Issue 58 - Pagan Federation Devon and Cornwall

Welcome friend!
Here we are again with the new Dark Mirror and a
very big thanks must go to all those who made it possible.
I enjoy this time of year probably as much as I enjoy
spring, but autumn is special. A time of winding down &
reflection, a great time for sorting things out!
There’s a lot of changes going on in my life at the moment so it’s a good opportunity to settle down in front
of a roaring fire, well radiator, and to mull it all over.
Change is certainly in the air as all things must drift
away into the coming darkness in readiness for winter
and preparation for new growth.
There is fear & excitement of what may lay ahead, we
all must embrace change in whatever form it takes. But
grab hold of it with both arms as it is this
that moves us forward, challenges us and
sparks new growth in our hearts.
I hope you have a wonderful Mabon &
Samhain no matter how big or small, just
feel the season & change with it.
In truth & love,
Editor - Graham Barter.
(gbarter1@gmail.com)
P.S.
Please keep stuff coming to Dark Mirror,
I would love to see diversity and perhaps
send some stories of your celebrations.
Plus articles for Yule would be fantastic!
PF Devon & Cornwall District Officers
District Manager (DM) :
Regional Co-ordinators (RC)
Devon :
Cornwall :
Channel Isles :
VACANCY
Sowelu (01392) 433909 email : sowelu@blueyonder.co.uk
Nigel Fenlon - 07971 854917
Oak Leaf – email: oak_frost@yahoo.co.uk
The RC’s deal with day to day contact with members. Contact them (and not the District Manager) about membership enquiries or other matters you wish to discuss, by phone, email or letter to the regional address. If you want
to run a Moot or Study Group, contact your RC.
District Administrator :
Community Officer :
Conference Organiser :
Sowelu
Cassandra Latham
Levannah Morgan
The Local Organisers run moots, events and groups. Contact them for details of local events.
Exeter :
South West Devon & Plymouth :
North Devon :
South Devon :
North Cornwall :
Penwith :
Channel Islands : Oak Leaf - email :
Viannah - 07742 142066
Patrick - 01752 562769
Trudy - 07988 410815
trudiebrown@fsmail.net
VACANCY
VACANCY
Sarah - 01736 787522
oak_frost@yahoo.co.uk
For all the latest news and updates around the Region, try the new look Regional PF Website at:
www.paganfederationdevonandcornwall.co.uk
Dark Mirror is printed by Ian Jamison and distributed by the Regional Council.
The opinions expressed in letters and articles in this magazine, do not necessarily represent the
views of the Pagan Federation. All articles are (c)copyright of their author.
Caretaker District
Managers bit
Welcome to the latest edition of Dark Mirror,
your District newsletter. I’m sure that you’ll have
come to expect a DM’s Bit in every copy of the newsletter and I’d hate to disappoint you J
As ever, let me first introduce myself. I’m Keith
Tovey, your caretaker District manger and the PF’s
District Liaison Officer (that’s the person who sits on
PF Committee and represents the Districts).
It’s been an eventful time for me since the last
edition of this newsletter! I’ve just about finalised getting a new District Manager in place for the other District that I’ve been caretaking (that’s Pagan Federation
North East) and I’m shortly going to be concentrating
far more heavily on getting you guys a new District
Manager for Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Isles, so
there will be no more hiding all you potential candidates out there!
I have to admit to being rather disappointed by
the number of people that have got in touch with me
to learn more about the job. As of the time of writing
this, I have had contact with not one person who
would consider the job. That’s really disheartening for
me my Lords and Ladies! The job of District Manager
is certainly a tough one – but it’s also one that can be
very rewarding. I’m certain that there is the right candidate out there in the District – the question is what’s
stopping you from stepping forward?
Get in touch with me at
keith.tovey@blueyonder.co.uk and I’ll be more
than willing to discuss what the role entails – all you
need to do the job is to have been a PF member for a
year or more and have the talents to do the job! If you
have fears and worries about being able to do the job,
then let’s talk them through, you’d be surprised at how
many people who are nationally active Pagans had reservations about stepping up to the plate. You’d also be
surprised at how many people who thought they were
not up to it turned out to be the very people that PF
was looking for!! That’s the push for a DM for this edition of Dark Mirror out of the way - really, Lords and
Ladies you can’t let this Essex lad rule the roost for
much longer – can you?
So, on to other things.
I’d like to offer big thanks to Nigel Fenton (the
RC for Cornwall) for his help in dealing with the “Dunk
a Witch” stall at one of the Fairs in the area. When
the RC is so proactive and makes things happen it’s a
great example of PF doing what it should be doing. We
hope to see more of Nigel in the on-line communities
soon, as he is close to getting a working email address.
District wise that’s great news and PF wise, its excellent news – in this age of emails, e-lists, and web based
forums plus other places where Pagans gather on-line,
we need all our officers with their “ear to the ground”.
I hope you all have a wonderful Autumn Equinox. It’s my favourite festival of the year and to be
honest, my own groups still haven’t got our celebrations properly sorted out. I hope your plans are far
more organised than my own!
Bright Blessings
Keith
Cornwall to Scotland
A Handfasting
By Michele Collins
Last September we held our Handfasting celebration at
Rosemerryn, West Penwith in Cornwall. We arranged
everything ourselves, visited the venue, worked out
quite an extensive ritual with our very capable celebrants, decided on food, bought it, cooked it and
served it which much help from friends and family. We
had beautiful wedding jewellery made by Crystal Wisdom. The saga of my wedding dress spanned to Australia and back, twice! The logistics in organising such an
important ritual and trying to ensure our sixty strong,
mostly non-Pagan, guests would have great memories
of a Pagan wedding were at times never ending. But we
had everything planned as we wanted and for the most
part things went to plan.
Last summer, if you remember, it rained constantly for
six weeks. Countless times we had asked the Sky Gods
for just a few dry hours, others have told us they
wished the same for us too. In fact the day itself was so
fantastically bright it was hard to take photographs!
However, this did not deter our guests as when we
finished our hour-long ceremony in the garden of Rosemerryn we noticed the wall of photographers that had
captured every second of the ritual. Our guests appeared spellbound and the day was filled with smiles
and happiness and feasting. We held toasts, gave and
received gifts, my mum had produced a most wonderful
cake, we couldn’t ask for more.
September ’08 Handfasting Cornwall.
Of course there was just one thing, handfastings are
only legally recognised in Scotland. Getting married indoors at a Registry Office, without our Gods, was a
dreary experience we truly couldn’t contemplate. So
once we had recovered from our big day we started
planning towards the next. We contacted the Scottish
PF and made enquires about celebrants. Eventually we
decided on Inverness and made contact with our celebrant Fiona who answered our many questions on just
how to go about getting things legal. Fiona provided us
with the ritual to which we made some personal additions, she also kindly provided our witnesses. Organising legal matters always feels daunting. Apart from one
phone call to the Registrars in Inverness and one call to
Fiona near the date of the handfasting all discussions
were conducted via email.
Somehow we forgot to get ritual mead, we bought the
only variety available at Findhorn the evening before,
but later had to text our celebrant about a corkscrew.
sibly shone through the
hole in the sacred Odin
Stone. This stone was
held in high regard for its
magical and
healing properties, it was
a site of handfastings and
solemn oaths to the Pagan Gods. To widespread
fury a non-Orcadian
farmer ‘maliciously’ destroyed this Stone of
Power in 1814.
You know ritual quirks! We arrived at the Clava Cairns
in the light rain at 1pm (Pagan time). As we walked the
bounds of the ancient stone site under the tall trees
the sun came out and our handfasting ritual was again a
wonderful experience. We did the legal stuff, we had
some fun and we got to work ritual in a new way with
new people. We gave gifts of crystal hearts and Dartmoor honey; Fiona gave us a wedding gift and a handfasting certificate from the Scottish PF. The legal marriage certificate arrived in due course.
Both our handfastings were special; both were before
the Old Gods but it’s very disappointing that the rest of
Britain does not have the same rights as Scotland. This
is an issue Pagans seriously need to remedy!
Web sites of interest;
http://www.rosemerrynwood.co.uk/
http://www.findsomewhere.co.uk/
CountryLivingWestCountry/Devon/CLW38173.htm
http://www.scottishpf.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clava_cairn
http://www.orkneyretreat.co.uk/peatfire-tales.htm
http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/
http://www.pebble.uk.net/handfasting.html
June ‘09 Handfasting Clava Cairns, Inverness.
Seeing as we were in Scotland a week on Orkney was a
fantastic honeymoon; (as long as you enjoy being made
to crawl inside every Neolithic tomb by your wife). If
you visit the mainland we heartily recom
mend an evening with the Orkney Storytellers who tell
tall tales of the North and speak about ancient Orcadian customs.
We were there at Summer Solstice but had to catch
the early morning ferry back to Scrabster so we decided to watch the sunset at the Ring of Brodgar.
Somehow we have a knack of seeing the sunset behind
a cloud but we witnessed a beam of light shining over
the water of Loch Harray. According to locals this pos-
Solstice Sunset Loch Harray, Orkney
Devon Lammas Picnic
By Viannah
At this time every year there begins a build up in PF
Devon of fraught, whispered discussions about precipitation, barometers, wellies or retiring to a pub...
For it is Lammas, from 'loaf mass' the celebration of the
first reaping of wheat. Or Lughnasadh for the Irish God
Lugh who commanded a funeral feast and games commemorating his foster-mother, Tailtiu.
Whatever you call it, its reason for a picnic!
We arrived from all across devon, to stand, in the
slightly soggy carpark at Hound Tor, before the Hound
of the Basket Meals
van which at least
promised a warm
cuppa for our effort.
The Picnic is a social
event open to all, so
our ritual is very casual, sat around on picnic mats at 1.00pm,
once the drizzle had
lifted, Sowelu read a
lovely charge calling on
The Goddess as both
the nurturer and the
reaper, and The God
as the sun that descends into the wheat.
The rather tubby
Horned God Loaf was
beheaded with glee,
and grainy bread was
passed amongst everyone. This year's recipe
was far more successful than last and hailed
as both pleasingly
decorative and edible!
A small portion was
left by the kids under
the twisted Hawthorn
tree as an offering to
the spirits of place.
After a moment of contemplation, everyone sat themselves down, passed the food around (amongst the offerings, honey loaf, melon, Val's amazing rhubarb and
apple flapjacks, chilli chocolate, falafel, a fine red wine
for the non drivers, local
apple juice for others) and we set to gossip, debate,
sacred sites, weather magic, wild beasts and big cats of
the moor, festival traditions, and lots of recipe exchange, intermingled with various excursions up the
tor, in groups of twos or threes as lunches
settled or dogs and small children needed tiring out.
For the 20 or so who had braved the threatening grey
in the morning there was the just reward of the late
afternoon sun, unfurling her stole of clouds and warming us enough for at least one brave soul to go for
short sleeves, and the rest to despatch their waterproofs!The evening
gave us the beautiful
soft majesty of the
moor, Dartmoor's
unpredictability so oft
wild, suddenly so gentle.
Inter Faith
The Pagan Federation are represented on the Devon
Faiths Forum, who as you may have heard are undertaking some research into the experience of discrimination
on the grounds of religion and belief in Devon.
If you would like to contribute to this research then
please get in touch!.
Investigating
Discrimination.
The DFF are trying to undertake an investigation into
incidents of Discrimination based upon Religion and
Belief in Devon. This will be used to help inform Local
Government policy in Devon over the next few years.
Please contact us with your stories so that your
voice is heard!
We would like to hear from anyone who has suffered
(or believed that they have suffered, or feared) discrimination on the grounds of Religion or Belief in
Devon. Whether this is a major incident that led to
police involvement, assault, harassment, name-calling or
abuse, workplace or school bullying, workplace or
school regulations, attitudes expressed in the (local)
media or in conversation, access to goods and services,
vandalism, we would like to know about it. All contributions will remain anonymous unless you specifically
state otherwise.
We would like you to contact us with;
The name of the person sending the information.
(Please indicate if anonymity is not required) & some
contact information.
The Religion or Belief.
An outline of the events.
A description of how this made the person feel.
A notification if any agencies (Police, Social Services,
Schools etc) were informed.
Any following events or outcome.
Please send this information to us at
devonfaithsforum@hotmail.com or by post to:
DFF, c/o The Old Deanery, Exeter EX1 1HS
Many thanks for your contributions – please pass this
information onto anyone else that you think might like
to contribute.
The Museum of
Witchcraft
Phone 01840 250111
museumwitchcraft@aol.com www.museumofwitchcraft.com
Educational, Entertaining, Enlightening
The Museum of Witchcraft, The Harbour,
Boscastle, Cornwall. PL35 OH
Wheel of the year Ogham
By Michele Collins
Hazel Moon (Coll) (5th August-1st September)
Bird; Crain, Robin. Animal; Salamander,
Salmon. Herb; Vervain. Stone; Opal,
Amethyst, Magnetite.
Coll is the time of creative energies and
gathering fruitfulness. Coll represents
the literal harvest of the Earth’s bounty
and the expressive power in the use of
words. Hazel is the tree of Knowledge
and Inspiration. Irish heralds carried
peeled hazel wands as a symbol of office, this verified their ability to use
words and ensured safe passage. Today
a hazel staff can indicate the authority of
a group leader and also makes an excellent multipurpose wand.
Hazelnuts represent the fruition of what has gone before and are a sacred initiatory food.
The perpetually flowering Nine Hazels of Wisdom
that overhang Connla’s well drop nuts of All Knowledge into the water which are then eaten by the ancient Salmon. This sacred animal develops one bright
spot for every nut consumed; therefore eating the
Salmon can confer wisdom.
Druids are said to chew hazelnuts to attain inspiration
or the knowledge of things that are hidden. Hazel
dowsing rods are the principal tool to find hidden water or metals. The Celtic Love God Aengus Og carries a hazel wand as it is closely connected to matters
of the heart. Hazel is an excellent catalyst for poetry,
divination and meditation.
Vine/Bramble Moon (Muin) (2nd September-29th
September)
Bird; Tit, Swan. Animal; Dog, Hedgehog,
Lizard. Herb; Valerian. Stone; Emerald,
Topaz, Yellow Diamond.
Vine is not indigenous to Britain but it
was introduced to favourable parts of
the country during the Roman occupation. Muin in Irish means a ‘thicket’ of a
thorny plant linking it to the Blackberry,
a
sacred plant of the Celts. Blackberry
fruits belong to the Fey after October
11th and are subject to ancient taboos
but can be used to contact the Fey and
empower Underworld journeys. In
Scotland Blackberry in combination with
Rowan and Yew constitutes the Sacred
Fire.
Muin develops the ability to range over a wide area to
gather, assimilate and understand everything we need
to aid inner development. Muin assists rapid growth
to changes of consciousness and brings awareness of
the weavings of relationships with others.
Muin also concerns the use of Divine Intoxication and
Fruitfulness. A glass of wine can be helpful in overcoming mental and physical inhibition, but this must be
done with care, in a balanced way or a blinding hangover will be your lesson.
Ivy Moon (Gort) (30th September-27th October)
Bird; Snaw. Animal; Boar, Goat. Stone; Jasper, Topaz.
Ivy is the tree of life and rebirth; it remains
green throughout the winter and is symbolic of the labyrinth of life. Ivy was used
to decorate shrines of the immortal soul
and offer sanctuary to nature spirits. It
provides the final flowers of the Goddess’s
bounty for the bees. As crowns for newlyweds the unchanging nature of Ivy leaves
promotes constancy.
Ivy can grow anywhere it can root in the
ground, it is hardy and difficult to destroy.
It needs the support of others but can kill
even an oak in its hunger. Gort makes
you stop and question what you are doing.
Gort facilitates a moving inwards towards
the centre where all things meet at the
end of days to be reborn and follow the outward spiral
of the soul. In the dance of life when we spiral inwards
and meet ourselves, when we spiral outwards it is to
connect with others.
Reed Moon (NGetal) (28th October-24th November)
Animal; Fox, Salmon, Dog, Stag, Rat.
Reed is a symbol of Royalty and the Sun
Gods. Arrows of reed were highly prised
due to their lightness and capacity to be
filled with flammable liquids or poisons.
The Sun King scatters his enemies by
shooting fiery shafts.
The reed bed is an in-between place;
marsh is neither land or water and forms
an entrance to the Underworld from which
the sun is reborn. Semi-divine Taliesin the
Radiant Brow was pulled from a reed bed,
making it a place of divine wisdom and
growth. Birds take cover and raise young
in the shallows of the reed bed.
Pan’s pipes were cut from reeds; hollow
and filled with air their musical vibration grants visions
of the Otherworld.
NGetal is a preserver and container of things. Reeds
made paper and good pens for scribes and so preserves memory and knowledge. Written communica-
tion maintains human culture. The rod of the King preserves judgement and measure, the thatched roof preserves the house and family.
Reed is tall and caressed by the breeze teaching us to
adapt to changing conditions and promoting harmony
between self and rest of world. NGetal suggests using
talents and flexibility to survive prevailing circumstances
(Various Sources)
A Handfasting in May
By Emma McClean
My long term partner and I were handfasted on his
birthday the 9th May this year. Although he does not
call himself a pagan, there are many pagan ideas that he
identifies with.
He is very sympathetic to all my rituals and honouring
of spirits etc. He often says how peaceful he feels
when I am performing a ritual. From his attitude
nearly ten years ago which was a raised eyebrow
and confusion he has become very comfortable
with the whole ethos, comfortable enough, in fact,
to whole heartedly engage in the handfasting ritual
and don druid costume to express his revernce to
my beliefs.
He trusted me enough to know that I was not going to do anything "strange" to him and has
opened himself to a subject he previously knew
nothing about and would not have sought out.
On "the day" we had friends arrive from London
and local areas (we are in Exmouth) and relations
from Plymouth. We were slightly saddened that
some of our families felt afraid and therefore didn't come.
My cousin is of another religion and said she
would feel afraid of what we would do. I showed
her the wordings of the blessings, written out in
pretty lettering on brightly coloured paper and
explained that it was a beautiful and happy celebration of our love. Unfortunately the ingrained
ideas from her childhood of "black magic" and
"evil" overtook even her love for me and her
knowledge of the kind of person I am ... you
know, kind to children and animals and all that!
The point is that very often our hardened beliefs
made fast in childhood can blind us to the possibilities of many things in life. Fear is another aspect ... our fear can stop us from enjoying so
much more! I am determined not to let this happen to me when looking outward in the world.
Anyway, on a lighter note ... here is a picture of
Tom and I jumping the broomstick.
Dark Mirror
Correspondence Course
The Dark Mirror Correspondence course is available
free to all Devon, Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Channel
Islands members. It is suitable for complete beginners
or for more experienced Pagans looking to add structure to their spiritual journey. There is a Wiccan or
Druid version.
Please contact Sowelu for more information at : Sowelu@blueyonder.co.uk
or via the PO Box address.
The Devon Handfasting
Network
If you would like to find out more, or arrange a Handfasting, then please contact Levannah Morgan, the coordinator.
Email Levannah@btinternet.com
or tel 07778 304687
or write via the PO Box address.
From the IT Officer
Our News page on the web site has been somewhat
'moribund' over the last few months. The original idea
was that it would only be used for news specifically
*about* the PF but discussions have been held about
widening the scope of the page. To this end, I'm looking
to recruit a small team of 'newshounds' to sniff out the
latest, worldwide, stories of pagan relevance and bring
them to a wider audience.
This exercise would require any stories to be precis'd,
for reasons of copyright they cannot just be simple cut/
paste jobs
from other web sites - some thought and effort is involved.
So if you have a hour or so to spend on-line each
week, and would like to help the PF with news dissemination, please contact me at itmgr@paganfed.org familiarity with Wordpress would be useful but is by no
means essential.
For Sale
Hand-held frame drums made with ethically sourced
deer or horseskin.
www.all-as-one.co.uk
or tel. Sam on 07971 179086
Dancing up a Storm
© 2001 Eileen Blacklock
Dancing, spinning round and round
Tap a rhythm on the ground
Diana, Isis, call her name
See her in the candle flame
Incense burning, smell the flower
Try to raise a cone of power
Candles in the quarters flicker
Feet now stamping, growing quicker
Fire burns and smoke is swirling
People dancing, people whirling
As dervishes, we move so fast
Ghostly echoes of the past
Begin the chant, hypnotic drone
Maiden, Mother and the Crone
Glowing blue light start to build
Power growing as we willed
Feet now spinning on the ground
Hear earth's heartbeat as they pound
Voices chanting, high notes, low
With wonder, feel the power grow
Together, with one mind and will
Spells and workings to fulfil
Eyes wide open, now we see
Our spell is cast, so mote it be!
MOOTS
NB : It is always wise to contact the Moot Organiser
prior to attending a Moot. Whilst details are correct at
the time of going to press, these are subject to change
with very short notice.
EXETER PF MOOT
Meets at the White Hart on South Street from 8pm.
1st Wednesday monthly. FFI contact Viannah on
077421 42066 or Viannah@hotmail.co.uk
SOUTH WEST DEVON MOOT
Meets in the Stoke area of Plymouth, held on 2nd wed
of the month 7pm.
FFI contact Patrick on 01752 562769 or Michele at
fferyllt2012@hotmail.co.uk
SOUTH DEVON PAGAN MOOT
On every 1st Tuesday of the month there will be a
moot held at 'The Lime Tree' pub in the centre of
Paignton, South Devon. It's an easy social occasion
with an open forum. FFI - gbarter1@gmail.com
NORTH DEVON MOOT
Meet the first Wednesday of each month at the Olive
Branch, Boutport Street, Barnstaple 7.30pm - 10.30pm.
For further information contact Trudie on 07988
410815 or trudiebrown@fsmail.net.
Or have a look at the website
www.northdevonpagans.co.uk
Penwith Pagan Moot
Meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 7.15pm
at the Stella Maris Centre behind Healing Star at the
top of Causeway head, Penzance. Moots are for news,
information and a different topic each month. We also
hold open rituals for the eight seasonal festivals and
assist the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network
with clear-ups at Ancient Sites in Penwith. In November the Penwith Moot will be celebrating its 15th birthday!
Contact – Sarah on 01736 787522 vivianatfarwest@supanet.com, or Dave on 01736 787230 tarewaste@yahoo.co.uk or Eve 01736 793905 meadowsweet1-@tiscali.co.uk
Or visit our website www.penwithpaganmoot.co.uk
TAVISTOCK WEST MOOR MOOT
Pagan Paths
Meets on 2nd Thursday of the month.
A place to share Pagan news and events, topical discussions and simple ritual.
During warmer months we plan visits to the nearby
moor and sacred sites to connect with the Spirits of
Place. Contact Michele on 01822 617903 or email
fferyllt@googlemail.com
Meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month, 7.30pm,
Bodmin area. Warm and friendly group. Sabbat celebrations, sacred sites outings, moots and local groups,
workshops and talks. Contact Wendy on 01208
832977 paganpaths05@aol.com
DEVONPAGANS
Is an egroup for all pagans in Devon or nearby.
Http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/Devonpagans/
We hold regular moots (in a house not a pub!), on the
first Monday of every month. All paths are welcome.
These are mainly social occasions but we do discuss
serious things and have had some visiting speakers on
particular topics. We always end by sharing food and
drink that we have brought. Good fun! All paths are
welcome. The moots take place in Bradninch near
Exeter, please contact Sophie
(devon.pagans@yahoo.co.uk) for directions.
If you would like to amend or add a moot please
email me at gbarter1@gmail.com
What no moot!
Eileen Blacklock
No Moot in Your Area?
How often do we hear solitary practitioners say they
work alone through necessity, not choice?
It is so often the case that they believe there are no
other pagans nearby and they don't fancy travelling a
thirty mile round trip to network. Many of them use
the internet to learn and also to enjoy the company of
like minded people, but it really is a poor substitute for
personal contact. A cyber friend won't re-light your
candle for you if the wind blows it out; they can't offer
you a chalice of mead and ask that you never thirst!
I accept that some prefer to keep their spiritual path a
solitary affair, but from
my many years as a
pagan, I have met
more who would love
to be part of a group
but just don't know of
any groups nearby.
About eight years ago,
I found myself living in
an area that seemed
devoid of any overt
pagan activity. There
was no reason why
this was so as it was a
nice area just forty
minutes by train away
from central London.
It was very near the countryside and yet close enough
to the metropolis and right next to the Thames where
it is at its most beautiful.
A quick search on the internet and it was obvious I was
going to have to travel miles to meet other pagans, either to the city itself or one of the outlying P F moots
that were just as far away. Each of these locations
meant a long trip home by public transport late at night
and did not appeal at all. It was at this point I decided
to be a bit more pro-active.
I discovered the Witchvox website, a worldwide contact point for the pagan community. I created a very
simple listing for myself and in addition, in the groups
section, a listing for a new moot in my area. I kept to
the basics, suggesting a day of the month when we
might meet, the name of a local pub and suggested the
group would be welcoming and eclectic in nature. I
found a few more pagan websites where a similar listing was welcomed and easy and sat back in anticipation
but with little hope in my heart. After all, if a moot was
wanted in my area, surely one would exist already?
Within a week, two ladies had made contact with me
and within three weeks, another lady and two men
said they would like to attend. Within three months
our group consisted of well over 20 people and each
month more people made contact. Occasionally the
members brought friends who in turn became members and so the group grew. We even had to change
our venue to a pub with more room for us all and we
have moved, for this reason, four times now. Each
venue has given us our own private room at no charge
as with up to fifty people at a time turning up, they
wanted to keep our custom when it came to buying
drinks and food.
We have always ensured the venue served real ale
which seems to be a must
if you are male and pagan.
The groups which meet
where there is no alcohol
available seem not to attract many men. Ours is
equally balanced and judging by the enthusiastic visits to the bar, I have drawn
my own conclusions!
The average turn out at a
moot is anywhere between
15 and 30 but double this
is not uncommon. We
meet once a month just
for the moot where people can relax and get to
know each other individually. On a different day each
month we hold a workshop on many diverse subjects
to do with the Craft. Last month's was a hands on experience of divination with dowsing rods, quartz
spheres, tarot, chakra reading etc. We have so many
members who are expert in many subjects, we have
no problem getting someone to lead a workshop. Occasionally we have guest speakers too but we make no
charge for any of our activities. The speakers, some
from overseas know of our group and pay their own
way and it has never stopped any of them visiting.
In addition to all this, we created our own Yahoo!
Group where we can network with each other, look
at proposed upcoming rituals, share photos etc. The
calendar on this site is invaluable as it sends a reminder
to each member of every event.
The foregoing is a brief account
of when we meet to talk about
our spiritual path and learn more,
but on each Sabbat we all get together for a ritual which can
mean anything from twenty five
people to sixty with visitors. Our
presence on the web and our
listing in the PF publications mean
we often get asked by overseas
pagans if they may attend the
rituals. We always welcome them
and encourage them to take a
role too if they want to become
even more involved. At Litha this
year our guest was an HP from a
New York coven which meets
for rituals in Central Park. She
was working in London for a few
days so looked us up and joined
us for the night.
From the moots grew a coven which meets every Esbat
too. Any active member of the main group may apply
after a year of attending workshops etc. The numbers
are naturally limited but only a couple of people a year
ever apply, the others content with the moots and
workshops. The new covenor will always be given a
mentor for the first six months to help them settle in
to the greater discipline of this smaller group.
As the founder, I had no idea just how easy it is to start
a group and keep it going. The secret has to be to publicise it as much as possible and not be too rigorous
when it comes to rules and definitely no hierarchy. I
have known of many groups failing after a year or so
because it was run by one person who ruled the roost.
Our group has always been run by a democratic process and whilst it now has a steering group of five people, none of us make decisions on our own. None of us
assume we know more than any of the other members,
none of us insist that there is only one way to do anything correctly and eight years on, the group continues
to grow.
We have a number of PF members in our group who
hold offices within the Federation throughout the
home counties, including an officer at national level although the group is not affiliated to any organisation.
Gone are the days when pagan 'get togethers' should
be kept secret. If you feel you would like to meet fellow pagans on a regular basis why not start your own
group? The hardest step is deciding to do so, from then
on it is easy and self perpetuating if nurtured, not ruled.
Dark Mirror
submissions
Dark Mirror is read by 100’s of Pagans & anything to
do with Paganism is most welcome. Please share your
thoughts, poems, stories, views opinions.
Send your submissions in any format to :
Dark Mirror,
PF Devon & Cornwall,
PO Box314 Exeter, EX4 6YR
Or email me at: gbarter1@gmail.com & put “Dark
Mirror” in the subject line. Issue deadlines are:- 10th
May; 10th Aug; 9th Nov & 7th Feb
Advertising Rates: Small lineage ads from individual PF members are free! We can also display ad
space at the following rates:Full Page = £10, Half Page = £5, Quarter Page = £3
All display ads are run for 4 consecutive issues
Taunton moot diary
Programme of talks and workshops for 2009/2010:
September 14th 2009 - “Crystals – Some History
and Uses for Humans and Animals” - Mechelle has a
great deal of history and family involvement with witchcraft and speaks regularly on many associated subjects
as well as running an excellent Pagan herbs/oils/
incenses etc stall locally, see
www.avalonesoterics.co.uk.
October 12th 2009 - “Brigid – Goddess, Druidess
and Saint” - a talk by local author, lecturer and folklore
researcher, Brian Wright, on one of our most loved
Celtic Goddesses. Brian is currently writing a book on
this subject and, if publishing goes according to plan,
will bring copies to the Moot.
November 9th 2009 - “Aspects of Druidry: Ancient
and Modern” - a talk by Penny Billington, OBOD
Druid, author and editor of “Touchstone” magazine, on
the few recognised sources of Druidic knowledge available and which of these have been adopted as relevant
to modern spirituality.
December 14th 2009 - “Yule Folk Night and Stampede Raffle” - calling all musicians and singers! An open
floor evening of cheering traditional music, along with
our now traditional “stampede raffle”. As usual, bring
along as many gift wrapped prizes as you can (small or
large, useful or useless) - all proceeds will go to charity.
January 11th 2010 - “Reincarnation” - a workshop
with Roy Snelling, Taunton Moot regular and Reiki Master, covering aspects of reincarnation, progression of
the soul and the collective consciousness (with audience participation encouraged!).
February 8th 2010 - details to be confirmed.
March 8th 2010 – details to be confirmed.
Wiccan Study Group – monthly meeting starting
Feb 2009. Basic intro to Wicca and working with the
wheel of the year. Limited places. Contact Yarrow on
01823 283742/yarrow.taunton@googlemail.com to
apply.
Free Email/Correspondence Course in Wicca/
Natural Magic - for info contact Oak.
SummersetOak@aol.com
The Taunton Moot
We meet every second Monday of the month from
7.30pm onwards in the upstairs meeting room at
Mambo Wine Bar (formerly Millers), Mill Lane, just off
North Street (near Debenhams and opposite the old
main Post Office) Taunton TA1 1LN.
Free admittance to all with a small donation for
speaker’s expenses encouraged. Moot details available
to view on the Wessex Research Group Network
website www.wessexresearchgroup.org and the
Wessex Pagan Federation website :http://pfwessex.org
Consider joining the Pagan Federation to find out
more about local Pagan events, groups and moots and
meet other Pagans in your area.
For further info on the Pagan Federation's work contact Yarrow or Oak on SummersetOak@aol.com.
Lughnasad Picnic
in Corwall
Nigel Fenlon
Our picnic as you was held at the beautiful St. Clether
Well, by king permission of Vanda, the wells guardian.
Our day began with the weather threatening to go either way. Dark cloud came and went, leaving broken
down clouds and blue skies. Ravens flew over, together, whilst buzzards circled high above, even a deer
made a fleeting visit, far on the other side of the valley.
People began arriving about midday, a couple of dozen
all told. After people had been greeted and settled ,
spreading their blanket for the picnic to follow, we organised ourselves for our ritual.
Our lughnasad ritual, written by Alison, was beautiful
and tranquil with a deep connection to the harvest we
were celebrating. Honouring the spirits of the land and
thanking the lady and the lord for their bounty this
year.
As people began to feast there was music and merryment and the sound of children playing.
SE Cornwall Moot?
Jane Booth
For some months I have been thinking of setting up a
Moot in the Liskeard/Looe area but from experience
with other groups, I just wonder if there would be any
interest. Unfortunately there is no public transport in
the area after 6.30pm any day which may be a deciding
factor.
If there are any other PF members in or around SE
Cornwall who might consider attending a moot on
perhaps a bimonthly or quarterly basis do please get in
touch via the editor.
Lead me to the dancing place
Eileen Blacklock
Lead me to the dancing place
Show me where to go
Show me how to get there
I really want to know
Tell me where’s the singing place
Why they all meet there
Find for me a path to take
Tell me if you dare
Late in the afternoon, as rain threatened once more,
people began to leave this sacred spot and move back
into their mundane world.
Why is this a magic place
Why the fascination
What is this about a tree
Spirit of creation
A beautiful day was had by all, so come all ye Cornish
Pagans and join the PF events, meet new people, make
new friends, let the pagan community become one
Blessed Be.
Who are they that make it so
With such happy muse
Raising spirits, lifting souls
Demons to confuse
P.S. and I enjoyed meeting with all who came and
spent the time at Sowelu's picnic under our sacred
hawthorn and our obligatory visit by the local herd of
cows.
Show me ecstasy of mind
How to conjure pleasure
Tell me all I need to know
Show me what to treasure
Find for me this secret place
Share with me the reason
Why Pagans hold their rites there
To celebrate each season
Lead me to the sacred place
Dare I say its name
Or would that spoil the secret
For that would be a shame
Take me to the chanting place
Underneath the Yew
Is there room for just one more
Or just the special few
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