I'd share some of those traditions with you, so you'll be ready to welcome Bríd into your home, and into our rite in February.

One of the traditional ways to honor Bríd at this time of year is to clean your home. The concept of "spring cleaning" has its origins in this practice. And really, when would you rather be doing your annual indoor cleaning? When there are several feet of snow on the ground, or when the flowers are blooming and the birds singing? You may want to use a birch branch to symbolically sweep the floors, as birch is a tree associated with new beginnings.

Another Imbolc tradition is the making of Bríd Crosses, which we use during the Brídeog (see below). Bríd Crosses are woven out of straw, in much the same way that a Native American "God's Eye" is made. The crosses are traditionally hung over the doors of the home, and protect the home from fire. We'll start making our Bríd Crosses, along with the Bríd dolly itself, at our An Bruane session on January 18th. And we'll continue with the Bríd Crosses at Craft Night on January 23rd.

One of my favorite Grove traditions for Imbolc is the Brídeog, which we've been doing since 1997. It will be held on February 2nd and 3rd this year. Based on a more modern Irish tradition, it consists of travelling from home to home with our Bríd dolly, called a "brídeog" (BREEJ-oag) in Irish Gaelic. The travelling party (a.k.a the Biddies) enters the home carrying the dolly, along with several hand puppets, and singing loudly. The dolly is then carried through the house as blessings are said. The biddies then ask for an offering of food to help the needy - we accept non-perishable food for Food Gatherers. They then give the household a Bríd Cross (see above) and depart on their merry way to the next home. (If you'd like the Biddies to visit your home this year, contact us at 734-487-4931 or robh@cyberspace.org.)

The night before each High Day rite, we hold our Fire Watch, an all-night vigil to tend the ritual fire. The Imbolc Fire Watch is particularly significant, because Bríd was believed to travel the world on the night before her holiday, accompanied by the cow that nursed her when she was an infant. During our Fire Watch, we hang two cloths from a bush near the fire. This gives Bríd a chance to visit us during the night and bless them. One of the cloths is cut up into pieces, and the pieces are distributed to the women and children of the community, to bring Bríd's protection. The other cloth, called the Bratach Bríd, is one of our Grove relics, and kept from year to year to accumulate Bríd's blessings. The Bratach Bríd was a traditional tool of midwives, used during the birthing process to ensure a safe deilvery for both mother and child. Our own Bratach has been present at two births so far.

Finally, the Imbolc rite itself will be held on February 10th this year. I can't give many details on the ritual, since we haven't created it yet! Our Liturgists' Roundtable will be held on January 16th and 30th, and anyone (Grove member or not) is encouraged to attend and help us design our rite.

I hope that these ideas help you to celebrate Imbolc in your own household, and I hope you all have a chance to join us in our community celebration as well! For the dates, times, and locations of the meetings mentioned in this article, see the calendar in this newsletter, or call 734-487-4931 or e-mail robh@cyberspace.org. Also, for more information on Bríd and Imbolc, Fox has written a few articles about them, which you can see at: http://www.msen.com/~robh/slg/deities/bridol.html

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

Grove News & Notes

PLEDGE DRIVE TIME!

No, SLG hasn't suddenly turned into PBS. But we do need your support. Since the Grove was founded, Fox has been kind enough to let us use his personal deity statues on our altars, and we are very grateful for this. We think it's time for us to have our own statues for the altars. It will cost us $110 to get our own statues of Lugh, Aren, and Brid. We are asking for contributions to help cover this cost. Any extra money that we collect will be used to purchase containers for the statues (to make sure Rob doesn't break any more of them) and to buy materials for the Producers' Guild to make new altar cloths. Look for the "pledge drive" coffee can at our Yule and Imbolc rituals, or you can bring a donation to any Grove meeting, or mail it to us at:

Shining Lakes Grove
Attn. Statuary Pledge Drive
P.O. Box 1732
Ann Arbor, MI 48106

A NOTE OF THANKS

I'd like to give my personal thanks to Annette Gabriel and Basia Kawka for their time of service on the Grove's Leadership Council. Your ideas and energy have helped us continue and grow. And I'd also like to welcome and congratulate Fred Wark, the new Guild Leader for the Naturalist Guild! -Rob

BYLAWS AMENDMENT

Motion (Jan Henderson, seconded by Don Clayton) to replace paragraph eleven of Article 7 with the following:

Youth Activities Coordinator-Shall be responsible for the youth religious education program. Program materials will focus on daily practice as well as celebration of the High Day Rituals. The materials will be reviewed by the Liturgists to ensure that they are appropriate for the ritual as well as to coordinate the appropriate time(s) for children to participate in the High Day celebration. Program materials will also be reviewed by the Leadership Council. The YAC will ensure that materials are provided to all families with children to help them integrate religious practice into their daily lives as well as to celebrate our eight High Days. The YAC is not responsible for providing child-care services. The term of office for the Youth Activities Coordinator shall be one year.

Motion PASSES: 9 yes, 1 absent (Fred Wark). This bylaw change will take effect on January 15th.

Dear Parents of Shining Lakes Grove . . .

I have both the responsibility and the honor of being the new Shining Lakes Grove Youth Activities Coordinator. I'm looking foward to having the opportunity to work with the children of the Grove and their parents, in the spiritual development of the children.

Our Youth Activities Program cannot exist without the participation of the Grove's children and parents' support and input. I would like to have your ideas, suggestions, and expectations for the Grove's part in your children's spiritual development. I can be reached by phone at (517) 372-5483 or by e-mail at servespirit@voyager.net. Even if you don't have any specific ideas for me now, please contact me with your phone number and e-mail address so I can inform your children of upcoming youth activities.

Children have unique needs when it comes to spirit and adult ritual doesn't necessarily help children meet those needs. One aspect of the Youth Activities Program is to help kids by encouraging their awareness of spirit and their connection to the sacred. Some ways to accomplish this include meditation, storytelling, grounding, drawing, and activities that encourage cooperation and teamwork.

The Youth Activities Program is intended to integrate and enhance-not replace or interfere with-your family's current spiritual practice. Your cooperation and input are needed so this can be accomplished. I look foward to your input, and to meeting and learning with your children.

Walk in wisdom,
Kirn Greymalkin

Help Keep Ana Healthy - Join the Stonefly RoundUp!

The Naturalists' Guild would like to invite all Grove members to participate in this fun and educational annual event on January 13. Children are welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult. (The following text is courtesy of Director Joan Martin.)

Did you know that stoneflies grow rapidly in the middle of winter while most of the fish are dormant and won't eat them?

You can help to evaluate the quality of the Huron River and learn about the vibrant life teeming underwater at the January workshop with the award-winning Adopt-A-Stream Program on Saturday, January 13th. No experience is needed; each team will be led by an experienced collector, so you don't have to go into the water. However, you must preregister in order to be placed on a team: call (734) 769-5971 or email jmartin@hrwc.org. Meet at 1 pm in the NEW Center in Ann Arbor and carpool to two stream sites. We will finish by 4 pm. Join us!

(Note: You might also contact Naturalists' Guild Leader Fred Wark or any Naturalists' Guild member.)

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