Awakenings

“We look upon the sun and we rejoice in it’s renewal.
Come! Enter our Circle.
Be with us!”

This land, this nature sanctuary, this place of community, is sanctified by the blood, sweat and tears of those who have gone before. We are not there now; the snows and bitter cold gives the earth down time, a time of rest before renewal.

But I can imagine the first stirrings that signal the coming season. The earth shivers quietly, shaking awake those seedlings that came to rest in the fall. The renewal of the sun spreads a growing warmth to the tree tops, sending messages down through the trunk, through the roots and into the soil that holds the memories of our ancestors. Soon! Soon the awakening!

There is power in those memories waiting to be tapped and recycled, drawn up with our ritual and veneration, with our blessings and our work. Raven-Wolf is definitely a labor of love and as with the season, there is a quickening now. An anticipation for the rebirth of sanctuary.

By the time we open the Land, the trees will be budding. Grass will appear in patches and having been fed by the leaves of the fall, the brilliant green of Spring will be more than a promise of things to come. And through the still bare branches, the sun will warm us.

The excitement builds as the first tents are pitched. Checking in at the front gate we will be greeted with a smile and a hearty welcome home! On any part of the property the building sense of community can be felt. Old friends greet one another and new friends are gathered in with hugs.

During the day we work as a team to chop wood and carry water, all the while laughing over mishaps or crying for the loss of loved ones who could not make it this year.

 

And we will stand together in the Circle, giving thanks to the Holy Ones for the gifts of Nature and spirit, without judgement, leaving behind us, for awhile, the concerns of the mundane world and refreshing our bond to Mother Earth.

 

Spring is coming. My thermometer reads 0 degrees right now, but I know that Spring is coming. I’m digging out my gardening gloves, checking the tent to be sure it’ll keep me dry, and planning easy meals. The gates will open in just over a month.

Are you ready? Looking forward to meeting you there!

 

Lady CrowW

 

 

 

 

 

Countdown to Sanctuary!

Greetings, everyone!  Here we are in the second week of February and although many of us still have snow on the ground our thoughts are probably turned toward warmer weather and the opening of Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary!

Behind the scenes there is a flurry of activity. Our coordinator, Mary Borden, is bringing together all the necessary pieces that make up a cohesive plan. Board of trustees, Land Committees, and Maintenance are but three of the groups that will work together, along with those of us who are willing to put our energies into cleaning up Raven-Wolf and making it a safe place to worship and commune with Nature and those of like mind.

Many hands are needed in this effort. We are tentatively planning to open up work weekends some time in April and there are many projects to be accomplished. Downed trees need to be cleared and cut up for firewood, outhouses need rebuilding, buildings need repairing, mowing, weed-whacking; whoa, sounds like a lot of heavy labor!!

But wait, there’s more…if you, like me, have physical limitations that preclude helping with the heavy stuff, there are still many things that we can do. Cooking meals, coordinating raffles (goodies abound!), paperwork, sweeping, painting, picking up sticks; the list goes on. I was a part of the Land many years ago and I can attest to the fact that there is always something for someone to do on work weekends. And if you can’t be there, a financial donation is always welcome.

After a day’s work, sitting around a beautiful campfire next to old friends and new is a reward in and of itself. No sound of traffic, no nosy neighbors, and a place to speak freely about our spirituality, the next sabbat, or the latest ritual, this part of Mother Earth becomes a home away from home. ‘It takes a village’, so the saying goes, and those of us who have been around for a while look forward to those “new friends”. We hope you’ll join us.

If you are interested in working with us as we rebuild this community, send an email to ravenwolfnature at aol dot com for more information, or join us on our Facebook pages at Raven-Wolf Nature Sanctuary or Memories of Ravenwolf.

 

Many Blessings,

Lady CrowW
Selena Wolff-Mason