We Harvest: Drop Down Seeds
Last year we spoke about ‘returning to our roots.’ The Rowan Tree had embraced some temporary changes. We increased our expenses by adding liability insurance. There were a few changes of positions as those who work as our primary volunteers rearranged themselves. Several individuals left our organization. More new Members came along. The Mystery School kept its enrollment on the low side to focus upon the quality of students and our long-term goals for a time. We were all encouraged to contemplate the future of The Rowan Tree Church in conjunction with the Highest Ideals of The Tradition of Lothloriën.
And how have we done? As we turn the Wheel at Hallowmas, this autumns harvest season indicates where we are. Just as our canning shelves in the weight bench area of the classroom hold more jars of home-grown, organic fruit juice than ever, there has been significant growth within our Church.
As the Wheel turned at Hallows a brand-new recording of The Ritual of Lothloriën was being sent out on both cassette tape and on CD. There had been a number of requests in recent years and a search of the cassette tape library left the need wanting. It was quite a joyful afternoon on October 10th when a group of us gathered and chanted The Ritual of Lothloriën and then sang the Goddess Songs.
As one Member wrote on a Saturday, “I received The Ritual of Lothloriën Thursday afternoon and I haven’t stopped listening to it. I listen to it when I get up and again before I go to sleep... It’s wonderful to hear how you’ve conducted it all. I really enjoy the over-all melody of the Ritual.” Two days later he wrote, “I’m still listening to the ritual tape. it’s wonderful!! Good job to all who participated.” Bill’s comments exemplify why this recording was made.
My personal work has been to bring more information about various aspects of The Tradition of Lothloriën and the history of The Rowan Tree Church out of my aging mind. The concept of Unicorns, for example, is one which sets us apart from every other Wiccan Tradition of which I have knowledge. Why do we have Unicorns? What is their role in the history of humans in general? Part of my research was stimulated by some information uncovered through Jim Saigle’s research. Jim is a Lay Minister, the editor (again) of The Littlest Unicorn and declared his goal to all of us of becoming an ordained Initiate of Lothloriën through his Yoking Ritual held at Yellowstone during our Annual Retreat in 2003 ce. It was Jim who brought the information about Genghis Khan’s unicorn dream and how it altered the course of history for one region in Asia. Sales of The Uniocorns of Lothloriën are used to help support The Unicorn newsletter, which is delighted to announce that it has a new volunteer, Dharma, who is the poetry editor as she learns about editing tasks involved in the publication.
My other ‘major’ work was to publish the tarot columns. Although this spiral-bound book emerged from The Hermit’s Grove, the study of the Tarot is emphasized within The Mystery School and many of our Members study one or more decks. I am still at work to complete a series of further columns (the numerology of the Tarot) and have a small hope that the manuscript might be taken up by a publisher. If not, at some future time (perhaps within two or three years), it might be published by The Hermit’s Grove.
This past summer we worked The Ritual for Dead as a memorial for Judith Karliss, a late Member who was a joy to our local Community. At that time Judith’s athame and chalice were set into the Mother’s soil just outside the Stone Circle. The working of The Ritual for the Dead was the center ritual work for the Annual Retreat, demonstrating how much we continue to mature and evolve as a collective organization.
A major focus of my work has been many hours’ contemplation and writing to expand Lothloriën’s Book of Shadows. Although I am perhaps, at best, 20% done, there has been the addition of numerous pages on the history of the various texts within the BOS as well as a gathering of what had been the Oral Tradition which has been held within the basket of my memory, one which is growing creaky with age. Oral Tradition is like the old children’s game of telephone and information. Information passed along orally has the ability to change and alter itself, shaped by the experience and thoughts of each person’s mind which resides between their ears before it comes out their mouths. Important information which is not merely historical but intrinsic to understanding the underlying nature of Lothloriën’s Mysteries should not be allowed to float about only in the founder’s memory. I was led to understand that, as the Father/Mother of Lothloriën, this is an important part of my work for your future.
We’ve not needed to do much pruning this past year. One small, unfinished task was the future disposition of the original post office box which I opened prior to the initiation of The Unicorn. We’ve known for some time that, eventually, it would be appropriate to close Post Office Box 8814 at the Minneapolis location. Nostalgia kept me from taking the pruning shears in hand. This box was held for nearly 30 years and the address continues to remain in print in hundreds of books. Each month my sister (or her husband) would pick up the mail. They live at least 20 miles south of that area, and Diane would then package it up and send it here. Just when a month brought only a few pieces of mail leading me to think, “does this mean it’s time?” then the following month might have more than a dozen inquiries. Of all the flyers and information sent out to those inquiries, rarely did anyone follow through with a subscription or request for more information. Yet, we continued. Anyone who handles a considerable amount of postal mail (as does The Rowan Tree Church) knows that their must be postal gods. And so the postal gods determined... The renewal notice was not sent to us and the box was closed. Although we could have sent my brother-in-law into the city and dealt with it (the lock had already been changed) the sensible thing was to keep that decision in the hands of the postal gods, and so that address is now part of our history.
Although the majority of our Members do not live within driving distance of the rituals here at our home and gardens (which are usually referred to as The Hermit’s Grove), as the center of operations the local Members and their activity is central to the health of the Rowan Tree as a whole. How ‘healthy’ are we? Our average attendance at Sunday Circles is as strong as it’s ever been. And this year our annual food drive for Hallows brought in an astounding amount of generosity. The quantity of food is far beyond what one would expect from such a small group of Members who live around here. And, through a cash donation from a Member in California, we have the beginning of next year’s harvest as well.
With the Annual Report we leave the past year behind and move forward. The new list of ritual dates is now on our web site. We have our newest fund-raising item from Donna Lewin, one which allows us to have physical contact with Stonehenge in our rituals. We are very much ready for the coming year.
I am honored and I continue to feel humble when I think of the gifts the Universe has brought me. I did not set out to establish a small, unusual Wiccan church and I didn’t always understand what would be expected of me. Living with Nature, working in the soil these past nearly thirty years,however, taught me that sometimes we must simply accept our roles as worker bees and worker ants and then later, when the time is right, it’s good to be compost.
Bless each of you this coming year.
Rev. Paul, November 12, 2004 ce
The Rowan Tree Church’s 2003-2004 Annual Report
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