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November 4th, 2009
02:02 pm - Ritual Performance Clinics, and the CTP3 Plan
There's been interest in setting up a sort of Ritual Performance Clinic for the Grove. I've been brainstorming, and I'm currently looking at about 7 different sessions:- Cosmological Issues
- Ritual Space – Configuration, Management, and Use
- Praying With a Good Fire – Choosing Focus, Writing Prayers, Making Offerings
- Exercise: Three Prayers in Three Minutes
- Ritual Scaling – Considerations for Small, Medium, and Large Rites
- Exercise: Classification and Scaling
- Running a Rite – From Outlines to Fire Extinguishers
- Exercise: "Lickity-Split"
- Performance Concerns – Vocalization, Nerves, Memorization, and Engaged Reading
- Exercise: Warmups and Rundowns
- Wrap-up – Punting, Casting, and Trust
I am thinking about opening this up beyond just our Grove, since we have so many folk in the area, and doing it on a Saturday in December to give folks who can make a day-trip down (or up, as the case may be) a chance to do so.
Depending on a few things, there may be a small charge to attend, too. It would be nice if, should I decide that we need materials (and we most certainly will, if I do what I'd like to do) or need to rent space, I don't have to cover it myself. Of course, if any charge comes into it, it's got to be a well-done program, and it should be reasonable enough that anyone could afford it (I'm thinking $5-$10, if I can manage to keep it at that level).
Then, of course, I hope to have an OL article out of at least a few of these sections.
I have also come up with a set of goal completion dates for my CTP 3 work, in hopes of becoming eligible to apply for Ordination as an ADF Priest before Summerland 2010. (For those scoring at home, I'm consecrated as an ADF Dedicant Priest; ordination is the next step, and confers ADF Priesthood for life. . . assuming the Priest remains in ADF, of course.)
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Island Fever", -JB
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November 3rd, 2009
10:28 am - A new job in ADF
As of November 1, 2009, I became the ADF Clergy Council Preceptor via appointment from the Archdruid. This means that it's my job to:- review CTP submissions that come in;
- keep the process of voting and approval for Initiate Path and Clergy Training Program entrants on track;
- ensure reviews of Dedicant Path documentation are completed for both the IP and CTP; and
- ensure that all this is done in a timely manner.
I am fortunate that I do not bear responsibility for CTP 1 work (it's GSP work, mainly, which goes to the GSP Preceptor) and that I have the ability to appoint deputies for when the amount of grading gets out of hand.
Interestingly, after having been in ADF for nearly a decade, this is the first real position of responsibility I have had with the exception of Senior Druid and Dedicant Priest, both minor roles in the scheme of things in ADF. It's still not an elected position on the organizational level, but it's probably the most visible position I will hold in the foreseeable future.
I tend to aim for an expected turn-around time of 1 week for submission reviews, and now I'm in a position to actually make that sort of promise for the program I'm administering. In the past, I have been responsible only for my own turnaround times on reviews, but I now find myself as the place where the buck stops.
Another issue is that I have had the luxury to consistently pass off submissions from people close to me to other reviewers to ensure that their work is not unfairly questioned because I might be partial to their work. I have often worried about impressions that I play favourites, or that I might grade someone easier because I know them well (those who know me and have submitted to me also know that I am actually a right bastard when it comes to their work, and I'm actually a bit harder on them in general because I often know that they can do better). I can't really do that anymore, as we have such a tiny pool of reviewers to work from and such a large number of students; I will have to take many submissions I would not have taken in the past, and I will have to trust that folk trust me to not let anyone pass if they do not meet the requirements. Given my own general insecurities, I suspect it will be harder for me to believe in that trust than it will be to actually gain it.
Anyway, I am hoping to make the processes that I engage in more visible, more accessible, and more timely. We shall see how that goes, but I am hoping for something I can really work with.
Oh, and Chronarchy.Com has a front page update.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, and I Don't Love Jesus", -JB
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October 23rd, 2009
03:50 pm - It's a day for books!
Two awesome books were released today:
- Ceisiwr Serith's book on Proto-Indo-European Religion, Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans has appeared on Amazon and I have ordered my copy. You may know his name from his other books, The Pagan Family and the book that I consider to be the best book about Neo-Paganism available, A Book of Pagan Prayer.
- The ADF Order of the Crane Book is finished and in production, with an advance announcement out to people currently on the Order list. A further announcement is likely to happen shortly for the remainder of ADF and for everyone else. Watch this blog and ADF-Announce ;)
It's been a hell of a week, from a terrifying 562% that I saw at work last night to a loss of seven years of e-mail on Tuesday. If you sent me something via e-mail and hoped I'd respond, it's a safe bet that if it was important you need to try again. I managed to recover nearly all of it, but a lot of stuff is permanently gone.
On the bright side, I've inadvertently cleared out a major backlog of un-responded-to e-mail, so I feel like I'm starting all fresh-and-clean. We'll see how long *that* lasts.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: "Train to Dixieland", -JB
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October 15th, 2009
03:52 pm - Re-viewing my work
I have just finished reading the responses that ![[info]](http://www.chronarchy.com/images/userinfo.gif) Ian Corrigan provided when he approved my coursework prior to my initiation. I thoroughly enjoy the responses he's provided to me in the past: they are generally detailed, full of thoughtful suggestions, and always to the point with a bit of humour. (Apparently, due to a spelling error, I indicated that new GO's get mentors from other groves who "ass" those new GO's. I think I meant "assist.")
Going through those comments, though, also gave me a chance to review my own work, which, aside from being full of spelling errors because I write everything in notepad anymore, is actually pretty good. I was particularly pleased with myself when I re-read the trance induction for lighting a fire.
I honestly didn't remember writing this piece, and reading it was like reading it for the first time. I suspect that I was so focused on getting the job done that I just sort of missed the fact that I was doing the job, if that makes any sense.
I'm focusing on CTP3 work now, getting a good amount done in advance of completion of CTP 2, actually (my papers are in pending review), which is nice.
Ah, well: back to burying my head in spreadsheets!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Southern Cross", -JB
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October 13th, 2009
11:06 am - On the role of an ADF Priest
I have been spending a lot of time, recently, on examining the role of the Priest in ADF (and, slightly more broadly, in Neo-Paganism in general). In a lot of ways, I find it very straightforward and simple, while in other ways it is very complicated. There is a lot of good information in a variety of sources that expand on the basic question of "What is a Priest and what does he or she do?" Really, reading a few articles answers a lot of questions.
Ian's words ring very true: we are not shepherds, we have no flocks.
The "ritual specialist" language is too simplistic, though, and speaks to a very limited role. I'm not overly pleased with it, so I expect to mostly abandon it soon, or at least modify it with additional terms.
Over and over, though, I come back around to three things: partnership with laity, commitment and training.
The commitment is really the central piece; training is an addendum, really, that leads to obligation and commitment, a sort of *ghosti relationship where when you do the work to get trained, you find yourself committed to training others in the ways of Our Druidry, and to use the skills provided by that training to ensure that the proper rites and sacrifices are made in the proper way at the proper time. In many ways, an ADF Priest is first and foremost a person committed to serving the folk through their training and making sacrifice to the Kindreds.
In any case, there is a two-way commitment: one to the Kindreds, and one to the Folk. I am generally not of a mind that a Solitary member cannot become a Priest, but I think about the oath I took and I wonder how I could fulfill it from a Solitary point of view. I also, though, accept that every individual will find a different vocation, and that they will be called to serve the Folk in different ways. Because of that, my own notion of how someone else might fulfill their oath is fundamentally flawed: not knowing their vocation, I cannot question their fulfillment of it effectively.
It occurs to me that there is also an ineffible quality to priesthood, within ADF and (I suspect) outside of it: those who have been through the processes of consecration and ordination (and now, initiation) will view their role differently than those who have not passed those boundaries and have not made those commitments, and differently than those who have not done the training. I suspect that there is an element of intent to the training, as well, since a trained Liturgist might find similar courses but a very different experience in them, as I know I have.
I think that, because of this, I can only see the role of the Priest in ADF as a partnership of sorts: just as you cannot define a "partner" in ballroom dancing without discussing dancing, one cannot define Priests without discussing the relationship and interaction between Priest and laity. If we consider separating the Priest from the laity at all (either by defining one group as "useful" or one group as "useless"), each category must understand and express the value of the other in order to find value within itself.
A book that I love describes it like this: "We can ask, What is a wombat or an edible dormouse?, but not, What is a priest? The priest is no independent species – the 'laity' are part of the picture of what the priest is, and the priest is part of the picture of what the laity are." The notion that priests can be defined in isolation from the congregation is a ridiculous one, and I suspect that the true issues that surround "defining a Priest in ADF" likely revolve around insecurity about what an individual's role is in relation to the ADF Priest, not insecurity about the role of the external priest.
My initiation into the ADF Initiatory Current was a very reflective thing: I am deeply engaged in retrospective thinking and considering new things that are coming up. My actual essay on this topic (meant for Oak Leaves) is already stretching several pages, because the question of the role of ADF Priests is so very complicated, so I won't dwell on it here much more.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) peaceful
Current Music: "Who's the Blonde Stranger", -JB
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October 12th, 2009
02:06 pm - A series of oaths, a series of changes
You know, in many ways, the initiation I went through changed the game I was playing, deepening it and setting new rules. I like to talk about Huizinga's notion of Homo Ludens as vastly superior to Eliade's Homo Religiosis, but I find myself encountering Huizinga's theories on a very real and intimate level in my life.
The rules have changed for me a few times since I started in ADF: my Patron Oath, Dedicant Oath, Consecration Oath, and now my Initiation Oath have all changed the rules ever so slightly, but also so significantly.
My Patron Oath brought me into deeper relationship with Esus and Eris, and it has led to many great things while keeping me grounded and flexible all at once. New rules included building commitment while also deepening understanding in exploration and boundary-pushing.
My Dedicant Oath led me to a place where I was committed in a new way to Our Druidry, where my world was re-framed and brought into sharp focus. There, a new cosmovision sprang forth, and my life has since been filled with spirits and allies I never dreamed would be available to me before. This was pivotal in how I viewed the world.
My Consecration Oath turned a corner I did not expect, and brought me to a place of deeper piety and unfathomable commitment to the rites and rituals of Our Druidry. It also provided me with a commitment to "pay forward" that which I had learned, to bring that training to others and help others through it.
My Initiation Oath took me through deep passages in the earth and high corridors of stars in the heavens, and provided me with new tools and new focus, both in terms of the practical work I had done to get to that point, and in terms of the lessons learned from initiation. It is as if I am seeing the cosmos for the first time, and I understand fully my place within it.
My next oath will be an oath at Ordination, I suspect. I don't know what it will bring, but I can only tell you that it will likely redefine this cosmos yet again, and I am likely to see the world through new eyes, and to have new training and lessons with which to focus them, yet again.
I am excited to see where this leads, and to learn what I can do to help lead others through the mists whose paths become known. In all cases, though, any change that may come requires me to accept the new rules. This is not as simple as saying "yes, I agree to these rules." It is a complicated process of discovering the new rules, agreeing to abide by them, and then acting in accordance with them: recognition, agreement, and action. These are the three steps my oaths have taken and will take.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: awake
Current Music: "Travelin' Clean", -JB
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October 6th, 2009
01:59 pm - The third of three lessons: Joy
I learned three lessons during my journey as my mettle was tested as an ADF Initiate. These lessons were not the lessons I expected, nor are they specifically private to me alone: these are guiding lessons that I must take forward, that must draw me along as I go forth as an ADF Initiate, and by my oath I will use them in service to others. The lessons offered to each Initiate will be different for each individual Initiate, based on that individual's needs and the work they must do.
The third lesson of my initiation is Joy.
Where I went to learn this lesson, I cannot say; this was a place reserved for initiates alone, as I understand it: I believe ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) druidkirk and I are the only ones who have been there, and we both visited this place (though we came from different directions and found different things) in our journeys, even though no guidance was given to us by our initiators. This lesson is also virtually ineffable, so please bear with me as I seek to explain it.
I had traveled far, and this was my last stop. I had traveled through fear, through solitude, and through specific lessons that I must learn and teach others. I wondered what this last place have in store.
In this place, though, there was a garden, something I did not expect to find.
It was a beautiful garden, much like those lavish and architectural gardens of Europe, typified by the gardens at Versallies, Chateau de Villandry, or even an English garden. Within it, there was a grove of trees, and this is where I was drawn to.
Some trees in the grove were older, some were younger, and a few were simply saplings. Some were oaks, some ashes, and some were yews or hawthorns or willows. Each had been touched by the gardener in some way: nudged to grow straighter, trimmed to remove dead wood, replanted from another grove to flourish here, or supported while the roots deepened and the branches reached for sunlight. What I found was that I was standing in the midst of my Grove, and that each tree was an individual: member, friend, or brand-new-shiny Druid. I could identify trees by name, I was so certain of each one. I could also see that they were each others' strength in the storm.
I never met the keeper of this garden, nor did I meet any other figure there, but what I knew, simply from standing in this garden and this grove, was the simple joy of the gardener. It was present everywhere, permeating all things: a joy borne of love, time, and care for every detail and every individual plant and tree and animal within. This is not a garden meant to feed the body, but one meant to feed the soul.
The gardener gardens because it is right to do so, and his work brings out the artfulness of the cosmos. Each plant is placed in relation to others "just so," while others are righted when they begin to grow wrong. This maintains that artful universe, that rta or *xartus where all things have their place, and are in their place. Small changes have large impacts, and a gentle nudge has deep effects on the path the garden takes.
Here is the lesson: the gardener who gardens for food and sustenance may find health and a reduction in hunger; but the gardener who tends his garden with love will see the fruits of his labour not in the things that garden produces to sustain the body, but in the simple joy of the work that sustains the soul. That is what this Grove is for me: simple, complete joy. The work that we do must not be for advancement or position, but for joy in the garden that we tend. The personal growth of our members is what drives us on, what brings us pleasure, not increases in status or stature on our own. It is, then, up to us to seek that joy, to bring it forth, and to draw others to it so that they may have their soul nourished with this joy as well.
So these are the ways, visible to the community, that I will work to fulfill the third charge the Kindreds placed upon me during my initiation.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: joyful
Current Music: "Something So Feminine About a Mandolin", -JB
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09:13 am - The second of three lessons: Center
I learned three lessons during my journey as my mettle was tested as an ADF Initiate. These lessons were not the lessons I expected, nor are they specifically private to me alone: these are guiding lessons that I must take forward, that must draw me along as I go forth as an ADF Initiate, and by my oath I will use them in service to others. The lessons offered to each Initiate will be different for each individual Initiate, based on that individual's needs and the work they must do.
The second lesson of my initiation is Center.
The middle of my journey was about the center of all things, and finding that center within oneself. It sounds odd to me that I should say that the lesson is "center" rather than "centering" or "being centered". . . but truly, that is the lesson here, for it encompasses much.
There is a place that we go, the Center of Worlds, that is inhabited by a crane. Here, the land, sea, and sky all meet, and here we can access the cosmic waters and the heavens above.
It is said that a lone crane lives on the isle of Inishkea near Erris, Co. Mayo, and will remain there until the end of time. This crane is at the edge of the world, not the center, but I often think of this crane as being very much like Garanus: both cranes clearly inhabit a place, keeping watch and reliable in their singular locality to those who seek them out. They were there before us, and they will be there long after we are gone.
What stands out to me is this notion of the water-skate in Zuni myth; it can easily be translated into the notion of the Crane:
At the center of the worlds, there stands a crane: one foot is on the land, one foot is in the waters, his eye is raised to the heavens. It is in his heart that the Three Realms are joined, and this marks the "center place," the heart of the Realms and the Worlds.
The heart of this crane is directly above the heart of the Earth Mother, and directly below the pole star of the heavens. When those who honour the Crane come together to form a Grove, they align themselves with this center: each one standing firmly upon the bosom of the Earth Mother, directly above her heart and directly below their own pole star, with this centered ritual place located both about them in physical form and spiritually within their heart.
Any shrine upon which a fire is lit and Garanus is honoured is a center as well: a permanent home for the heart of the Crane.
This is the lesson of centering I carry forth: each of our hearts are the heart of the crane, each of us is centered in the world, and each of us can work from that place and bring change to all things as we change ourselves. We must be the change we wish to see in the world, and we must transform ourselves, with the aid of the Crane, in order to transform others around us. My work is now to learn to explain this better, to bring others to the center of worlds.
So these are the ways, visible to the community, that I will work to fulfill the second charge the Kindreds placed upon me during my initiation.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: enthralled
Current Music: "The Missionary", -JB
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October 5th, 2009
03:26 pm - The first of three lessons: Focus
I learned three lessons during my journey as my mettle was tested as an ADF Initiate. These lessons were not the lessons I expected, nor are they specifically private to me alone: these are guiding lessons that I must take forward, that must draw me along as I go forth as an ADF Initiate, and by my oath I will use them in service to others. The lessons offered to each Initiate will be different for each individual Initiate, based on that individual's needs and the work they must do.
The first lesson of my initiation is Focus.
As I my journey began, I was instructed very carefully to learn focus. There were specific things I learned I must focus on from the Kindreds, but those things were spoken to me alone, and won't be passed along except to those who are directly affected by things I was explicitly told to fix. I was told, though, that I am not a focused person: I am both poorly organized and highly unreliable. I have difficulty staying on task and greater difficulty in concentration.
I have great trouble focusing on individuals (including myself): often, e-mail conversations will simply dissipate over time; I fail to make phone calls to friends and family "just to say hi;" the membership of ADF has expressed a feeling that I've ignored them; I spent a great deal of the year not doing my sunrise/sunset devotionals; I cannot even keep myself to a set of specified goals for CTP course completion; and my work has suffered from a lack of detail-focus. Yes, the last few months (since about February, when I officially took this job) have been hell, but that is no excuse. I need to learn to focus, compartmentalize, and move forward on projects that need to be completed and be more open to people I need to be available to. . . in my personal life, my spiritual life, and my work life.
Of particular note is that my trancework is not done: there is more to do. Completion of the trancework practicums, Trance 1 and Trance 2, does not entitle me to say I'm done with it. Indeed, it is clear that more work needs to be done, and it must be done in a focused way. I must work the Trance journal I have started and supplement it with additional regular practice, and bring that practice to others.
Another place that I have noticed focus must be brought is in my religious speech, particularly in ritual. I've been strongly bitten by the elusive AwenBug recently, and as a result have been waxing on with a lack of focus, trusting my gut to understand the way an invitation to the Kindreds or a purpose must go. This has become an issue, actually, where even though everything I say in ritual is related, it is not focused. I've been given a charge to start speaking in a more specific manner in ritual.
Some improvements occurred prior to this rite (as the work was completed), but this rite is likely to have induced lasting change in my behavior on this front.
So these are the ways, visible to the community, that I will work to fulfill the first charge the Kindreds placed upon me during my initiation.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/thinking.gif) thoughtful
Current Music: "Life Is Just a Tire Swing", -JB
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01:30 pm - Initial digestation of an Initiation
It took me twenty-four hours for my body to get back to where it was before my initiation: until about 8 PM last night, I was so exhausted, emotionally and physically, that it was hard to smile or converse. The drive back down to Columbus seemed to take all day (though the company of kargach and romandruid was exceedingly welcome and helped immensely), and I found myself stretching my back, wiggling my fingers, and cracking my joints as often as possible just to relieve some of the pressure that seemed to be everywhere on my tired, worn out body. I don't think I have ever been quite so exhausted.
I really feel like I should have taken Monday off of work, giving myself two full days to recover from the experience. I also need to take a good look at my robe, as I fear that this initiation may have been its last ritual: I was not kind to it throughout the rite, and it may be stained and torn beyond simple washing and repair.
I am, of course, still processing everything. As a result, expect to see three journal entries shortly as I describe what three particular lessons I've learned, and the work that will go along with them. I've already mentioned them before, but feel a need to go more in depth on what they (broadly) mean to me: focus, center, and joy.
I'm not sure what else I'll post publicly about. It is not up to me to reveal the three tests I underwent, though the Clergy Council witnessed two of them and I suspect that word will get around as we initiate others when uninitiated witnesses speak of the tests they've seen (the third was witnessed only by my initiators and, partially, by my fellow initiate): in hindsight it was pleasant to be surprised by the form these tests took, and what they were in particular (I had been ignoring all posts related to the Initiation purposely). I wouldn't want to "spoil" it for anyone, but suffice to say that anyone who has done the work and been dilligent about completeness and depth will pass the first two. The third is harder to prepare for, though Trance 1 and 2 will likely bring the candidate the required skills.
I do suspect that I will post about the omens I received. I am still digesting them, and taking them to heart: two were generally positive, two were generally worrisome, but all were promising to an optimistic reader. . . and those who took the omens were optomistic, so I don't have to read that optimism into the spreads on my own.
I'm looking forward to hearing my oath (it was mostly extemporaneous, but recorded) so that I can go back and write it down and keep the wording with me. Fortunately, the journey upon which it was based leaves a solid impression, and I need not worry about the general notions behind it being forgotten any time soon.
Two things were taken with me into the initiation that I wish to mention, though. First, when I was consecrated as a Dedicant Priest within ADF, I was given a bottle of mead by tlachtga. I did not drink it then, but held onto it, with an intent to break it open to celebrate my ordination as an ADF Priest in a few years, when I took that next step. As I thought of the sacrifices I must make, though, I knew that this bottle was not for me to keep, but for me to offer: something that I had attached such a special significance to, something that I had held onto for so long, and it became the ideal sacrifice to the Ancient Wise. . . for I offered to them a gift I meant to share with my closest friends, from one of the most special occasions, from someone I respected deeply. This drew them nearer to me, and brought them into that *ghos-ti relationship in a way I have always wanted to do. It was a matter of breaking out the best of the best, the "special" drink you have been saving for just the right moment. . . and that moment was perfectly right.
Second: About a year ago, sleepingwolf sent me a bull pin. I had never worn it before Saturday, but something told me to grab it before I left. As I underwent the most frightening portion of my Ordeal, I felt weight of this pin, and the pin of three silver cranes my Grove presented to me at my consecration, upon my breast. That weight reminded me that no matter how scared I was, no matter how much I wanted to call out, I was supported by friends, family, and the Kindreds in ways I had never known before. These two pins were the only ritual items I took with me, and their presence was a deep assurance as I faced that fear.
To all those who were with me at this rite, in prayer, in silence, or in spirit, thank you. Without my community, I know that I would not have passed even the first test this past weekend.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: full
Current Music: "Last Mango in Paris", -JB
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October 4th, 2009
12:41 am - Initiation passed
Today, I passed the initiation into ADF's Initiatory Current.
It wasn't easy, it was a bit frightening, and it was very deeply meaningful and powerful. For a few minutes, I honestly wasn't sure I would pass the three tests. But, in the end, both druidkirk and I passed, and we are now ADF Initiates.
It is clear, from the omens, that my work is only beginning, and I can expect a rough road ahead. This does not surprise me, but it is good to be prepared.
I simply need to focus, find my center, and experience the joy. . . For those are my lessons from this initiation.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: "The Wino and I Know", -JB
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September 30th, 2009
11:05 am - More on the Order of the Crane
How on earth is it that in this economy, getting a quote in a timely manner is virtually impossible? If it were only one vendor, I could maybe understand, but nearly all of them?
I know I've spoken much about the ADF Order of the Crane thing that seamus_mcnasty and I have been playing architect on, but I want to touch base a bit more. Bear with me, I'll be thinking out loud.
After receiving the first copies of the Order book, I started digging into the project. So far, I've added about ten pages to the total book, reformatted the text, and rearranged the way things are introduced so that they make a bit more sense. I've been outsourcing work that I'm not so hot with to various Grove members, and think that sometime after this weekend's Clergy Retreat, we may very well be ready to announce the Order of the Crane for folks outside the Grove.
I also started a large chunk of our Grove down the Order's path by doing a "meet the Crane" journey at the last Druid Moon rite. After having read a couple of descriptions of those journeys, I was deeply moved to write a few ritual pieces, which will appear in the book.
One thing that stands out to me is that I want to revise the second level oath. You see, there are three oaths that get taken in the course of the work: the Crane-Following Oath (basic, open-ended, promise to do devotionals and service work), the Crane-Dedicant Oath (dedicating the member to the Crane, still open-ended, and building on the CFO), and the Crane-Initiate Oath (more specific and personal, long-term-y, written with the Clergy Advisor's input). I want the Crane-Dedicant Oath to be fixed, but have not settled on solid, appropriate wording. I have something in place, but keep re-thinking it, and feedback on it has led to greater re-thinking.
In other news, I'm two questions away from completing Trance 2. If I complete by Friday night, I might actually be able to undergo the ADF Initiation with druidkirk on Saturday. The question is, will I have time to do something like that?
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: "Off To See the Lizard", -JB
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September 23rd, 2009
01:20 pm - Where has the time gone? Projects and updates and some fun.
I'm always a bit late on updating, but that's alright: I'm so busy that I really only have time to read LJ, rather than to post on it, so I get the important stuff done, I guess :)
Monday night, I was very, very excited to receive the proof copies of the Call of the Crane book, the book designed for the ADF Order of the Crane (totally not approved yet, but I totally don't care). I've been having so much fun doing this particular bit of work, and I have to say, the damn thing looks wonderful.
I am, of course, catching typos and issues left and right, but the nice thing about proof copies is that you can write in them and mark them up all you want. It's about 54 pages and small, and I'm starting to see how it'll fit in with other training materials that I'm likely to develop. It may nearly double in size before we're ready for release, though.
I'll be bringing a copy of the books to both the Druid Moon rite tonight and to the Clergy Retreat next weekend. I admit, I can't wait to show it off.
I also started updating the ADF Dedicant Path Through the Wheel of the Year (WotY) document. I'm kind of sad because I suspect that this will be the last major update to that book for some time, but I've been throwing new things in (like a complete "first oath" ritual and other such things) while I've been doing the more mundane updates.
As I go through it, I see that I'll be developing a second WotY, one that is crane-focused. It'll be more of a "working" book than the current WotY is. And then, once that's done, we will find an IP WotY appearing that's Crane focused, as well. What I'm starting to see is a pair of books (so far) that will lead one along the path of the Crane from joining ADF, through the DP, through the IP, and possibly through clergy training.
seamus_mcnasty, we'll need to create a "Crane Journal", too, I think, after reviewing the proof of this book.
I've been involved with a number of discussions on "what's an Order" through a variety of media, which is somewhat entertaining to me: I've been watching it come together since the notion was first presented, of course, and gone back and forth about their utility and their place. I'm excited and pleased with the way it's developed, mostly because so far everything makes sense, and discussions about the direction have only cemented that feeling more and more strongly in my mind.
The best part, of course, is that we've had the opportunity to do the work now for months to see how things work prior to approval. With months (or a year in one case) under the belt of a couple of groups, we have seen different experiences and different developments (and radically different approaches). I've been very pleased that since the policy discussion was moved to the MG, everything seems to still proceed from the original intent, and that nothing has changed that has brought up any of the current (known) working groups to need to change their approach. It's been nice to see that the MG members seem to be taking all discussions and existing work into account.
I hope to put out a call to "interested parties" for the Order of the Crane to ADF-Announce shortly, probably right after the Clergy Retreat, and get the work even more steam.
On a completely different thought: it occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that if everyone in ADF was as professional and polite as the zombies in Re: Your Brains (video | lyrics), some of us might not feel so personally beat up upon. Plus, the song is so darn uplifting. . . in a "I'm going to eat your brains" sort of way.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: "The Wino and I Know", -JB
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September 15th, 2009
01:53 pm - Accomplishments!
 Yow: the past week's been a bit of a speedy run downhill!
I've brought some projects to completion recently:
- I spent some time revising and revamping the Dedicants page on the ADF members' side so that it's a lot more descriptive, and also got the "new" edition (edited, finally!) up on the site.
- After that, I completed over half of Trance 2 on Saturday night at the Midnight Flame Festival (which already has dates for next year up).
- Then, this morning I completed and published the guidebook (see the cover on the right) for the ADF Order of the Crane. Once I have a copy of it in-hand (hopefully by Thursday), I think we'll be ready to go forward with the Order itself, which is completely "done" in terms of initial development.
It was a hell of a time to come back to real life and get back to work, though. The festival last weekend was amazing, as always, and I had a hell of a lot of fun. Plus, I got to spend around 16 total hours in the car with druidkirk talking about all sorts of nifty things, both within and without ADF.
The Trance 2 near-completion is what boggles my mind most of all, though: I didn't think I'd actually manage that before October, but now it seems I will. . . and in time for the Clergy Retreat, which also means that it'll be in time to get myself initiated into this new ADF Initiatory Current.
Then, I can tie the Order of the Crane into that current, as well, at least partially.
That's motivation, really. It's also a plan.
Wow, just. . . wow.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Big Rig", -JB
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September 12th, 2009
03:53 pm - Crap.
Crap. I now own a sarong.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Lawyers, Guns and Money", -JB
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September 2nd, 2009
01:54 pm - Order of the Crane: first steps
Time to let the Crane out of the Crane-bag, since both Skip and seamus_mcnasty have already done so on various fora :)
I have been spending a lot of time recently working on this Order of the Crane, which is partially a way to extend what our Grove does to the rest of ADF, but mostly a way to get people dedicated to doing work within their daily spiritual lives.
The focus will be on the Crane as a symbol of transformation and service: we expect to cover, in particular, healing and rites of passage (birth, marrying and burying), but also have a commitment to service projects (because what good, really, are transformative rituals if you can't be out there doing transformative work for others?). There's devotional work required, as well, but to join and do the work, it's really just a simple process. . . and you don't need to be a member to do the work, either.
It's a full curriculum, really, with very simple rules and reliant on existing SP's for some of the advancement work. The structure is pretty darn simple, and I'm starting to think that the skeleton we have is actually pretty neat.
In the past week or so, Seamus and I have worked out most everything we need: bylaws, devotional rites, a method of joining, a prepared e-mail list (with public archives), and (as of early this morning) an initiation rite. There's even a place to submit healing requests. We're up to about a 50 page guide for the Order, as well, with rituals and requirements set out pretty clearly. I'm just waiting on a few final things from Seamus to put the lid on it and call it "finished" (for now).
I'm not opening the pages up to many people yet, but they're at least as complete as some Guild pages, even if they're just sitting on the 3CG pages so far. We'll probably wait until the book is finished before we open the Order to new members. . . and I cannot wait to do that!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: "Spending Money", -JB
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August 27th, 2009
02:08 pm - Discussion from the Panel at Summerland, 2009
After discussion in my last post about the utility of the Summerland Panel Discussion, "The Future of ADF," I thought I'd post the product of my own work here. Part of what left me so disheartened was a response consisting only of crickets when I finished, which either means I had explained things so well, or the whole thing fell flat. I give it about a 50/50.
So, I thought about this for a while, and I still want to get the info out, because I feel that it's very important to provide. So here's basically what I said, in brief:
Future Plans for Clergy Training in ADF
First of all, I have to give deep thanks to Ian Corrigan, Carrion, romandruid and druidkirk for the support and help that they've given throughout the process of creating the Clergy Training Program (CTP) up to this point. Right now, for the first time since 1998, we have a cohesive set of exit standards that one can complete and have approved that will lead to full ordination as an ADF Priest. This is one if Isaac's central vision points: a rigorous, solid training program for our Priests that gives them an education that can be compared to mainstream religions.
That said, it is not necessarily on par with mainstream religious training for priests. We have a very long way to go.
Our training currently consists of outlines of exit standards: CTP Cicles 2 and 3 have complete guides available, but CTP 1 does not at this time. The guides for CTP 2 and 3 are in need of expansion into a real program, fleshed out to provide training, not just test it. Resources need to be consistently updated, and CTP 1, in particular, needs to be drawn into a guide that provides a lot of preliminary information and resource work.
Further, additional hands-on instruction needs to be developed: between videos of rituals, individual mentorship programs, and week-long (required) intensives at various points around the country, there's a lot of ground to cover. Rubrics and exit standard clarifications need to be provided.
One place that we've begun to move away from is the notion of assigning remedial Dedicant Path work: rather than finding a DP "inadequate" to the CTP training, we have started to draw on the full set of courses within ADF's various study programs and recommend additional work in order to provide further training instead of returning to old work and forcing repetition. This rests on the notion that challenging students with work that builds on previous work will bear fruit in a way that revisiting central concepts along may not. . . and will hopefully help them reinforce any core concepts that they may not completely comprehend. Remedial work is still a possibility, but it's far less likely now.
I mentioned earlier that this training program isn't perfect: it probably never will be. The original CTP Circle 1 was designed to be a bit more clergy-like than it turned out to be: this is a result of a need to pass something to get the ball rolling (it turned out that this was an excellent idea). Because of this, CTP 1 is identical to the First Circle of the Generalist Study Program, and it does not teach some skills that are probably necessary for clergy work.
To correct this, there are already plans to rebalance the CTP, to reduce the front-end weight of the academics and distribute several already-approved-but-not-required courses through the CTP in a logical way. We are patiently waiting for a few more students to work through the current program before we begin revisions, as we want to have experience behind us when we seek to revise. The current time-frame for such revisions rests at around 2011 or 2012, at which point we hope to have many more people having worked through CTP 1, 2, and 3.
There's much to do yet with clergy training within ADF, but it is a clearly evolving (and planned) process that we have going on.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "I Will Play For Gumbo", -JB
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August 26th, 2009
03:16 pm - Summerland '09
 Really, I had a great time. There were highs and lows, as there are at every festival, but let me tell ya, the highs greatly outweighed the lows.
I managed to put together my tent on Wednesday night, though it was a hell of a battle in a very humid and hot afternoon. Then, I ran off to the Dayton airport to pick up Kathleen.
Thursday morning, I got in early and took care of distributing a few things around camp. Then I settled into my workshop. It interested me that people were excited about this one: I'd gotten such poor turnout at Wellspring, and here I found that people were actually looking forward to the workshop at Summerland. Oh, such different festivals :) There's an Oak Leaves article in store with this, and I hope to get it polished over the Winter.
I ended up going to bed very early on Thursday night, as work pressure just hasn't been letting up (I got called about an issue, even though my calendar was clearly marked: "vacation," though I didn't mind too much, really).
Friday was pretty good, starting with an awesome dawn ritual and culminating in the bardic circle and auction, where it turns out that we had way too much awesome stuff to auction off. I think the best part of the evening was watching Maggie run around in a backless red dress to show off auction items. Just before the Circle, though, I had some work to do: the ADF clergy have made a standing appointment based on lunar cycles, and I wasn't about to miss it. I'm so pleased I did, too, because it led to a grand experience the next day.
And, dude, if you missed the posting about several 3CG members engaging in a Barbershop (Barbarian) Quartet version of Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song, you just click that link and check it out.
On Saturday, I ended up doing a lot of Ancestor work: writing an invitation to them for the Unity Rite, I found myself going far deeper into the process than I expected to go. The result was a deeply meaningful understanding of the Ancient Wise, who they are, and what they do. This understanding led me to draw on images and lore that, until now, had been locked mostly within my own mind, and allowed me to introduce some of that imagery to the Folk of ADF. . . if they were paying attention, I guess. I hear, though, that the Ancestors invitation went very well for the most part.
On Saturday night, I participated in a panel discussion about various aspects of the future of ADF, which was something I was looking forward to talking about, but I admit to feeling somewhat disappointed: after all the work I put into my portion, I see that very few people found value in it. People have remarked about boredom during the discussion, or that it was a farce of unimportance. To those who engaged with it and enjoyed it, thank you for making it a useful and good discussion: I've seen one or two people describe it as useful, and several people engaged positively with it during the event. I really do this sort of stuff on the notion that a single person learning a single thing is enough for me, so I'm so very pleased I did it. Still, I have a notion that the discussion might have been better served in a workshop slot that was a bit less "okay, everyone attend"-like. It might have made me feel better in the long run, and less like the work I've done and continue to do is generally not worth the time of others.
Saturday night also led to several good conversations, some of which were rather eye-opening and theologically deep. I love this sort of thing at festivals, even if I did end up missing pretty much the entire concert as a result. I also understand that I went to bed at just the right time to avoid drama (really, going to bed before 1 AM is the best way to avoid drama at most festivals, as the drinking heats up around that point and so do the arguments: it's like clockwork).
Sunday involved the taking down of many tents, cleaning, cooking (I love being in the kitchen with the Cranes) and lots of hugs. Then a collapse at home for a couple of hours' worth of napping.
Awesome festival, though, like always! I love meeting new and interesting people from around ADF, and I was so very happy to see that so many people came from so far away to attend and sorely missed the people who couldn't be there. I hope that those who came felt as honoured to be our guests as we felt to be your hosts!
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: "Bob Robert's Society Band", -JB
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August 25th, 2009
07:10 am - Barbarian Quartet & Viking Kittens
See the awesome things you miss at Summerland if you stay at home?
Our inspiration was, clearly, Viking Kittens. I was hoping to get Maggie and tanrinia to be our kittens, but both said "No, no, and hell no." I would totally have bought them helmets and battle axes!
(Thanks to ravenna_blue for having the presence of mind to take video!)
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: amused
Current Music: "Good Guys Win", -JB
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August 7th, 2009
02:45 pm - Virgins, Kings, and CTP roadblocks
As I wait (and wait, and wait and wait some more) for the Windows 7 image to download to my hard drive, burn to a disk, and get uploaded to the software site I maintain, I end up reflecting on many things regarding my CTP work.
First, it seems that I'm not real good with the "King-and-Virgin" interaction in various IE cultures. Sure, there are Celtic ones, but I'm displeased by the lack of other cultures. I posted on my LJ the other day that sometimes the ADF Clergy Training Program questions are harder for me because I wrote so many of them, and this is a solid example. I'm avoiding the use of the Mahabharata as long as possible, as it's so well into the classical Hindu age of India that I don't know what to do with it. And I don't really want to talk about Math's feet all that much on the Celtic side.
This, of course, puts me in a hell of a position regarding that question. I don't really want to break down and re-gurge something, but I might have to. I think I'll spend part of my weekend reading Enright's Lady With a Mead Cup and see what's in there, and possibly pick at the Usas/Indra relationship some. If nothing else, at least it'll be more interesting and less like a bad Telemundo soap opera.
I've also noticed the limitation of another question, which asks for two examples of a deity engaging in unethical behavior. This is all well-and-good, but I think I'd intended it to read something more along the lines of "a usually ethical deity engaging in unethical behavior." Obviously, it's just too easy to talk about Loki or Eris there, and answering with either of them would sort of defeat the purpose of the question. The aim was more to examine what causes "good gods to do bad things," and I think I failed in writing that question as well as I'd have liked.
Still, some questions are coming along swimmingly, and if I can manage to stay on track, I may be able to complete two courses this weekend: IE Studies 2 and IE Myth 2. Sometimes I wonder what we were thinking when we expected that these courses could all be done in a single year. Of course, it doesn't help that we've been writing them as we go along (fortunately, they're now complete through Circle 3).
I have books on order for Ethics 1 (I hope they're good sources for the questions I need answered), and I have a notion that Leadership Development 1 is going to be a bear, as well. Trance 2 is proving to be an issue of "I just can't get started on finishing it" more than anything else, but fortunately, I don't actually need to do Trance 2 for anything. . . except the ADF Initiate Path, in which it's the last required course I haven't submitted.
Anyway, here's hoping I can get something done in the next two weekends. I'll put this out here now:
Summerland 2010 is my target for Ordination as a Third Circle ADF Priest. Everything I've been working at has been with that in mind. That's my goal. I expect to make it.
Now I just gotta get past Circle 2.
Current Location: Southeast of Disorder
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/sad.gif) bored
Current Music: "Smart Woman (In a Real Short Skirt)", -JB
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