Three Cranes Grove, ADF

How it started vs how it ended, Summerland Festival 2024: From the Well of Wisdom kitchen edition.

(Missing Rachel, Jane, and Alex)

Thank you to everyone who helped feed all the folk!

Unfortunately there wasn't much cell reception during Summerland festival but we had an incredible time surrounded by wonderful folk!

I think most of the volunteers and staff are going to be resting for a while, but we hope everyone made it home safely and with the blessings we shared.

How much food does it take to feed the folk at the Summerland Festival 2024: From the Well of Wisdom, you ask?

This much.

Thanks to Joe for getting things set up and keeping us well fed!

Been planning on coming to Summerland but haven't quite gotten around to registering? Today's the day!

On-site registrations will be available, but we can't guarantee cabin space or meal plan availability. For full details, schedules, and — of course — registration, head to our website. See you at festival!

Join Rev. Jan Avende for a song circle & chant share! Bardic works in paganism have a strong oral tradition, and as we come together it’s important to share these works so that they aren’t lost. Jan will begin by teaching a selection of their favorite pagan chants by rote, and providing lyrics. They will then open the workshop up for others to teach chants. Attendees who would like to teach a chant are encouraged to bring copies of lyrics to share.

Rev. Jan Avende (they/them) is an Initiate and Consecrated Priest of Ár nDraíocht Féin currently serving as the Vice Archdruid. Locally, they serve the Central Ohio pagan community out of Three Cranes Grove, ADF and work as a contracted chaplain at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. They are a talented Bard, Liturgist, and Spiritworker, with a passion for mentoring others, building resources for pagan families, and making the work that we do as pagans accessible for all. You can see more of their writing at hellenicdruid.com and support their work at patreon.com/skylark913.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

From the earliest times we know magic has been linked with, and worked with the written word and the drawn symbol. Magic has been preserved with and transmitted through books, and books have played a part in practical work. The personal, often secret, book remains a powerful tool for modern Pagans. Ian will discuss the use of personal books and describe examples from the history of magic. He will explain the types and uses of several styles of book, including an approach that uses such a book as an active engine of spell craft.

Ian (he/him) is an old Druid from Cleveland, who brings both his wide knowledge of modern Paganism and occulture, and years of work with ADF ritual and custom.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

This is a a pre-breakfast, bring-your-coffee/tea, before-breakfast not-a-workshop. Though it will be semi-guided, this is not a guided meditation journey, but a time for us to sit and connect with the present moment, wherever we are, however we are. Because there’s no place to go, nowhere to get to. We’re already in the greatest moment we will ever have – this one! We will sit for a time (30 mins maybe?) and practice our awarenessing muscles together before we go into a day of learning, fellowship, fun, and connection. Come as you are and please bring your coffee, as mindful sipping is part of the practice.

Rev. Lauren (she/her) joined ADF in 2012, after a rather eclectic, ten-year romp through the ranks of modern paganism. Ordained in April 2018, she serves as one of Mountain Ancestors’ virtual priests. Her personal religion is, at its core, about hospitality and reciprocity, and has elements that are experiential, ancestral, devotional, ecstatic, magical, animist, pagan, and polytheist. She has always sought to be The Druid of This Place, wherever she happens to be living, and she brings prayer and praxis from her rooted space in Texas out to the world – primarily through online ministry of various types. She has a weakness for bread and for fountain pens and in a previous life was almost definitely a hobbit.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

“Wellness,” “health,” “fitness,” “happiness” are all words we commonly use to label desired states of feeling about ourselves and our lives. They are also loaded words, with a lot of assumptions about who and what are valued by us, and how we are supposed to want to be. Well-being, in contrast, is a framework for understanding the fullness of our lives in ways that help us, and our communities, flourish. This will be an introduction to the psychology of well-being with an emphasis on identifying some of the perspectives and practices generally common among Pagans that can support us in fostering our own well-being. A process for assessing and accessing well-being in our own lives will be discussed along with some of the foundational concepts that can help us frame what “well-being” actually means outside of social mythologies and misunderstandings. Participants will hopefully leave with lenses and tools that support us in nourishing ourselves in how we engage with our own lives.

Amy N Gorniak (she/they) is an animist, Brigidine, and Druid whose roots run deep into the limestone caverns and cool waters of South Central Texas. She finds her spiritual home in Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF where she is privileged to serve on the Board as Treasurer. Her practice weaves together the rich relationships with place and person that are the foundation of her paganism with her training as a doctor of psychology in service of her many communities.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

Using the Well of Wisdom as our inspiration and subject, we will create art quilt collages (specifically using a raw-edged fused appliqué technique). Materials and tools will be provided, and there will be some discussion of design elements and planning, but mostly we’ll just be creating: cutting and laying out fused fabric pieces, fusing layers (using a hot iron), and adding stitched and painted embellishments. Finished project can be used in magical workings as access to the Well of Wisdom.

Jenni (she/her) has served in a variety of capacities in ADF since 1995 and has since turned her talents towards the arts of sewing, quilting, knitting, and urban farming, all of which she approaches in step with Nature and the Sacred. Of all her skills, the one she values the most is that of bringing out the best in others, and she hopes that by sharing her knowledge and experience, she will inspire others to create their own spiritual tools and masterpieces.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

Liminal spaces – those places not quite here nor there – are recognized as powerful in mythologies across the globe and throughout time. Mountains, shorelines, and crossroads are said to be places of magic and transformation. This workshop will explore the wisdom of the sacred in-between, both in myth and modern life, and consider its potential applications in ritual and other spiritual works. “Leaning Into the Liminal” will include a brief guided meditation and conclude with the opportunity to create a symbol or token to use in your own transformational work.

Jules Bell (they/them) lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with their husband and an ever-growing number of houseplants. They learned many of their ritual skills as a Girl Scout camp counselor. They spend their free time crafting, studying languages and religion, and reading speculative fiction.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

Crazy wisdom asserts that a level of development can be achieved through behavior that appears highly unconventional. Such behavior is to jolt people into higher states of spirituality. While originally considered a Tibetan Buddhist concept many examples exist in western post-modern traditions.

Gwydion (he/him) is a self-destructive, passive-aggressive, man-child, discordian-chaos magician, absurdist hero, eclectic-creative, anarchist, slacker-genius, who loves bunnies.

We’re excited about the variety of workshops offered at this year's Summerland Festival You can see the full schedule of events, as well as details on how to register, here: https://threecranes.org/summerland/

Join us tomorrow evening to talk about Involving Kids in Ritual! We’ll be sharing successes, brainstorming solutions to common issues, and more.

Interested in early-bird pricing for the Summerland Festival? You've got until June 15 ;)

Head over to the Summerland website to see all the great workshops and events we have planned and to register today!

We're all set up for this afternoon's celebration of Anestheria (Spring Equinox) ritual, honoring Dionysos — join us in person or online for our ritual at 3:30 Eastern Time!

SAVE THE DATE! Summerland returns to Camp Clifton this August 15-18, 2024, and we couldn’t be more excited.

This year, our theme is “From the Well of Wisdom,” and we look forward to sharing wisdom in its many forms. Have wisdom to share? (We know you do.) We’re accepting proposals for festival presentations through May 1st, and we’d love to hear from you. For more details, see the Call for Presenters page on the festival website.

Registration, schedules, and more coming soon! Till then, visit the festival website for general info (and presenter applications!): threecranes.org/summerland

See you at festival 😃

Note the passing secular year, and the coming one: seek to remember what has been good, and consider your hopes for what is to come.

We can’t wait to see you in the new year!

12/31/2014 - Today, Three Cranes Grove, ADF's, Yule-Along completes, with the final day of the secular year, and a return to the secular for the ritual participants. Tonight is a night for divinations on the year ahead, the showing of gratitude and love, and remembering those things that have gone before. The old year departs, and the young one begins to walk on its own. Tomorrow, you will return your house to the regular, mundane tasks, but you will also be deeply blessed as you do so.

Celebrate with your family and friends: enjoy the night, and all it brings. Honor the spirits of family and friendship together!

And thank you all for enjoying the Yule-Along with us. Three Cranes does this every year, and we hope you'll join us again, next time!

Honor the boar, the danger of the hunt and the triumph of success. Find within you the ways to rise above difficulty, and seek the reward.

This day is all about the strength of your word and the strength of your heart. The Three Cranes Grove, ADF, Yule-Along honors the Boar, spirit of strength and power, and the god who brings him in from the cold for all the folk to enjoy.

This is a night to carefully consider your oaths and resolutions; and consider, too, the thing that you will “hunt” in the new year. What will you seek for you and your family? What will you do that brightens your life?

Spirits of house and home, we call to you: our hearth bright, welcoming all: a light in the dark and praise to those who keep the home!

Today, we honor the goddesses of the home and hearth, and we begin the transfer of our thoughts from the sacred to the profane. The Three Cranes Grove, ADF, Yule-Along is almost over, with this being day 10, and it is time to turn our attention to the things that will need to be done.

This is a great time to think about new things to do in the new year, and to bless the tools that you know you will need. Many people bless a distaff or spinning wheel, knitting needles, or their pots and pans.

Honor the spirits who watch over your house and hearth (also, don’t be confined to female deities: just because most deities who are hearth-spirits are female doesn’t mean yours have to be)!

Tonight we recall hope and renewal, the light that is kindled in the dark. Seek your light and draw it forth, and find what is always vibrant within you!

The world tree, evergreen and everliving, bright pillar that supports the worlds: today, Three Cranes Grove, ADF's, Yule-Along honors the spirit of the world tree.

Think about the promises you have kept over the past year, and how you can keep them going forward as well. How do they straighten you, make you "evergreen?" Be renewed and full of life this holiday!

We may not yet have the snow, but we can celebrate the coming winter weather: hail the winds that blow it in, and hail those who warm others in it.

Perhaps it isn't snowing where you are, but today's celebration in Three Cranes Grove, ADF's, Yule-Along is about joy in the cold: the warmth of friends, the light on the snow, the safety and healing of stillness and calm.

Honor the chance to be still and quiet, and the power it brings, on this day.

Those house-elves, the spirits of home, the good helpers who give us space: we honor you today.

12/24/2014 - Today, Three Cranes Grove, ADF's, Yule-Along honors the Alfar and the Housewights. Make an offering, good and traditional, of milk and cookies to the spirits of the home and hearth. Keep your Old Bargains with the Spirits. Honor your male ancestors as you did your female ancestors on Mothers' Night before this.

How will you celebrate?

The spirits of nature, of place, of our world surround us always. Spend some time today centering them in your attention.

Today, in Three Cranes Grove, ADF's, Yule-Along, we honor the spirits of nature. Reflect on the changes you've seen, the quiet, and honor your allies of fur, feather, scale, and skin.

Honor the wanderer, open the door, welcome those who need safe space: find it within yourself, and know the joy it brings!

Tonight, light a candle to The Winter Wanderer as part of Three Cranes Grove, ADF’s, Yule-Along. The Winter Wanderer comes to our door each year, and tests our hospitality and wisdom. Don’t let the stranger who knocks stay out in the cold: invite him to your hearth, and give him the best seat by the fire.

What are you doing this night? How does the Winter Wanderer come to you?

As the longest night is upon us, we plan to vigil through it. Seek the light, bring it into your home, and hold it tightly: it grows from here!

The Solstice proper is at 11:28 AM Eastern time!

Beginning at sundown, and on the hour every hour between, today's Yule-Along event is a short ritual to a variety of deities. We started doing this from a Norse culture, but we have expanded into a variety of other cultures as well.

Hello from the Dublin Irish Festival! Whether on festival grounds or online, we hope you'll join us for our celebration of Lughnasa at the Druid Sunday Service tomorrow morning. Ritual starts at 10am ET, with our bards playing a bit of prelude at 9:50.

Coming in person? We'll be right here at the Celtic Music House stage. From the East Entrance (near Dublin Coffman HS), bear left. If you hit the bridge, you've gone too far! Admission is free before 11am.

Joining us online? See the event page on our website for Zoom details.

Hello! It's just one week out from the Summerland Festival, and we can't wait! Two big things we want to say:

First, pre-registration closes at 11:59pm on August 11th, one week from today. You can still register onsite, but prices go up slightly, and meal plans are not available, so pre-registration is really helpful for us and for you.

Second, thanks to a few folks who messaged us, we discovered a bug in our Summerland Festival registration: these folks completed the registration form and it seemed to complete properly, but they received no email confirmations and their credit cards were not charged.

While the bug was active, no personal or financial information was vulnerable. (Quite the opposite: the problem was an overzealous spam filter, which deleted all such information, untransmitted.) After extensive testing and troubleshooting, we're now confident the bug has been fixed, and all those who contacted us have now registered without issue. (Hurray!)

There's still one problem: we can't know how many people this affected! So, if you registered for Summerland but received no confirmation and had no charges on your account, we don't have you down as an attendee 😬 Please re-register, for your convenience at check-in and so we can better prepare for our visitors.

If you think you might have been affected but aren't sure, or if you have any other questions about the festival, please message us here or email us at [email protected]

Happy Lughnasa to you!

In this season of harvest bounty, we're grateful for the blessings we've received, and the communities we're part of. We wish all the best to you and yours, and invite you to join us as we celebrate the festival of Lughnasa this weekend at the Dublin Irish Festival.

The story of Lugh, and especially of his mother Tailtiu, reminds us that caring for our community is a paramount virtue. Thanks to the generosity of donors these past few weeks we're able to support the Hilliard Food Pantry in their recover from fire, and as always we'll be collecting moneys for the Dublin Food Pantry this weekend. Thanks for being a part of our community, where giving and receiving are always a part of Our Druidry.

DIF ritual details: https://threecranes.org/lughnasa-ritual-at-the-2023-dublin-irish-festival/

The Summerland Festival is exactly one month away! 🤩

Watch this space for presenter and event highlights, or go to the website and check out all the info there. And then register to join us!

(Psst, vendors: we’d love to have you, too!Apply through this Friday, 7/21 — just 2 little Q’s)

https://threecranes.org/summerland/

Hospitality is a core virtue of our druidry, a vital part of sacred reciprocity, and feeding others is central to that virtue. If you are able to support the Hilliard Food Pantry so they can continue to serve our community following a warehouse fire we invite you to do so, with our sincere thanks.

To donate:
* physical items @ Norwich Twp. Fire Dept (and other Hilliard fire stations)
* directly to HFP @ https://www.hilliardfoodpantry.org/donate.html
* through our grove's collection @ https://threecranes.org/donate/ with "food fire" in the memo line