May 15, 2002, Long Overdue -- Washington, DC, and closer to home

Dear Friends,

It seems like forever since I've issued a Broomstick Chronicle. Well, it's been nine whole months. This is the first one in 2002. Yikes! The last one I began just before 9/11, then couldn't bear to look at it in light of what had just happened. Anything I could say was trivial by comparison. Besides, like most of the rest of the country, and much of the world, I was completely caught up on the tragedy and later events as they unfolded. So it was late getting out.

In March I went to Washington, D.C., under the sponsorship of Amber Eyes Productions, to do a two-evening series of workshops on death and dying. Such a wonderful group of people to work with! We didn't have a huge attendance, but those who did come came to work. Everyone made unique and valuable contributions. Two drove all the way from Pennsylvania - and this was in the middle of the week - and others, one being Julie Rabbit, drove from Richmond and other distant places.

I stayed in Arlington with Deborah and Phil, who not only were gracious hosts, but kept a fine organic larder. Deborah and I even had a bit of time, between her getting home from work and our having to rush off to the workshops, to talk about magic and Witchcraft, Reclaiming and Feri, Italians and charismatics.

I took the new metro (very easy, not to mention clean), on the only free day I had after grounding from the flight, to explore Union Station. There I met up with my pal Lord Orion Foxwood, who drove me to his magical dwelling in Maryland. On the land of the Foxwood Temple of the Old Religion. We had a rare and wonderful visit. Orion showed me the dome where he and Matteo live, the dome that houses their temple below and their teaching space above, the circles and shrines around their land. They¹ve consulted with the spirits of the land and done a habitat restoration in what once was an old quarry. Since the land was once a quarry, it's somewhat lower than the surrounding countryside, thus not visible to people driving by. Spring growth was just barely beginning.

We spent quite a while in the temple, "talking shop"while Orion showed me all kinds of wonderful magical paraphernalia. I saw old photos of Lady Sintana and Orion's matriarch, Lady Circe, from when they were very young. Both physically beautiful women as well as being outstanding priestesses of the Craft.

Pardon me while I boast a bit here - I held Alex Sanders' sword in my hand, and Lady Circe's wand. The wand I found to be unusual: it's ebony, about 18 inches long and about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, capped on each end with silver, inscribed with runes, and filled with mercury. It felt light and easy to manipulate in my hand.

The temple also houses an old mirror from the New Forest area, and lots of other treasures. Adjoining the temple is a library and stock of herbs.

Orion and I rushed back to D.C. in time for him to get some more work done at his place of employment and for me to get to my second workshop.

The last time I was in Washington was in a previous incarnation in 1971. I enjoyed seeing some of Washington on foot, especially in the colorful Dupont Circle neighborhood where the wonderful Katrina, owner of AmberEyes, had scheduled the workshops.

Katrina is one of several Witches embarked on the business of providing ongoing training for Pagans by sponsoring teachers from out of their area. These entrepreneurs are taking personal financial risk on our behalf. I encourage you to support them. If you have an opportunity to take workshops they produce, do so, and you won't regret it.

Several more things have occurred in the last few months that I think are worth mentioning. One is that I joined the Marin Interfaith Council. The Jesuit director was delighted that they now have a Pagan among their members; he said they didn't know just where or how to find one, and here I was! Since you're supposed to represent a "congregation"when you join, Reclaiming and the Covenant of the Goddess are now members of the Marin Interfaith Council, in the person of yours truly.

I've also started taking a beginning tap dance class. I feel like a hippo. It's very hard. I wish there were something like "coordination capsules" that one could take so one wouldn't be so clumsy. Great aerobic workout, though. We're learning a dance to a smooth Harry James rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown."

With the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, I've seen good friends incited to passionate verbal fights. Such discord seems to bring out the worst in everybody. That's another reason for the lack of a Broomstick Chronicle - anything I say seems trivial in light of the global situation. Maybe it's my affinity for the Dark Ma, but here the world is looking to be in dire crisis while my personal and professional life is seeing precious opportunities open up before me almost weekly.

In April I shared a splendid six-hour, far-ranging conversation with a dear sister corvid, who shall remain unnamed, from the land of the Aurora Borealis. Then again this month, from the North country, my dear former Holy Terror coven sister Sophia Sparks stayed a night in our home.

Corby and Macha - Photo by Diane Baker © 2002

There were lots of Beltaine festivities round these parts to join in. Besides the annual singing up of the Sun on May Morn which I wrote about on WitchVox, Corby and I danced the Maypole in the yard at the home of Anne Hill, who was celebrating her fortieth birthday this year, and her family. This particular Beltaine saw a rare confluence - so rare, in fact, that it's never occurred before - of all members of the late Matrix coven. This may not mean anything to most of you who are reading this, but to some of us it means that there can be hope for peace in the Middle East. I'm happy about that. We took photos to prove it.

Last week Patrick McCollum and I traveled to California State Prison - Folsom and High Desert State Prison to serve Pagan inmates. Patrick serves about 700 inmates throughout the California prison system. This was my first time. Quite an experience, about which I had to sign a document agreeing not to write, so you'll hear no more than the fact that we went. I wouldn't want to jeopardize the work that Patrick and others have been doing for all these years. I'm not especially called to prison ministry. What I am called to, though, is death and dying. One of the inmates at Folsom is dying of Hepatitis C and had asked for Pagan clergy counsel. There are also seven men on San Quentin's Death Row asking for Pagan clergy.

There's actually a lot more going on in my "professional Priestess" and Witch at Large life right now, but I've gone on long enough. I'll leave you with the good news that I'm going to be co-teaching a workshop on large-group and public ritual with my talented pal Sparky T. Rabbit at Heartland next week. Yay! Heartland Pagan Festival takes place at Camp Gaia (triumphant after their recent legal hassles, if you keep up with that sort of thing) in Kansas and is in its seventeenth year. They expect a big crowd - 1500 to 2000 souls. Maybe I'll see some of you there.

Blessings of the living land,
Macha

      Back to the top

26 September 2001

Dear Friends,

Sorry this is so late. As you can see, I wrote it the day before the catastrophic events of 9/11. This was followed shortly by the death of Victor H. Anderson, granddaddy of Faery Trad Craft. Some of us think that Victor crossed over when he did because some heavyweights were needed on the Other Side to help all those who died so suddenly, amidst violence and distress. Anyway, I just couldn't bear to send this BC until now.

My heart goes out to all those who've suffered such devastating loss.

My latest campaign is to find images of Lady Liberty to use instead of American flags. Flags are so martial, and Lady Liberty is the goddess of the USA, IMO. Luckily, my friend Lynn who lives in Greenwich Village had sent me a CARE package after my surgery in April that contained LL tchotchkes, so I'm now wearing the little pin that was in that package on my vest all the time. Thanks, Lynn -- I lay virtual flowers at your feet. If you know of a source for decals for car windows and/or pins and brooches, I'd appreciate your letting me know.

Peace, Justice, Liberty,
Macha
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

10 September 2001 -- Hocking Hills Region of Ohio

Dear Friends,

Just back from PCCO's Summerset over Labor Day Weekend. Travel both to and from Ohio horrendous. After canceled flights, missed connections, screwed up messages and other confusion, Trisha met me at the Columbus Airport. In spite of travel mishaps, I had a wonderful time. I roomed with Jerrie Hildebrand from Salem, Massachusetts, which gave us plenty of opportunity to schmooze.

Besides reconnecting with several folks I already knew from the first time I presented at a PCCO event (Shadowmas in 1999), I finally got to meet face to face with Imajicka and Boudica of The Wiccan/Pagan Times.

These folks give great festival. The meals were tasty, servings generous, and you could return for seconds most meals, thanks to Bruce and his kitchen crew. Debbie, the volunteer coordinator, checked with me frequently to be sure I had everything I needed. It was nice to feel so lovingly looked after. Each evening we were lavishly entertained by all manner of Pagan performers. I especially enjoyed Dan Levenson, who picks banjos and anything else pickable, not to mention making his fiddle sing. The feeling of community was almost palpable. Lots of children, from infants all the way up. Many, of all ages, were joyously swept into lively, unself-conscious dancing. During the Saturday night concert in the lodge, my heart opened wide and my eyes misted up, there was so much good feeling in the room.

My workshops were well-attended and I believe well received. It was great fun to work with so many new-to-me, and in many cases new to each other, Pagans who shared a desire to create effective large-group rituals. Our workshops culminated in the performance of the main ritual on Sunday night. The truly amazing things, to me, were the fact that everyone who participated did so in an open, trusting and engaging way, committed to hearing the concerns of each person and addressing them adequately, so we could each feel heard and feel that our needs were being met. Special thanks to Cary and Karl, an unconvential priestess/priest pairing if ever there was one!

I also got a chance to spend more time with Mary, while not having nearly enough time with Stacy. He and I were mid- conversation when he was called away. I'm gonna tie him to a tree next time and not let him go till we have a good chunk of time to talk.

A few days before going to Ohio, I enjoyed a wonderful, but all too brief, visit with the lovely Satori from Burlington, VT. She was out here on our coast for the American Psychological Association Convention, where she presented a paper on integrating psychology and goddess spirituality to that august assembly, and was applauded. Yay!

Yesterday I did Giving Great Rite again, this time near home, with a Reclaiming public ritual cell in the East Bay called Rite Here.

Blessings of the living land,
Macha

      Back to the top

12 June 2001 -- Chicago, IL and Ventura and Santa Monica, CA

Dear Friends,

Well, this is the first Broomstick Chronicle of 2001. Seems like ages - and it has been ages.

I managed to get my manuscript to the publisher - finally. Then had major surgery on May Eve. So I missed singing the Sun up with the Berkeley Morris Dancers at Inspiration Point on Beltane, and missed all the other Beltane celebrations. I haven't missed that in about 15 years, so I know that returning there next year will be all the sweeter.

Over Memorial Day weekend I took my first ever to Chicago for Pagan Expo 2001 and some workshops, and to visit with my friend Patricia Monaghan. Pat has a huge old white Victorian with lots of space and beautiful objects inside and an enormous, very green yard filled with trees and flowers in bloom.

On Friday evening, Pat and some friends of hers and I attended a Northwestern University student performance of a depression-era play called "The Cradle Will Rock,"by Marc Blitzstein. It was originally sponsored by the WPA (Works Project Administration, for those who may not know). The WPA withdrew their sponsorship and forbade its performance because of its progressive political message. The troupe performed it anyway, against many odds, on June 16, 1937.

Saturday, after frustrating delays and missed connections that I cannot attribute to a retrograde Mercury, Pat and I arrived late at the Pagan Expo. There was a lively crowd there. I got to only briefly greet Ginny, Gail, Dave, Toni and the folks from Temple of the Pagan Way; Mari from Avalon; Wren from Cherry Hill Seminary's "Boundaries and Ethics" class (whom I'd only met online before); and Donna Cole Schultz. I regret not having had the better part of the day to schmooze with so many fine Midwestern Witchfolk.

Fortunately, we retired to the nice Irish bar downstairs to talk at leisure. There I got to hang out with my buddy Sparky and at long last meet Sparky's sweetie, Ray, who's cute. ;-) Also got to chat with Trish and Barry and Beal. A most gracious Janet Berres, who produces the International Tarot Symposium, drove me back to Pat's that night. We had lots of laughs comparing notes on the way.

On Sunday, after a pleasant breakfast with Lisa, Telepathic Media's Travel Goddess, I did two workshops. My handouts hadn't arrived in time and we didn't have a big crowd, but quality over quantity. What a great group! I had a fine old time, and getting to know Debbie Coughlan and her coveners from Aglaian Triad of Witches was one of the highlights of the workshops and the trip.

The following Friday I flew to Santa Barbara to work with a year-long ReWeaving teachers training group. Co-taught with Dori with student teachers Stephen and Rebecca. In so many ways, as a resident of Northern California and someone who spent her childhood in the Delaware Valley, Southern California has a strange mystique to me. So the four of us meeting in a great seafood restaurant in Malibu to sit in the sand and finish planning our Sunday workshop had a romance to it. Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway with Dori was so enjoyable to me. I love the coastal hills, the same coast range where I live so much farther north. Chumash country down there; Coast Miwok and Ohlone up here. At this time of year they were covered with all kinds of nasturtium, bougainvillaea and other bright non-native flowers, and beautiful spiky yucca blossoms.

On Saturday I did two presentations in Santa Monica, thanks to planning work done by Cynthia Breen and Dori, with on-site set-up help from Stacey. While I had a great ride down with Mother Oak, Toni and Dori, I missed connections with Thalia. Between poor public transportation between where she lives in Venice and the UU Church in Santa Monica and her injured ankle, Thalia didn't make it there. We were both disappointed because we haven't visited at all since she left Marin more than a year ago.

One workshop was "Earth Religion and the City," and I fear I lost one couple because I brought up the topic of hunting. I didn't take a position one way or the other about hunting, but I guess it was just too much. Who knows?

The slide show of Lauren Raine's goddess masks, taken by Tom Lux at the New College performance of the goddess masks ritual I designed, went well. Even in photos, when the masks are worn instead of hanging on a wall, they are enlivened in a magical way that's unmistakable.

The Sunday workshop was in the steam part of the wheel, between fire and water. Our unique combination of personalities, talents, skills and perspective gave the workshop on ancestors, history and heritage a richness it wouldn¹t have had otherwise. Stephen invited four individuals into our circle who'd contributed to our witchen heritage -Pamela Coleman "Pixie" Smith, the artist who created the popular Tarot deck known as the Rider-Waite deck; Robert Graves, from whom we get the Triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother, Crone; Gerald B. Gardner; and Marija Gimbutas, who has given us new ways of thinking about the role of women and goddess in ancient cultures.

Thanks to all my friends and acquaintances - Patricia, Ed, Lisa, Dori, Cynthia, Stacey, Cheryl and others whose names are slipping my mind at the moment - I was able to do all this much too soon post-surgery. I would never have been able to have done any of it without their help, especially with the heavy lifting.

Happily, I'm healing apace. It's just a slow process. I never thought I'd see the day when I was longing to get back to the gym, but it¹s here now. Strenuous exercise resumes in July. Yay!

Blessings of the living land,
Macha

      Back to the top

31 October 2000 -- Tucson, Arizona

Dear Friends,

Back from my first-ever trip to Arizona to help artist Lauren Raine and her co conspirators put on the Tucson's "first annual" Spiral Dance Samhain ritual. Diverse Pagan groups in the Tucson area participated: Tucson Unitarian Universalist Church; The Partnership Way of Tucson; The Desert Crones; TAWN (Tucson Area Wiccan/Pagan Network); Mother Earth Ministries (work within the Arizona prison system); TAPADO (Tucson Area Pagan Anti-Defamation Organization); The Emerging Awareness Journal; and Priests and Priestesses of Gaia. I hadn¹t seen Tiller from Seattle in ten years, and he happened to be in his hometown of Tucson, and free, that very night, so he graciously allowed himself to be pressed into service as priest to call Center and the God.

The altars were as glorious as the ones at the SF Spiral Dance, slightly smaller in scale with the room and crowd of 150. The image of our dear recently departed and ever-present Mistress of Altar-Building, Judy Foster, viewed the proceedings from the North altar.

Liliana Gambarte offered a special prayer to Guadalupe, in Spanish and English. East and the Maiden were danced on pointe. West was danced by CA WitchCamper Ellyne Bell. A man and woman danced a stately fire dance in the South. All the dancers, singer To-Ree-Nee, and other participants put forth love and care in their offerings.

In spite of some jarring taped sounds, I managed to guide us safely to the Shining Isle, where we all danced the spiral, seeing our ancestors in each other¹s eyes. With each successive spiral, smiles broadened. The North altar even caught fire during the spiral, at which point I was sure I was going to lose it. But thanks to the quick action of Don the Druid, the fire was extinguished almost immediately, with the only damage being his singed beard and the front of his hair and burns on the tabletop.

Many people stayed awhile afterwards to share grounding refreshments and their joyful experiences in the land of all that ever was and will be. I had a lovely conversation with a nun named Gabriella who¹d sought me out to tell me she loved all of it. I¹m encouraged by the openness of people of other faith traditions to seeing and experiencing who we are, how we practice, and what we believe.

On Saturday Lauren and I walked in Sabino Canyon There were some trees, mainly ironwood, but mostly it¹s a forest of saguaro, with lots of prickly pear and many birds, mostly ground birds, surrounded by majestic mountains and crowned with wild cloudy skies. Beautiful country, eerily unfamiliar to me as a coastal dweller who feels most at home with an ocean nearby.

We had a celebratory pot luck on Sunday evening where many of the planners and rehearsed participants enjoyed their mutually satisfying involvement. Carol Garr and Don and Arlene Davis of Mother Earth Ministries and I retired to Carol¹s hot tub under the dark Arizona night sky for relaxation and a fun schmooze.

Thanks to all the Tucson Pagans who made this event a reality, and especially to Lauren, without whose work and dedication there would have been no Tucson Spiral Dance, and her partners in crime, Caitlin Williams, Linda Goodwillie and Ingrid Aspromatis.

I arrived home just in time to jump into our annual Witches' dance with the Beloved Dead in the Marin Headlands. We¹ll be dancing with bigger crowds at the Spiral Dance this coming Saturday.

Blessings of Samhain,
Macha

      Back to the top

26 September 2000 -- Tampa, Gainesville & Citra, Florida

Dear Friends,

Back from my first-ever trip to Florida, experiencing Florida Pagans, Florida weather (hot and sticky with frequent rains, tail of one hurricane), Florida lushness, gators, geckos and guinea fowl.

Had a wonderful Indian meal with Ann Marie, Theresa, Lerah and Lisa. Breakfast with Jim, two workshops at the Tampa UU Church, Bacchus ritual in the evening, a collaboration between Greensong Grove and TUUC. Attendance was moderate, even though many local Pagans had greeted the potential of my visit with enthusiasm expressed both to my sponsor, Synergy Circles, and to me via email. I assume they were discouraged by Hurricane Gordon and had to tend to survival.

I was cautioned about gators and fire ants, and it's a good thing, too, because otherwise I wouldn't have known to avoid the little mounds of sand in the church yard when we went outdoors to chant. I wasn't so lucky with mosquitoes, and thankfully I never saw a gator.

Then the approach of Gordon required us to batten down, consolidate, stay indoors and wait it out all day Sunday. I haven't experienced a hurricane since I was a child; from my safe space in Leslie's fairy bedroom in St. Pete, I loved it.

I'm looking forward to listening to Ann Marie's two meditation CDs, "Journey to Prosperity" (I'm ready) and "Soul's Memory."

Monday morning Ann Marie took me to a cozy B&B called the Lighthouse in Madeira Beach, where I had the day and evening to myself. In the courtyard with a carp pond and gazebo, lots and lots of geckos scampered for safety with every step I took. In the mornings, a mascot great blue heron came to the door to clean food scraps from the plates. What a character he (or she) is! A giant bird about five feet tall, gawky and dignified at once.

I took advantage of the lull in commitments and lull after Gordon to do a bit of beachcombing. The white sand is almost powdery, so much finer than the pebbly sand of West Coast beaches. It felt wonderful to walk on. The beach was edged with seaweed, broken shells, dying jellyfish in at least two strange colors (dull, palish orange and grey). I collected many sizes of the same basic shell, which I think is cockle.

I saw sandpipers, herons, pelicans, gulls, all manner of seabirds. The water was warm and inviting and I wished I'd come without the encumbrances of dress and bag so I could dip in it.

After dinner I walked in the bathtub-warm water and watched the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. A playful pod of dolphins made their way up the coast to where I sat watching. They were very close. They're so exuberant you can't refrain from chuckling when you see them playing. They just lift your spirits with their effervescence.

On Tuesday Vermont WitchCamper and Tampa resident Cindy took me to Brigit Books, where I talked for a long while with owners Helen and Kodi. They already had Beverly's new CD; I recommended Suzanne's and Holly's. They have a great selection of periodicals and I think they'll begin carrying RQ. Yay! Kodi's very interested in our Pagan heritage so I recommended The Pomegranate, and Hutton's Stations of the Sun and Triumph of the Moon. The Brigit sisters and I really hit it off. :-) They gave me a beautiful gift, too.

Cindy took me on a bit of sightseeing on the way to Barbara's in Gainesville. At lunch she showed me photos of VT WC. Cindy also has that special magical gift of knowing when to keep silent, which I appreciated.

It was great to finally meet Barbara after being friends so long in the cyberworld of Reclaiming's ecell. Barbara's son Jimmy was none too pleased to be displaced from his bedroom for the duration of my visit, not even appeased by the redwood burl I brought him. Celeste the Schnauzer liked me a lot, tho. Sarsen drove all the way down from Atlanta for my workshops, crashed on Barbara's living room floor. By Saturday night two more Witches from Tallahassee sought hostel on Barbara's floor, Dragonwing from Tejas Web camp and her friend Monet.

Dotty at Wild Iris welcomed me to their fine store. I found a great zine called Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture, reminding me that not all young women take the advances brought about by second-wave feminism as complete. This rag is 'eggy' (as opposed to 'ballsy'), irreverent and strong and comes out of SF. Wouldn't you know I'd have to go all the way to Florida to pick up on it? The Wild Iris also had Beverly's "In the Arms of the Wild," I got my first look at The Twelve Wild Swans, and I think they'll be selling RQs there, too. Yay!

Because of the chants and songs I try to spread around the country, people heard a lot about Sparky Rabbit and Lunacy, Holly Tannen, Ruth and Cyntia and Aeolus, EarthSpirit's MotherTongue, Nina Wise and others. So Serpentine Music should be getting some hits, as should Sparky's site. Yay again!

Friday night I gave a talk, with some experiential component, at the Gainesville UU Church, courtesy of the Rev. Jack Donovan. It was the least well-attended event of my visit. Disappointing to me and the organizers, but maybe because it wasn't a big glitzy thing. I thought it was full of good information. Oh, well. . . This was another venue where I found interest in The Pomegranate and recommended it.

SEFR (SouthEast Friends of Reclaiming), CAW, APA (Alachua Pagan Alliance) an others convened a Pagan Pride Day picnic and ritual in a local park. Besides Barbara, Zot and me from Reclaiming trad, the ritual was priest/essed by Donna Clark and Paul MoonOak of CAW and some others. In addition to collecting a big stash of canned food for the local food bank, the Gainesville PPD event got excellent newspaper coverage on the Religion & Spirituality Page of the mainstream Gainesville Sun. The headline about PPD was right at the top of the page next to a big article about the Jewish High Holy Days and above one about Billy Graham. Nothing inflammatory about it, all very respectful, with lots of good quotes from Barbara. Wow, things sure have changed in the last few years!

That evening my workshop was about Building Community/Maintaining Magic, Thanks to Kate and Gwyneth in Calgary for encouraging me in this direction. We had just performed a pan-pagan collaborative ritual that afternoon so I had a fresh guinea pig to work with. Everyone seemed at ease and willing to participate. I especially enjoyed the input of Laura, owner of MoonGoddess, the store where the workshop was held. She's a Witch from a Slavic background, rather old-fashioned compared to most. She had her brand new daughter Elizabeth with us; Elizabeth is only six weeks old and seems to have spent much of her young life in circle.

On Sunday we were frustrated by a late start, when Barbara drove me to Crone's Cradle Conserve way out in the woods near Citra. I have to say I was pretty fried by then, and homesick, so it was wonderful to land in paradise like that. These women beguiled me with gracious Southern hospitality and delicious homegrown food. CCC is a beautiful place; the room where we did the workshop contained a crone's cradle and a big antique standing mirror. We had good attendance that included two men, one young girl, two teens, an M.D., and three women who'd been to the PPD ritual and the workshop the night before at MoonGoddess. I cast a light circle and called Bridhe for tempering, inspiration and healing. She doesn't let me down. I was delighted at how the workshop unfolded. Of course, it didn't hurt to have my hostesses, Jeri Baldwin and Deborah Ann Light, smiling across the circle.

And I finally got a long-delayed personal visit with Deborah after the workshop. It was frustratingly brief, but better than we've managed for the last three years or so. She showed us their abundant gardens, chickens and guineafowl, store, crafts cottage, office, and Jeri's beautiful, beautiful home. It looks out at the jungle from a screened porch as wide as our entire condo, with high ceilings, swishing ceiling fans, sweetgum walls, cedar-lined closets and pecanwood floors, filled with antique furniture, old quilts and oriental rugs. If and when I go there again, I'd like to stay longer. As it was, I had to arise at 3:30 a.m.to take a limo to Jacksonville Airport two hours away for an early morning flight home.

Richard, I did the Florida grounding in Tampa, twice in Gainesville and in Citra. People resonate with this kind of thing. This is GOOD! Plus I'm doing my best to make you famous. ;-) Referred some people to your essays on enlightenment.com. Thanks.

I also encouraged several individuals and covens in both Tampa and Gainesville to consider joining CoG, especially since there are already several Florida covens in Dogwood Local Council.

My thanks to Synergy Circles, Greensong Grove, the amazing Ann Marie Augustino and friends for sponsoring me in Tampa/St. Pete, to Barbara Graham and SEFR for the Gainesville gigs, to Crone's Cradle Conserve for being there, to my diligent speaking agent Beth Carlson, to Elsa for the attractive and information-filled website we consistently get compliments on, to DAL for long and deep friendship, to all the UU Churches around the U.S. that open their doors to Paganfolk and to people like me who teach and do ritual, and to Corby for keeping the home fires burning. Thanks to all them, I have more friends and more experience of our rich, thriving, creative subculture.

Autumn blessings to all,
Macha

      Back to the top

1 August 2000 -- Cupertino to Marin, California

Dear Friends,

I'm back all in one piece from the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, and I'm glad it's over. <sigh>

I'm happy to report that I raised about $4,000 of the total $6.2 million raised by the entire event. My little sister, who travels in more affluent circles and is a real go getter, raised $11,000! The minimum we had to raise in order to be allowed to walk was $1,800.

The walk was 60 miles in three days, through every possible microclimate to be found in Northern California. We began in Cupertino, near San Jose, in Summer weather, this being a rather mild Summer as our Summers go.

After lunch on Day One we walked a long stretch of road through parts of the Stanford University campus in direct sunlight. We discovered that there was a heat wave that day and it was reported to have been 98 degrees F. in San Francisco (very high for SF) and 110 degrees F. in San Jose. I had to quit for the day after several miles in that heat and light because I could feel a migraine coming on from the heat if I didn't; and I knew we still had two more days to go.

Day Two began at 6:30 a.m. with a big hill in Belmont. After lunch came "Hell Hill," a 1.5 mile steep uphill climb that tested the strength and stamina of everyone. I made it, I'm happy to report, and have a photo to prove it. Three other Witches; Morgaine, Lann and Medusa; reached that point at about the same time I did and Morgaine got someone to snap a photo of us up there. I'll put it on my website for all to see when Morgaine gets it digitized. In the far distance Mount Diablo is visible through the haze, and in the mid-distance you can see the runways of SFO.

Day Two ended at Skyline College, which was quickly enshrouded in a pea-soup fog with heavy winds off the Pacific. Talk about Cold! That night was one of the longest of my life. Our tents were, in my opinion, inadequate for the weather conditions we found there. Also, we were given no tent pegs because our camps were in athletic fields and the powers that be felt (rightly so, I believe) that people might leave metal tent pegs in the fields which could injure athletes and/or destroy mowers. I felt as though we were in the middle of Dorothy's tornado and would be surprised at wherever we were deposited when the wind ceased. Everything in our tent got wet from the wind slapping the tent and showering us with mist all night long. Every few minutes our faces, if they weren't covered, were revived with water. Not a peaceful night. The next day I wondered which would have been most agonizing; that long night of getting soaked in the freezing mist or my fortieth high school reunion, which was the same night.

Day Three began in this frigid, windy fog which lasted all the way to lunch in Golden Gate Park. The last six miles were perfect, through the Richmond District of SF, the Presidio and along to the Marina. Throughout the entire walk the views were spectacular; Crystal Springs Reservoir in San Mateo County on Day Two, the not-so peaceful Pacific, the SF Bay full of boats in full sail, the majestic Marin Headlands on Day Three.

One of my lessons learned from this experience is that I do not move quickly. I am slow, steady "tortoise" of a walker. I must admit that I became demoralized when I was the very last of 3000 walkers during the morning of Day One. I started all the other days at 6:30 a.m. so the later walkers could overtake me and I'd still be among the crowd. I did 98% of this walk alone; I did not walk with a companion; I tented with a stranger; I dined with whomever was at the table where I sat. But I did talk to lots of folks, each of whom had an interesting story to share about why she or he was walking; when they were still long enough for me to talk with them.

When I was feeling challenged by the hills on the morning of Day Two, I began chanting praise songs to Mother Kali for several miles. I chanted one that lasted until the next "grab & go," then another to the next pit stop.

The experience of crossing the finish line in the "holding area" at Marina Junior High was one I won't soon forget. People congratulating us, high-fiving, screaming, clapping, showering with flowers and glitter. Walkers limping in with bandaged feet, taped knees, even one man with a prosthetic leg and a woman in a wheelchair.

I have many thoughts and feelings about this experience, and will try to articulate them as they emerge more clearly. In the meantime, thanks to all who supported me. I'm glad to be back.

May the first fruits of Lughnasad be abundant and nourishing,
Macha

      Back to the top

24 May 2000 -- Escalante, Utah

Greetings Friends!

Back again, this time from the wilds of Southern Utah. Amazing country! I went to help Juniper Brighidsdottir and Valley High of the Escalante Project perform a Full Moon ceremony in a magical alcove in a slot canyon in the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument.

Taking off from Richard Ely's ideas, and considering the needs, desires, aesthetics and limitations of participants, plus their relative levels of ritual experience (ranging from none to lots) Juniper and I exchanged volumes of email to plan this ritual. Richard was unfortunately unable to make it, and Val, now boasting an M.A., was deep in thesis-land, so we who had no experience of each other cooked the brew, with seasoning from Val and Finn. It's a bloody good thing we'd talked so much, because as it turned out my companion Finn and I, due to a series of delays, were unable to get to our rendezvous at Kodachrome Basin State Park until it was nearly time to go to the place where our ritual walk began.

Each person walked a mile in solemn silence through the narrow redrock canyon alone at dusk. We encountered guides at intervals as we journeyed into the depths of time. Through sand, pebbles, brush climbing over rocks and slickrock, and accompanied by meadowlarks and ravens, we arrived at a place where we encountered a mirror-faced being and were directed up a side path. At the East entry to the alcove, Juniper blessed and purified us, then we followed the canyon walls deosil, from altar to altar in the Quarters, touching the vertical sandstone as we progressed around the circle. In the West was a powerful yoni cleft that extended up probably 40 feet. Near the center of the alcove was a bowl-shaped depression that invited reclining. The feel of the place, to me, was of a navel. As one of the priestesses and one of the first ones in, I began a soft chant. Gradually all of us gathered in the alcove and began our rite.

Tori had lovingly grown three colors of maize, harvested it, and ground it. Juniper baked it into corncakes shaped with a mold from Patrick's family, plus one heart-shaped cake. Into these cakes we put our intents, our working to empower and protect the local wilderness activists at Escalante, and consecrated them with our voices and spiral dancing.

This Full Moon ritual preceded the three-day Escalante Wilderness Action Gathering to support local activists and learn about wilderness issues and campaigns in the Escalante area.

We returned to our campsite late. On the way back we encountered a young couple from Michigan out in the desert moonlight with a broken axel. Finn promised to send them help. After he found a towing service, we finally headed for bed. We'd neglected to charge up the pump for our air mattress and the one we borrowed didn't fit the opening on the mattress we had, so we had to manage with sleeping bags under and over us. It had been raining off and on during the day and early evening, so we were lucky that at least we had a tent to protect us, if not a mattress between us and the hard red sand.

Kodachrome Basin is strange geological formations - large and small chimneys, arches, layers of rock in red, brown, gray, purple, cream and white. I was frustrated at having to leave too soon the next day to have time to explore the park trails.

While Val worked at Escalante House and Finn went to a job interview in Kanab, Tom Lux and I searched for the trail head to get us down to Peekaboo Canyon where he wanted to shoot photographs. As usual, we had a great time, with lots of laughter. The downside was the hot dry air that seemed to suck the moisture from my skin, and the long ride down dusty roads in the little convertible Val and Tom had rented. We arrived at the trailhead too late to go down and still make it back to the others when we we'd planned, so early Saturday morning Tom, Finn and I headed back. Tom looked like some exotic bird all loaded up with his camera gear.

We scrambled down a steep trail, through red sand, prickly pear, sagebrush, mahogany, lizards and slickrock, to the wide base of the canyon. I was slathered with unscented 36 factor sunscreen, wearing a broad-brimmed seagrass hat and carrying water, but still felt I needed to proceed carefully. I stopped briefly in little spots of shade under the stubby junipers.

"The miniature rattler I encountered." Photo by Tom Lux ©2000

The actual canyon, Peekaboo Canyon, is deep and narrow. It's path has places that are wide and flat, and many that are clumps of boulders you have to climb. The sides go way up. Tom was looking for just the right light to get the reflections he wanted, to study its mighty curved surfaces, its pink striations. He found a place he liked and set up his tripod. I got tired of waiting while Tom fooled with lenses and exposures and his logbook, so I ventured further up the canyon to get out of site of his shot. When I was about 10 or 12 feet beyond Tom, I saw a small snake cross my path and stop near a large rock just to my right. I stopped. I turned around and described the snake to Tom and Finn. It did have a little black rattle, but it was so small and I'm no herpetologist, so I wasn't sure what it was. It turned out to be a young pygmy rattler, common in those parts. I didn't know there was such a species. I'm glad I stopped.

Well, this was too good an opportunity to pass, so Tom changed lenses, moved his tripod closer, and I retreated back to where he'd been standing. I'm eager to see the photos Tom took. The snake had curled itself so that its rattle didn't show. Soon it got fed up with people and slithered out of sight.

It was great to shower off the dust and rehydrate skin and body before returning to Escalante House for an outrageously delicious dinner with Patrick's rendition of Moosewood veggie chile.

My return flight had been canceled, so I had to be rerouted through Denver, wait three hours there, and finally got to Oakland (I'd originally left from SFO) after 11:00 p.m., only to find myself landing in a heat wave.

Wonderful, strange, and unexpected things happened for me in this wild land I'd never before experienced. I'm drawn to return to know it better.

Wild Blessings,
Macha

      Back to the top       On to the rest

Broomstick image adapted from "Woolbats" type by Elsa Die Löwin