A Loud Yule with the Wild Hunt

December 18th, 2011

It was a beautiful day for a Yule rite: cool, crisp, and full of sunshine!

This Yule we honored Woden and the Wild Hunt, and tried a few new things. Particularly, we called for the blessings in the Waters in a whole new way. Missy, Seamus, and I stood in the center of two concentric circles moving in opposite directions, while the folk made noise and celebrated with the Hunt that rides across the sky each year around this time. It was cacophanous, crazy, and incredibly loud.

People brought shakers, whistles, drums, and even a vuvuzela! Honestly, it was probably one of the most sonically powerful ritual workings we have ever done (though perhaps not the most tonally pleasant).

We also called out to the Valkyries as our gatekeeper, watching them ride out from the mists of magic, the victory-women of Woden’s band.

As read by our Seer, leesa:

  • Have our offerings been accepted? Othala—Our ancestors are pleased that we are continuing their work.
  • What blessings do the kindreds offer to us? Perthro—the fellowship of the mead hall.
  • What further do the kindreds ask of us? Wunjo—Continue our work with joy.

Taken together: We are blessed not only by the kindreds, but also by the community around us. We are asked to nurture those relationships with joy in our hearts.

Also, those of you who are perceptive may have noted that another rune popped out of my bag when I asked if our offerings had been accepted. I pushed it aside, as I felt that it was pretty much a yes/no question, needing no “clarification” or whatever, and decided at the time it had to do with the other rune I pulled for someone else at the beginning of the reading. However, after I took our omen, I did look at it, and it was ……

Sowilo, the sun :)

Children of Earth, these are good omens.

We also collected a load of toys and blankets for local donation. Thank you to all who came out, and especially to all who were able to donate!

Brightest Yule blessings,
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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A wonderful Samhain weekend!

October 30th, 2011

Once again, our Grove has gathered for Samhain, to remember the blessed dead and honor the deities who take care of those who have gone before. It has been a wonderful and full weekend for all of us.

On Friday night, the Grove co-hosted A Witches’ Ball with Fly-By-Night, which was a wonderful evening of costumes, music, and social time.

At our Samhain rite this year, we honored Hades and Persephone in an Hellenic rite, while the folk brought remembrances of their family, friends, and teachers who are no longer with us.

The rite was solemn, moving, and a bit chilly, but it always is: this is the last ritual of the year that the Cranes hold outdoors, with the next outdoor rite (or, more correctly, the next rite without electric heat) at Spring Equinox. The dark half of the year finds us seeking halls and good company with one another in the enclosed spaces that make our gatherings bright and cheerful.

Our omens from this rite were particularly good, espeically when we consider we were using the Greek Alphabet Oracle, which is known for its somewhat negative outlook on life.

When asked if our offerings were accepted, the gods responded with Alpha: “The God Apollo says you will do everything successfully.” This is a resounding yes; perhaps the best “yes” that could be gotten.

Following this wonderful omen, we asked questions of the Kindreds: The Ancestors brought us a blessing of Epsilon: “You desire to see the offspring of righteous marriages.” The Ancestors ask that we think about the ideas we’ve been considering and work on bringing them to fruition. We should make use of their added knowledge and blend our creativity together. The Spirits of Nature brought us a blessing of Theta: “You have the helping Gods of this path.” There will be aid along the path we are taking. The gods brought us a blessing of Zeta: “Flee the great storm, lest you be disabled in some way.” Be wary and cautious of what you take on and who you interact with. Ignore the drama that may spring up around you, and don’t let it distract you from your path and your tasks.

Taken together these may mean that we should each focus on taking those things we’ve been putting off and start working on them again. We will have new inspiration and the help of the Gods. But we must be wary on this path of who and what we let distract us from our goal, lest we never finish.

Then, the Powers asked of us Upsilon: “The affair holds a noble undertaking.” The Kindreds want us to complete the tasks we’ve put aside. They offer us the gifts and knowledge to complete the tasks, and now just ask that we do so.

Monday the 31st brings a rare ritual for us: Antaranos, the intercalary moon ritual that happens about once every five years on average, re-setting the lunar cycle to the solar cycle. This year, it’s all about the fire and ice, and the recreation of the world.

As we look toward the dark half of the year, there is more work to be done, and there are challenges ahead. Fortunately, we are well equiped with these blessings to meet them full-on. Esto.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Cantlos, the song moon, and our Ancestor Box

October 2nd, 2011

This month brings us the Cantlos Druid Moon, also known as the “Song Moon,” which we have in the past celebrated with such bad (but oh so fun) ideas as Druid Karaoke and “singing a really hard song no one has ever tried to sing before.”

This year, it brought us Missy, working on her Bardic Study Program work, singing several pieces through the rite, and teaching us several as well.

This rite included a number of chants, including:

  • “Sing Through My Voice”
  • “Mothers and Fathers of Old”
  • “Fur and Feather”
  • “Gods and Goddesses”
  • “Hymn to the Ancient Wise”
  • “Fire in my Heart”

Before Missy arrived and became our Grove Bard, I admit, we sang like cranes. If you’ve never heard a crane sing, you can hear a crane “Unison Call” on the “Bring Back the Cranes” website (more calls on this page). Really, it was pretty bad.

But our intrepid Grove Bard never gave up, and she worked with us to almost make some of us sound great sometimes. I have hope for the future of our own vocalizations.

This rite went very well, and the omens were good:

What should the Groves path be?:
Luis, The Rowan – the groves path is one of being magically blessed and protected while we magically bless and protect!

Upon what should the Grove focus until the next Druid Moon?:
Beith, The Birch – The grove should focus on the new beginnings it has initiated or will be initiating.

Upon what should each individual focus until the next Druid Moon?:
Idho, The Yew – The individuals of our grove should focus on surrendering those elements of our lives which no longer serve us well, those things which have outlived their purpose. This must be done so that the new beginnings we have initiated can begin to manifests themselves.

Taken together these might suggest the following: The Grove and its individuals are called upon to begin new works of blessing and protecting of each other and our communities. To undertake this, we must first begin by surrendering those things which have outlived their purpose. Only by emptying our cup of the holdovers and dregs can we truly have room to begin the new manifestations. The universe awaits and supports our new awesomeness!

I always look forward to Cantlos (I even did when we could not sing well), because it is the time that we open the Ancestor Box. The Ancestor Box is a Grove tradition, where we place items within the box that remind us of our family and friends that have gone before us. The box is sealed each year at our Samonios rite in November, but for a full lunar month (two lunar months this year, since there is an intercalary month between Cantlos and Samonios), the box remains open and available to the folk to visit with their ancestors again.

This is important because it allows us to build a sense of community around our shared ancestors: as our ancestors, no matter where they came from or who they were in life, are introduced to the ancestors of others in our Grove, we become more closely entwined as a community. The Box, then “creates” a shared ancestry that everyone in the Grove can look upon and remember.

As we work toward that ritual at the end of the month, Samhain, having our Ancestors with us is a wonderful thing.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Our Ninth Year Passed, On To Ten!

September 18th, 2011

Autumnal Equinox is always an amazing ritual for me. When we started this shindig back in 2002, two of us fumbling in the dark with scripts and a dying fire, things were very different. We knew that we had something special, though. We just didn’t know how special.

This year, we swore in new officers: lees remains the Senior Druid, and Paul and Bonnie took oaths as treasurer and secretary, respectively.

We added a new stanza to the Grove Poem. We are not sure if this will be the last: after nine years, the poem is very long. We may build a new poem, or we may do something else to trumpet our history in the coming years. We’re very proud of what we have, so it won’t be an easy decision, either way.

Our omens were good, as well:

Have our offerings been accepted?
- Laguz: the outpouring of waters; yes. The well of renewal and blessing, welling up from below, filling the spaces and bringing the gifts of the Kindreds to us.

What do the Kindreds offer us in return?
- Kenaz: the fire of fellowship; the torch-lined hall where the folk gather. We are offered fellowship and joy in one another.

What further needs do the Powers have of us?
- Ingwaz: the god from the east; fertility and new beginnings, planting and preparing ourselves.

I loved the well and the fire making an appearance here in this rite. I loved, too, the fertility aspect appearing where we celebrate the end of nine years and the beginning of our tenth.

It was a dark night and we didn’t have a shelter with power, which made things a bit complicated when the sun went down, but we’d been there before. Still, it was a wonderful evening, and we all had a lot of fun.

Here’s to the joy of those first nine years, and the potential of the many years to come!

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Lughnasadh 2011

August 21st, 2011

I’ve never written one of these blog entries, but I felt particularly moved to write something after our most recent Lughnasadh ritual.

For those that know, last year we were blessed with the opportunity to perform our Lughnasadh ritual at the Dublin Irish Festival, the second largest such festival in the country.  For years, pagans in the Central Ohio area had dreamed of having their own ritual there, at the same time as the Catholic and Protestant services.  Thanks to the tenacity of a few community members (who I won’t mention here, as I don’t know how out they want to be, but I’ll gladly sing their praises) we got our opportunity last year, and were blow away by the attendance.  Not just by the pagan community, who we knew would be tremendously supportive, but by a significant number of other people.   Some may have been curious about  just what this druid thing was.  Others, especially the late arrivals, may have heard music, saw people sitting under a tent, and figured one service was as good as another, and sat down.   I expect they were fairly surprised, yet no one ran away screaming, their hands over their children’s ears.   The reception was wonderful, and the folks at DIF, after some initial awkwardness, seem to have just accepted us as one of the other churches.

This year, we were a little more experienced, but still fairly excited that they had actually invited us back.  While I won’t reveal details of the contract, it was clear we were on the same playing field as the other churches.  Even the stage announcements they had me read, instead of saying “church” said “church/grove.”   Once again we had a fair number of pagans there, but we also had many people I did not recognize.  Next year (and I’m still excited to say next year) I think I’m going to find a way to ask the crowd why they are here if they aren’t pagan.

This year had additional blessings.  In addition to tremendous support from the local pagan community, we also had guests from groves in our region.  There were several people in attendance from both Shining Lakes Grove and Cedarsong Grove.  Emerald represented Sassafras, and Ian and Sue represented Stone Creed.  We were also blessed to have Ian sit in with Jeff and Missy as part of our musical section, playing drums.  In addition, well wishes for the day poured in over Facebook, and in e-mails.

 

With all of this support, and in reading other blogs with people’s impressions and reactions to the day, I must say I am very humbled.   One other ADF member said that we ‘set a high bar for others to strive for,’ which, while flattering, is inaccurate.  We can only set the bar that high because we stand on the shoulders of the rest of ADF.  Were it not for the work done by all ADF’s members, I don’t doubt that Dublin did their due diligence in checking out this whole “ADF” thing, and our fame and reputation as an international church is what made this possible.  It is because of the good work of all groves and members of ADF that we are able to move closer into the mainstream.  We take our inspiration from all of those around us.

So to those that inspire us, to those that sent well-wishes, and those who made the journey, we say THANK YOU!

Last year, when we did our first DIF rite, Isaac was comatose.  I reflected that morning how we were living his vision, that we were standing on equal footing with the mainstream religions, treated no differently.  We videotaped the rite and rushed it to him.  I hope it was played for him, and I hope he could hear it, even as he was drifting closer to the veil.   This year, I felt his presence again, as we once again lived his vision, strengthening our ties to the community around us, and serving the Kindreds publicly and proudly.   Hopefully, other groves can seek out other similar festivals in their areas, and use Dublin as an example (“Hey, THEY have druids!”).  We will be proud to make the trip to support them.

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The Dublin Irish Festival: 327!

August 8th, 2010

It is exceedingly rare that any religious functionary can point to a ritual and say, “Yes, even from my point of view, that rite was virtually flawless.”

But today, I can point to such a rite.

Today, we honoured the lady of the land, Tailtiu, at the Dublin Irish Festival. The sheer magnitude of the rite can best be described in numbers:

  • Attendance: 327, at least
  • Donations: $200.08 (given to St. Brigid’s charities)

Other important things to note:

  • The Dublin Irish Festival is the second largest Irish Festival in the world, drawing over 100,000 attendees each year. (.pdf about this year’s festival)
  • Our service occurred concurrently with Gaelic Masses, Protestant services, and Interdenominational services. At no time did anyone suggest that we fell under the “interdenominational” category. We worked on a stage, were listed in the schedule, and were provided all the amenities provided to other faiths at the festival.
  • Many people we had never met commented about how great it was that there was finally a Pagan representative event at the festival, and that this was a “missing piece” in their religious and cultural experience at the festival.
  • Exactly zero people commented that we shouldn’t be there.

But the most important thing? The Cranes showed up.

I don’t mean that we arrived at the site, or that we came and did our usual ritual; no, our Grove reached deeply within themselves, cradled the fire of piety in their hands, and brought it forth to show the world, kindling it in the hearts of others as they did so.

The commitment that the Grove (and many friends of the Grove, official and unofficial) showed to this ritual was inspiring and moving. Those with parts attended rehearsals, wrote their parts well in advance, memorized them, and took constructive criticism without taking offense. Those without parts brought friends and family to the ritual, advertised heavily among the community, participated fully in the rite, and helped lead others when we decided to forgo our usual extended pre-ritual briefing. Then there are those who went to Dublin, unasked by us, because they felt that we were the best representatives of the Pagan community to do this thing and who supported us every step of the way.

From start to finish, the ritual flowed as easily as water flows downhill. Nervousness was overcome and joy is what was presented to the Folk. In short, the ritual was as close to flawless as we could have asked for, thanks to the work and love the Cranes put into it.

Sure, there were little things that weren’t perfect: this being our first time working with microphones, we didn’t all get right up to them when we started; the layout of the site was a bit awkward for dispersing the Waters of Life; and the goddess we honoured in the rite had her name spelled wrong in the program. But honestly, there’s nothing in the litany of “little things” that makes anything add up to anything close to “a real problem.” In hindsight, enumerating them seems more like nit-picking than anything else.

Near the end of the ritual, we called for omens, as we always do. Our omens in this rite were as follows:

What Blessing do the Ancestors have for us?
Duir, The Oak – Strength

What Blessings do the Spirits of Nature Have for us?
Oir, The Spindle Tree – The Blessings of our Home and Hearth

What Blessings do the Shining Ones have for us?
Ur, The Heather – The Blessings of the Homelands

Taken together these might suggest “The Kindreds remind us that true and lasting Strength flows from the sacred hearth of the Home, and from the sacred soil of our Homelands”

Good omens, indeed, for a ritual such as this. They were, in fact, ideal.

This rite wrapped up our eighth year of High Day rituals (we have seen 64 total High Days as a Grove). Our next rite, Autumnal Equinox, begins our progression to our ninth anniversary. The Cranes have come far from two guys reading scripts in the darkness.

This is Isaac’s Vision, come to life.

I am immensely proud of the Cranes, and I am not ashamed to admit it.
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Celebrating Beltaine, Dancing the Maypole

May 2nd, 2010

Today was the feast of Beltaine, a rite of shining summer and the budding life coming back into full blossom and bloom. The rite was led by Shawneen.

The beings of the occasion were Belenos and Belisama, and we were forced to work under the shelter since there was no fire pit outside, only a fireplace inside (the metropark had just finished remodeling the Hickory Grove shelter we were using). This worked out well, though, as the area was quite muddy and the folk were able to gather beneath the roof and our celebrants could be heard much better.

This was a wonderful rite, and we had many people dance the maypole (I believe we ended with around 20 people trying to weave in and out). We worked heavily with fire, calling on Two Fires instead of the usual “watery” and “starry” powers of the Two Powers, and they were a fire of Inspiration and a fire of Sacrifice.

As we drew omens, our seer indicated the following were offered to us by the Kindreds:

  • Have our offerings been accepted?
    Emancoll, The Witch Hazel: Magical protection. . . that would be a heck yes!
  • What blessings do the kindred have or us?
    Phagos, The Beech: Ancient and ancestral knowledge, particularly written
  • What more do the Kindreds ask of us?
    Ngetal, The Broom: The Kindreds ask us to cleanse ourselves and to heal ourselves and those that apply for healing.

Further, our seer informs us: “Taken together this might suggest: Magically protected and with the ancient knowledge we are called upon to cleanse and heal ourselves and the folk!”

These are good omens indeed! The energy from the maypole was sent back into the earth, to heal our Mother, as She is hurting now, particularly around the Gulf coast.

In addition, if you missed it, I was a featured guest last week on BlogTalk Radio, talking about ADF. You can find the archive at http://bit.ly/bkT20r (Apr. 25th show), and the Grove spent the day at the Ohio State University Rennaissance Faire practicing divination and enjoying good company on May 1st.

May the bright fires of inspiration and sacrifice burn within all this Beltaine season!
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Rituals, omens, publishing, and more!

March 21st, 2010

This week, the Grove celebrated two rituals: Ogronios, the end of the cold moon; and the Spring Equinox. Because the Druid Moon ritual was on Saturday, we’ll start with that.

We did the ritual out at Shepard’s Corner, where they keep a labyrinth. Our ritual was done around dusk, and moved into darkness quickly. We inducted three new Grove members, and drew omens for the evening:

  • What is our path?
    Ing – Fertility and the earth, a good omen for this time of year.
  • On what should the Grove focus until the next Druid Moon?
    Kenaz – The torch, light of the fire of fellowship. We should focus on our fellowship.
  • On what should each individual focus until the next Druid Moon?
    Tiwaz – The right path, the way of truth, the guiding star. Each of us should focus on our way.

For Spring Equinox, our ritual team came up with the creative notion of hiding eggs for children to find before the ritual. Each egg had a rune written on it in clear wax, and during the omens, three were drawn at random for the omen and dyed right on the altar. It was spectacular to watch, and added a lot of energy to the work. The omens for Spring Equinox were:

  • Have our offerings been accepted?
    Oþila – Ancestral land and holdings, wealth; they have been accepted!
  • What do the Powers offer us in return?
    Tiwaz – The guided path, the right way.
  • What further needs do the Kindreds have of us?
    Laguz – An overflowing of blessings.

Of note, we found that the first omen was actually (Ingwaz) when we re-examined the omens after the rite: the wax was not easy to read, and so first impressions were Oþila. It is the opinion of our priests that the omen, as read in ritual, is what is important, but understanding that the omen is also tempered by this other omen is important as well.

It is very interesting that these omens are very internally consistent between the two days, and leaves us with great food for thought as a Grove.

Also, Garanus Publishing officially opened this week: readers of this blog get a bit of a head’s up. On the site are several books by our members and by the Order of the Crane:

It has been a busy winter, but a good one for the Cranes!

Finally, I hear that a working that was done by Silver Falls Grove, ADF, at their Spring Equinox ritual, and it was very successful. I add my own prayers to theirs.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Anagantios, the stay-at-home month

February 21st, 2010

Written 2/18/2010, posted 2/21/2010

I watched the Anagantios moon set in the west as I drove home, reflecting on the day. Awake at 3:30 AM and out the door by 5 AM, I began the ritual that has come to mean so much to me over the years: our “Stay-At-Home Moon” ritual, in which the Grove Priest travels from member house to member house, lighting the flame of our Grove’s devotion and illuminating and warming the home in this frigid month.

This year I was able to bring Rev. James “Seamus” Dillard with me, as he is now also a Grove Priest. The company and help was invaluable to me today, and it helped me to know that our future as a growing Grove would include secure traditions like this one, where our members can have a day when they can request that a Priest come to their house and bless it, and our membership numbers will not outgrow the availability of our Grove Priests.

What is so special about this moon to me is that I get to spend time not only with Grove members I know well in their own homes, but I often get to see members, new and old, that I either haven’t had a chance to connect with or that I have sorely missed over the time they have been away.

It is very special to me to spend that time with the members who ask me into their homes. The 212 miles traveled today were priceless to me in terms of joy and fulfillment.

But, for now, it is the end of a very long day; it is time for me to do a final house blessing (my own) and to fall asleep in preparation for tomorrow.

But I do so with the vision of that Anagantios moon gracefully setting to the west, and good conversation bringing a smile to my lips.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Welcoming a new ADF Priest into the Grove

February 7th, 2010

This week, the ADF Clergy Council approved Rev. James “Seamus” Dillard for clergy credentials, meaning that as a Grove, we now have two active priests. I cannot express how wonderful I think this is, actually, and I’ve written (and deleted) a few attempts at it so far.

Over the past few years, it has become increasingly obvious that our Grove has grown to the point where more than one ADF Priest is needed in order for us to continue offering service at the level that we have been offering it, not only to our own Grove, but to the community at large.

And with a new Priest, I look forward to how we will expand and improve the services we offer as a Grove.

Welcome, Seamus, to the ADF Priesthood. Know that your Grove stands behind you as they always have, and that we know you will serve both the Kindreds and us well.
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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