good morning SGland-
In three daysI will be leaving to go on retreat for a week. This is my 6th year doing this with the same group of people, at the same campground. A large group of pagan-buddhist-nativeamerican leaning spirituality pratitioners meet every year- at a YMCA camp-- yup, that's right- Young, Christian, Mens', Association - always makes me smile; the group opens their season with this week long retreat- and also closes it in mid-october with a more intense, four day retreat - some of the young adults who work there as staff have been there for a few years and know us, and look forward to us. We even have gotten a few of them to rituals.
This year I have much more responsibility than I have ever had in the past. I am doing a wrokshop on gratitude and manifestation-- based upon my work with my first teacher, a Seneca elder and tai chi master - and also "leading" what we call trancedance-- a eyes closed, very gentle circle dance with a drum beat and a breathing exercise, designed to turn off your "monkey mind" and allow you to trance. Some of the men and women I have studied with before-- the crows and ravens- will be there to "spot" so that the circle does not meander its way into a pole or into the lake. I like the energetic spotting role better-- but , as my new teacher said, "someone has to drive the ship" - which is usually her, but now it is my turn to step up.
So- those two new things plus what I have been doing-- helping with the guiser' ball-- a magickal, shapeshifting, edgewalking, "costume" ball with a piece of ritual theatre in the beginning. A dance piece for the main ritual - whcih we learn in two 2 hours sessions - plus my kitchen shift and other work shift, and this year I am spinning poi for opening firelighting circle... sound crazy yet?
oh... right.. and my lovely partner will be building the ancestor shrine and hiolding space there after the grief ritual. So, I have that on my schedule too, and supporting her as she reads from her fabulous new play, of course. That will be fun and easy though.
So - all you lovely women out there is SGland-- please think "sun and stars" and send that thought to western, massachusetts in the US -- so that I can have a lovely , relaxing week and not have to battle cold rain. Since many of the aforementioned activities take place outsdie, in open fields, or on a moutainlake "beach" - rain tends to throw a wrench in the works.
so-- my last day of the semester is today. i turned in my grades yerterday-- and now it is errands to run, laundry to do, packing packing packing... and then try-- with a great miracle-- to fit all this stuff, for two people, into out little 3 cylinder escort. thank goddess my partner can channel McGiver.
And- my tattoo artist will be there - so, maybe more ink for me. Definitely more ink for my teacher... YAY! I get to hold space for that. She wants a women guard... standing guard over her space when she gets work done. The image is an interesting one to me... several women, painted, silent and tattooed, standing with sharpened birch sticks - our makeshift spears.
okay-- time to get things done. I have to find time to dye my hair sometime too... it is very grey now-- I have not dyed it since sept-- but it will be purple soon.
blessings for a lovely spring,
Crystos
In three daysI will be leaving to go on retreat for a week. This is my 6th year doing this with the same group of people, at the same campground. A large group of pagan-buddhist-nativeamerican leaning spirituality pratitioners meet every year- at a YMCA camp-- yup, that's right- Young, Christian, Mens', Association - always makes me smile; the group opens their season with this week long retreat- and also closes it in mid-october with a more intense, four day retreat - some of the young adults who work there as staff have been there for a few years and know us, and look forward to us. We even have gotten a few of them to rituals.
This year I have much more responsibility than I have ever had in the past. I am doing a wrokshop on gratitude and manifestation-- based upon my work with my first teacher, a Seneca elder and tai chi master - and also "leading" what we call trancedance-- a eyes closed, very gentle circle dance with a drum beat and a breathing exercise, designed to turn off your "monkey mind" and allow you to trance. Some of the men and women I have studied with before-- the crows and ravens- will be there to "spot" so that the circle does not meander its way into a pole or into the lake. I like the energetic spotting role better-- but , as my new teacher said, "someone has to drive the ship" - which is usually her, but now it is my turn to step up.
So- those two new things plus what I have been doing-- helping with the guiser' ball-- a magickal, shapeshifting, edgewalking, "costume" ball with a piece of ritual theatre in the beginning. A dance piece for the main ritual - whcih we learn in two 2 hours sessions - plus my kitchen shift and other work shift, and this year I am spinning poi for opening firelighting circle... sound crazy yet?
oh... right.. and my lovely partner will be building the ancestor shrine and hiolding space there after the grief ritual. So, I have that on my schedule too, and supporting her as she reads from her fabulous new play, of course. That will be fun and easy though.
So - all you lovely women out there is SGland-- please think "sun and stars" and send that thought to western, massachusetts in the US -- so that I can have a lovely , relaxing week and not have to battle cold rain. Since many of the aforementioned activities take place outsdie, in open fields, or on a moutainlake "beach" - rain tends to throw a wrench in the works.
so-- my last day of the semester is today. i turned in my grades yerterday-- and now it is errands to run, laundry to do, packing packing packing... and then try-- with a great miracle-- to fit all this stuff, for two people, into out little 3 cylinder escort. thank goddess my partner can channel McGiver.
And- my tattoo artist will be there - so, maybe more ink for me. Definitely more ink for my teacher... YAY! I get to hold space for that. She wants a women guard... standing guard over her space when she gets work done. The image is an interesting one to me... several women, painted, silent and tattooed, standing with sharpened birch sticks - our makeshift spears.
okay-- time to get things done. I have to find time to dye my hair sometime too... it is very grey now-- I have not dyed it since sept-- but it will be purple soon.
blessings for a lovely spring,
Crystos