Yoo Hoo, Y'all!

Greetings from the balmy (ha!) DC area. :) Tishie and I had a wonderful time helping out with and representing SpiralGround at Saturday's Red Dragon Feast. Even with today's shaky economy, the event raised just over $1000 for Food & Friends, an organization that provides (in home) meals to over 1,400 people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses in the DC-MD-VA area. There was great food, a festive and fun auction, a really wonderful and energetic ritual, and lots of great people there! If you couldn't make it but would like to make a donation, large or small, to this fabulous cause, you can still do so! Just visit the DCRF Donation Page and enter the amount of your desired contribution. And don't forget to mark you calendars for Red Dragon's 10th Anniversary next year... Saturday, February 13, 2010!!

There is still time to register for the National Capital Region Pagan Leadership Conference (formerly WABA-PLC) coming up this weekend (February 20 - 22). I would LOVE to see some SpiralGround and/or other Central VA folks try to make it for Jonathan White's expanded version of his amazing "Five Vocational Pathways of Pagan Priest/esshood," the International Pagan Pride presentation, and the master classes offered on Sunday. I mentioned the class offerings last week but will repeat myself in hopes that something will "jump out at you"... you can choose from workshops on Finance (led by Lee Howard from Quarterstones Circle), Fund Raising (led by Nicole (Cha Cha) Franklin, or PR/Publicity and Packaging of Pagan Groups (co-taught by Iris Firemoon of Firefly Academy and myself). The cost of the conference is now still just $45 per person for this weekend full of great information, interaction, and networking. If you are interested in attending, please email me and I'll give you more information.

Those of our members who live in the northern reaches of the DC area (Maryland, for instance) may be interested to know that there is now a second DC Radical Faeries Monday Potluck series in College Park, MD that will be running concurrently with the long-standing weekly potluck still going on in DC proper. Tishie and I were lucky enough to be here for the "inaugural" potluck last night, and have hopes that "Witches and Faeries and Bears, Oh My!" will find community, spirituality, and connection with each other in this fun, relaxed, social setting. For information, contact Eldritch (e.eldritch@mac.com) or email the church and we'll put you in touch.

This Friday night's Spirit Circle (February 20) will, as mentioned last week, be again held at Kayt's home in Midlothian. Since several of our members have been dealing with health issues, or have had family and close friends who have been ill and/or have passed away here recently, there will be a special healing circle and celebration of life. If you would like to bring a list of names of people in need of healing energy, mementoes of lost loved ones, or other representations of similar needs, please feel free to do so. There will be a planned potluck and since several members were unable to attend last week, the celebration will come full circle with a recognition of January and February birthdays (cake and ice cream provided!) Please note in the details below that there are no Slumber Party Protocols for this weekend, and please try your best to RSVP so that Kayt can prepare for the evening's activities with a minimum of stress! You can also contact her directly for directions: kayt@spiralground.org I'll be with you all in spirit!

Don't forget to check your schedule for our Ostara Sleepover Weekend, March 20 - 22. If you were here for this weekend last year, you'll remember that it was our first *really* nice weather of the year... and we took advantage of the opportunity to be outisde and "twitterpated!" Friday night we'll have an Ostara Meditation followed by a bonfire & drum circle. Saturday we will color eggs, eat candy, and have a special Ostara Divination and ritual... and of course, games! Saturday night we'll have a Bardic Circle with the theme of SPRING, so bring your poems, songs, stories, skits, etc. (or get together with friends once you get here and do an improv together!) Bardic Circle at SpiralGround is part talent show, part karaoke, part poetry reading, part improvisational theater... and always totally fun. There is no admission/registration for the Ostara Sleepover weekend, but we do ask that those who are planning to stay for the whole event RSVP for planning purposes and bring a donation to cover food & expenses. Details will, of course, be forthcoming closer to time.

Don't forget: Women's Mysteries group meets Saturday, February 28 at 3:00pm. We will be discussing altars, why (and if!) they are important, what role they can play in our personal spirituality, and how they can augment group connection to Spirit. We will also be creating our own group altar for the duration of the women's study, so be sure to bring any items you'd like add to this special altar. We'll also be talking about energy raising, both in theory and practice, in a group dynamic, and exploring the Elements a bit. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to email me or call me. After the study, we'll have our "crafty" time, then join back up with the guys for a bonfire & drum circle (and hopefully the weather will be nice enough for us to have an outdoor fire!)

Yesterday was a very exciting day, as Eldritch, Tigre and I sat down and finalized the plans for the upcoming Spring Retreat, Blueprint for Life II!! We are all expecting wonderful things and can't wait to present this updated and expanded weekend intenstive. There will be lots of opportunities for deep inner work, all designed to help each participant take home messages from Spirit that will make tangible, measurable, and lasting impact in their lives. If you were with us for Blueprint I, you'll be able to build on your experiences and go even deeper (and yes, we STILL have some surprises for you!) If this will be your first experience at Blueprint, be prepared to go places you may never have thought to go! Besides the fact that we now have a template to work from (and some experience with what worked and what didn't work so well), we have Tigre AND Patch with us to provide us with spiritually motivated, intention-filled drumming to bring it all together. We believe it's going to be a transformational experience for all of us - staff and participants alike. I hope you will join us! (Remember: registration is limited to 30 participants and the registrations are already coming in, so if you haven't done so already, REGISTER SOON!

Believe it or not, Blueprint II is less than six weeks away... after this coming weekend, there will be Work & Play opportunities every weekend and we would appreciate your help! We will be preparing not only for the retreat but also for Beltane, so please bring your talents, skills, creativity, and sweat equity whenever you are able. Remember: we are a family and a tribe, and it takes ALL our hands working together to bring these events to their full potential! I'll be bringing home specs for the ritual set-up for Blueprint II and the Phoenix model that will need to be built for Beltane. If you can't join us or don't feel suited to some of the physically demanding or artistically challenging work, please consider making a special donation to fund purchasing the materials and supplies necessary for these upcoming events. You may bring your contribution to any Spirit Circle or donate online via the website's How to Help page.

There are also a couple of very special positions that need to be filled for Blueprint and Beltane. We're grateful to Ashley for stepping up to help with kitchen & food duties at the retreat; we will also need a Firemaster for the weekend. The Firemaster position will entail duties that will not allow the person taking it to participate fully in the retreat; therefore admission for this person will be complimentary. There are requirements for this position as well; if you think you might be interested, please contact me and I'll give you the scoop. Additionally, if you know someone with fire building and fire tending experience who might not necessarily be interested in the retreat programming but who may be willing to volunteer for this position, please have them contact us for more info.

We also need to put together a finalized Ritual Team for Beltane. Team members must be able to commit to all three days of the SpiralGround Beltane Festival (May 1, 2, and 3) as well as Saturday night at the Blue Ridge Beltane Festival (May 9). We are talking about FOUR separate (but linked) rituals that are going to require costuming, props, and lots of practice, so if you even *think* you might be interested, please let me know ASAP. My hope is that we have our first Ritual Team meetings on Sunday, March 1 and Friday, March 6. Not sure? Email me with questions.

I am missing my SpiralGround family as I always do when I'm doing the bi-locational thing, but my prayers and energies are with you... and I'm available by email as usual. Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you next Friday night!

Hugs & Blessings,

Sunny