Druids In Cars, Going To Festivals

Episode 14 - Loneliness & Geographic Isolation

At the 2018 Western Clergy Retreat, Revs. Jan Avende, Melissa Ashton, Sara Blackwelder, Lauren Mart, and Kirk Thomas sat down to talk about what it feels like to be geographically isolated and doing work, both before and after ordination as an ADF Priest. They discuss a variety of issues they've encoutered, talk about the differences between different parts of the country, and consider a few strategies to make the distance seem less wide and impossible to cross.

One of the suggestions they make is to seek out a festival. Consider one of the following ADF festivals that are upcoming: Summerland (Ohio, Aug. 16-20, 2018), Beyond the Gates (Washington State, Aug. 30 - Sept. 2, 2018), or Midnight Flame (Michigan, Sept. 6-9, 2018). At least one of us will be at each of these festivals. (And we'll be recording future episodes, trying to bring even more voices into the mix!)

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org.

Episode 13 - Ritual Bloopers & Fails

Lucky number 13 brings us to a discussion from the Western Clergy Retreat about Ritual Bloopers and Fails! Rev. Avende sat down with several ADF Priests to discuss just how human they really are, and hear some of their best (worst) stories about how things went terribly wrong in ritual, and how they managed to keep the ritual going when it happened.

Rev. Avende is joined in this episode by Rev. Melissa Ashton, Rev. William Ashton, Rev. Sara Blackwelder, Rev. Lauren Mart, and Rev. Kirk Thomas, and each shares a story (or two) about the things that stand out in their memory as the key bloopers of their lives as Priests and celebrants of ritual.

Tune in, enjoy the laughter, and listen stories of high-flying acrobatics, trees being knocked over, wells shattering upon the stones, and (of course) things catching on fire (unintentionally)!

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 12 - The Bardic Livecasts

Driving home from one of the Bardic Live Casts we do (which is archived on Facebook, if you'd like to watch), Rev. Avende and I had an opportunity to talk about the experience. We cover a range of topics, from the spaces we've worked in to why we've moved away from livecasting public ritual and toward more interesting work.

You'll get some background on how our bards came together as a group, and how we decided to start giving these concerts... and what feeds us about the process, too.

So ride along with us as we chat about some of our behind-the-scenes work in our Grove.

If you'd like to watch our livecasts when they go live, you can do so by going ot the Three Cranes Grove, ADF, facebook page. Like our page, and the follow it as well. This second step, following the Grove, will keep us fresh in your newsfeed, and will also notify you any time we go live (which, at this point, happens about once or twice a quarter, so it's not going to overwhelm your feed). You can also catch past events on YouTube, and subscribe for new ones.

Our next livecast will be the Dublin Irish Festival ritual on August 5, 2018, at around 9:30 AM Eastern.

Episode 11 - Priesting As A Woman (Part 2)

Our second episode on this topic, also recorded with Rev. Avende, Rev. Ashton, Rev. Blackwelder, and Rev. Mart at the Western ADF Clergy Retreat a few weeks ago, goes into some detail about the oddities (and also the dangers) of priesting as a woman. It also dives into the expectations different gender roles bring, and the difficulties of finding a place in the community as a woman Priest.

Like last week, this podcast episode contains discussions of assumptions around sexual relations encountered, but nothing explicit is ever discussed.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 10 - Priesting As A Woman (Part 1)

In this episode, which is the first of two on this topic, Revs. Jan Avende, Melissa Ashton, Sara Blackwelder, and Lauren Mart discuss some of the issues they have experienced as female Priests and leaders.

This episode was recorded at the Western ADF Clergy Retreat in 2018, just a week before the release of this episode.

They offer some examples of what they've seen as female priests and leaders, interactions they've had that felt different because of their gender, examples of how allies provide space and support, and how they have navigated these issues in the past.

This podcast episode contains discussions of assumptions around sexual relations encountered, but nothing explicit is ever discussed.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 9 - Discerning Vocation

In today's episode, we speak about vocation: how to recognize it, feed it, and understand where it's taking you. We also reflect on our own vocations, and how they've changed over time.

We don't just mean "preistly" vocation, though that takes up a good amount of the time, and we certainly don't just mean in ADF. This is an episode about finding what feeds you, and what fills you, and what it can do to benefit you and keep you from burning out.

The cartoon referenced early in the episode is "The Discernment Process," by Dave Walker at Cartoon Church. Find it here: http://cartoonchurch.com/content/cc/discernment/

This episode was recorded on the way to the 2018 ADF Trillium Spring Gathering.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 8 - Experiences & Methods of Trance (with Rev. Ayliah Cannon)

This week, Jan was fortunate to speak with Rev. Ayliah Cannon about trance experiences and how they do the work.

In the discussion, they talk about a variety of trance mechanics and experiences, including where we go in trance, how we get there, and how it feels when we arrive.

More than that, though, they dive into ways to discern the reality of trancework, how to exit trance, and the importance of journaling the work.

This episode was recorded on the way home from the 2018 ADF Wellspring Gathering.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 7 - Becoming a Senior Priest

What's it like to go a bit deeper down the rabbit hole of priesthood, and find yourself in new territory as a priest, and elevated to heights you weren't really expecting?

Here, Rev. Dangler talks about what it’s like to become a Senior Priest in ADF. For background, ADF has three levels of Priest: ADF Priest, ADF Consecrated Priest, and ADF Senior Priest. Rev. Dangler is a Senior Priest.

The process of becoming a Priest we describe here might seem unique to ADF, but the lessons and observations are actually quite broad for anyone seeking or advancing through their study toward Priesthood, no matter the tradition.

This episode was recorded as we arrived at the 2018 ADF Trillium Spring Gathering.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 6 - Slipping Into Your Clergy Skin

In this episode, we talk about what it's like to find comfort in our skin as clergy, as Initiates, and even as Grove members. We discuss a lot of the practicalities of inclusion, where responsibility for it lies, and how to reach out if you don't feel included, or if you can't find your role in a group or Grove.

This episode was recorded on the way to the 2018 ADF Trillium Spring Gathering, and it was an early discussion between Rev. Avende and myself.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org

Episode 5 - Patronage: A Deeper Relationship

On our way out to the 2018 ADF Trillium Spring Gathering, picking up where our last episode left off, we discussed the idea of spiritual patronage: what it is, what it looks like, what its benefits are, and how the relationship changes over time.

Visit us at threecranes.org/podcast for info and transcripts, find us on Facebook, and learn more about Paganism and Druidry at adf.org