2012 Artisan Calendar

So right quick before I post the write up of Yule, I thought I'd plug the Artisans Guild calendar a bit first. It features art from several members of ADF's Artisan Guild, including myself and Jack. Proceeds from the calendar go to fund Guild activities such as the Unity Quilt and the Wellspring art competition. So if you are looking for a belated Solstice gift for that hard to please polytheist in your life, well who doesn't need a calendar? I'm just sayin ;)



And a link in case you can't see the preview

Beltaine planning and crafting

Méabh, Beltaine Altar 2010

This past weekend some of the Onions had a crafting day and Beltaine planning meeting. The planning was quick and easy, Méabh will be the Deity of the Occasion again this year (yay!) I will write the Invocation, and probably resurrect the Well, Fire and Tree from last year, Jack will write the Triads and make something for the Sacrifice, we are giving bouquets of herbs and flowers for the take away (and I have some ideas to add small prayers or something to them, I'll have to let that bubble away for a bit) and it will be in the Forest Preserve, the first High Day of the year to be outside (here's hoping the weather improves before then!) We didn't actually establish the Gatekeeper or the Bardic Deities but it will probably be Manannán Mac Lir and Brighid. This will be our third year invoking Méabh at Beltaine so it should go well as we have forged a good connection with Her.

The preliminary drawing

Crafting took up most of the day. The Artisans Guild of ADF started a quilt with blocks for all the Groves, Guilds, Kins, and SIGs in the org. We finally got around to starting the Wild Onion block and it will hopefully make it onto the quilt before Wellspring! The idea for our block was to have Chicago rising up out of a garden (the city's motto is "Urbs in Horto" or "City in a Garden") and have Lake Michigan present and have representations of the State flower (Violet), bird (Cardinal), and tree (White Oak), as well as Wild Onions of course! (For those of you who did not know, the name Chicago derives from the Miami-Illinois word for Wild Onions which grow along the river) The swoosh is either wind (for the Windy City) or the Chicago River we sort of left that open to interpretation. Now we aren't seamsters really so the idea was to print the image onto cotton fabric and then paint the scene upon it, then embellish it with a Cardinal button, and some embroidery and seed beads for the climbing vines.

A work in progress...

So we got most of the painting done, just a few details to be added, and some areas refined, but then the Cardinal will be sewed on (he is just resting there for the picture) and the vines need to be embroidered. It will then be cut out and surrounded by a light green ribbon and mounted on a hunter green background. You can't tell from the photo but the onions are pearlized and the lake has micro fine blue glitter in it and the swoosh has both. We were going to use tiny flower buttons for the violets but they didn't look right so we may just leave them painted or use some ribbon or something. I might repaint the title as it isn't very even and I am not happy with it.

Anyway I think it turned out pretty well and we are all pleased to finally get it started! Looking forward to writing some liturgy and celebrating in the great outdoors before the mosquitoes set in! Hope everyone has a great Beltaine! :)

Honoring Janus

On a chilly but sunny Chicago afternoon, Wild Onion Grove and friends gathered together in Waldheim/Forest Home cemetery to honor Janus with a Roman-styled rite. I'd like to thank everyone who attended, especially our first-timers (thanks, Regina, for taking a role!), and Janet Berres for offering to read the omens for us.

My apologies for the brisker-than-normal weather. Our Yule rite will be held indoors, we promise!

Special thanks to Artisans Guild Chief and Wild Onion Grove member Caroline Farrow for her fantastic Janus trinkets! And congratulations to Chris Sherbak, our new Senior Druid, Colleen Evans (Treasurer) and James Gordon (Secretary)!

Happy Samhain and Pagan New Year to all,
-
Jack
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Senior Druid Emeritus - Wild Onion Grove Chicago