Class Update!

Hi guys, sorry for the short notice on this update. I forgot to publish my post before I powered down my computer originally.

Those of you that attended Lughnassadh know about this already, but I wanted a reminder to go out.

Thursday, August 20th (tomorrow), we have scheduled a class at the Covenstead (Haus zu Harlan) at 8:00 PM. This class is titled "Magical Ethics" and is a requirement for any Wiccan Dedicant or Shamanistic student.

For those who can't attend locally, we will be broadcasting on Skype. My username is jennifer.c.harlan on there. :) The class shouldn't take more than an hour and a half, so everyone she be able to get home at a decent hour. Also, no potluck this time. If you want to eat something, bring lunch money and we will order pizza. Steph - you will need to provide yourself something that doesn't have gluten in it.

Our next class will be: Friday, September 4th @ 8:00 PM, Circle Casting 101.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Blog Change

Hi guys,

I have gotten a lot of complaints lately about people being unaware of Circle Events and other happenings. I am trying very hard to make sure that we all have the appropriate info in our hands. I've given you all access to the calendar (except Sean - as far as I know - and I will remedy that as soon as I get a chance) as well as this blog and the evites.

For those of you complaining about a lack of phone calls, I'm sorry but I'm trying to keep up with approximately 30 people, and it would be a full-time position for me to try to coordinate circle stuff over the phone with that many people. So, if you want to know what is going on: attend events, check this blog, check the calendar, or oh, I don't know, call me... :)

I wanted to let you know that I have altered the blog slightly. We are no longer "Private", but are still unlisted and unavailable by web search. I have done this so that the Feeds will work, as well as the "Following" capability that those of us using Blogger or Google Reader can see any blog changes immediately upon posting.

As soon as RSS 2.0 is compatible with Blogger (and Google's interface), I will switch us back to private, but this is the only way to get feeds working.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

The Dedicant's Path...

The Hill Country Grove will be performing 2 Dedicancy Rites very soon, and we would like to invite circle members and guests to witness and celebrate these rites with us.

Stephanie (Princess Possum Pee) Turner has decided to dedicate herself to the Shamanistic Wiccan pathway, and will formally dedicate on Saturday, August 1st, at 8:15 PM. Steph will enter the HCG First Degree Mentoring System, and is making a commitment to follow this for at least one year and one day, and has asked for our witness and assistance as she travels on this path and acquires her First Degree.

Jon Pena has followed a solitary Wiccan path for several years, but has decided to formally dedicate himself to this path and this circle. Since he has prior experience with the Wiccan teachings and rituals, he will not be dedicating to a year and a day, but to the completion of his First Degree requirements. He has also asked for our witness and assistance as he travels this path. His rite will be Saturday, August 29th. The original time for this rite was 2:30 PM, but our High Priestess will be at her Middle Eastern Dance class at that time and has asked us to push it back to approximately 5:30 PM. If Jon is ok with this, it will take place at that time. Jon, if you would comment and let us know, that would be great!

For Steph's rite, since this is after dinner time, please bring a dessert or snacky food for the afterparty. You can coordinate with BrightWater on details.

If Jon's rite does take place in the early evening, we will need entrees as well as side dishes and desserts, once again, you can coordinate this with BrightWater.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
Bright Water (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Lughnassadh Invitation (cross-posted with evite)

Please join us for a celebration of the first harvest of 2009!

As the ritual is on a work night we will begin at promptly at 7:30 PM, please be here between 6:30-7:00 PM. Sunset is at 8:18 PM that night, so we will work for a culmination of the ritual at that time.

In circle, we will be creating corn dollies that will house the spirit of the grain during the dark half of the year. Traditionally, these corn dollies were kept at the hearth or near the front door for protection of the home. For this part of the ritual, you will each need to bring ribbon, thread, or string (the color is symbolic of something that has come to fruition for you at this harvest and you wish to use this energy as the seed for next year's Wheel of the Year spell) for use in constructing your corn dolly. The dolly will be planted with your seeds/plants at Ostara to power your harvest spell in the next turn of the wheel.

There will be a Circle Meeting after ritual is completed (approximately 8:30 PM). The format will be the same as we used for Litha. We will need to keep the meeting brief.

The afterparty will begin directly after the adjournment of the Circle Meeting.

For the afterparty feast - please bring a dish that symbolizes the first harvest. Jen will be providing corn, and the circle itself will provide a meat dish. Any dish with grains and/or Fall fruits and vegetables would be very appropriate.

(Btw, since this has been a problem in the past, please remember that dishes for the feast are meant to feed everyone at the ritual, not just yourself. If you cannot contribute a dish, it is expected that you be on hand for prep and cleanup.)

If you have any questions, please contact Jen (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
Bright Water (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Hill Country Grove Widget

Hi guys,

I wanted to let you know that I've been adding content to the Hill Country Grove widget (shown in the top left corner of the blog). We are gathering data, setting up Circle structure, codes, and our education system (and well, I like to play with new technologies). Check it out, and keep coming back. I'm adding content constantly. You can also share it to an igoogle page, facebook, my yahoo page, etc. so that you always have that stuff at your fingertips.

If you've got a suggestion of something you want added, or questions about current content, post a comment here or contact me, and I'll add it to my list. :) Oh, and if you notice errors, or things that need clarification, lemme know, 'cause eventually a lot of this content will be going in our Circle Book of Shadows!

With love and blessings,
Bright Water (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Lughnassadh Rescheduled!

Hi guys, we've run into a snag with the Lughnassadh ritual, and are rescheduling for 7:30PM on Sunday, August 9th. I know that for a couple of you that will present a hardship, but them's the breaks folks! ;)

The ritual will begin at 7:30 and culminate at approximately 8:18 (sunset), and the afterparty and circle meeting will begin right afterward. We will be done with everything important to the circle as a whole by 11PM. If this is going to be difficult for you, my suggestion would be: take a nap during the day.

For the afterparty feast - please bring a dish that symbolizes the first harvest. Jen will be providing corn, and the circle itself will provide a meat dish. Any dish with grains and/or Fall fruits and vegetables would be very appropriate. Btw, since this has been a problem in the past, please remember that dishes for the feast are meant to feed everyone at the ritual, not just yourself. If you cannot contribute a dish, it is expected that you be on hand for prep and cleanup.

More info will be provided as we get closer to time. Just post a comment if you have any questions at the moment. :)

With love and blessings,
Bright Water (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Blessing of the Animals

Although it is July, Jen and I feel that in order to have more people in attendance at rituals and Circle events, planning needs to take place much earlier. So it is for this reason that we have started making plans for events that will take place later this fall.

One ritual that I feel is a must for this Circle is a Blessing of the Animals. October the fourth is the traditional feast day for Saint Francis of Assisi. He is regarded as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and Italy. Regardless of the fact that some of us are wiccans or shamans, I have enjoyed participating in a pagan equivalent of the blessings that the Church bestows upon the animals that share our lives.

My familiars mean a great deal to me and I know that other members of the Circle have animals that mean as much to them. Let us gather together and honor the animals that share our lives and a man who changed the world for the better.

For more information on Saint Francis or the Blessing of the Animals, please visit the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi
http://www.blessingoftheanimals.com/
http://www.edow.org/spirituality/animals_resources.html

Blessed Be,

Daniela

The Circle has a fridge!

Thanks to the efforts of Ray and Jon, the Circle now has a fridge to store drinks and ritual food. Just in time guys! With the harvest rituals on the way I don't think that the house fridge would have been able take much more.

Magick works and we are all living proof.

Blessed Be,

Daniela

House Blessing at Joe and Steph's!

Quick note, folks:

The House Blessing for the Turners will begin at 2000 hours (8PM) Central Daylight Time. Please call Jen's cell number for more details.

Oh, Steph's Address is:

map

Steph & Jo's House, 2659 Hazlewood Lane, Round Rock, TX 78665

regards,
Ray

Circle Casting 101 Class

Date: Friday, September 4th (Full Moon) - TENTATIVE
Time: 8PM
Location: Covenstead (14313 Jennave Lane, Austin, TX 78728)
Contact: Daniela (512.989.0539)

Class to familiarize new members and Friends with circle casting techniques. Please either purchase or have access to Silver Ravenwolf's "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" and Starhawk's "Spiral Dance" (20th Edition or later). Both these books can be purchased very cheaply at Half Price Books.

We are scheduling this far out so that everyone can get this on their schedules. If you wish to attend this class and the time and date we have chosen conflicts with a work or class schedule, let us know as soon as you can so that we can look into alternatives.