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Beltane
April 26 - 28, 2024
Stonesong Center
Flintstone, MD |
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We are ready for Spring! Ready for Beltane! Are you ready to be outdoors in nature?
We hope you are ready for an outdoor reunion, with kind friends & our loving hosts at the Stone Song Center in Flintstone, Maryland. All fall and winter, the Maypole, the Faerie Cairn, & the Triathlon have been patiently awaiting our return. We plan to meet them & greet them, and share music, dance, and ceremony in a weekend full of loving energy.
The Beltane fire welcomes us! The wreaths inspire us! The ribbons connect us!
Let’s gather in body and spirit sharing the joy of Beltane!
See you soon! |
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TriFire
May 24 - 27, 2024
Camp West Mar
Sabillasville, MD |
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TriFire is an Alchemical Fire Circle event dedicated to personal healing and transformation through song, dance, meditation, and drumming in the tradition originated by the Vegas Vortex and MayFire. We hold three all-night fires from 11pm until dawn (approximately 6am), each night with its own theme. During the day we have workshops for exploring the deeper themes of alchemy, rhythm, and community.
Come and join us as we gather around the sacred fire, our sun in this microcosm of the macrocosm we create on earth. We'll dance under the stars, journey through the planets, and give of ourselves for the good of the assembled. We will explore the mysteries of the One Mind and the One Thing to emerge better than we were before: our highest vision, the phoenix in flight, the rising sun! |
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Stones Family Gathering
Aug 29 - Sept 2, 2024
Buffalo Gap Resort
Capon Bridge, WV |
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What is the Stones Family Gathering?
It's what we make of it! A gathering of Tribe to raise stones.
Five days of togetherness and Ceremony ending with new stones raised up to honor the community that created them.
We will return to Buffalo Gap and continue the work we began last year! |
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LGBTQ+ Pride Circle
April 24, 2024 @ 7:30-9:00pm ET May 22, 2024 @ 7:30-9:00pm ET |
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The LGBTQ+ Pride Circle is a sacred space co-created and held by queer pagans, heathens, witches, and their accomplices. This space will be used to:
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Connect with Queer Ancestors/Queer Mighty Dead
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Facilitate conversation around sacred queer spirituality
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Allow space to explore queer identity intersects with a participants path/tradition
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Engage in community brainstorming for “queering” our practices
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Hold space for processing of current events with community medicine
This circle will be held monthly in a virtual format to make it as accessible as possible for participants. Participants are asked to respect the privacy, security, and time of their peers by showing up before the formal circle space begins and not sharing the link with others.
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Community Articles & Updates:
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A Note on Beltane & the Seedstone from Coriander Woodruff
This year, SCC’s Beltane will not include a seedstone. As an avid seedstone raiser since I was about 9 years old, with a box of silver acorn pendants from years past, I see the seedstone raising as a vital part of this community and our commitment to the next generation. The SCC Officers want to give this ceremony the time, energy, and focus that it deserves.
In that spirit, we are currently working out the logistics to have a seedstone raising at Stones Family Gathering this year. The Seedstone is a part of our traditions. It will not go away. Our youth are a vital part of our community. It is our goal as officers to listen to our youth and give them the space to raise their own voices and reach their goals.
Just as the seedstone itself is a promise to the future, so too is our intention to move forward with care, courage, and deliberation. The planners and officers have heard your concerns regarding children's activities and we are working on a few that can be done alongside the wreath and maypole preparation. Details are still being finalized but they will include projects to connect our youth, Beltane traditions, and the fairie cairn on Sunday morning. |
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(photos courtesy Robin Woodruff) |
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Report from the Eclipse Magic Weekend:
Dance Parties, Delicious Food, and Community
SCC's Eclipse Magic Weekend was a success! With 30 individuals in attendance, we had workshops, crafts, fellowship time, rituals, delicious food prepared by James and his assistants (Patty, Darrel, and others), an eclipse gala (complete with DJ), and of course, the total solar eclipse.
Unfortunately, clouds moved in around 3 pm and did not clear out until after totality. Still, the magic was felt in the air and the earth, and hearing the nocturnal animals come alive in the middle of the day was amazing. Lots of pictures and videos were posted on the SCC Facebook page. Be sure to ask Evan about his 'eclipse potion', full of sun energy and moon dust! |
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Self Care: Taking Care of Your Emotional Health
It is natural to feel stress, anxiety, grief, and worry during and after a disaster. Everyone reacts differently, and your own feelings will change over time. Notice and accept how you feel. Taking care of your emotional health during an emergency will help you think clearly and react to the urgent needs to protect yourself and your family. Self-care during an emergency will help your long-term healing.
Take the following steps to cope with a disaster:
- Take care of your body– Try to eat healthy well-balanced meals, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Learn more about wellness strategies for mental health.
- Connect with others– Share your concerns and how you are feeling with a friend or family member. Maintain healthy relationships, and build a strong support system.
- Take breaks– Make time to unwind and remind yourself that strong feelings will fade. Try taking in deep breaths. Try to do activities you usually enjoy.
- Stay informed– When you feel that you are missing information, you may become more stressed or nervous. Watch, listen to, or read the news for updates from officials. Be aware that there may be rumors during a crisis, especially on social media. Always check your sources and turn to reliable sources of information like your local government authorities.
- Avoid too much exposure to news– Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories. It can be upsetting to hear about the crisis and see images repeatedly. Try to do enjoyable activities and return to normal life as much as possible and check for updates between breaks.
- Seek help when needed– If distress impacts activities of your daily life for several days or weeks, talk to a clergy member, counselor, or doctor, or contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-985-5990.
Look out for these common signs of distress:
- Feelings of feelings of fear, anger, sadness, worry, numbness, or frustration
- Changes in appetite, energy, and activity levels
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping or nightmares
- Physical reactions, such as headaches, body pains, stomach problems, and skin rashes
- Worsening of chronic health problems
- Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
If you experience these feelings or behaviors for several days in a row and are unable to carry out normal responsibilities because of them, seek professional help.
CDC Coping With a Disaster or Trauma
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Stone Family Gathering 2024: Priorities from the Officers Turning your feedback into plans
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We are so incredibly grateful for our community, and for the bravery, creativity, and care that everyone showed when discussing last year’s Stone Family Gathering over the past six months. The Officers have spent many hours since the event gathering feedback, synthesizing it, brainstorming, and making plans on how to ensure the best SFG 2024 experience.
We are ready to share our initial plans for changes the Officers are working towards for SFG 2024! We will be doing our best to achieve as many of these objectives as we can, and make incremental improvements even if we can’t: |
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A longer event
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We learned a lot from a shorter event- mostly, that it was just not enough time! This year SFG will run one day longer, from Thursday, August 29 to Monday, September 2.
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We are also planning a longer intensive, to start either Monday the 26th or Tuesday the 27th, more details upcoming.
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Improved meal plan
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Coupons no more! Buffalo Gap Retreat will now have group meals for us in the dining hall, allowing for simpler signups, faster service, and increased connection amongst the community over tasty food.
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New central location for the coffee pavilion
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In addition to meals being a place for connection, we’re also moving Darla and our coffee, tea, and hot chocolate down to the camping area. This will minimize the need to go up and down the dramatic hill between camping and the cabins, and allow easier transitions between events and socializing over a hot cup of caffeine.
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Better access to water, bathrooms, and power at the Rising Area
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Last year the closest cabin to the rising area was under renovation- this year it is ready to be our rising day amenity! We will be booking this cabin to provide a restroom much closer to the rising site, and a place for water, power, and shade.
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If you’re interested in learning more about the above, or want to be part of planning and volunteering for these efforts, please reach out to admin@stonecirclecouncil.org. We’d love to have your thoughts and support! These aren’t all the improvements to look forward to this year- the event planners for SFG 2024 are also closely tied into the feedback from last year and designing the ritual arc, events, and activities with it in mind. However, the Officers wanted to ensure that we’re taking on the above structural improvements to the event. Looking forward to sharing more in the coming months, from both the Officers and your SFG 2024 planning team! |
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Thoughts on Language: Pregnancy and Gender from Chris "Tinder" McGrath Beltane is fast approaching, and we’re all likely talking more about pregnancy as a result! For cisgender folks, that may bring up words like “woman” and “mother.” After all, most of the language we are exposed to is gendered like that. I’ve seen how that can leave trans, non-binary, and other genderqueer people who can give birth left out, as well as women who can’t give birth. I wanted to see how I could be more inclusive, and I’ve been working on bettering my word choice. If you’re in the same boat and want to try it out with me so we can include ALL of our friends in all things pregnancy, try using terms like “pregnant person,” “birthing person,” “birthing parent,” or “person with a uterus,” instead of “woman” or “pregnant woman.” Other words like “mother” and “motherhood” can be “parent” and “parenthood.” See how it goes—I’ve found it gets easier with time. If you have other inclusive language tips around pregnancy and parenthood, let me know so I can start using them too! |
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Where we gather, we are home. Where we go, we will raise Stones.
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THE STONE CIRCLE COUNCIL
