The 2024 season is upon us. Opening weekend is March 24 -25th. My wife and myself have been out to the land to check on things a few times this winter and so far winter has been gentle on the land. just a few dead trees have fallen but caused no damage. We are in the early stages of planning for Goddess Gathering June 20-23 2024. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again this year.
Looking forward
We are fast approaching opening weekend of a brand new season at Raven-Wolf.
We have alot of work ahead of us, winter was rough on the land. I know we have some very hard working dedicated individuals ready to start cleaning up from the winter and preparing for Goddess Gathering in June.
I will be posting the schedule for work weekends and Goddess Gathering
Goddess Gathering Announcement
All pre-registrations please do not send any payments in with your paperwork. All payments will be taken at the gate this year.
Cautiously Optimistic for Opening Weekend 2021!
Hey Everyone!
I know we have been down for quite a while. Please forgive us as we have been going through some growing pains. Most notable was a loss of my old email and the creation of a new one. (It was a sad bit of loss – but we are BACK now!)
For now we are CAUTIOUSLY letting everyone know that we are looking at Opening Weekend for the 2021 Season as March 26th-March 28th! If we are still under the dreaded Pandemic Response I will post an update. We will Open with a strict policies on how many guests we can accept at that time if that is still the case. Hopefully we will have thawed out before then. If we still have snow on the ground, come on out and dress for the weather! I will be checking back in and posting updates if things happen to change between now & then.
Stay warm and SAFE out there!
Have Plans for Summer Solstice?
If not, then why not come join the celebration at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary at the 4th Annual Goddess Gathering Reborn?
This past weekend more improvements were made in preparation for the upcoming event. Here’s what our Coordinator, Mary T. Borden had to say about it:
“MANY, MANY THANKS to Dyagon Alley for donating funds to purchase stone for the muddiest spots in the road. I cannot thank Brian & Jaque’s son Ben & Brian for Brian Daugherty for bringing in 5 pickup truckloads of stone AND spreading them!! There are still a few more spots that need stone, however it is now drivable by more than just 4 -Wheel Drive vehicles!
“Many thanks to the folks that came out this weekend to push hard and get things prepped for Gathering! John Marzocchi did a lot more chainsaw work in clearing pathways of fallen trees & larger branches. Rhonda L Savage ran the Cub tractor & cart around picking up the cut logs and bringing them to Ritual Field for stacking in log racks. Jacque Daugherty kept all of us fed with an amazing breakfast! (NOTE :THIS IS NOT TO BE THE EXPECTED WAY OF THINGS! When you come help for work weekends you need to come prepared to fix your own meals. That includes bring your choice of food & a means of preparing it. ) She also graciously kept eyes on Sean which allowed me to help get some of the last mowing done.”
Here’s a couple picture of that work:
Even though it’s too late to register by mail, you can register at the gate any day of the festival. There are prices for the entire festival and one day prices as well. It’s $60 per adult for the entire festival or $20 per day per adult. Children under the age of 18 are always free!!!
Cabin rentals are also available on a first-come, first -serve basis. The cost is $10 per adult per night.
An important message from our Coordinator:
“If you haven’t pre-registered for the event, but plan on attending -PLEASE contact Mary to let her know so that a suitable campsite can be cleared for you. Right now all of the regular, usually available sites have been claimed!
We look forward to seeing everyone at Goddess Gathering June 20th-23rd!”
There’s not much more I can add. If you’d like to get away, be out in Nature, and celebrate with like-minded people, then be sure to contact our Coordinator, Mary T. Borden at 740-241-9340 (If you text, please put “Raven-Wolf” on it.) for gate opening times and/or directions, if you need them.
We wish you a very Blessed Summer Solstice, wherever you may be!!!
Another Weekend Approaches!
Have any plans for this coming weekend? The second weekend of the 2019 season at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary takes place this coming weekend – April 12 – 14.
According to our coordinator, Mary T. Borden, the first weekend went well. They got some things done and scoped out what the Winter’s weather created that needs fixing up and repairing before this year’s Goddess Gathering Reborn happens at Summer Solstice in June.
As you can see from the pictures below, there are benches that need scraping and painting along with a lot of downed wood to be cleared and stacked. For those who can handle a chainsaw, or even a manual saw, there will be plenty to cut up. There will surely be other projects that are discovered that could use some help in completing.
Although the temperatures have come up since the last weekend there, it’s April and the weather is unpredictable with dips in temperature, wind, and rain always a possibility. (You know, “April showers bring May flowers.”) It’s always advisable to dress in layers and bring clothes for warm and cold or rainy weather. Sturdy shoes or boots along with gloves and a hat are advised.
If you decide you want to come out and help, please contact Mary T. Borden for directions and gate opening time information, You can reach her at (740) 241-9340. You can either call or text, but if you do text, be sure to put “Raven-Wolf” on it.
It’s also time to mention Goddess Gathering Reborn and getting registered for this event. Registration forms can be found on the web site under “Goddess Gathering” and then click on “2019 Festival Registration Form.” If you register before April 30, 2019, you can save some money!!! If you register for the whole event, June 20 – 23, 2019, you save $10 per person. Even if you can only attend for a day or two, you can save by registering early. It’s $15 per day per person instead of $20 after April 30th or at the gate. A savings of $5 per day per person. Children under the age of 18 are always free!
Vendors are most welcome and there are no additional fees or charges, other than admission, to come and sell your wares or offer your services to those in attendance.
We encourage people to participate by presenting workshops or entertainment. Just like in previous years, if you’d be willing to do two 1-hour workshops or one hour of entertainment, you could get free admission! If you think this is something you might be interested in participating in, there’s a Workshop and Entertainment Application on the web site that you will need to fill out and mail in to be considered. You’ll find the link to it on the left side of any page toward the bottom. Questions concerning workshops and entertainment should be directed to Krista Hanson either by email at kmagicnrgs@aol.com (Please put “Raven-Wolf” in the subject line.) or by phone at 513-349-9197.
One last thing to mention, for now, is that there is one cabin available for renting on both work/camping weekends and during the festival. Referred to, by us, as “Morrigan’s Cabin,” it will be available on a first come, first serve basis, at a cost of $10 per night for weekends and $20 per night for the Goddess Gathering festival. If you are interested, contact Mary T. Borden either by email at vesta13.mb@gmail.com (Please put “Raven-Wolf” in the subject line.) or you can call or text her at 740-241-9340 (If you text, please put “Raven-Wolf” on it.)
If you decide to come out and join us, camping (other than the cabin) is free. We hope you’ll decide to come out and join us!
Raven-Wolf Opens This Weekend!
Well, Spring has finally arrived and with it comes the opening of the gates at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary this weekend! This is the first of several weekends that are used to not only clear away the vestiges of Winter but prepare for the upcoming 4th Annual Goddess Gathering Reborn to be help June 20 – 23, 2019.
If you don’t have plans for this coming weekend and feel the itch to get back out in Nature, why not come out and join us? It looks to be a fairly good weekend with temperatures in the 60s on Friday and Saturday. If this sounds like something you would like to do, please contact Mary T. Borden, our coordinator, at (740) 241-9340. You can either call or text, but if you do text, be sure to put “Raven-Wolf” on it. She can tell you when the gates will open for sure and give you directions, if you’ve never been there before.
In case you’re not aware, or don’t remember, if you come out and help with the work that needs to be done, you can camp for free! It’s just our way of saying, “Thank you.” for helping us out. It also will go toward a discount on the 2020 GGR admission fee. All kinds of perks just for coming out to be in Nature!
The nights will be chilly so, if you do intend to camp, be sure to bring plenty of warm clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, etc. There are fire rings for building fires to cook and keep warm. Even if you just come out for the day, wear sturdy shoes, layer your clothing to stay warm, and bring gloves to protect your hands.
If you can’t make it this weekend, the next work/camp weekend will be April 12 -14. You can find a complete list of the work/camp weekends on the web site under “2019 Calendar of Weekends – at a Glance” We hope you’ll find some time to come see Raven-Wolf and meet the folks who are regularly there working to make it a wonderful place to be close to Nature.
Hope to see you soon!
The Gates Open in Three Weeks!
Our Coordinator, Mary T. Borden, says she’s been getting calls already from some who are anxious to get down to the Land. Good news! In just three weeks, the gates open for the first camping/work weekend at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary.
Just like every other year, if you’re willing to help with the work to maintain the site and prepare for the upcoming Goddess Gathering Reborn at Summer Solstice, your camping is free! In case you may not be aware of it but your help this year can bring you a discount in the price of attendance to next year’s (2020) Goddess Gathering . There have been some who have lent a hand to the point where they get free attendance! It’s all definitely a win-win situation. There’s always plenty to do, no matter what your capabilities are.
This first weekend is predicted to be mild during the day and cold at night. If you do intend to stay overnight, be sure to have plenty of warm clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags. Sturdy shoes, gloves, and a hat are also recommended along with layered clothing. Fires are permitted in the provided ringed areas.
If you’ve never been to Raven-Wolf, know that it is primitive camping. There is a hand pump for water, at the bottom of the hill. Bathrooms are latrines that are slowly being converted to composting toilets. There is no electricity right now, but the desire is to have solar panels sometime in the future. The closest convenience stores are five miles away. So, come prepared.
This first weekend, March 29 – 31, will be one of discovery. Winter usually takes its toll on the trees, at the very least, so it’s good to walk the Land and see what trees may have come down and any other damage that may have taken place from their fall or the fall of branches from them. We are usually fortunate in not having major building damage often and the wood that has come down provides firewood for cooking fires and bonfires during camping weekends and the Gathering at Summer Solstice. Plans are then usually discussed as to what the priorities will be moving forward to the festival taking place.
If Winter has you anticipating Spring and wanting to get out and away from the busyness of where you live and work, into Nature, to reconnect with it and the peace that it offers, come see us. We’d be pleased to meet you!
Be sure to check out the rest of our web site for information on how to contact us if you have questions, the registration form for Goddess Gathering Reborn 2019, our Calendar of Events and more!
Love & Blessed Be
Spring is a Mere Sixty Days Away!
It’s a new year filled with infinite possibilities! I know you haven’t heard from us for a while, but we are still here and we are preparing for the 4th Annual Goddess Gathering that will be taking place at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary during the Summer Solstice this year.
To begin with, the web site has been brought up to date with current contact information if you have questions you can’t find answers to on this site. That means the Calendar of Events has been updated with a brand new 2019 Calendar of Weekends at a Glance. There are six work/camping weekends before the Gathering with a possible seventh, depending on what is needed in preparations for that event. Remember, it’s free to come and camp, if you’re willing to lend a hand in getting things ready. It’s not always about chopping wood or running a chain saw so don’t be concerned about your capability to help out. There’s always something that could use help in doing at any level of capability. As we have done in previous years, if you come and help out with what needs to be done on the Land, you get credit toward a discount on the next year’s Goddess Gathering festival fee. So, come help this year and 2020 Goddess Gathering will cost you less!
The 2019 Festival Registration form is on site and we will soon be adding an instruction sheet on how to best fill it out. There has been some confusion and some omissions in the past so we’re hoping by offering detailed instructions on filling it out, it will eliminate hassles both for you and for us going forward. Prices are the same this year as last. Please note that we will be doing electronic confirmation this year instead of confirmations by mail. That means we definitely need an email address for you in order to send that confirmation and any maps to the site you may need, if you’ve never been there before. If you have any questions about registering, contact Samantha Herron by email at Durga1974@aol.com (Please put “Raven-Wolf” in the subject line.) or you can private message her on Facebook.
For both the weekends and the festival there will be at least one cabin available for rental. Referred to, by us, as “Morrigan’s Cabin,” it will be available on a first come, first serve basis, at a cost of $10 per night for weekends and $20 per night for the Goddess Gathering festival. If you are interested, contact Mary T. Borden either by email at vesta13.mb@gmail.com (Please put “Raven-Wolf” in the subject line.) or you can call or text her at 740-241-9340 (If you text, please ut “Raven-Wolf” on it.)
We already have one person signed up to do a couple workshops. Rhonda Savage will be doing Reiki 1 and 2 during the Gathering. If you would like to present a workshop or some form of entertainment, there’s a Workshop and Entertainment Application on the web site that you will need to fill out and mail in to be considered. You’ll find the link to it on the left side of any page toward the bottom. Questions concerning workshops and entertainment should be directed to Krista Hanson either by email at kmagicnrgs@aol.com (Please put “Raven-Wolf” in the subject line.) or by phone at 513-349-9197. Just like in previous years, if you’d be willing to do two 1-hour workshops or one hour of entertainment, you could get free admission!
It all begins with that Opening Weekend on the Land – March 29-31, 2019. We hope you will come join us then, or any of the weekends this year, as we prepare for Goddess Gathering 2019.
Progress Continues…
If you haven’t been able to make it down to Raven-Wolf yet, you might wonder what, if anything, is happening there. Progress, that’s what’s happening – slow, steady, progress.
It would always be nice to have lots of hands to help, but the group at Raven-Wolf is dedicated to the upkeep and continued progress of improving the Land. These past several weekends down there were an example of that.
There are four cabins on the Land, besides a trailer or two, that have to be maintained just like a house needs upkeep. A couple of the cabins are maintained by permanent members but there are a couple that are also unoccupied. The upkeep of these falls to those who maintain the Land and any volunteers who are willing to lend a hand.
The first cabin that you see, when you drive up the hill, is the one called the “Elder” cabin. Named for the last permanent resident, an Elder in the Craft, it was the second one to be built on the Land close to 20 years ago.
After the Land officially reopened in the Spring of 2015, sites had to be cleaned of trash and leftovers from previous occupants. Later that season, the buildings were given a new coat of paint and basic repairs have been made since then. Not much else has been done, due to lack of funds and the capable hands of volunteers.
Over the course of the last several work/camping weekends down on the Land, and thanks to the hands of a number of wonderful people, the old shingles were taken off, new paper was tacked down, and new shingles were put in place on the Elder cabin. This past weekend caulking was done to seal up gaps and seams.
A big “Thank you!” goes out to: Mary Borden, Jennifer Borden, Aleda Borden, Rhonda Savage, Brian Nichols, Jacquie Daugherty, and especially Brian Daugherty, who you see in the picture putting the shingles on. We are very grateful for all your time and efforts!
This past weekend, they also got the kids involved in helping on the Land. Even the smallest were taught how use the manual log-splitter to split wood and then shown how to stack wood. Practical knowledge is a good thing.
There are still five work/camping weekends left in the season down at Raven-Wolf. The next one is September 14th – 16th. Free camping is still being offered to any who are willing to lend a hand however they are able. If you think you would be interested in spending a weekend, or even an afternoon, in Nature on a beautiful site, contact the Coordinator, Mary T. Borden, at 740-241-9340. You can call or text. If you do text, please put “Raven-Wolf” on it. She can tell you when the gates will open and even give you directions, if you need them. Come to the forest, you’ll be glad you did!
Love & Blessed Be
Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary 