| Home Women's Bookshelf Women's Spirituality Women's Stories Birthing Menses Rituals Croning Goddesses Moon Lore Pamper Yourself Litha Ritual 2004 Links Cookbook |
 |
|
Tidewater Pagan Women 2005 Retreat Review Tidewater Pagan Women is a sacred circle of eclectic women of all ages to support, encourage, and learn from one another. This is one women�s view of how a well planned retreat can have a ripple effect on our community. T.W.P.W. held a retreat from March 28, 2005 to April 3, 2005 in a beautiful 8 bedroom house in Nags Head N.C. We arrived on Monday to settle in and unpack. That night we gathered together to cleanse and bless the house. Tuesday was fully packed with activities including a Tarot ritual, circle dynamics class (held by Linda Reichert, founder and facilitator of the group), reflection time, Ostara egg hunt (grown up�s like to play and have fun too!), and the arrival of the main speaker/teacher Kathy Jones. Kathy Jones has lived in Glastonbury England (also know as The Isle of Avalon) for the last 28 years. Kathy is a priestess of Avalon and has played a key role in reviving awareness of the Goddess in Glastonbury. She is a well noted author. Kathy, Ren Chapmen, and Brian Charles provide a three year training program to become priestesses of Avalon. She is a teacher of Esoteric Soul Healing. She and Tyna Redpath are the co-founders of the Glastonbury Goddess Temple, and the Glastonbury Goddess Conference. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that was almost too good to be to true. We were so fortunate to have Kathy to be able to come and share in the knowledge and energy. Wednesday was Kathy�s class on Goddesses of Avalon and the Avalon traditions. She brought water from the �Chalice well� to share in a healing and blessing ritual. She brought and shared the �Flame of Avalon� which was used to light many of the sister�s candles and will continue to be shared throughout our community and spread on and on. The Flame of Avalon is created from, The Goddess Conference Flame, The Hiroshima Peace Flame, Bride's Flame from Kildare in Ireland, Bridie's Flame from the Hebrides The Children's Flame from the US. and The Madonna Ministry Flame. All present were allowed to place items on her special altar (The Avalon Wheel of The Year). The ritual she performed was very powerful and brought some to an emotional outpouring and awe. The chanting we did together, all in unison, was extremely powerful and moving. Kathy encouraged us to research our own goddesses from our own land. She inspired us to continue our efforts, grow, learn, and embrace the goddess in each one of us. Thursday Chris Maher (Owner of Luna�s Closet) facilitated a trance dance work shop. The swirling and twirling was both fun and intense. Debbie Lamont/Foley owner of Mystic Moon held a women�s spirit circle. Debbie discussed the importance of women�s spirituality. Wisdom passed on from community elders can not be spoken highly enough of. My sisters prepared myself and my now wife for our handfasting, to be performed the following day. We had our feet bathed, rubbed and henna applied, a massage, and special beauty products applied to our lips and hands. It was so relaxing to sit back and relax and enjoy such kindness from our sisters. We enjoyed a very powerful Avalon ritual performed by Chris Maher. She called the quarters in Welsh during the ritual. The energy raised was very intense. Friday Dawn Hill of Crystal Forest (crystal-forest.com) came all the way from Connecticut and did a wonderful and informative herb workshop. She really knows her herbs! Dawn provided a packet of information on proper ratios of herbs. She let us sample the difference between her tinctures and manufactured ones. She made a lot of us feel better by chasing headaches away from the large amount of energy created in the house, and gave us some Witches Balm to fix any boo boo�s that we had. Lyssa O�Neal did an energy workshop that taught us how to ground and tap into different kinds of energy. Merry Cantrell did a craft workshop where we all made goddess beads. It was a fun and relaxing activity. That night myself and my wife Terri Kane had the privilege and honor of being handfasted by Linda Reichert and being surrounded by our loving sisters. The love and energy was palpable. It was so beautiful and touching. It made the occasion all the more special with those closest and dear to us there and participating. Everyone contributed something special. Thank you Linda for performing the ritual. Thank you to Pam Parker (teacher, Choir Mistress, at Mystic Moon) and Lori Colletti for making such a spectacular cake. Thank you to all who helped in too many ways to list to make it such a memorable occasion. There were too many classes and rituals to remember when they all took place. Pam held a first moon ritual and class. Nancy recieved her first degree initiation by Pam. Della was given a Croning ritual by Pam and Debbie. We relaxed in a wonderful hot tub in the evenings. The house had a spectacular view of the ocean. It had an elevator for the disabled/tired/large amount of groceries and materials used for events. The house was like a fairy tale house. It was roomy and open, beautiful, well cleaned, and had too many amenities to list. We were fortunate to be able to have such a place to have a retreat. There were so many things shared and learned just by being around and talking with one another. We were visited by dolphins, a crane, a crow, and an opossum that came up three flights of stairs just to hang out and share some food. There were a pod of dolphins that frolicked and played in the surf that could be viewed from the observation deck near the shore. The mists rolled in from the ocean and covered the house and surrounding grounds. Even though we had three floors of stairs I think we all gained weight due to the marvelous home cooking that was shared by all. I will treasure this entire experience as one that I could never have dreamed would give me so much knowledge, insight, love, sisterhood, a joining with my life partner, relaxation, and the freedom to be who I am and know that I will not be judged. I can not put into words the way I felt just knowing we could be together, share so much, and be so free. We all grew and changed as women during that week. How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you, a place for you to go to be with your mother, with your sisters and aunts, with your grandmother, a place of women to go to, to be, to return to, as women. HOW MIGHT YOUR LIFE BE DIFFERENT? Judith Duerk �Circle of Stones� Thank you Linda for all your hard work and dedication. For without you and all that you did, the retreat would not have gone as well as it did and all of our lives would be very different and much less fulfilled as it is today. |
 |