Hill Country Grove

Just a Quick Note

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:50:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I have posted anything on the blog. Life has just been very busy as of late.

This is really just a quick note to let as many people know as soon as possible some things that are going on. Normally I would do individual phone calls, however, I am having problems just getting my jaw open wide enough to drink and eat. Talking for any length of time is just out of the question right now, it only puts more strain on already stressed out muscles.

I am scheduled for surgery on Monday morning. Everything should progress normally, but the surgery is going to be a little more complex than normal. One of my wisdom teeth has abscessed. The antibiotic I was prescribed was not strong enough to fight the infection and so it spread, rapidly. If the tetanus in my jaw subsides for the surgery, this should all go smoothly. If not, this could drag on for a while.

I will let everyone know if anything changes.

Danielle

You're invited to Imbolc!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:49:00 +0000

You're invited to Imbolc! Notice that we have had to reschedule from our original time and date. Daniella, Jon, and Steph now work this Saturday, and are unavailable on Sunday morning... Ah well... :)

Anyway, here's the link. :)

Enjoy!

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

The Wild Hunt: Goddess Religion and Misandry?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:26:00 +0000

This is a note from The Wild Hunt. What do y'all think?

Enjoy!

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

And another test...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:48:00 +0000

La la la la la...

Get Your Pickle On

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:30:00 +0000

We are having a pickling day, making jams, jellies, and pickles over at Steph and Joe's house. The link is up above, and the invitation is below. :) For more details, check with Steph!

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Gluhwein Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:55:00 +0000

This is the recipe for Gluhwein, we used at Yule. :)

1/2 c. water
1/2 lb. sugar
2 whole cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
Lemon peel
Orange peel
1 bottle red wine

Enjoy!

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Silent Night, Holy Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Silent Night, Holy Night

Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7:40am

This poem was provided to us by @Charles Edmonson, who found it on http://www.blackheartferi.com/madpoetics

Silent Night, Holy Night was read aloud as part of this year's Yule Ritual. Enjoy! If you were unable to make it to this ritual, but plan on coming to Imbolc, please meditate on this poem and think of what you are calling into being at Yule this year. Make that thing a part of you for the next 6 weeks. At Imbolc, we will write down what you have created and send it into the cosmos. What you created will then return to you at Ostara.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Silent, Holy Night.

From the Depths of Darkness come Wisdom, Power, Surrender
From the Depths of Her Womb come Innocence, Power, Will

Ssssshhhhh. Be still

And hear Her calling in the silence
The birth cries ring through the longest hours
Across the generations of Time
The wide starlit expanse of heaven
The density of earth

Ssshhhhh. Hold on.

The womb/world/skies contract
Rippling
Rigid
Unbearable

Ssshhhhh. Breathe. Open.

And puuuuuuuuuuusssssssshhhhhh hhh

Through
Into the arms of Darkness.
Slippery, innocent, blinded by our own light.
We are Her hand-maidens
And Birth Givers ourselves.
We mid-wife the coming of the Light Bearer.
And we too, are Bearers of Light.
The Darkness of Night
Endings into Beginnings
The brightness of Noon
Silence and Song
Laughter into tears
Lover and Beloved
Mother and Child.

Ssssssshhhhhhhh.

Sleep.
In heavenly
Peace.

Rise up

And greet the Newborn Dawn
Light
Lugh
Lu
Luscious

Sila.

Circle stuff and such...

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:24:00 +0000

So, I get asked this question a lot, "what should I bring to the meeting/Sabbat/Esbat/group function?" I should have thought to make this post sooner, the answer seems simple to me and that is an assumption on my part. I've been involved in group work for nine years and getting close to ten, so this is old hat in some ways for me, in others not so much.

1. These are items that will never go bad and we will always need these things for every ritual at the Covenstead, period.
a. Toilet paper
b. Paper towels
c. Garbage bags
d. Hand Soap
e. Dish Soap

2. Food items that don't go bad quickly:
a. Chocolate - It is always appropriate to bring chocolate anytime, no questions will be asked (unless of course you don't bring any)
b. Chips - corn, potato, rice, whatever
c. Other non-perishable food items
We are creative people and can do much with just about anything you can pull out of a pantry, and will at Imbolg, details to follow later.

3. Drinks
a. Diet Coke - This also is also always appropriate to bring (massive quantities will always be greatly appreciated and keep your HPS and Center from going insane!)
b. Other types of sodas
c. Beer
d. Juice drinks

If you find yourself at the store before a ritual and just can't think of something that sounds good, pick an item or two off the list and bring them.

Also, I understand budgetary constraints, believe me I do. So, as a good friend and teacher once said to me "if all you can bring is an apple and some saltines, bring them, chances are they will be exactly what someone is craving." It's not about how much of what you bring, the goal really is for everyone to practice generosity. We share what we have and all are enriched.

I'm looking forward to another Yule and another year, hope to see y'all there!

Blessed Be,

Danielle

Yule Vigil and Ritual

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Mothers' Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Navasota Circle

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Oh, I don't know if you guys have gotten this info yet or not, but there have been some major changes in the Navasota Circle this year, and they have recently selected a new name. They are now the Three Headed Turtle Society. Their website is: http://www.threeheadedturtle.com/. It is a brand new website, so there isn't much there yet, but I wanted to let y'all know. I think it is currently being admin'd by CJ and David.

I've been fiddling with our online stuff the last couple of days as well, so check them out and see if you can notice any of the changes... ;D

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Circle Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:22:00 +0000

We are having a circle meeting tomorrow night at 8 PM at my house. Let me know if you can make it.

Monica, if you are available tomorrow night, we can do the speaker phone thing if you like. :)

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Einherjar?

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:54:00 +0000

A thought...

I was researching some Asatru rituals, and came across this. This might be something we want to add or adapt to our own "wheel of the year." Hey Jay, how do you pronounce this?

Einherjar

The other major holiday celebrated by virtually every Asatru group around the world is Einjerhar, or the feast of the fallen. This is held on November 11, Armistice or Veterans Day, and honors those who have fallen in battle and joined Odin's warriors in Valhalla. We generally hold a quiet ritual and honor our ancestors and relatives who have died in war or served. We also honor those who have given their lives for our country. Our kindred is making a practice of leaving an offering at the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial ("The Wall") of a small decorated drinking horn. The Ring of Troth's Our Troth lists American Memorial Day as Einjerhar, but they are virtually singular in using that date.

Interesting event

noreply@blogger.com (Shingen) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:46:00 +0000

I found the above story on the Statesman website. It looks to be an annual event that we may want to attend in the future. Thoughts?

About Samhain

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Don't forget to look at the invitation that was sent from mypunchbowl.com, please. As soon as you can let us know if you will attend Samhain. We need to know how many people are actually going to be at the rite and after party to plan how many supplies and how much food we will need.

Thanks,

Danielle

Wicca 101 Correspondences Class - Rescheduled, date to be determined later

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Everyone, I'm going to have to reschedule this class. I came down with a head cold this week, and I still have not recovered completely. I don't think that it would be fair for me to try to teach this class when I am not at my best, I might miss something vital and I would only be doing the Circle a disservice. I will make an effort to speak to everyone individually about the reschedule, Steph; I know that I’ve already spoken to you about this. Everyone else, expect to hear from me either today (Thursday, October 08, 2009) or tomorrow (Friday, October 09, 2009). Apologies to everyone for the late notice, I simply overestimated my recovery ability.

Danielle

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Here is the link to the invitation for Samhain.

I'm trying an experiment, Evite has become to difficult to use effectively, so I thought that I'd give this site a chance.

http://www.mypunchbowl.com/parties/666985-samhain

Danielle

What you need to know about Samhain

noreply@blogger.com (Daniela) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:03:00 +0000

The ritual will begin at 11:59 Friday October 30th, please be here between 10:30-11:00 PM. I will need to speak to everyone individually before the rite. Please be here on time!

Bring a photo or a personal item of relatives (or pets) who have passed, there will be an altar set up and dedicated specifically to the honored dead. This is not a ritual of mourning but wear black; this is the one ritual of the year that those who have not yet attained the rank of second degree may wear black robes in Circle. For those members that resonate deeply with Eastern traditions, I will on a case by case basis, be OK if you want to wear white robes in ritual. Please communicate with me before hand if you feel strongly about wearing white at Samhain.

I haven’t made a final decision about what spell work the Samhain ritual will include. The rite is taking place on Trickster’s Night, so there will be no divination work performed. It is important that no one perform any kind of divinatory work on Friday October 30th. As it is Trickster’s Night, you will be mislead, period. If you do decide to perform a divination, be prepared to accept the lesson. You are likely to be in for a rough ride if you take the message you receive as truth.

A decision has not been a made about a Circle Meeting; we are working with time constraints for Samhain weekend which will require careful planning. Expect to hear more about this later on in the month.

The afterparty will begin either directly after the adjournment of the Circle Meeting, if we do indeed have a meeting after the ritual, or in the event that the meeting is postponed the afterparty will begin directly after ritual. I understand that some members of the Circle will have to rise early on Saturday to be somewhere, but due to the energies that we will be working with, please be prepared to spend at least 30 minutes “coming down” before leaving. It is absolutely critical for those members who have not attended a Samhain ritual before to have their energy monitored to ensure that they take no damage or start to block up after the ritual.

For the afterparty feast - please bring a dish that symbolizes the last harvest. Any dish with grains and/or fruits and vegetables that would be available during the last harvest of the year would be very appropriate. If anyone has questions about exactly what vegetables or fruits are seasonally available for this geographic region, I ask that you to make a trip to the local farmers market; there are several available in Austin. The selection at the farmer’s market is usually representative of the produce seasonally available. For anyone who still has questions, feel free to call me (Danielle), but expect to be quizzed about what you saw at the farmer’s market.

(Please remember that dishes for the feast are meant to feed everyone at the ritual, not just yourself. If you cannot contribute a dish, it is expected that you be on hand for prep and cleanup.)

If you have any questions about this post, please contact Danielle (512.989.0539).
Blessed Be,
Danielle

Check out a blog post on chron.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:05:00 +0000

jen.c.harlan@gmail.com thought you might like to see the blog post "Satanism under attack from a Witch." on chron.Commons.

View and comment on the post.

Excerpt: " Never thought I’d see this , a “witch” spreading lies and half truths about a group of LeVey Satanists looking for new members. In the article, Kevin Carlyon, a self appointed &ldqu... "

jen.c.harlan@gmail.com also included this personal message:

"Wow... This is really messed up, and I hope not a thing that will be repeated often. We really don't need to be pecking eachother to death..."

chron.Commons

Magick 101: Correspondences, Correspondences, Correspondences...

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:45:00 +0000

So, currently, we have the 3rd class in our series TENTATIVELY scheduled for Friday, October 9th at 8PM. Please let me know if this is good for you guys, and if it remains good for you, Danielle. This class is simply titled, "Correspondences, Correspondences, Correspondences", and as you can probably tell is full of wonderful facts like which mundane items/symbols/ideas/qualities/energies correspond to (or associate with) which magickal/spiritual/religious realms.

For instance: The East (i.e. eastern quarter in a circle) corresponds to new beginnings, spring, sunrise, the colors pink and yellow, air and wind, various air elementals, intellect, communication, incense, insight, innocence, etc. There are many many other correspondences, including specific plants, animals, symbols, tools, spirits, draconic and other sentient forms, archangels. The list can go on and on. The class will introduce you to these ideas, and show you how you can figure out what corresponds to what, and how to use the information in your growth path and in your spell work.

There will be notes for this class, available just like for class 1. Please let me know if you can attend or if you will need a makeup.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Well, it's been a bit since I last posted. A lot has happened since then. The main reason I didn't post or get electronic invitations out for the last couple of events, is because my computer died. It took 2 weeks to get it fixed and I've been recovering files and backups and getting caught up on a backlog of work ever since.
I am back up and working now and we should now be able to move on.

For those who haven't been keeping up, we now have 2 Dedicant's in the circle, Jonathan Peña and Stephanie (Princess Possum-Pee) Turner. Both are working towards their 1st Degree in different wiccan traditions.

We have held the first 2 classes in our Magick 101 Series, Magickal Ethics and Circle Casting 101. These classes went very well, being attended by Jon, Steph, Ashley, Ray, and myself, with Danielle leading the classes (with input from others as their speciality was focused on). Those unable to attend were given notes from the Magickal Ethics class, which were posted here if you didn't get them yet. The Circle Casting class is a hands-on class, so has no notes. If you missed this class but would still like to learn this, contact us to set up a make-up class date. Steph has finished her practical segment for this class, but we are still waiting on Jon to schedule his. As soon as this is done, we will have new people capable of holding quarters at rituals and they can begin their rotation. :) These classes are, of course, requirements of the 1st Degree.

We held Mabon on the evening of September 19th. Due to my mother being in the hospital again, my computer being broken, and Danielle not having updated contact for everyone, this was a small ritual, attended by Danielle, Ray, Joe, Steph, and myself, but it went off beautifully, and we had a nice feast of chicken and dumplings with peach cobbler and wassail to finish off the evening. For those wondering, Mabon is simultaneously the funeral/wake of the god, and the pagan Thanksgiving. It is the second harvest ritual/festival, and is a time of plenty, and joy although not untempered by the sorrow caused by the sacrifices (both of the gods and ourselves) required to have the time of plenty.

We do have another class tentatively scheduled, as you will see in the next post. Please let me know if this date and time is good for you or not.

Our next ritual, of course, is Samhain. This ritual will take place at 11:59PM October 31st. This should give you time to spend partying or trick-or-treating or handing out candy and such earlier in the evening. My recommendation is that those who are attending arrive no later than 11:30PM so that we can get prepped and begin on time. If you can get here earlier, we would love to have you but we know that Samhain is a busy night for us all.

Please remember that Samhain is one of 2 CLOSED rituals in the Wheel of the Year. Attendance is by invitation only, for circle and grove members. Should you want to bring a guest, or are unsure if you or your guest are welcome, please contact me and we can discuss it.

More info on Samhain will be forthcoming very soon. Look for an invitation in your email, as well as here on the blog, which will be full of the details lacking right now. :)

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

10 Foods and Spices You Can Use for Healing

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:47:00 +0000

10 Foods and Spices You Can Use for Healing

Shared via AddThis

Dedication Rite This Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:43:00 +0000

Don't forget! We have a ritual this weekend!

We will be celebrating:

Jonathan Pena's Wiccan Dedication Rite

Saturday, August 29th at approximately 5:30 PM.

Please contact BrightWater or Daniela to RSVP and let us know what you will be bringing for the feast/party afterwards.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Class Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:27:00 +0000

Hi guys, sorry for the short notice on this update. I forgot to publish my post before I powered down my computer originally.

Those of you that attended Lughnassadh know about this already, but I wanted a reminder to go out.

Thursday, August 20th (tomorrow), we have scheduled a class at the Covenstead (Haus zu Harlan) at 8:00 PM. This class is titled "Magical Ethics" and is a requirement for any Wiccan Dedicant or Shamanistic student.

For those who can't attend locally, we will be broadcasting on Skype. My username is jennifer.c.harlan on there. :) The class shouldn't take more than an hour and a half, so everyone she be able to get home at a decent hour. Also, no potluck this time. If you want to eat something, bring lunch money and we will order pizza. Steph - you will need to provide yourself something that doesn't have gluten in it.

Our next class will be: Friday, September 4th @ 8:00 PM, Circle Casting 101.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com

Blog Change

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Harlan) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Hi guys,

I have gotten a lot of complaints lately about people being unaware of Circle Events and other happenings. I am trying very hard to make sure that we all have the appropriate info in our hands. I've given you all access to the calendar (except Sean - as far as I know - and I will remedy that as soon as I get a chance) as well as this blog and the evites.

For those of you complaining about a lack of phone calls, I'm sorry but I'm trying to keep up with approximately 30 people, and it would be a full-time position for me to try to coordinate circle stuff over the phone with that many people. So, if you want to know what is going on: attend events, check this blog, check the calendar, or oh, I don't know, call me... :)

I wanted to let you know that I have altered the blog slightly. We are no longer "Private", but are still unlisted and unavailable by web search. I have done this so that the Feeds will work, as well as the "Following" capability that those of us using Blogger or Google Reader can see any blog changes immediately upon posting.

As soon as RSS 2.0 is compatible with Blogger (and Google's interface), I will switch us back to private, but this is the only way to get feeds working.

If you have any questions, please contact BrightWater (512.989.0539 or 512.567.1465).

With love and blessings,
BrightWater (Jen Harlan)
jen.c.harlan@gmail.com
hillcountrygrove@gmail.com