Tag: reclaiming

Paganistan Reclaiming Tradition Fall Events

photo: Donald L. Engstrom-Reese

Reclaiming Tradition has a series of fall events in the Twin Cities. A series of six monthly introductory classes begins Saturday. Paganistan Reclaiming will for the first time host a tradition “Dandelion Gathering”, and sponsors a public Equinox ritual which takes place during the gathering.

 

Elements of Magic 101, Six Sessions in Six Months begins this Saturday, Sept 13th.   “All are welcome to join us. If you are new to Reclaiming and wish to be a more active participant in our practices and understandings this will be a very good way to learn the basics of our Tradition.  We will meet once a month over 6 months exploring, learning and deepening the foundational arts, magics, and practices of Reclaiming. Some of the topics that we will be looking at are; grounding, shielding, personal practice, shaping intentions, spell crafting, divination, ritual format and skills, prayer beads, labyrinths, the Seven Sacred Voices, nurturing our relationships with Mystery, altar building and an overview of Reclaiming’s history. We will also closely examine our one core document that informs everything that we do, The Principals of Unity. We will explore all of these topics and more, using the tools of conscious thought, trance journeying, discussion, rune and tarot work, song, chant, and other voice skills, and the mystery that we are bodies, and that all of the magical tools that we need our already a part of our beings.”

A Dandelion Gathering is a tradition-wide Reclaiming reunion. At the last Dandelion Gathering of 2012 in Portland, OR, those meeting decided to encourage bio-regional Dandelion gatherings to be held in communities across the globe.

“Our intention for the gathering: We joyfully gather, with the heart of the Fool, near the Sacred Mississippi to celebrate, sing, dance and heal in community. ”

I talked to Paul Eaves as he tended his annual Pagan Pride labyrinth about Dandelion last week. “This event is co-created by our community and rather than have a highly scheduled event we have planned a series of events people can select from. A full schedule of events and locations are available online.”

The Saturday events at Hidden Falls Park include workshops on building a Labyrinth, and connecting with fossil allies.  Participate in an Open Listening/Discussion Session about Winter Witchcamp with some of the event Weavers.  At 2pm, before the equinox ritual, an introduction to Reclaiming discussion is scheduled with a brief background about Reclaiming Tradition and question and answer session.

 

photo: Reclaiming Quarterly

We are celebrating the turning of the wheel with an Autumnal Equinox Ritual at the park pavilion of Hidden Falls Regional Park on September 20. We will start gathering at 3:00 p.m. and begin ritual promptly at 3:20 p.m.
Our intention: “We name our flames to honor this hearth.”
We ask that you consider coming to this ritual with:
1.  A seasonal oath to name aloud while in the hearth of community
2.  A non-perishable food item or items to donate to The Exchange’s Queer Community Food Shelf
Money donations are also welcome to cover ritual expenses, but please note that no one will be turned away for lack of funds or food items.
Please bring a chair if you need one and weather-appropriate clothing as we will be outdoors.
ALL ARE WELCOME including children and folks from other traditions. This is a sober event. We also invite you to refrain from the use of perfumes, lotions, and other scented product to ensure increased accessibility.
We look forward to seeing you!
When
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Time
3:00 p.m.
Where
The park pavilion at Hidden Falls Regional Park, 1313 Hidden Falls Drive, St. Paul, MN 55116

M. Macha NightMare Withdraws from Reclaiming Tradition

40 Comments

On Tuesday, August 6th M. Macha NightMare issued the following press release (excerpted below).

M.Macha NightMare

 I, M. Macha NightMare, Priestess & Witch, aka Aline O’Brien, withdraw from the publicly recognized organization known as Reclaiming Tradition Witchcraft and hereby dissociate myself from further involvement with the tradition.  I make this statement formally and publicly because I am a public figure known to be connected to Reclaiming.

I do not make this decision lightly or without forethought and considerations for potential consequences.     [Read the full Press Release]–

Pagans, both within the Reclaiming Tradition, and independently, are struggling to understand the significance of this departure by a co-founder.  Some say it is insignificant, people and traditions change and grow. Others want to characterize the withdrawal as an indicator of crisis within a tradition. Neither is accurate. Macha acknowledges in a statement to PNC-MN :

Macha:   …  over the next weeks and months I’ll be exploring and trying to articulate in an understandable but constructive and non-accusatory way the various reasons that led me to this decision.  It’s much more complex than it might seem to someone not part of the community, and to most who even are part of it, especially those who have no knowledge of our history (which is most everyone).

The Reclaiming Tradition just completed approval of revised Principals of Unity (POU) underway in discussions for several years prior, at the biennial Reclaiming Dandelion Gathering immediately before the release of the press statement of withdrawal by Macha. In a statement from Starhawk, an additional co-founder of the tradition, this change is indicated as a possible cause of the withdrawal.  [The 1997 Reclaiming Principles of Unity can be read here.]

Continue reading →

Empowerment Training Day for OccupyMPLS

1 Comment

Tuesday, Dec 6th, OccupyMpls sponsored Empowerment Training Day at Walker Church in S. Mpls. It was a day to focus on skill sharing. training, and discussion around the core issues facing OccupyMpls. It was designed to build a respectful and empowering culture within the movement.

Afternoon round table discussions

I participated for a few hours in both the morning and the afternoon. The event had a full schedule from 8am – 5pm.  I arrived about 10am to a room of about 60 people. Starhawk was going over the principals of meeting facilitation and consensus process.  Many present had some experience with these subjects before, and so the depth of the discussion during the presentation was directed at the particular problems facilitating a ‘general assembly’ presented to occupy organizers.

About 10.25 am the meeting was interrupted by an announcement the Plaza security had ‘raided’ the camp earlier that morning as about 8.30am and had taken all unattended items from the Plaza. Several county commissioners phone numbers, who were reported to be meeting Tuesday, distributed and calls were made in rotation as the workshop training continued.

The importance of incorporating core values into the consensus, and general assembly processes was emphasized, as well as the need to select the best decision-making process for each issue the group faced. Consensus Process is not needed for many movement decisions, just the major ones where core values are being defined.

I returned after lunch when open group meetings, now about fifty with many new people, were in progress. Five topics were under discussion at smaller round tables :

  1. Direct Action Strategy
  2. Visioning
  3. General Assemblies
  4. Guideline for “New Norms”
  5. Diversity within the Movement

Each group kept notes on its discussion with the aim of discovering insights, and gleaning items for later general assembly proposal and consideration. Every fifteen minutes or so, the groups paused and people rotated among them as they felt called. I participated in the visioning, direct action, and diversity groups. At the end of the session, spokespersons from each group summarized the discussion and outlined items that deserved further work to integrate the ideas within OccupyMPLS.  A contact person and email  was established for each work group and a sign-up for messaging within each group was posted.

Continue reading →