It was the first time in over a decade that people gathered in the Main Ritual field. Small in number, we came together to celebrate the Summer Solstice, Life and all the gifts we have been given.
The ritual was a new one written by Lady Peregrine aka Jayne Bennett, which only seemed appropriate for this new beginning. It was a wonderful gift to be sharing this sacred space with others once again.
When it was time for Cakes and Wine, a piece of the “old” appeared. The Goddess Chalice (shown above), once a part of so many rituals in the before time, was filled, blessed and taken around for everyone in the Circle to partake of. There’s a quote from one of our rituals that says, “May the strength of the old enter into the new and Life arise once more.” Nothing could more appropriately say what the presence of this Cup meant for it had been handcrafted by a former attendee to those previous Goddess Gatherings, Karl Sebek, and gifted by him to us.
They say that wisdom is gained from experience. Although we had hoped for a bigger turn out, we learned a great deal from having the courage to rebirth this event. Plenty of mistakes were made, but without mistakes how does one learn and grow?
We are once again in our infancy. While we were “asleep” the world has changed and now we must make the attempt to change while still remaining true to who and what Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary was and is meant to be. There will be some changes coming – ones that we hope will meet with your approval and attract more of you to Raven-Wolf and Goddess Gathering Reborn in 2017.
REMINDER: There are still plenty of work/camping weekends left to earn a discount or, perhaps, even free admission to next year’s Goddess Gathering Reborn. Click the Calendar of Events on the left side of this page to check for upcoming dates.
Here’s how it works: Come for the day or the entire weekend. Camping is free to those who are willing to lend a hand in the continuing maintenance and rebuilding of Raven-Wolf. The really cool thing is that besides being able to camp for free, you receive credit for work done towards next year’s festival!!! Some of the attendees to this year’s event got in for free because of their willingness to help with the work facing us.
Our next work/camping weekend is July 15 – 17. If you are interested in coming to help, you can go to our Facebook page and leave a comment or you can private message Mary T. Borden on Facebook or you can even email us at RavenWolfNature@aol.com.
In closing, I want to tell everyone who came and helped this year, in any way, shape or form, that your work didn’t go unnoticed and is very much appreciated. A special “Thank you!” goes out to our coordinator, Mary T. Borden, for all her hard work and efforts. Also on that list are Gary C. Herron, Max Butcher, Damien Phelps and John Sydenstricker for their over-the-top efforts in restoring Raven-Wolf.
It is our sincere hope that the seeds that were planted with this event produce a bountiful harvest of new magickal, nature-loving people in the coming years!
Blessed Be,
Elder Maya (aka Samantha Herron)
Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary 