This ritual was held at Goodale Park, during ComFest. It was held on June 24, 2007. The processional began at 9:30 AM, and the ritual started at 10 AM. The Grove filmed this ritual, as well, allowing us the chance to review a lot of what we do visually during a ritual.
Attendance: 23
Canned Goods: 9
Raffle/Donations: unknown
Omen
What do the Ancestors offer us? Sail (willow) – Mysteries
What do the Nature Spirits offer us? Eamhancholl (witchhazel) – Magic
What do the Deities offer us? Nion (ash) – Ancient Lore
Interpretation:
I view this as a reflection of the scholarly ambitions of ADF, and an appreciation (encouragement) to continue learning about them and their history.
-MB
Druid in Charge
The ComFest ritual went very well, with some new faces and many old faces. doing the ritual at ComFest, even as early as we did & during setup, was good for our Grove, and we got our first video of a ritual, as well as our first real hecklers.
Most important, though, is a string of comments overheard after the rite. An ex-member, John, came up and stated that, “Well, you’ve really improved the ritual!” Implied sentiment aside, I am proud that we are growing.
I understand we moved a first-time attendee to tears with the ritual, which shows we are touching our attendees on an emotional level, which is also very important to me.
A few hours after the ritual, I sat down with two young ladies who had attended the ritual, and both indicated that they were glad that someone was around to do public ritual.
The repeat appearance of Sail in our omens struck me, too: the Grove has decided that we need more rituals. As a result of this omen and its presence at two rituals in a row, I would like to go back to the lore to find suitable rituals for the grove to do. Mystery initiations are a good possibility.
I see a bright road ahead for the Grove today.
-MJD
