Leaps and Bounds

Well met, friends. The month is flying by with so much going on! Last week my mate and I ended up meeting a small group of like minded new friends (psst - "pagans"!). Apparently there is quite the group of them up here in Wisconsin, and we were lucky to not only meet a few, but be invited back to their weekly shindig! LOL with this being Wisconsin and all, and it *was* cold by my definition, I wore my partners long-johns under my jeans. HE got cold, I... well ok I did too but not as bad! It's funny really. We're both well into adulthood and past the pre-college era by far, but we got back and rehashed the night (I'm forever analytical to death) and we're both like "they were SO cool! We wanna be cool too! And they want us to come back! Wheee!" ROFLMAO!! (In our defense, we moved when I was pregnant with our 7 yr old and never had the opportunity to get out much or get involved and make friends due to circumstances, so yeah, it's been a while!)

In other exciting news, I received my introduction package from the AODA, complete with the initiation ceremony. While I can't go into details about it, it does look potentially interesting. They require 1 yr of study for the first level, and suggest you begin your year on one of the celebrations. That means that I'll be starting mine on Yule, aka Winter Solstice. The down side of this is that we do live in Wisconsin now, it got "warm" today and reached a whopping 13 degrees, so I'll probably have to do it inside. That's really too bad, as I'd love to go up and find a place in the forest and do it there. I really think it'd be nice if there were more advanced members around as I do think it would be great to have someone with you for it, but I can look forward to helping others with that once I pass 2nd level.

The program I'm undertaking is rather involved. Of course, I tend to make things moreso than they have to be as well. There are 3 paths to study, as well as aspects of those paths that need further study such as ogham and natural studies. Then of the 7 spires, I am to select one to study on. Being somewhat type A (and having already planned to study a couple of these this year anyway) I'll be selecting 3; poetry, divination and herbalism. At the conclusion of the year I will hopefully be finished and take my first examinations. Then it's on to a 2 yr program of study to receive my 2nd level and have the option of becoming ordained as a Druid Priestess from what I understand. (I am still very new to this, so I may be slightly off on a few specifics here and there.) ROFLOL yeah I can see sharing that with my relative who's an ordained Christian minister - "Hey C! We got something in common!" She'd probably try to perform an exorcism on the spot.

The third level is huge, and one I hope to attain - then I can actually establish a grove as well. Which brings up something rather interesting. A couple of our new friends are starting out in their Druid paths as well, only following the OBOD (which I hope to someday as well - most druid organizations play well together!). They said there was enough interest that they're contemplating forming a druids circle, which I believe would be a grove. As AODA, I would still be welcome to it, but that just seems interesting. I'll have to see how that works out.

Anyway, Solstice is coming, Christmas is coming, and I'm stealing a moment to post. I do NOT want this to be something that's started and promptly forgotten whether anyone reads it or not.

From the wind in the trees,
Soifra