Greetings to all Full Circle friends and members.
In this October edition of our newsletter we have:
Many of us, myself included, look forward to fall and winter as a time with more time indoors for introspection and personal pursuits. This year it feels different, however; there is a foreboding sense of the dark winter carrying more than rain, snow, and ice. A lonely need hangs in the season’s shadows and makes us long for some courageous tune to carry us through the night. Many thousands of Americans are looking into the teeth of winter homeless in Katrina’s wake. An America dedicated to protecting itself from terrorist threats finds herself in disarray before the power of nature: the storm and human nature contributed to the devastation on our Gulf Coast. If safety-related challenges are invitations, this is the season to get the RSVPs returned, pack away the ball gowns, and roll up your sleeves and go forth to meet the dark.
Labrys
It is my pleasure to introduce a new writer. Her name is Labrys and she has served as our Editor-in-Chief this year. This month we feature her essay called “The Healing Labyrinth”. Labrys offers this powerful piece to our members for Samhain and it will touch the hearts of all who read it.
Meanwhile, our Senior Writer, Snakemoon, is hard at work on her essay titled Pagans & Sex which is scheduled to appear in our November edition. It should prove to be at least as provocative as “It’s a Mystery”. I am also delighted to note that her essay titled “Ordinary Pagans”, which first appeared here, will soon be making it’s international debut at The Witches’ Voice.
I have also been busy. At the top of my “To Do” list is our annual October fundraising drive for FCE which has now transformed into a larger, charity drive for victims of Katrina. (See the section herein titled “Sponsorship Drive Now a Charity Drive ).
I am also working on our annual award project and I am happy to announce that the Winner of Full Circle’s 2005 Gaia’s Guardian Award is United Animal Nations. Since we aren’t selling tickets to the WB, the funds for this award will have to be found elsewhere. If you would like to add to that award pot (which is normally $250.00), please contact me at info@fullcircleevents.org or call 408-615-9830. (Your check to this organization is tax deductable.)
I will be interested to see how our fundraising effort turns out. I know full well what our people spend on shiny objects and lattés and how often they cry poor and then spend money on the latest CD, books, or jewelry. I know, too, how often some Pagans give to good causes when they can least afford to do so. I’ll be interested to see how many of our 8,000 plus admirers (1) choose to support our fundraising endeavor. (Look for my essay on “Pagans, Power & Money”sometime in the near future). (2)
While I’m on the subject, I would like to take a moment and thank the hundreds of folks who came out to the Witches’ Ball in past years, even in the worst of times, and all those who worked so hard for so long to make it a splendid reality. As I said in the April 2005 essay for our newsletter titled “Changing Times and the Witches’ Ball”:
“The Full Circle Witches’ Balls began in 2000. Overall, the WBs have raised over $7,000 for our local Humane Society for animals with special needs. Full Circle has also awarded over $1,000 to smaller, local charities via the annual Gaia's Guardian Award. We've hosted over 1,790 attendees in total (not counting staff, volunteers, vendors, security, and entertainers). This work has only been possible with your help and support.”
This wonderful event was family friendly, drug and alcohol free, sexy (without being sleazy), welcoming, and safe. Each year between 300 – 600 people gathered together to party and do a bit of good, and they came from many different faiths, backgrounds, and lifestyles. They played well together and managed to look absolutely marvelous at the same time. (For pictures from the Art Noveau, Fairy, Bohemian, Beltane & Silk Road balls are at our FCE Events page. More pictures from 2004 will be added when we get the CD from our good friends at Avalon Arts, our official Witches’ Ball photographers. (By the way, they are having a special right now on formal photos, fairy photos, and holiday photo cards via their website, so check it out.) If you have any pictures from the Witches’ Balls to share, please them send to us at info@fullcircleevents.org).
Through the WB’s we’ve done immense good for the various charities we supported and for Pagans everywhere, and we’re very proud of that. We also made a lot of friends, many of whom have influence in the larger community. These friends now support us when the other sorts spew poison and this has come in handy for our people many times, in ways I’ll never be able to talk about here. (3).
Many of the great people who comprised our talented staff, our fun loving, hard working volunteers and our fine attendees have since left the Bay Area, looking for better jobs and schools, a different lifestyle and more affordable homes, elsewhere. Please know that our thoughts and best wishes are with you, all.
My own family will join that Pagan exodus next spring. Beginning sometime next year, I’ll be writing to you from a green haven outside of Portland, deliciously close to Powell’s City of Books. We will miss our good friends here and the heart stopping beauty of this place, but we will stay in touch with visits and phone calls. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to the next adventure and to learning about the physical and spiritual landscape that is the American northwest.
Full Circle will continue it’s work in California and expand into Oregon, as well, and this newsletter will go on. Meanwhile, I’ve sent formal letters of to prospective Council Members. We look forward to announcing the names of these new members in the next edition and to getting on with the projects we have planned, such as the online Pagan Census. So times change, good things happen, and very fond memories keep us warm in the months ahead.
Wishing you Great Hearts the blessings of the season,
Sia
Founder & Council Leader,
Full Circle Events
http://www.fullcirclevents.org
Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Create the Future
3. My favorite WB will always be the Fairy Ball held in 2001 at the Scottish Rite Center with over 600 attendees, 75 FCE volunteer staff, 6 wonderful performers, hundreds of volunteers, a rock’n Dj, a service dog, (no, really), a professional photographer, and a dozen Pagan vendors just weeks after 9/11. So, again, let me say that we could not have done this work without you.
sponsorship drive now a charity drive!
Announcement: The Full Circle Council voted unanimously to give any monies raised from our Annual October Sponsorship Drive to aid victims of Katrina & Rita and to support Pagan Pride.
As many of you know, The Witches’ Voice is giving 100% of donations received between 9/1 – 10/31 to aid the victims of hurricanes in the name of Pagans everywhere. We believe that this effort is worth supporting. Therefore, we ask anyone who wishes to support Full Circle to send their usual FCE sponsorship check to The Witches’ Voice Donation Pool and to please tell them that you are a friend of Full Circle. [click here to donate] Any amount will be appreciated. FYI: The normal FCE sponsorship donation for one year is $13.00. This donation to Vox is tax deductable.
Thus far, The Witches Voice has sent money to:
1. Animal rescue groups: Checks were issued to
a. The Humane Society - $2,000,
b. B. Noah's Wish - $1,100
c. Petfinder.com - $703.
d. U.S. Equestrian Federation - $714.14
2. Habitate for Humanity - $1,900
3. The Red Cross – over $2,000
Now, let’s get real: Over 8,000 people read the article titled “It’s a Mystery” at this site. (That's about 6,000 more readers than we normally get, so we assume that you liked it and referred it to your friends.) If each one of you only gave $1.00 that would mean a great deal to those now in need. We ask those of you who appreciate our work, and especially those who posted links to articles such as “It’s a Mystery” to your various groups and friends, to give us your support as we join with The Witches’ Voice to show that Pagans care.
Thank you.
Sia
Emergency in Venice? With George Clooney on location, it’s possible, as he rolls up his sleeves to direct a movie aimed at starting a dialogue. His is not the only film that can start conversations: is Nicole Kidman’s film bewitching or bedeviled by an age-old stereotype? And the documentary, “I Still Worship Zeus” steps into Hellenic Reconstructionism to counter other misconceptions. Sit down with a book if film is too noisy to nurture your wintering: Take on that sexism issue as Reclaiming does it, or catch up on the broad view of what’s out there in pagan variety. Or is magic headed to extinction as Ariel Glucklich’s book asks? If a nature religion is what primes your pump, check out this history of its progression in America. And if changing a generation begins in childhood, a new look at parenting has heartening hints.
Familiars
Furry, finny, and feathered Folk
Screeching cats, An October Icon: Soon arched-backed black cats will adorn windows and doors, but winter comes its good to recall a lot of actual cats are out in the cold in need of rescue. And feral cats are in even more desperate straits. This October 16th is the fifth “National Feral Cat Day and a good opportunity to aid an overlooked cat, while real “wildcats” are aiding research in cloning and crossbreeding that may eventually save endangered cats around the world. Among the heartbreak imposed by Hurricane Katrina was the loss of pets, and for those grieving such a loss, support, and comfort is vital. Some pet owners rode out the storm with their pets, and had new ones squirrel their way into the bosom of the family. While not storm-battered, Scotland’s red squirrel would like the job security of the brush-tailed co-stars of Johnny Depp’s “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” as they contend with gray and white invaders. Animal rescue teams from several places in the country have begun work in New Orleans to save stranded pets. You can also tell your government that the animals’ needs count, too.
And your little dog, too! One of our Full Circle volunteers in the South bay has rescued a sweet Dalmatian female, and is looking to find her a good home. She writes:
“If you know anyone who is interested in “Sally” – she is a 2 year old Dalmatian, rescued from the streets where she was starving (She’s still real thin but not at all food possessive but she is not as big as a “normal” Dalmatian). She is a real sweetheart; very smart and friendly. To inquire about “Sally” please write to: FCaso@calwater.com.”
A Purrfect Pair: and this just in from a supporter in San Jose:
“Two sweet sibling cats,
just over a year old, seek a loving home in
a household of adoring adults.
Mr. Sox and Miss Brown are siblings. They were born under our house,
or at least we presume so since that's where they lived, almost a year
ago. They came into the world as feral,
but entirely adorable kittens,
and have now grown up into loving and playful house cats.
Our dilemma is this: our home has already in residence four others of
the species, and as much as we might love to give Mr. Sox and Miss
Brown a permanent home, we simply cannot do so in good conscience.
So we ask you, dear readers, to take a moment and consider providing a
loving home to this darling pair. They
are quite social with other felines, hide from children, and actively seek the
company and attention of thumb-wielding adults.
If you think you might be someone who
could provide them a home, and
you live in the California Bay Area, please do email me feral@sexpanda.org”
* Click on this link for more information and pictures.
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All about spiritual things
The Twitching Hour Cometh: Its that time of year, newspapers will be full of the ooky-spookies and the obligatory argument over the origins of Halloween. It’s a challenging time of year for pagans of all stripes, so a story more truly reflecting our reality is welcome, and a Religioscope interview with Selena Fox reinforces the message. Magickal orders are more than getting your lunchtime soup while its still hot, and it is the time of year to have your stock of definitions handy. Not one to bandy words? Then shake the bones, pick the perfect wood to make runes, shuffle those cards, or book tickets to ancient oracles; whatever it takes to get you through the long winter nights. And is the American approach to psychology lacking a necessary dimension that deciphers The Soul’s Code? James Hillman thinks so, do you agree? And perhaps, as Samhain night settles upon the ruins of New Orleans, take a moment to mourn what bits of paganism washed away in those waters?
Release the Cookie Monsters: Summer is packing her bags; we can turn on the oven again! And what is more joyous than beautiful cookies, cut, baked and iced to perfection? Take care of those prized cookie cutters and use them for more than edibles. And for grown cookie monsters, what is better with cookies than milk? If not ale with your cakes, other options await, including “small mead.” Empty the Closet: Before its time to hide Yule gifts, clean out the closet, and maybe weed the bookshelves? And find a way to make it all go away: freecycle it!
Got Wetlands? If a hurricane does nothing else, it shows where coastlines are not up to the test, beachfront homes don’t stop storms. Wetlands ashore and reefs offshore are the primal planet defenses against storm and wave, get ocean-aware and in the swim of protecting more than homes. And brush up on more than business and building ethics affecting the landscape---ekomagic is to be considered as well. Biologists look at the trees that withstood the storm where buildings did not, and ask how; biomimicry may hold the answer to not only rebuilding after devastation, but withstand it next time.
Jonathan Livingston (Seagull), We Presume: Aviation researchers have copied the wing action of gulls to develop spy drones that can go where big mechanical birds can’t. The spy world does think it’s about the birds and the bees, after all! But for buzzing around the web, you don’t need wings: you may need Orion the Hunter in 21st century form.
We have hundreds of events listed on our California Community Calendar.
Here are just a handful:
Oct. 1 – Full Circle Harvest Celebration & Shopping Extravaganza
Oct. 7 - Big Sur Jade Festival
Oct. 8 - Lord of the Rings Feast (Oakland)
Oct. 15 - Folsome Renaissance Festival
Oct. 22 – Bay Area Tarot Symposium
Nov. 4 - Sacred Sounds and Songs of the Season
New events are added every day. Click on the Full Circle California Community Calendar to access the list. If you want your event listed, please go to our calendar page and click on the link that says “Submit Event.” The on-line form is simple and very easy to use. Questions? Please contact our Networking Coordinator ScoutGhost at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.
essay: The healing Labyrinth
Remembering those who serve.
In my daily life, I harbor three joined passions: a love of history, a study of philosophy, and my Pagan spiritual practice. My continual quest is to keep the three passions coherently balanced. Only one physical artifact in my life embodies the combination of these driving forces: the seven-circuit Cretan labyrinth that my husband and I built in 2003. We named it “The Walk of the Fallen” and dedicated it to the American service members dying in the war in Iraq.
In May of that year, my mind was a storm: the war we’d just entered was ostensibly “won,” yet every cell of my body questioned what that term actually meant. Philosophically, as an American, I was concerned when I heard the language of freedom used in relation to so much death. Historically, as former member of the Armed Forces, I saw reruns of past attempts to graft our unique brand of democracy onto other cultures without a full understanding of, and respect for, those very cultures we were striving to help. Spiritually, as a Pagan, I felt a sense of grief and anger, which often eroded my volatile, yet reasoned responses to the events unfolding before America’s eyes.
My standard reaction to strains, mental or emotional, is always physical. I find that exhausting my body into a state of stillness is the key to finding peace of mind and spirit. The level of internal disarray I was feeling demanded a sizeable dose of backbreaking “cure.” Additionally, I felt a command from on high: find a tangible way to acknowledge and honor the dead of this war. A hand-built, permanent labyrinth was my intuitive answer to so many diverse needs. J.E. Cirlot’s A Dictionary of Symbols reports that a labyrinth “may be interpreted as an apprenticeship for the neophyte who would learn to distinguish the proper path leading to the Land of the Dead.” This seemed to fit the “need” bill.
I began building in August, and almost at once wild dreams dominated my sleep, snap-shots of Iraq from perspectives that couldn’t possibly be mine. I was gifted with the view from a helicopter’s door, watched the dust rise behind a Stryker vehicle, saw dusty children reaching out hands for treats and water, and looked down upon bloodied hands before waking with a taste of sand in my mouth. By day, as I drank water to cool off from the hot summer temperatures, I found myself weeping for those who struggled by on smaller water rations in higher temperatures. As I began to write the names of the dead, in preparation for the dedication ritual, a sense of urgency consumed me. It felt as if all around me wanted me to rush, to finish, to be sure of completing this one task of my life.
In October 2003, the beautiful, winding Labyrinth was complete, with four tons of sandstone forming the walkway. Snow fell upon it like a blanket of blessing just before its Samhain consecration. We illuminated the stones with 400 luminarias, each bearing the name of a dead service-member. I read the list, a young trumpeter played taps, and the rain came like tears from above. At the end of the day, I felt hollowed out, emptied of weariness, sorrow, and every other emotion.
And now, as a third Samhain approaches on the fall winds? Almost daily, I walk those stones with a list in hand. I wonder if those men and women are somewhat shocked to find themselves among the dead. In order to keep a calm and comforting manner and to keep from weeping, I sing as I wind my way to the center, a song to invoke courage for the crossing and welcoming at journey’s end.
My perceptions of what this Labyrinth would become have changed as it has led my life in new directions. At first, full of grief, I harbored hope that a visible sign of the losses would move someone, anyone, to find a better solution to the problematical war. I was met with a blank wall of public perception and was very disheartened. Few visitors appeared on the public openings around Veterans’ Day each year. Those who came alternately were moved to tears or argued with me that the number of the dead could not be as high as the lights and flags signified.
Since indifference seemed to be the main reaction to my efforts, I had to re-center myself in the original reasons for building. I reminded myself this was not primarily about me; it was about the men and women whose names I record daily. Focusing on this made the public announcements more difficult, as what little media attention there was wanted pictures of me as a first priority. “But it’s not about me,” I protested to deaf ears. I worked as before, focusing only on the task day to day.
I weeded the thin earth between the stones, focusing on what I wanted to see pulled out of American life. I planted sweet smelling herbs and tough sedums and reminded myself that gardens need minding, as do nations. I paid more attention to the Goddess Hekate, a lovely torchbearer who lights the way for those wandering in loss and sorrow. Before each evening’s walk, I lit incense on an altar to Kybele, asking that as Great Mother, she receive safely back those fallen in service to the demands of their country. I calm myself there, before her stone altar so I can contain the tears that spring to my eyes for nineteen year olds who will never see twenty and for 47 year olds who won’t hold their grandchildren.
The Labyrinth has assumed potency beyond what I was capable of imagining when I began three years ago. A few others have walked it with magical intent and found their work rewarded beyond their wildest expectations. People who do not even acknowledge the pagan world-view have visions there: tiers of soldiers from past eons, looking down in nodding approval, the men and women it was built for standing and saluting. My own use of the Labyrinth is limited; protective workings are enabled, but if I go there angry and of a mood to ‘smite’ I find dead stone meets me. It is not, as I once thought it would be, “my” Labyrinth in any sense. Instead, I belong to it as its keeper, its priestess, and protector. It humbles me with every step and makes all my daily troubles small in perspective. Perhaps that is why some visitors do not enjoy it much; one cannot feel sorry for oneself walking a pathway for the dead, at least not so long as one still lives and breathes.
My eldest child is in the military, and once or thrice on those stones, in spite of my best efforts I have burst into tears at the thought of possibly having to read his name there. At every instance, a sudden feeling of warm embrace and assurance has enveloped me with such force as to make my knees weak and my tears dry. It is a very humbling thing to have the dead come to your comfort instead of the other way around. The third anniversary of completion is upon me, the list of the American dead is approaching 2000 as I write this—and that is only Iraq, not Afghanistan’s toll as well. I read the names of the fallen from both areas at my Labyrinth heart.
This Samhain, I will light no lights upon those stones as the leaves from my cherry tree clothe them in translucent gold. With the shadow of Hurricane Katrina overhanging America, I feel a need for quiet and solitude. No announcement of open dates will be found in the Veterans’ Day schedules this year. Instead, taking a cue from holy stones in India, draped with circlets of flowers, I will adorn the central monument with circlets of beads. Gems and metal in rounds of one hundred each, laid upon the stone as I read their names. I am collecting beads to begin the making of my tribute. I will be there a long while, in the darkness of November’s chill; but not nearly so long as those whose names I read.
Labrys
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A Note about author:
Labrys is a 52-year-old pagan, a former WAC, married to a Viet Nam veteran and mother of three. She lives a quiet life in the Pacific Northwest, and practices a largely solitary path. The Labyrinth may be seen at the family website, and the process of its building is detailed there.
FCE Newsletter Staff:
Labrys is the Editor-in-Chief of the Full Circle Newsletter. She can be reached for comment at Labrys6@mac.com.
Sia is the Publisher of the Full Circle Newsletter and the Council Leader for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at info@fullcircleevents.org.
Charlynn is our new Copyeditor & Grammar Witch. Thank you, Charlynn!
ScoutGhost is the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.
Snakemoon is the Senior Writer of the Full Circle Newsletter. She can be reached at snakemoon@comcast.net.