the raven

I have put together another workshop. Hopefully some of you will be able to come.

It will be held from 1.30–5.30 pm on Sunday, 23 October 2005

Working with your favourite tarot pack, you will explore different playful ways of learning the cards without ever opening a book. The session will end with a ritual based on the cards you have worked with. Tarot enthusiasts at all levels will learn something from this workshop.

Bring
• Your favourite tarot deck. (Don’t worry if you don’t have one. There will be decks availble to borrow.)
• An issue/problem/question to work on, preferably one you don’t mind sharing with the group.

Teaching Room at Mysteries 9–11 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden
Price: £20 (offers will be considered)

To book a place, please call Hilde on 07768 377 646
Tarot Journeys web page for more information

The end of the year is fast approaching. Visit this section of the ‘Raven’ for guidence and updates on the ritual and in how to assist the ceremony in being rewarding and running smoothly for all – Mark .

See also the Events listing for details about the ceremony.

I found this while randomly surfing the internet. I thought it was appropriate quote for the time of year, and applicable to any sort of harvest, though the original definitely refers to agriculture.
A Hopi elder says:
“We Hopi are enabled to look at ourselves as we are. The amount and quality we harvest reflect our ways of life in the past years. If the harvest is good, our mind power was strong and clear and in harmony with nature and spirit through prayers. This is faithfulness and happiness. If the harvest is poor, our power of mind strayed because it was not clear, and the prayers did not connect to accomplish the desire. This is sadness and a reason to worry.”
The full text is here.

I am bringing up the subject of our name, London Grove, because there is a contradiction that has been niggling away at me for a while. In this season when we’re looking at what to let go of, it seems a perfect time to look at how we are named.

Taken from Obod’s website…

What is the difference between a Seed-group and a Grove?
A Seed Group can be formed by any member at any point in their studies. Each group is different, but they are designed to be informal and relaxed – giving members the opportunity to meet and meditate together, and to discuss the course, their studies, and topics of mutual interest. Many groups celebrate the seasonal festivals together, and to attend a Seed-Group you do not necessarily need to be a member of the Order.
A Grove is a group which meets regularly and which is led by members who are in the Druid Grade. A fully functioning Grove will celebrate the eight festivals, give initiations, and will also hold Groves in each of the three grades.

According to this, we are most definitely not a Grove as we are not led by Druid Grade members, nor do we fulfil the functions quoted in the last sentence (a pity because I would have liked to have an Ovate initiation within the Grove!) I believe we should ask the OBOD office to call us a Seedgroup rather than a Grove. It may seem trivial at first glance, but we are not representing ourselves publicly as we really are – it feels slightly dishonest. To say we are a Grove may set up an expectation in people that we will be a fairly large group led by Druid graduates instead of a smaller, more informal group of people with varying levels of experience. If names have any power, there is a disconnect between the way we work and our name. I also feel that energetically the name is hanging onto the past era when we had at least one Druid running the Grove.

I intend to ask the office to change the name on the Groves and Seedgroups list to London Seedgroup. However, would there be any interest in a complete name change? I like the idea of Tamesis Seedgroup, for example. If there was interest in the idea of a new name we could volunteer more choices and vote. However, if I don’t get any feedback, on this I will just contact Damh and ask him to change it to London Seedgroup, and we can always change this later if we come up with a better name.