Weeks to Months

Happy July, everyone.

Well, almost no sooner had I returned alone from the necessary three-week trip to Toronto in May, than I learned that my father is now terminally ill with inoperable lung cancer. For all practical purposes, I’m the only family he has here. We’ve never been particularly close; he’s typical of the "absent father" so often mentioned by the Men’s Movement, emotionally reserved and independent to the point of being distant. Still, his condition has caused us to reconnect somewhat, even though he holds his emotions close to his chest. He’s been in hospital for over two weeks as I write this, and the palliative care team have been focusing on pain management with the goal of getting him into a hospice soon. Both of us have been on our own emotional roller coasters, and I can’t be sure that he isn’t still in some form of denial. The doctors have given him a prognosis of "weeks to months", and are trying to bump him up the waitlist for cataract surgery, in order to improve his quality of life for the time he has left.

Brendan Myers’ A Pagan Testament is a collection of stories, poems, texts, and teachings gathered through his own research, and from an extensive folklore survey conducted among pagans in 2006-7. For a movement that often prides itself on being "not a religion of the book", there are nevertheless texts and sayings which subsets within the pagan movement value, and attitudes that many pagans hold in common. They vary from aboriginal teachings to tales of Innana, to Demeter and Persephone, to the Morrigan, to the Norns of Norse mythology. They cover witch-lore from the Malleus Malificarum and Leland’s Aradia, to the poetry of Burns, Kipling, Keats, and Wordsworth, to British Traditional Books of Shadows. They include quotes from Heinlein and Tolkien, and even from a 1999 movie. Myers’ book covers all these and more, notably a collection of 170 pagan chants (without music, alas), some of which have undergone folk process before reaching their contributors (in other words, not the way I’d edit or contribute them). Of particular interest is Myers’ commentary on these selections, and what they indicate about their underlying pagan concepts. The book is not the ultimate collection of pagan texts, but it’s certainly a good start, and belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the literary heritage of the Craft. It may even be useful to educate those belonging to "religions of the book" about what pagans believe.

July's Birthdays: Tash L., Leanne, Maracena, Sean, Caroline, Kerri, Jen T., and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

Thanks to those of you who came out for the solstice sunrise on the 20th. And congratulations (again) to Rikki and Gavin on their handfasting on June 21!

July Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 1: Canada Day
Jul. 2: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jul. 3-12: Local agricultural fair, athletic competition, and pre-harvest festival.
Jul. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jul. 7, 3:21 a.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.
Jul. 18: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.
Jul. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, at Votier’s Flats. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Jul. 21, 8:35 a.m.: New Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
Jul. 23-26: Calgary Folk Festival on Prince’s Island. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com
Jul. 31 – Aug. 3: PanFest in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Aug. 3: Civic Holiday (Heritage Day).
Aug. 3-9: Calgary International Blues Festival. Info: http://www.calgarybluesfest.com/

Blessings,
Hergest
　

Highway 69 Revisited

Happy June, everyone.

Summer Solstice is coming, and once again Evergreen will be hosting a sunrise vigil on Saturday, June 20 at 4:45 a.m. in Strathcona. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll send you the directions if necessary.

The Covenant of Gaia is holding their annual Summerfest campout, Pelé’s Melee, in Kananaskis on the weekend of June 26-28. (Honouring the volcano goddess and/or the football god, perhaps?) Summerfest pricing is $25/night/site, plus $12/adult (12 & over). Day-trippers get away with $20/day. Details will be up on the http://cogcoa.ab.ca website soon, and registration forms will available by the end of the week. You can hold a spot now just by dropping a line to president (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca. All the major volunteer roles have been filled, and they're still looking for workshop volunteers. If you have a special talent, skill, craft, or expertise that you'd like to share in a one-hour workshop, please give them a shout.

One of the downsides of getting older, and my recent Toronto trip only drew further attention to it, is an increasing sense of loss. I fondly remember when the road to the Kananaskis was a slow, twisty gravel road with high bridges and breathtaking views, and watched with a sense of disappointment as the new highway construction slashed its way across the wilderness. The Trans-Canada from Calgary to Vancouver remains an epic trip, but the stretch from Kamloops to Hope, following the well-settled Thompson and Fraser River valleys, was shortcutted over 20 years ago by the Coquihalla, a sterile divided highway featuring brutal climbs and drops along its length.
The TransCanada to Winnipeg had, until recently, two bottlenecks in the four-lane, in western and eastern Saskatchewan. Both of these have now been divided, but at the price of moving the highway from the main drag of several towns to a bypass on the outskirts. Doubtless this has damaged the tourist trade in these towns; in Moosomin, only the wonderful Red Barn Restaurant has managed to move a little closer to the new alignment. The divided highway continues beyond Winnipeg to approximately Kenora, where again the highway (now called 17) now bypasses the picturesque city on Lake of the Woods. Beyond that, the passage is so far too narrow to divide, often running three undivided lanes to accommodate passing zones. Aside from the odd divided stretch around Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury, it’s mostly two- lane until Parry Sound, at the foot of Georgian Bay, where it route 69 becomes the 400, running four-lane divided all the way to Toronto.
South of Sudbury, Hwy 69 is paralleled by Hwy 400 construction. The primal rock of the Precambrian Shield is being blasted away, turned into highway fill, a brutal rape that will again bypass the mom-and-pop motels, gas stations, and “trading posts”, giving way to Quality Inns and Golden Griddles. As a traveller, I can’t help but wonder about that this is doing to wildlife habitat and corridors. 69 is already segmented south of Parry Sound; soon it will be like the legendary Route 66 in the states, only a shadow of its former self. Even now, the existing route though northern Ontario is a graveyard of closed motels and former gas stations. I’m sure that truckers love the four-lane for moving goods across country, but recreational driving, the last gasp of the car culture of the Fifties and Sixties, is suffering. Like William Least Heat Moon in his Blue Highways, we may have to forego the Interstate that the TransCanada is becoming, and go to the secondary highways in order to find ourselves.

June’s Birthdays: Nicole G, Bev T, Colleen W, Dawn, Joie, Sierra, Michelle B, Mimi, some old HP... and probably some of his other Facebook friends.

June's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

June 2-4: Mayor’s Environment Expo at City Hall Atrium.
June 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
June 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron and Mead Tasting. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
June 7, 12:12 p.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.
June 12-14: VulCon 16: Spock Days/GalaxyFest in Vulcan. Fun for young and old (Spock)! Info: http://www.vulcantourism.com/vulcon-galaxyfest.html
June 12-14: Spirit of the West Druid Gathering. Too late to register; maybe next year. Info: http://www.druidgathering.ca/index.php
June 13, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Litha Ritual.
June 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
June 20, 4:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Only eight left until the end of the world as we know it in Dec. 2012... collect them all!
June 20, 11:46 p.m.: Summer Solstice
June 22, 1:35 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
June 26-28: COGCOA Summerfest campout, “Pele’s Melee”, in Kananaskis.

Blessings,
Hergest

May, 2009

Happy Beltane, everyone.

Margarian is now sufficiently recovered from her recent illness that we’ll be driving to Toronto this month to continue dealing with the house there. I’ll be away the last three weeks of May, returning at the beginning of June, but Margarian plans to spend the summer. Big thanks in advance to Karen, for offering to take care of the Klingons. Additional assistance would also be welcome, as three weeks is a long time for anyone, particularly the cats.

Things are gearing up as the weather improves. The May long weekend brings with it two out-of-town events of possible interest. Gaia Gathering, the Canadian National Pagan Conference, is running at UBC in Vancouver, bringing together a who’s who of Canadian paganism. (For those of us who can’t make it, there’s always next year in Guelph...) Meanwhile in Winnipeg, Keycon, their annual sf convention, features Katherine Kurtz (author of the Deryni series, a fantasy world steeped in ceremonial magic), and Kelley Armstrong, author of the “Women of the Otherworld” series. Coincidentally, I’ve been catching up on the Deryni books over the last few months. Also coincidentally, Margarian and I will be passing through Winnipeg just before Keycon, so there’s a slight chance we may drop in. Locally, the Calgary Lilac Festival, touted as Calgary’s best outdoor festival, runs for several blocks on 4th St. SW on May 31.

A special farewell to Sheena M. this month, a Blackring niece and HPS who is off to new adventures in Ottawa. Love and blessings on your journey!

May’s Birthdays: Lily. Anyone else?

May's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1: Beltane. Hooray, hooray the first of May...
May 2-3: Calgary Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 2, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Beltane Ritual, led by Serpent and Owl Clann.
May 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
May 8, 10:01 p.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 10: Mothers’ Day
May 15-19: Gaia Gathering, the Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Vancouver, with Kerr Cuhulain. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/index.php/home
May 15-17: Keycon 26, Winnipeg Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, featuring Katherine Kurtz, Kelley Armstrong, Ed the Sock, and Liana K. Info: http://www.keycon.org/
May 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
May 24, 6:11 a.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
May 31, 10:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.lilacfestival.net/lilacfestival/

Blessings,
Hergest

April, 2009

Happy April, everyone. Not much to report this month, so here's the monthly calendar.

Congratulations to Danni on her upcoming marriage!

April’s Birthdays: Sheena M., Aislinn, Ayanna, and probably a few others.

April Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Apr. 4, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Apr. 9, 8:56 a.m.: Full (Pink) Moon.
Apr. 9-12: ATC Spring Mysteries Festival, west of Seattle.
Info: http://aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival
Apr. 15: Witches’ Tea. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/thegypsyway/
Apr. 18: Climb and Run for Wilderness at Calgary Tower. Info: http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/
Apr. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Apr. 22: Earth Day.
Apr. 24, 9:23 p.m.: New Moon. Saille (Willow) lunar month begins.
Apr. 25, 9:00 a.m. Clean Calgary Association Annual Rain Barrel Sale. Info:
http://cleancalgary.org/index.php/events/single/clean_calgary_associations_annual_rain_barrel_sale1/
May 2, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Beltane Ritual
May 2-3: Calgary Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/


Blessings,
Hergest

March, 2009

Happy March, everyone.

The latest chapter in the Witchery saga ended February 28, as their new location had to close its doors because of increased rents. Bright blessings to Mimi, Steve and staff on their new endeavours; you know we haven’t heard the last of them.

A pagan-friendly friend of mine is looking for homes for two seven-month old kittens as they’re moving early next week to a no-pets building. Let me know a.s.a.p. if you’re interested in adopting.

Evergreen will be offering a Ritual Leadership Workshop the weekend of April 3 to 5. This is an intense weekend of lecture, discussion, and hands'-on ritual creation, suitable for anyone considering designing ritual on a scale from small groups to large public events. This workshop is required for Evergreen's First Degree students; a second go-round for Second Degree students is also highly recommended, and participants from other teaching circles/Traditions are welcome (with consent of HPS/HP as applicable.) Hours are 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Sunday. Cost is $12.00 and includes extensive reference materials. Let me know if you're interested, and/or contact me for further information.

March’s Birthdays: Karen H., Jan R., Brenda G., Luiz M., Tracy P., and probably a few others.

March Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Mar. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Mar. 7, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day.
Mar. 8: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring ahead, but it’s still winter...
Mar. 10, 7:00 p. m. Pagan Pub Night, hosted by Calgary Pagan Network. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/Calgary_Pagan_Network/
Mar. 10, 8:38 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.
Mar. 14, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Ostara Ritual
Mar. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Mar. 20, 5:44 p.m. Vernal Equinox.
Mar. 25: Witches Tea, hosted by The Gypsy Way. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/thegypsyway/
Mar. 26, 10:06 a.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.
Mar. 26, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Mar. 28, 8:30 p.m.: Earth Hour. Info: http://www.earthhour.org/
Apr. 3-5: Evergreen Ritual Leadership Workshop.

Blessings,
Hergest

Imagine

Happy Imbolc, all!

Thanks to Lady Mysteel and Sue D. for their words of support this month.

Imbolc is probably the least understood, and often the least-attended, of the Sabbats, perhaps because so many people seem to be ill this time of year. Or maybe it has something to do with the Super Bowl... Frequently we take the occasion to celebrate the goddess Brigid, or focus on its Candlemas aspect. I sometimes like to think of it as a time for celebrating ourselves as pagans, and the connections between us.

It was actually coming out of a community-building session at the Witchery a couple of years back, that I decided to expand the circulation this little blog to include people from some of the other groups in Calgary, even if we didn’t know one another all that well. I’d rather consider myself optimistic than naive, but I think that if we can get to know one another as people, at some point we will be able to look beyond our differences in practice, philosophy, and in some cases, history, and come together as a true pagan community.

To quote John Lennon, “you may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one...” In addition to Mimi’s past hosting of Pagan Paths, Frank of Calgary Heathens and Morgan of the Pagan Pride Project of Calgary have in their own ways been trying to foster better communication and understanding among the various groups and solitaries in this city. The Covenant of Gaia Church of Alberta expanded their mandate a few years back to become welcoming to all pagans, not just Wiccans. Dawn and Samantha of the Calgary Community Potlucks (which seem to be on hiatus lately) have been doing their bit as well. And I’m sure there have been others I’ve forgotten to mention. I hope that one of these years, we’ll be able to put our various differences aside enough to host the Canadian National Pagan Conference here, as the Calgary community has much to offer. A necessary first step is to plan and support the next Calgary Pagan Pride Day, and I recommend that everyone interested attend the AGM scheduled for February 22 at Central Memorial Library. See this month’s calendar listings.

February’s Birthdays: Ary, Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Rikki, and probably a few others. Busy month, nine months after “getting-busy” month...

February's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Feb. 2: Imbolc. 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Free Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall (west of Hwy 2). Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:11 a.m. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 9, 7:49 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Feb 13-15: COGCOA Winter Mysteries. $65/person all-inclusive.
Feb. 14, 1:00 p.m.: Pair O’ Normals: Paranormal Valentine at Rose & Crown Pub. $35.00/person. Info: http://www.meetup.com/THE-PAIR-O-NORMALS/
Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Feb. 22, 1:00 p.m.: Pagan Pride Project of Calgary Society General Meeting at Central Memorial Library 1221 – 2 Street SW. Everyone welcome! Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarypaganprideday
Feb. 24, 6:35 p.m.: New Moon. Nion (Ash) lunar month begins.
Feb. 26, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93

Blessings,
Hergest

January, 2009

Happy 2009, all!

In December, the “time of the Crone” between Samhain and Yule took on special relevance for me. Last April, I wrote of the passing of Margarian’s mother, whom I called “K”. K’s house in Toronto has been vacant, its roof in need of repair, and vermin activity has been detected. So, at the request of the neighbours and much soul-searching (and you may have read my obscure grumblings in Facebook ), I flew to Toronto alone at the end of November for the first phase of dealing with the house. Margarian was still too low-stamina for the trip, and frankly the job required drastic measures.

The house was largely filled with clutter. K never threw anything out, and she was an avid collector of books, coins, stamps, owl and butterfly knick-knacks, postcards.... you get the idea. She lived for Christmas, and would purchase items by mail-order all year to give to the people at her small church (especially the children). She had a lot of wrapping paper, and Christmas cards both unused and received.

So I spent about 12 days (with professional help) boxing up books, sorting, and culling. We filled a large dumpster with clutter and old furniture, and filled up about 100 boxes for further sorting. So it’s well under way, but no doubt we’ll have to make a couple of more trips out there in the New Year.

Upcoming Festivals etc. that you might be interested in:

COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries runs this year on the long weekend of Feb. 15-17. Fee of $60.00 includes heated accommodation and meals. Info: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/winter.php Registration deadline is January 31.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church is running its 24th Spring Mysteries Festival, a reconstruction of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece, somewhere west of Seattle April 9-12. Registration is US $165+ for adults if received by February 1, higher thereafter. Info: http://www.aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival

Gaia Gathering, the fifth Canadian National Pagan Conference, runs May 15-19 (Victoria Day weekend) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca
or http://gaiagathering.blogspot.com

Panfest X, “Alberta’s premiere pagan festival”, runs on the August long weekend, July 31-Aug. 3, in central Alberta. Info at http://www.panfest.org

Con-Version 25, Calgary's science fiction and fantasy convention, is also scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 21-23. Info: http://www.csffs.org/


Candles this month to Heather Dawn, on the recent passing of her father.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Angela R., Henry, Sheena E., Gayle, Paulie, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

January Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan.1, 2:00 p.m.: COGCOA New Year’s Levee at Mike and Ann’s. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 1?: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jan. 10, 8:27 p.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Jan. 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Jan. 24: 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Imbolc Ritual
Jan. 25, 11:55 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 2: Imbolc. Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall. Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:11 a.m.

Blessings,
Hergest