This year’s Annual Meeting on February 29th was our biggest ever, with 40 SEF Members in attendance and 5 of their family members. For the first time, we incorporated a potluck brunch as well as a booksale and auction. The day was cool, but the first breaths of early spring blew over the damp earth. The many large windows in the Barn gave us views in every direction of the bright sun warming the yet-untilled fields, as we planned the work of the year to come.

We opened the meeting with a ritual and a Meeting Dance. No, this is not a dance specific to an Annual Business Meeting - it refers to the individual participants “meeting” each other in the course of the dance. The name tags were helpful! The dance was a fun and easy way to see who was there and for all to feel part of the group.

Roger, our president, gave a report on the SEF’s activities during 2003 and then asked other members to report on various ongoing programs such as the Family Connection Group (Hannah), the Crafty-Crafts series (Donna) and the Big Splashy Sabbats (Debbie). Many of these ongoing plans (including the Seeds for Change volunteer project) are detailed in smaller articles in this issue.

We saw slides of the Spring and Autumn retreats, and of the Land Committee visiting our land in Middlefield. Shawn announced the new series of Forum Classes (flyer enclosed) , and gave his Annual Treasurer’s Report: we made $23 last year!

Jennifer gave us her Membership Report. We have now passed the 100-member mark, and are holding at 103. With stunning visual aids, she showed us that while the majority of our members are in either the Boston or Worcester areas, we are gaining ground in Western Massachusetts and we have 5 members out-of-state. Jennifer also gave us an informative PowerPoint presentation on “How SEF Works”, featuring some engaging graphics: a many-headed Board of Directors Chimera; a nose-twitching Administrative Witch; and (most importantly) the Valiant Viking Volunteers!

To close the business portion of the day, we presented Marin and Adair with a commemorative shovel to acknowledge their generous donation of the land to SEF and their continued work with the Land Use Committee.

After a delicious potluck meal was enjoyed by all, Shawn auctioned off several iron cauldrons of various sizes which had been donated to the event by Azure Green. The bidding started out slow, but soon became hot and fierce as members vied for the lovely and sturdy pieces. Everyone could afford books, though! Huge mounds of used books were sold at deeply discounted prices, as well as new copies of Darksome Thirst signed by local authoress Morven Westfield.

We hope you will join us in building and enjoying our community at next year Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 27, 2005!





President's Report
by Roger Powell

In 2003, we held our usual four annual events: the Annual Meeting in February, the Spring Retreat in May, the Lammas Games in August, and the Fall Retreat in October. The Spring Retreat was held at Woolman Hill Retreat Center in Deerfield; the weekend included Yoga and Tai Chi, a Sumerian prayer for peace, maskmaking, and an Egyptian feast of the ancestors. The Lammas Games were held at a new location in Hopkinton, which affords lots of room for the games and a swimming pool for the kids. Our Fall Retreat, held in Middlefield, was a magically intensive weekend focused on the Egyptian Book of Transformations, which I think all the participants found to be quite a moving experience. In November, as happens occasionally, we had a social gathering at Morwynna's lovely home, which was a good chance to get to know other members.

We also held regular events, including open sabbats and sabbat classes in Worcester (the sabbat classes have moved to Brighton for 2004), and Pagan Family Connection family-friendly sabbats in Grafton. We also had the Seeds for Change volunteer farming project in cooperation with the Worcester County Food Bank, which has the dual benefits of getting in touch with the Earth and the agricultural cycle in a very direct way, and also helping to feed the hungry.

New last year, we began a series of Crafty Craft workshops for hands-on creative crafts, including brewing, papermaking, and soapmaking (postponed due to weather). If you have skill in a craft that you would be willing to teach, please volunteer to teach a workshop!

Also new last year, we started a series of larger, more elaborate rituals for the major sabbats - we've taken to calling them the "Big Splashy Sabbats" - starting with Samhain in the Woods, which seems to have had quite a spiritual impact on those who attended.

Going forward, we'll focus on a single larger-scale production for each of the four major sabbats, and we'll continue to have smaller, local sabbats on the solstices and equinoxes; local sabbats will be held in Worcester, Bridgewater, and Brighton this coming year.

New this year, we're starting a series of Forum classes to give interested members a better understanding of the historical background, meaning, and practical techniques of modern pagan religion as we practice it in the SEF.In addition to events, the SEF keeps busy maintaining various channels of communication, including the Messenger, our web site at www.elderfaiths.org (which got an updated look this year), and our email lists. New members are automatically subscribed to the News email list, and can sign up for the SEF Discussion list by sending email to signup@elderfaiths.org where a real human being will respond to your request.

Our public clergy, Peg and Debbie, performed about eight handfastings last year, and one funeral.

On the land donated to us in Middlefield, member Ed S. marked out a site for a stone circle on a high, level, dry patch of ground which seems perfectly suited to our needs. We're now trying to make sure all our ducks are in a row legally before we start clearing the circle area and building a path in from the road.

In summary, 2003 was a good year for us - we've focused on building up our infrastructure so that we can provide more and better services to our members, and this will continue to be our focus in the coming year. Your participation, input and enthusiasm will contribute more to the success of the SEF than anything else could, and I look forward to sharing the journey with you all.

Roger Powell

President, Society of Elder Faiths

Time to Plan for the Spring Retreat
by Morwynna

Registration has begun for the 2004 Woolman Hill Retreat!

This year, for the first time, the leaders of the SEF Pagan Family Connection will be offering children’s workshops and other activities over the weekend. Children’s workshops will include: faerie dioramas, wind wands, a puppet show, and some Sacred Running Amok Through the Fields. Adult activities will include an intro to hand-drumming and a Rite of Pan. (Running Amok is optional for adults.)

Film selections will include "My Neighbor Tortoro" for the kids, "Whale Rider" for the adults, and "Spirited Away" for everyone.

If you can’t commit for the whole weekend, we are once again offering one-day registration for Saturday only (which is when all the best stuff happens), so don’t let that stop you from attending!

As we go to press, we are still looking for volunteers to lead more workshops (only for one hour or so - this is a relaxing weekend!) so if you’ve got something you’d like to offer, please email your idea to this year’s coordinator at morwynna@earthlink.net.

Ongoing SEF Programs and Activities

At the Annual Meeting, we also discussed some of the ongoing programs and projects, some new in 2003, and our plans to continue them for 2004. Keep checking the Messenger and the website for event dates and details as they are announced!

The Pagan Family Connection will continue to sponsor family-oriented sabbat celebrations: some independently; some in collaboration with the Grafton CUUPS group (such as Yule 2003); and some in collaboration with the main SEF celebration (such as Beltain 2004). Rowan and Meagan have been attending the Grafton CUUPS meetings to foster strong inter-group relations. For each Sabbat, Rowan plans a craft, story and a very brief ritual. She also writes a quick description of the Sabbat, some traditional ways of celebrating along with child-friendly ritual ideas to try at home. Because she has found less expensive sources for craft supplies, this year the donation for the PFC events has been reduced to $3 per SEF family or $5 per non-member family!

The Crafty-Crafts Workshop Series will continue this year, with several plans in the works including: rescheduling the soapmaking class (postponed this winter because of bad weather) and a class on making incense cones. If you have a craft to teach, please contact to volunteer to lead a workshop!

Our Public Sabbat Celebrations Calendar will feature large, community-wide events for the Major Sabbats along with smaller, local events for the solstices and equinoxes. The remaining Major Sabbats for 2004 will be celebrated as follows: Beltain - Sunday afternoon, May 2 at the Barn in Grafton starting at 3 PM, an open ritual and potluck feast; Lammas - Annual Lammas Games in Hopkinton, a day of fun and games for the whole family on Sunday August 8 from 1 - 5 PM; Samhain: Saturday October at the Barn in Grafton starting at 6 PM, a serious magickal journey for adults, followed by a potluck feast. Individual open circles to celebrate the Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, and Winter Solstice will be held at Taproot Bookstore in Worcester, at Open Doors Bookstore in Brighton, and at Angel’s Loft in Bridgewater. We hope you will be able to join us in at least one of these locations!

Seeds for Change also continues through 2004. This program offers an opportunity for Pagan-minded folk to make a more physical connection with the Earth and with our Sabbat cycles. By volunteering our time and labor for one day near each of the Sabbats to the Community Harvest Project in Grafton, we can experience a more personal interaction with the agrarian cultures that were the source of our seasonal customs while helping those in need. The dates are not scheduled yet, because we want to choose the dates that are best for those planning to participate. We will choose either a Saturday late morning or a Sunday early afternoon near each of the Sabbats from Spring Equinox through Samhain. As soon as each date is set, it will be announced in the Messenger, on the SEF website, and in the SEF NewsList. If you would like to participate in choosing the dates, please email .

The two SEF email Lists were also discussed at the annual meeting. One is the NewsList, which carries outgoing announcements, event reminders, and other administrative info, usually once (or sometimes twice) a month. New members, and others who ask to receive event updates, are automatically put on this list unless they request not to receive it. (We’ve only received one such request in 3 years!) The second list, the Discussion List, allows all its members to post replies and responses, and there has been some very lively conversation lately about the SEF’s plans for land use and other great topics. All SEF members are welcome to join the Discussion List by sending an email to where a human being will respond to your request. We do not automatically add new members to the discussion list because there can be many messages each day, and we’d rather not exacerbate the mounting “unsolicited email plague” which afflicts many of us. If you want to be part of ongoing discussion about SEF’s activities, programs, and policies, please email today!

More great photos were taken by Seth at the Annual Meeting last week, but we ran out of space! Watch the website and the next issue of the Messenger for more.

The Lammas Games Art Show
by Cameron

Lammas will be here before you know it! In keeping with the celebration of the first harvests, SEF is organizing the 2nd annual Arts and Crafts Exhibition to be held at the Lammas Games in August. We hope to build on last years success by moving the venue to a pavilion closer to all the games, with much better light.

We will be encouraging more children to exhibit with arts and crafts they create during activities at upcoming Pagan Family Connection gatherings.

We encourage members of all ages to hit the easel, forge, wheel, workbench or whatever is your preferred workspace with an eye toward celebrating your accomplishments at the Games! Look for additional information in up-coming issues of the Messenger.

Rites of Passage

Na Fineachan Naomh Draoidheachd is happy to announce several second degree elevations. On January 24, 2004 Tara, Derwen, and Rowan received second degree, and on February 21, 2004 Thyme and Nuadale received their second degree elevations.

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
Spring 2004
Editor : Jennifer
Staff: Morwynna
© 2004 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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