Druids In Cars, Going To Festivals

While headed home from a Dedicant Oath rite, we started talking about what it was like to move on from our current roles in modern Paganism, whether those moves were due to life changes, vocational changes, or just coming to a place where it was time to move on. Mike Bierschenk joins Revs. Avende and Dangler on this discussion again, and we our conversation goes a bit everywhere, but it was a good chat. Find us on Facebook, connect with us at Threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

Today, on the way out to a Dedicant Oath Rite, Rev. Avende and Rev. Dangler travel with Mike Bierschenk on the way out to State College, and chat on a topic we've been meaning to get to for a while: what does it mean for us when our deities are jerks? Myths and legends are full of some really awful things that the spirits do to each other, to humans, and even to animals and plants. How do we navigate those waters? Content Note: You've read the stories about deities and how they interact with others. This episode doesn't stray too deeply into specifics, so we aren't sure a trigger warning is necessary, but we are talking about deities behaving poorly, so be aware. Our audio is a little odd on this episode as we figure out how to mic up three different people in the car, but we're hopeful it comes through well. Sorry if it's a little unbalanced or quiet, but we should have that fixed next episode; it was a good conversation, but we only have one source, unfortunately. Find us on Facebook, check us out at Threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

Happy Samhain, friends! One of the great traditions we have as a Grove is that we keep an Ancestor Box. This is a simple box that has been with us for 20 years now, receiving new ancestors and bringing them into our shared community of ancestral family, and becoming a part of who we are. Today, because we were driving home from the Cantlos Druid Moon rite where we opened the box, we reflected a bit on how we interact with it, what's changed in two decades, and the ways we've found to keep the "stuff" in the box connected to their stories. Check us out on Facebook, read more about us at threecranes.org, and find out more about Druidry at ADF.org.

On our way out to a Druid Moon rite, we took a moment to chat about a festival Rev. Avende had been to recently: Harvest Nights! Long one of our favorite festivals, Rev. Avende had made the trip without Rev. Dangler this year, and so you can listen along as he hears all about what he missed. Find us on Facebook, check us out at Threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

Today, Rev. Avende and our Grove Bard, Mike Bierschenk, travel out to Harvest Nights and bring you along in the car with them, as they discuss the role of the Bard in Three Cranes Grove, ADF, and in ritual in general. Both have served in the role for our Grove, and both have brought their own magical touch to the work. Find us on Facebook, check us out at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

We continue our conversation from our previous episode with how we do magic for others: how we decide what sort of magical work to do, who to do it for or with, and how we divide out our magic by audience and type of work. We also talk about magical work for hire, and the boundaries we set around that. Find us on Facebook, check out our Grove at ThreeCranes.Org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

After Summerland, we're back! Today, we talk about sympathy and contagion in magic: the idea that things that are alike can provide access to each other, either through being alike or containing the essence (Greek: ousia) of a thing. We chat about them as subsets of attraction, referring to the Laws of Magic outlined in Real Magic. We talk a little bit about joss money (AKA "hell notes" or "hell money") as an example, but the majority of this discussion grows out of the need for Rev. Avende to provide access to religious and magical support in their new role as a prison chaplain: how can we provide services to incarcerated individuals, particularly in light of the restrictions that are imposed on them. Rev. Dangler floats his notion of "magic as access" here, probably for the first time publicly, so what you're hearing in the last half of this episode is really an initial oral argument for that definition, and we expect there's more to come on that as it develops. A couple of things get mentioned in this episode, including a collaborative whiteboard image of Epona that we painted in the pandemic, and the Flame of Hope experience in an airport, which we've previously mentioned. Find us on Facebook, check us out at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

Today, we're off to Summerland, and we hope you will be too! We're looking forward to more new content with new friends there! Last week, we recorded an episode on the way to the Dublin Irish Festival for our annual Sunday Druid Service, and recorded a bit with Mike Bierschenk afterwards to review the service and our experience. If you want to watch the service, you can do so here: 2023 Druid Sunday Service. We also talk a bit about things new and old in the ritual, as well as unexpected last minute changes. Mike used a new cosmos creation script as well, which you can find on his blog. We're also making a switch for better accessibility on this episode: we're moving to mono instead of stereo sound, which should aid both people with hearing differences between their ears, and people who just like to listen to a podcast with one earpod in. Either way, we hope this is helpful to a lot of folks, and it'll be our standard going forward. Do let us know if anything weird happens on your end! As always, find us on Facebook, check us out at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org!

The Summerland Festival is next week, August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio! As of publication, you can still register! This week is the final of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. This week is all about "The Working," which sounds ominous and important: how we do it functionally, and why we do it in ritual. The five episodes are: July 13July 20July 27August 2 Find us on Facebook, check us out at ThreeCranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

Have you registered for the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio? You should! Come meet us! This week is the fourth of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. This week is all about the Return Flow (in all its parts), how we do it functionally, and why we do it in ritual. The five episodes will be: July 13July 20July 27 Find us on Facebook, check us out at ThreeCranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

Have you registered for the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio? You should! Come meet us! This week is the third of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. This week is all about taking omens, how we do it functionally, and why we do it in ritual. The five episodes will be: (Re)Creating the CosmosOpening the Gates Find us on Facebook, check us out at ThreeCranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

We're a month out from Summerland! Consider coming out to the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023, in near Yellow Springs, Ohio! This week is the second of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. This week is all about good gatekeepers and their attributes, how we work with them, and the mechanics of opening the Gates... along with how we manage the origins of this ritual process. The five episodes will be: (Re)Creating the Cosmos Find us on Facebook, check us out at ThreeCranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

Important Announcement! The Trillium Spring Gathering is back in 2024! Some more details in the episode, but check out the website, and join us early next year! Also, you can check in with us in person sooner at the Summerland Festival in August. This week is the first of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in Druid ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. The five episodes will be: Find us on Facebook, check us out at ThreeCranes.Org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

Today, Rev. Avende reviews their experience at the Wisteria Appalachian Summer Solstice festival in southeastern Ohio. They discuss their favorite workshops, including one on bone throwing by one of the owners of Moon Bees Apothecary and Spiritual Supply in Wisconsin, and a little about open and closed systems of divination. Then, it's on to ritual work and spaces, people that they met, and experiences with queer safe spaces and the amazing drumming circle. You'll also hear some ideas we hope to carry forward into our own Summerland Festival, coming up in mid-August. (Registration is open, friends! Come see us!) For some pictures and a full write up, check out Rev. Avende's written review of this festival as well! Stay tuned to the very end to hear about our plans for transporting hooch across state lines, and the promising return of the Trillium Gathering next year! Find us on Facebook, check us out at Threecranes.Org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org!

A couple of weeks ago, we got to record with friends old and new in the barn at the close of the Wellspring Gathering, 2023. To our great delight, we were able to connect up with Collin from The Crone's Porch, a pagan discussion podcast much like our own, and record a small crossover episode. We also have Jacque (who has been on before) and Stephen with us, providing their perspectives as well. As always, we have a few linear notes and links for you to check out! Crone's Porch Podcast@cronesporch on Instagram@croneporchprevious version of the workshop they did at WellspringJan's PatreonSummerland Registration is openLammas Fest As always, you can find us on Facebook, check us out at Threecranes.org/podcast, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

We set a record for how fast Rev. Dangler can break Rev. Avende's composure on this episode! But the topic was a great one, where we got to speak about unconventional tools and challenge how we thought about the physical things that aid us in the work that we do for the folk. Find us on Facebook, check us out at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at adf.org.

A listener question today comes in, asking, "Is there a place for me if I just want to 'show up' to ritual?" And of course, our answer will surprise nobody. We talk a bit about what it means to "just show up," to be part of ritual without taking a part. What is the expected level of participation, and can we make space for it in our Groves and in our broader work? And, if you want to just go to ritual, what do you need to do to make sure that remains an option in your local community? What sort of discipline is it, when you are "just showing up?" Of course, it was interesting to have this discussion on the way to a Druid Moon rite that no one had actually said they were going to show up to, but in the end, people did show up to ritual that night. Find us on Facebook, check us out at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

"Good leaders spread everything, from wealth to work." Talking about the commitments we make as clergy and leaders in our work, we turned on the recorder so others could sit in. We spoke about how burnout impacts us, and how we avoid it (when we're able to). In particular, a lot of our discussion talks about our responsibility as current leaders to create space for new blood and how to deal with the parts of our work as leaders that just don't feed us (spoiler alert: it's delegation, boundaries, and trust). Interested in that short video about trust that Rev. Dangler mentions? You can find it here: "One Weird Trick All 3CG Officers Know!" Looking for a way to contact the ADF Mother Grove with an idea or to apply for a role? Do that here! (For those curious, yes, Rev. Dangler took on the name tag project.) Follow our podcast on Facebook, find out more about our Grove at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

We're on our way to the Wellspring Gathering this week and working hard on getting new content, so you get a bonus episode! This week, it's all about roadside divinatory attractions you can find throughout the North American travel landscape, inspired by our visit with a Zoltar machine in a travel plaza in upstate New York. Of course, there are pictures and videos worth looking at here: from each of us receiving our fortune from Zoltar to the creepy dog in Lucas, KS, and The Magical Druid's own divination dispenser, you can find pics and vids in a small Google album... and maybe we'll add more to it soon enough! Send us your favorite roadside divinatory attraction at druidsincars@threecranes.org! We're also including a small gallery of the attractions mentioned, which you can check out on Google Photos. Preparing to make your own trip to a festival? Consider the Summerland Festival in Yellow Springs, Ohio, this August 17-20, 2023. We'll be there, and we'd love to see you, too! As always, follow our podcast on Facebook, find out more about our Grove at threecranes.org, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.

On our way to the Three Cranes Grove, ADF, annual liturgical planning meeting, Rev. Dangler hit Rev. Avende with a random question when they got in the car: do you set goals for your ritual year? We talk about what we expect on the planning side of things as we get into it, ways we look for balance, and things we want to look back on and consider as we move forward. We might have gotten a little ahead of ourselves since this would have been great content for the actual meeting, but hey, at least we recorded it (and we would have gotten kicked out of the library before we finished the meeting if we'd added these 17 minutes to the in-meeting discussion)! Are you interested in one of our rites? You should come! As you'll hear in this episode, we're working hard to become more and more welcoming, to provide space for everyone, and to craft language and work that is as inclusive as possible. Find out more about our Grove at threecranes.org. You can also check us out in person during the festival season at Summerland in August! Follow our podcast on Facebook, and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org.