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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Bringing the Light In: Imbolc 2010

January 31st, 2010

As we have done for so many years, since our first Imbolc rite in Jenni’s apartment (where we drew a whopping 23 people!), 46 people came together to honour Brigando, read a poem, light 20 candles, and do work in preparation for the time ahead.

As we like to do, we mixed up the parts a bit, and brought new members and friends into the mix for this ritual. This ritual has not changed much since the first year we worked it, and many of the elements are exactly the same from that first year. This is a special rite to many of us, often marking an anniversary of first attendance for so many of our friends.

This evening’s ritual lasted a full hour and a half, which was a bit longer than usual. But, by the end, we had done much work and received many blessings. These are the omens from the rite:

Are our offerings accepted? – Ngetal, the broom: Cleansing and healing. The offerings are accepted indeed.

What do the Powers offer in return? – Oir, the spindle: Hearth and home. They offer us the blessings of fellowship with those close to us and the joy of family.

What further needs to the Powers have of us? – Emancoll, the witchhazel: Powerful magics. We are to work our will in the world through these blessings.

Taken together, these omens indicate that through cleansing and healing, we will find joy in one another and our families. Through this, we will work powerful magics as we move through the world.

These are good omens, indeed, and they played perfectly into the work of the evening.

We began our work by providing each person some time with a brideog, brought around the circle by two children in our midst. During this, we actually managed to sing a song that was done in rounds, something our Grove has actually never managed before. After that, we brought out the healing blanket that we had begun at last Imbolc: our Grove Artisan, Ravenna had led the final effort to put it together, and we re-blessed the blanket with the energy of those present. Following that, we presented a new book, created by Joe, to the folk, noting that the book we have been using since Yule of 2006 is now almost out of pages.

This rite was a beautiful synthesis between what we have done in the past and what we will do in the future. It spoke very much to the work we do today and the history we have yet to make.

Every ritual, I am more and more proud of this Grove. Tonight was certainly no exception.

Hail to the Cranes.
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Reflecting on where we have been, and where we are going

December 20th, 2009

This week, the light begins to return, and tomorrow night our Grove will gather to celebrate the December Druid Moon, Dumannios: the Dark Month.

Sometimes, following the moon months from the Coligny Calendar and fitting them into the solar and Julian calendars brings interesting coincidences: while our Yule ritual celebrated rebirth and the dawning of light, this ritual is about the darkness all around us, the depths of being under cover and the faded light.

As we were asked in our last ritual, however, to spend time in inward contemplation, we have an opportunity to do just that on the Sixth Night of this moon. The winter months encourage us to spend time looking within rather than without, and so the final omen of last Sunday’s Yule rite, Isa, the ice, is very apt.

With the secular new year approaching, it is time to reflect and re-think about where we have been, and to plan out where we will be going. We should do this at the beginning of all journeys, and we know that the sun will do this as it begins its journey back to strength.

To all traveling this week, travel safely and speedily to your destination, and home again with the same speed and safety.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Yule brings a new dawn, as always!

December 13th, 2009

Today was the Grove’s Yule Rite, celebrated in honour of Cerridwen and with a rebirthing theme. It was not so long ago, just last year, in fact, when Yule was our smallest rite, when it drew no more than around 30 people. It is with joy and trepidation that we found that our Grove is growing stronger and drawing in more people: this year, Yule drew around 68 people! We go forth into a new year with numbers we never expected to see!

This was also the first rite since Lughnassadh 2008 that we have received a negative omen when we asked if our offerings have been accepted. This time, as last time, the omen was Hagalaz, the hail-storm. Our seer made a graceful piacular offering, however, in response to the negative omen, which pleased the Kindreds; our omens that followed were good and right for the occasion: Berkano, Dagaz, and Isa.

Berkano tells us that our offerings have been accepted: here, the fertile and flexible birch tree, which can survive even the harshest of weather and hardship grows healthy and strong. Even hail cannot break the spirit of this tree.

Dagaz tells us that the Kindreds offer us a new day, a brigh and shining dawn. This is an amazing and ideal omen for the winter solstice, particularly one that centers around this theme of rebirth.

Isa tells us that the Kindreds require of us the inward-looking vision, the contemplative path that shows us the way toward discerning between that which is beautiful and that which is dangerous.

These are good omens, indeed.

The rite went very well, though: each person received a token to take home, we collected over 50 toys for local donation, and several canned goods as well. Functionally, the ritual flowed beautifully, and though hiccups are virtually required in public ritual, they were small in this rite. I even got the chance to try out a new Waters litany, when I was presented with three vessels instead of two: we drew the blessings from the underworld waters and the heavenly waters, then mixed and mingled them together to bring in all the blessings from all the worlds. It was an awesome experience to combine these waters, and I cannot wait to write up the litany.

One thing is clear, though: the ritual teams have put together some amazing and impressive rituals. All of them, from Samhain to Lughnassadh to tonight, have done amazing things for our Grove. I am so proud of all of them.

    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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Presenting at the Mosaic Program

December 6th, 2009

This week, I was asked to speak to a class from the Mosaic Program here in Columbus. It is an interesting program that clearly produces (and serves) bright children in our area. I was asked to speak as a part of their world religions course, which I very much enjoyed.

One of the most important parts of being an ADF Grove is doing outreach: not proselytizing, but getting out there to inform and educate. Mostly, we have always done this through our community service role, but community service, while it gets your name out there, isn’t about advertising or education; we do service because doing service is right. Outreach, on the other hand, is about these things; outreach is about letting people know that we are there, showing them that we are serious and real, and giving people a chance to engage with us in places where they feel comfortable educating themselves.

I tend to see the community service role as “walking the walk,” while the outreach role is “talking the talk.” Both are a necessary component.

Over the 40 minutes I had each class, though, I was pleased to notice that the kids not only asked good questions, but showed a genuine interest in the discussion. What’s more, they asked informed questions many times.

It was pleasant discussing ritual, belief, history, and (on occasion) the joy of worship with them. I did learn that my general discussion pattern tends to shy away from that last point, mostly because I find (and I think that many of us find) it to be a very personal thing. Still, I hope that I described enough about why it is we do what we do to give them a working knowlege of that, as well as expose them to a new religious movement they may never have heard of before.

In all, it was a joy to spend time doing outreach with them.
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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110 at Samhain!

November 1st, 2009

It may surprise some, but Samhian this year set a new record for guests: attendance topped 110! Not only that, but we had representation from several Groves around the state (and beyond), many of whom had never attended a Three Cranes rite before.

Our omens were also very good. They were:

Were our offerings accepted? Mannaz: Yes! Embodiment of the people and self-actualization. A recognition of Unity. We played on the same team for the good of the folk and the Kindred. May this always be true in the end.

Shining Ones: Jera
Nature Spirits: Isa
Ancestors: Dagaz

Seamus, interpreting Jera, reminds us of the harvest time, a time to reap the benefits of the good works we have sown throughout the year. Reflect on the events of the pats year. Look deeper and find the lessons that you may take with you as you move forward into the new year.

Leesa, interpreting Isa, sees the ice and snow coming in the next season. All things come in their cycles, and the quiet and solitude of the cold weather is one of them. Again, reflection and changing seasons.

Skarlett, interpreting Dagaz, says, “Seize the new day!” As the new year dawns, we can take with us the lessons and other rewards for what we have sown and move forward into a new beginning.

The ritual went very well, too: from start to finish, the rite moved fluidly through the ADF Core Order of Ritual, and the Druids-In-Charge didn’t seem to run into many issues at all; even the points where improvisation had to take place went smoothly.

It is astounding (and wonderful) to think that we are outgrowing the spaces we have always rented: we were ten shy of a fire-code violation at this ritual, which brings new considerations that I never expected.

We have come a long way from the days when I thought that 6-9 regularly attending members at our rituals was all I could ever ask for. Congratulations, Three Cranes: you have surpassed your founders’ wildest expectations!
    -Rev. Michael J Dangler

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