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Okay... now that I'm back on a more even keel, time for real updates.
Beltane in the Park went very well, all things considered. We had about 80 people out, with 57 people in the ritual circle. Since it was cold and raining that day, we were quite pleased at the turnout; as one of my teachers remarked, if it had been seven degrees warmer and sunny, the hamburger/bun supplies for 160 would have been gone. As it is, the leftovers we have will probably end up being distributed between the Circle of Artemis members.
Our rehearsals really paid off: the ritual was, I think, quite effective, and we had several people in circle who had never been out to a Beltane before. Eating burgers in the rain was a bit less fun, but being Pagans, we took it! :-) The maypole dance was great fun, and people ended up taking home pieces of the crochetted streamers for use in spellwork during the coming year. And a brand new group stepped forward to take on next year's festival, so it will be great to see what they have in mind.
The Pagan Park Cleanup event, which was my particular baby, was also a success. We cleaned up a lot of trash and left the park a cleaner place than we found it, and someone even came forward with extra prizes of beaded hemp necklaces when the ranks of the participants swelled beyond my expectations.
So: Beltane in the Park, good. Henna class, also good. The first Tuesday night session was spent going over the basics of henna, including its history and preparation, as well as the practicing the basic shapes that go into henna tattoos. We got to paint on our skin with chocolate icing as a test run, lol -- next week, we use actual henna! I've already got some ideas for patterns running around in my brain, and have downloaded some free pattern books from http://www.hennapage.com/henna/what/freebooks/ to get myself started.
Went out to dinner with T. and R. tonight, and had quite a good time. Did step exercise this morning, and getting back into the groove of exercising seems to be helping my mood a lot. The DBT class this afternoon was, as usual, intense and somewhat draining.
Can't say I'm exactly looking forward to Ipsos-Reid tomorrow, but I have to get back on that horse. *trembles a little* Why am I so afraid of something that is so simple? Why can't I get past the feelings of anxiety? No... I have to be careful not to set myself up for failure.
Oh, and picked up The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton. WOW. Just... an amazing book, packed full of fascinating historical information on the birth of Wicca and the NeoPagan religious movement. I'm only in the third chapter, and already I feel so much wiser! ;-)
A disjointed entry, but better than none at all, no? Now off to lay some flats on Katy Keene, which is George's coloring job at the moment. Then some The Triumph of the Moon, and then bed.
Beltane in the Park went very well, all things considered. We had about 80 people out, with 57 people in the ritual circle. Since it was cold and raining that day, we were quite pleased at the turnout; as one of my teachers remarked, if it had been seven degrees warmer and sunny, the hamburger/bun supplies for 160 would have been gone. As it is, the leftovers we have will probably end up being distributed between the Circle of Artemis members.
Our rehearsals really paid off: the ritual was, I think, quite effective, and we had several people in circle who had never been out to a Beltane before. Eating burgers in the rain was a bit less fun, but being Pagans, we took it! :-) The maypole dance was great fun, and people ended up taking home pieces of the crochetted streamers for use in spellwork during the coming year. And a brand new group stepped forward to take on next year's festival, so it will be great to see what they have in mind.
The Pagan Park Cleanup event, which was my particular baby, was also a success. We cleaned up a lot of trash and left the park a cleaner place than we found it, and someone even came forward with extra prizes of beaded hemp necklaces when the ranks of the participants swelled beyond my expectations.
So: Beltane in the Park, good. Henna class, also good. The first Tuesday night session was spent going over the basics of henna, including its history and preparation, as well as the practicing the basic shapes that go into henna tattoos. We got to paint on our skin with chocolate icing as a test run, lol -- next week, we use actual henna! I've already got some ideas for patterns running around in my brain, and have downloaded some free pattern books from http://www.hennapage.com/henna/what/freebooks/ to get myself started.
Went out to dinner with T. and R. tonight, and had quite a good time. Did step exercise this morning, and getting back into the groove of exercising seems to be helping my mood a lot. The DBT class this afternoon was, as usual, intense and somewhat draining.
Can't say I'm exactly looking forward to Ipsos-Reid tomorrow, but I have to get back on that horse. *trembles a little* Why am I so afraid of something that is so simple? Why can't I get past the feelings of anxiety? No... I have to be careful not to set myself up for failure.
Oh, and picked up The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton. WOW. Just... an amazing book, packed full of fascinating historical information on the birth of Wicca and the NeoPagan religious movement. I'm only in the third chapter, and already I feel so much wiser! ;-)
A disjointed entry, but better than none at all, no? Now off to lay some flats on Katy Keene, which is George's coloring job at the moment. Then some The Triumph of the Moon, and then bed.
