About Imbolg by Arachne
Imbolg is one of the cross-quarter, or greater, Sun festivals, meaning that it falls halfway between a Solstice and an Equinox. The cross-quarter feasts are usually celebrated on a fixed, "traditional" date rather than being exactly calculated according to the movement of the Sun, as are the Solstices and Equinoxes. Because Coven Symbios' Wicca is upon the Greek pantheon, our annual Imbolg celebration focuses upon one of the greatest of the Greek Goddesses: Hestia. Hestia was one of the original twelve Olympian Gods, and She is symbolized by Fire. Although Hestia was considered by the ancients so intrinsic to Life itself that She received the first and last libation at *every* sacred occasion, She is now one of the least known of the Goddesses. (Comparatively, Her Roman counterpart, Vesta, is much better known due to the impressive power wielded by her Priestesses, the Vestal Virgins.) Hestia was held in such reverence due to her very nature -- that of Fire. Fire is considered by many the great civilizing influence, a gift from the Gods. The hearth is the symbolic center of every home, and the very word "hearth" is closely related to "Hestia." Both the actual fire that heats our bodies and cooks our food, and the metaphorical "Fire" which is the passion and compassion burning in the heart of every individual are Hestia's legacy. The ritual Symbios performs at Imbolg is the Rite of Hestia. It is a ritual revolving about Her emblematic flame, which is used at this time of year for inner purification before the coming of Spring. We release the old and purify our hearts in preparation for the work of planting only weeks in the future. Whether your Spring planting will be actual or symbolic, in the outer world of the physical realm or deep within your spiritual Self, we invite you to join us in this rite.



Brigid of the Flame by Morwynna
Brigid is another virginal Goddess of hearth and home, often invoked at Imbolg for both purification and fertility. Her primal association with Imbolg has survived in the celebration of the feast of St. Brigid on February 2nd. In addition to the stabilizing hearthfire, She is also associated with the many transformational types of fire: the forge of the smith and the crafts worker; the divine spark of creative inspiration of the poet and the bard; and the personal warmth of the energy of the healer.As Arachne has observed, fire is one of the primary civilizing forces. According to the late Joseph Campbell’s Occidental Mythology, in both Scotland and Ireland Brigid was considered “the bringer of civilization”.








Yule at Taproot: Rethinking Public Ritual
by Meagan
On Thursday, December 20, 2001 the SEF sponsored a Yule ritual at the Taproot Bookstore in Worcester, Mass. The ritual was lightly attended as I expected it might be. Holding an open ritual close to the holidays can mean that people who would like to attend have other obligations. Nevertheless this ritual for me was an unusual experience.

It was unusual, in that it was the first ritual I've ever done where the people attending were not expected to take speaking roles and participate in the ritual. Don't get me wrong, they danced, they chanted, and were actively involved, but other than a few short lines, did not have speaking roles. For me this is a new approach. I had noticed over the past few years, it has become harder and harder to get people attending rituals to read short passages as part of the ritual. As things often happen in the Pagan world, the topic of public rituals ended up being a side conversation at the SEF fall retreat this year. One of the ideas, Adair put forth was the fact that many people they have talked to out in western Mass where they live do not want to actively talk or share in public ritual settings, especially if they are younger, under 25 or so.

I have noticed in the open rituals I've done recently, it is the older adults who are willing to take speaking roles. The younger ones are not interested and in some cases surprised that anyone would ask them to take a small speaking role in a ritual. I began to wonder, is not a matter of age but of lack of community? Which was another side topic at the SEF retreat.

As part of our coven training, my HPS required her students to write and present open public rituals. Our coven was lucky because the former owners of New Moon were interested in having people come in to do opens. New Moon ran a Monday night discussion group and had quite a loyal group of people who came to opens. Many of them knew each other and were welcoming to newcomers. So there was a community there. My coven mates and I purposefully wrote rituals with many speaking parts. Later on we did some open rituals at Arsenic and Old Lace, where Vinnie worked hard to build a community feel among the people who came to shop and for classes.

In both locations, people of all ages were eager to take speaking roles. So when I started doing opens at Taproot I was quite surprised at the difficulty we had in getting people to take speaking roles. Taproot is different than New Moon or Arsenic; it is a bookstore that as part of its offerings sells occult books and other Wiccan/Pagan items. It has a large New Age section and most of the workshops it offers are New Age-ish, not Pagan. The SEF classes and rituals held there are the exception. So while it has a budding community of New Age oriented people, it does not have a real Pagan orientation or community.

So with that thought in mind, I took the ritual that I had been given by Arani and adapted it to be an open ritual. The speaking roles that in the past I would have asked the participants to volunteer for, became roles the HP, HPS and coven did. Afterward, several people told me how much they liked the ritual. No one seemed the least bit disappointed that they didn't get a speaking role. I'll be re-writing my open rituals accordingly.

In the next few months, the SEF is going to start advertising our open rituals in the campus newspapers for the local Worcester colleges. I'll let you know what happens and how interested the college students are in participating in rituals.

News from the Lands of the West
by Marin
Next door to the possible future location of an SEF memorial ground and stone circle, plans for a pyramid are emerging from the mists. The Feng Shui architect planning the new office and shipping building for AzureGreen has designed a central pyramid into the scheme. Beneath the upper part of the pyramid there will be a great ritual space, looking out over the greenhouse entry, and away to the mountains in the distance. Ground breaking on the new pyramid complex in Middlefield will begin in late spring.

SEF Sponsors Sabbat Workshops in Worcester
by Morwynna
This year Diana Marina and I are leading a series of Sabbat Workshops, based on a series that Seth and I taught in 1999 in the Boston area. After we had led public esbats each month at the Arsenic and Old Lace Pagan Community Center (1996 -1998), we felt ready to try another type of public event. Vinnie suggested Sabbat classes. In talking with seekers after the public esbats, we noticed how many of them had studied only one Wiccan source. While they were all good sources, we hoped that we could open up broader perspectives on the seasonal cycle.

As a newcomer, I had started with a wider view of seasonal celebrations, gradually narrowing my focus to Wicca. Before reaching a coven in 1973, I had grown up studying folklore. I celebrated the equinoxes on my own, not realizing that anyone else was doing so; there was something in the energy of those moments which I knew had greater and more universal meaning than any human-inspired "holiday" could capture. Having been raised Catholic, I suspected that there was something hidden behind the complex yearlong liturgical cycle. All those saints, all those special feast days - surely it wasn't invented just to keep the clergy busy!

To keep ourselves busy in sharing our experiences with newcomers, in 1999 we handed on the Public Esbat Project to my trusted covensister, Rowan, and we began our Sabbat Workshop Series for 1999.

Sadly, during that year Arsenic and Old Lace closed, leaving disappointed seekers without a Pagan Community Center. One of our regular attendees, however, was so interested in the series that he offered us his home as a venue for the rest of the year. (I'm pleased to relate that he is now an Alexandrian Initiate; Seth and I were proud to attend his initiation last year.)

During my three-year tenure as the coordinator for the Public Sabbats at the PCC, I had the opportunity to attend Sabbats hosted by a dazzling array of local covens and ad-hoc groups (some groups worked together just for a specific PCC rite). I loved seeing the range of practice within our community, and sharing the different ways in which we celebrate the Turning of the Wheel. I've been quite lucky in that a number of local priestesses (and one priest) were willing to individually spend an evening with me, chatting about their group's approach to the seasonal cycles.

My belief is that each season has an inherent energy perceptible to all humankind, and that this energy is a "common ancestor" to the spiritual practices of many traditions. We draw a bigger picture of how these energies are reflected, including "secular" customs still surviving in our culture. Our workshops feature materials useful to solitary Wiccans, and also to those who already have an established practice but are interested in new ways to work with seasonal energies. Our sources include traditional Wicca, scholarly research, perspectives from Druidic, Dianic, and other contemporary practice, as well as Diana's research on British folklore.

Taproot has collected names and telephone numbers of ten people who are interested in participating next week, so we're eager to get started!

    Warning: Graphic Solicitation     

It's true! The SEF Messenger is openly soliciting your graphics and information relating to your favorite Messenger Deity, in keeping with our duly-elected Magickal Name. All pantheons are welcome in our community.

Magical Book Announcement:

Tamarin Laurel (Marin) announces her soon-to-be-published book, "Initiation At Beltane." She calls it a genre mutt: magical instruction meets fantasy adventure. The story is set in Ezmereld University (a place where Harry Potter should go off to college some day), and includes several characters probably familiar to many SEF members. Check out the web site at: www.Ezmereld.com. AzureGreen is offering a 50% off special on pre-publication orders placed by 3/31/02.

Rites of Passage

On November 30, 2001, Gwyddion was initiated into the Order of Ganymede. He was the 41st person to be initiated into the Order, and his sponsor was Horus.


The Coven Symbios is delighted to announce the Alexandrian First Degree Initiations of Wysteria and Seamus, given by High Priestess Arachne and acting High Priest Anubis. The Initiations took place on December 30th, with the kind help of Initiates from a variety of local related covens.


On Sunday, January 13, 2002 the Coven of Na Fineachan Naomh Draoidheachd initiated Hannah, now know as Cerridwen, to first degree. Lord Morplentyn was High Priest and Cerridwen's initiator; Lady Meagan was High Priestess. The ritual was attended by Na Fineachan Glice family elder Lady Ruuana and Lady Tanith, elder of the Du Bandia Grasail line.

The following clergy are available through the Society of Elder Faiths:

A licensed Wiccan Elder, with ministerial credentials from the Covenant of the Goddess and the Society of Elder Faiths (SEF), authorized to perform legal weddings and handfastings. Also available for other religious services and Rites of Passage. Debbie Fields-Berry P.O. Box 335, B.U. Station Boston MA 02215 dberry@bu.edu 508 839-3457

I hold legal credentials through the Covenant of the Goddess and am ordained though the Society of Elder Faiths. I am willing to travel within New England and will work with people of any Neo-Pagan tradition or non-Pagans with an earth centered focus. I require an initial face to face meeting with a couple at least 2 months before a wedding. I have also performed Wiccanings and am available for other rites of passage. Peg P.O. Box 485 Upton, MA 01568-0485 meagan@control.com 508 839-3457

SEF Messenger: The Community Newsletter of the Society of Elder Faiths Imbolc 2002
Editor : Jennifer
Staff: Morwynna
© 2002 Society of Elder Faiths
SEF Members may submit news to:
news@elderfaiths.org
or
PO Box 30, Marlboro, MA 01752
or
508 839-3457

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