News items posted to this page are usually edited versions of Member Mailings.
PAGAN PRIDE DAY
NYC's 2nd Annual Pagan Pride Day
Saturday, September 28, 2002, 11:00am - 5:00pm, Battery Park, NYC
FREE, Four Winds Scheduled for 11:00am
(Members please arrive @ 10:00am for Soundcheck)Make your prayers for good weather and join us for this second of what we hope will be an annual Urban Pagan Festival event. We're scheduled to be first up in the lineup with Alchemy IV and the rocking Emerald Rose, to follow. Look for us on stage about 11:00. Also featuring Phyllis Currot, Lauren Manoy, Vendors, Harvest Ritual, Bellydancing Workshop and Drumming Circle. Pagan and proud, y'all!
Click here for the PPD organizers' page -(RainDate: Sunday 9/29/02)
My situation with getting relocated and schedule conflicts prevented us from participating last year. But we were invited again and have accepted. So make your prayers for good weather. We will have a glorious HOUR time slot, so we can include some of our longer pieces and not have to worry about crunching and rushing through a 30 mim set!
We will have a relatively short prep period for this so I don’t plan to try anything new and tricky. Just our best fun stuff. According to the sponsors, “Our purpose is to raise public awareness and promote religious tolerance and freedom through education. A big part of that is dispelling misconceptions that the public has about pagans and witches. Lets not lose sight of the fact that there are still pagans who cant 'come out' in their workplace for fear of losing their job or promotion, who risk losing children in custody battles because they're pagan, who are afraid to wear their pentacles (or other religious articles) in public for fear of ridicule or persecution...”
I do think that this is a cause we can support. If you’re not sure, check our Mission. But it seems a good place to bring out our fun stuff. The other performers will be Alchemy VII, followed by Emerald Rose, who rock, by the way. So we’ll get to meet some pretty cool people. Last year’s event got nudged off it’s site due to 9/11, still it was pretty nice when I visited, had that ragged edge of a first time large event, but the performances were fun, the vendors interesting and the people well behaved. They’re back in battery park, this year and the setting is quite nice.
I don’t have a final playlist but so far, have been thinking about bringing out these items. This is not set in stone, but haven’t heard much in the way of suggestions.
Fanga
Gaia
Thunder Beings
Om Namah Shivaya
Mach Jchi
Sacred Drum Jam Segment
Four Nations Song
The Witches Song
Lament for Eriskigal or Locked AwayThe “possibles” List includes:
God Was A Woman
The Magician and The High Priestess
Lammas Night
Drunken Pagan or
Old Time Religion
Barge of Heaven
Amazing Pan?( Can;t do ‘em all, not even in an hour, Dangit...)
Some of the choices will depend on the lineup and so far have about 3-4 Members who have semi-committed. Thankfully the event is not the 21st, which would fall directly over Grove Mabon and tie up all the Coven and Grove Co-Members. We DID get an invitation for a South Jersey/Delaware Pride event that date which I turned down. On the Meeting on the 10th, which is officially our Members return we’ll do a little planing and plotting, and nail down the list. If you have suggestions, DO send them along now- especially if you can’t make that date.
Since we are planning a Sacred Drum Jam Segment, we may also try to slip in an extra rehearsal date just for the Drum-Heads. We are planning a dressed-up version of the “round robin” with three passes on three root rhythms, Heartbeat, a danceable 4, and 6. Time for a little fun!
If you are up for this one, please let me know so I have an idea of our lineup. Because of the relatively short prep time, participants will be limited to Bard’s Circle Members.
GROVE SAMHAIN
Grove Open Samhain Ritual
Saturday, October 26. Enchantment's Grove , FREE, Time TBA
Courtyard at Enchantments, 341 East 9th Street, NY, Info : 212 228-4394
(Members please arrive @ I hour before ritual start)Samhain is the end of Enchantment's Grove season. We will be there to lend sonic support, song and chants to this annual honoring of the Ancestors and our place in the wheel of the year.
This Samhain may also be the last one in this space as Enchantment’s faces lease issues
Jezibell has started to put things together. Jezibell:— I have a rough outline for a Celtic Samhain, and here is the most likely list of songs. I want to keep this tentative until I get back, just in case there's more world-weirdness to deal with and also to be open to inspiration from Olduvai. I originally planned to close with Oidhche Mhath Leibh, but given the Morrigan theme, also touching on the personal responsibility of the living, Prophet's Song feels like the best. There will also be some spoken pieces in here that Coven/Chorus members will do - one is that I'd like the guys to do a group reading of Flanders Field.
Lyke Wake Dirge (This Ae Night, with the verses)
Blood of the Ancients
Morrigan's Children
Sowing & Reaping
Green Fields of France (Willie McBride)
I Am Stretched on Your Grave
We Are the Flow
Taps
Thunder Beings
Prophet's SongI hope to slip in Oidhche Mhath Leibh in AND Prophet’s Song. Jezibell may be unavalable for the Tuesday meetings, so we may schedule some extra evenings to get a little more rehearsal in. In addition, this is one where we may also be in integrating Grove and Coven people with the Chorus for the songs. The extra rehearsals will be event restricted to participating Members, Grove and Coven folk and will not be posted. Show up, get the dates, write them down. Nuff Said. Otherwise this looks to be another nice one, but with a less heavy theme as opposed to the post 9/11 season last year.
THUNDER NATION CEREMONY
This is not a Four Winds project, but I would gladly welcome the support of Four Winds and the drum community and i want to talk about it here. As you are no doubt aware, (if you aren’t-go back into our hole and come out for the next Age of Aquarius!) the northeast, and many other parts of the nation, are in the grip of an extended drought. The limited rainfall we’ve been getting scattered through the recurring heat waves have not been keeping up with usage.
Joni has been going ever deeper into the lore of the drum over the past year. She has received a sacred Thunder rhythm and a call to ceremony which I have agreed to help her manifest. Here’s part of the rub... the Thunder rhythm is a poly-rhythm, so we need drummers, willing to learn. This will be the central working or what we are so far calling a ÒThunder Nation CeremonyÓ with the intention of honoring the and summoning the the Wakinyan Oyate, Thunderbeing Nation, to bring the blessing rains back to our people.
The ceremony will consist of Seven thunder positive rhythms/songs drawn from the Native, Afro-Carribean and Pagan worlds in a ritual/drum circle format. We would be happy to teach and share with any interested drummer/singer. We hope to use a west facing, outdoor venue, performing the ceremony just prior to sunset.
We do not have a date or location set as of yet, or a prep schedule, but we want to get the word out. We do want to do it this Fall. If we have another winter like last years, (barely a 1/2 inch of snow), and NO “April Showers” again, we will be in very serious trouble. So we hope some of you will offer your support
Please contact us if you are interested if you are interested in participating.
WINTER SOLSTICE
Open Choral Solstice Celebration (planning stages)
Saturday, December 21, 2002, 7:00-10:00pm (Members call: 6:00)
FREE (donations gratefully accepted), Location to be announcedHelp us plan and present this event!
The Winter Solstice, falls precisely on Saturday, December 21st at 8:14pm. How could we NOT do ritual? I have already spoken to Jez about collaborating with the Coven on ritual structure. Eliminates potential schedule conflicts AND have a lot of fun. So thoughts and suggestions more than welcome. have not settled on Choral, Bardic, Ritual or Performance Format... But sho' 'nuff THINKING about it.
In the suggestions category, our first challenge, VENUE. With Cap 21 and Musical Theatre Works no longer offering weekend hours. We need a space to host this puppy! Preferably somewhere noise, incense, candle friendly! Looking for something like 6-10pm on Saturday, someplace in the city or near boroughs suitable for 50-100 persons in circle.
UPCOMING
We also hope to schedule some of our well received Teaching Circles for the Fall and Winter (Nov 2002 & Jan 2003?) So that's what's on our horizon. Details will come when we get then and posted to the Schedule Page. And keep checking back with us, things always come up. We are also officially on Summer Hiatus until after Labor Day and Stones Rising. but we'll going to keep on singing, you betcha!
So it looks like we’re going to try to keep busy. I MAY manage to get out a paper mailing for September. In the meantime, Put this information in your appointment books and calendars! Print it out even! Stay in touch, don't forget to keep practicing! Please email us with any questions, problems or news. Send E-Mail to us at: khgriffith@worldnet.att.net
Mitaquye Oyasin * Blessed Be * Ashe * Shalom * A Salaam * Amen * Om
Kurt Griffith/Talking Stone
Choral Director