Circle of Wondrous Stories

Welcome, and enter the webpage of the Circle of Wondrous Stories, a Detroit area Coven whose members also produced Crow's Cause from 1992 til 1999.

Crow's Cause was a small, Metro-Detroit based newsletter, produced by editors and publishers, Oberon and Banshee ShadowWolf and a slew of other occasional poets, essayists, artists, etc. They concentrated on networking and were known to promote quite a few other groups, organizations and others around that area.

Circle of Wondrous Stories is a circle led by Oberon and Banshee. The Circle has been involved with a number of activities and events in the Metro Detroit area since the community's serious "emerging" in 1987. Amongst some of those associations were: Dream Grove of the Sacred Moon, CUUPS-Detroit/Chalice in the Woods, Great Lakes Pagan Council, WEB*K.O.R.E., the Magic Wand Newsletter and Crow's Cause Newsletter. In late 1999 the Circle of Wondrous Stories worked with other groups to form Michigan's first Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess. More recently their involvement has been with the Federation of Circles and Solitaires, the Tempest Smith Foundation and as of late 2006 a new "Midwest Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess.

Most recent news:

Sadly we lost another member in the local community. Bill Barker, 59 died March 4, of complications with his leukemia. He leaves behind children, grandchildren and a grieving widow.

In July of 2008, sadly, a major member of the Pagan community, Denessa Smith, founder of the Tempest Smith Foundation died in late July, after complications with a surgery. We are so saddened at the loss of our good friend and work partner in the TSF organization.

To give tribute and memorialize our passing friends, we have created a new page. Read tributes to Denessa, and Bill here

Hall of the Beloved Departed

Oberon and Banshee were honored to present the Samhain 2008 ritual for the Federation of Circles & Solitaires. Banshee will present a vivid and imaginative Midsummer Ritual for that group, involving Tarot Archtypes and a quest.

In September 2008, Oberon was re-elected to Trustee of the FoCaS Board and also elected to a Clergy position.

Metro Detroit's Pagan Pride Day was a stunning achievement for all involved. The event was mostly coordinated by Susan Nunn and Oak Moon Coven, as well as folks associated with Practical Magic store in Hazel Park. They did a wonderful job! Federation of C/S was also involved with a ritual honoring the aspects of God and Goddess that was well received. Former and current board members, as well as other good folks, like Banshee were in the ritual. Pictures were posted in a Hazel Park newspaper. Very good fun! Thanks to Susan and all the PPD folks!

Fall 2008, The Midwest Region Local Council of Covenant of the Goddess is now starting it's 4th year. Lady Circe, of Wise Owls Coven in Indiana was re-elected to National 1st Officer of CoG. Banshee ShadowWolf and I were re-elected to our Local Council's 1st Officer and Recorder, respectively. On September 8th the MRLC met in Wyandotte at Cosmic Eye, with a Meet and Greet for the community. Amidst great munchings, we hobnobbed with various Pagans in metro Detroit like Susan Nunn (PPD and Oak Moon Coven), Puck and Star ShadowDrake, (and btw, big CONGRATULATIONS on Star's recent elevation to 3rd Degree)

Ryk, Teri, Figment, Mara and other members of FoCaS, Barb Wild from Tempest Smith Org and many more! Thank you for making our meeting a success and for your interest in Covenant of the Goddess! For more information on membership, email: midwest@cog.org

In February, 2008 we attended Convocation 2008, where we met so many cool people, especially the Trillium Reclaiming folks.

The Tempest Smith Foundation "Tie Dye for Tolerance" and Foundation raffle were huge successes, going way beyond the previous year. Thanks so much to MEC for supporting the Tempest Smith Foundation!

Federation of Circles & Solitaries also did well, with their special Membership discounts offered at a special Meet and Greet. Many attended and the Power Point presentation was informative to new folks.

The Federation of Circles & Solitaires operates primarily in downriver metro Detroit communities and provides networking and community oriented round the year activities.

We are proud to support Tempest Smith Foundation in all it's works!

Circle of Wondrous Stories are members of the Midwest Region Local Council of Covenant of the Goddess, a nationally recognized Wiccan Church.

The Witch's Voice is a valuble tool for netwoking with Witches and Pagans everywhere and a great source for news.

History of the Circle:

Oberon and Banshee ShadowWolf themselves, have been involved with Paganism, Divination and other aspects of Metaphysics since their childhoods. Each of them have been influenced and guided by various family members who also shared an affinity with Occult teachings.

In addition each have read Tarot for years, at least a combined seventy years between them, at many venues, including benefits and fundraisers, block parties and street fairs. In recent years they routinely read for over a hundred people each in any given year.

They've also shared their lives for over 30 years, bringing into the world such creations as Crow's Cause, and the Circle of Wondrous Stories,their own personal ritual group which occasionally provides Wheel of the Year celebrations and workshops.

They have a wonderful adult child who is following in the family's chosen profession of library work, too. On February 19th, 2006, Obie and Banshee were gifted with the birth of their first grandchild, Mayoree.

Recently Oberon and Banshee performed the legal wedding for their son and his wife. Mayoree helped us point out the directions. She is a wondrous and magickal child nearing her 3rd Birthday!

Their circle was formed on the Blue Moon of 1991 by 4 long time friends, whose friendships had spanned nearly 25 years and whose children and grandchildren have grown up together. Each of the original members added specific talents and skills to the group. They chose to practice in the Wiccan manner while adding an eclectic blending of their own personal knowledge, skills, beliefs and traditions into the group. Their accumulated education, experiences and resources was used to create . . .

"C.O.W.S" as they are affectionately known by other Pagans/groups in the Southeast Michigan area, held their first open and public ritual on Lammas, 1991. It was in Lower Huron Metro park, in an area that Circle members used to take their children to, which they called, "the Enchanted Glade".

Through the years Wondrous Stories have held a number of rituals, in a variety of venues. They held open rituals for most of the Sabbats as well as special rituals, as part of theme events or summer festivals. For a number of years, an annual "Hecate Night" ritual was performed by the Circle and became a local legend.

For many years the Circle held an annual Beltane event at Paradise Pines. They performed rituals for any number of venues and raised money for HIV charities, the homeless and others with Tarot and Divination fundraisers and street fairs.

They also created a special shrine dedicated to Kwan-Yin at Paradise Pines, a popular Pagan retreat, and have held healing processions and prayers sessions there. Wondrous Stories has also presented a couple of workshops on mask making, employing Totems, trance and dream work in a shamanic -type working at Chalice in the Woods, a Detroit C.U.U.P.s retreat.

A little about Paradise Pines

The Circle of Wondrous Stories was the first group to host a public ritual at Paradise Pines, which was the Fall Equinox 1992, a ritual that commemorated the 300th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials. Since that day, many more rituals and events have been held at Paradise Pines. Dana's Drum Party, the Crafters' Annual Lammas Campout, various campouts for Great Lakes Pagan Council, Federation of Circles and of course the popular Beltane ritual by Circle of Wondrous Stories, for over 10 years. In 2001 CoWS performed their annual ritual for the newly formed Michigan Area Groups in CoG, MAGIC Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess.

Over the years a small amount of members have come and gone through the circle. CoWS has never viewed itself as a "teaching coven", but rather a circle of peers, and so they've tried to associate not only with those of like mind, but those who have ever been closest to them. The current members of the circle, besides Oberon and Banshee are MoonOwl, Angerona, Merlin RavenSong, Valkyrie, and Tallisen .

On Friday February 21st, 2003 the Circle of Wondrous Stories and members of the Federation of Circles & Solitaires presented a memorial ritual to honor and remember Tempest Smith, who died tragically exactly 2 years ago that date, a suicide that resulted from excessive taunting from her classmates. She was 13 years old. The ritual was presented at the annual Convocation, in Troy. For more information, including a link to a memorial website for Tempest, see the Federations' website, above. The Circle was incredibly honored and pleased to present this ceremony.

Since late 2005, "Wondrous Stories" have operated mostly as a private group, with few actual public rituals being performed, though Obie and Banshee have performed some Sabbats and other rituals for the Federation, with occasional appearances by other Circle members. Whether the Circle returns to their higher profile status remains to be seen. Banshee is working on book projects, as are other members of the circle.

We can be reached by email at: oberon_osiris@hotmail.com

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