The Sacred Grove – A Camping Experience
With so much chaos and violence gripping our world at the moment and another U.S. election cycle well underway, the guidance I keep receiving over and over is to root more deeply. There are, of course, no better teachers in deep-rootedness than the trees so we’re heading back to Tanner Point peninsula at Canyon of the Eagles for this Spring’s camping experience focused around the idea of the Sacred Grove, a staple of Celtic insight, guidance and protection in the Otherworld/non-ordinary reality.
We will gather at the Healing House on Friday to carpool out to Lake Buchanan just past Burnet as our own traveling ecosystem of interdependence and will return on Sunday. A beautiful sanctuary for all kinds of earth, water and sky creatures, Canyon of the Eagles is also specifically a protected habitat for two endangered species of birds – the black-capped vireo & the golden-cheeked warbler. It offers many avenues for connecting with both flora and fauna. As such, the weekend will include opportunities for both solo and group connection, exploration, and reflection; journeying with the drum; hiking; group drumming; and yummy food around the campfire.
The Tanner Point campsites are fairly primitive in the sense of having no potable water or electricity available though both portable and flush toilets and showers are nearby. Campers will need to bring their own gear and food though suggestions and guidance for both are available, if needed. No prior camping experience is required. Additionally, the registration fee includes all park fees for the weekend.
Come get away for a few days on the beautiful shores of Lake Buchanan to rest, renew, remember and root more deeply into yourself, the trees, the elements and the land!
When: Fri., 3/22/24 @ 12:30pm – Sun, 3/24/24 @ 2pm
Investment: $275
Maximum # of campers: 7
How to Register: Contact Eamon Willow at (512) 560-7294 or e-mail at eamonwillow@calonyddraig.com to reserve your spot with a $100 deposit payable via cash, check, credit card ($1.50 additional service fee for cc paid via invoice) or Venmo
The Celtic Ogham – Turning towards the Wisdom of the Trees
Continuing on this 2024 theme of rooting more deeply through the wisdom of the trees, this 9-month in-person group will hold a process of getting to know and deepen your relationship with the 25 trees and elemental forces of the Celtic Ogham or Tree Alphabet that thrived among the Druids, Ovates and Bards of the Celtic tribal system 1400 to 2500 years ago.
Rather than being letters that form words in the traditional sense, the Ogham “alphabet” was more of a system of remembering and communicating a large amount amount of layered and interwoven information, wisdom, history and cosmology in the oral tradition through symbols rooted in specific trees and, in some cases, elemental forces. These symbols were often etched onto sticks that could then be cast as a tool of Druidic diviners to understand the deeper meanings beneath certain life events and queries. Etchings were also sometimes made on rocks and stones bearing these symbols have been found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, southern England and on the Isle of Mann, as well.
Over the course of this group, you will be introduced to each of the 25 “letters”/trees, both in terms of cognitive information as well as through some playful right-brain memory tools and journeying with the drum in order to help you develop and deepen your personal relationship with them. In the latter half of the 9-month journey, you will be guided through a process of finding the sticks or stones you’d like to use to make your own Ogham oracle and tools will be available to help you carve the appropriate symbols to create your set. Lastly, some skeleton frameworks will be offered for how to get to know and work with the oracle you have co-created.
When: 9 Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30pm – 4/2, 5/7, 6/4, 7/2, 8/6, 9/3, 10/1, 11/5, 12/3
Investment: $540 payable in $60 installments at each group
Maximum # of participants: 8
How to register: Contact Eamon Willow at (512) 560-7294 or e-mail at eamonwillow@calonyddraig.com
“Walking with the Ancestors” Monthly Drop-in Group
Prerequisite: Participants are asked to have attended a previous series of “Opening to the Ancestors” or to have an already established relationship with a resourceful ancestor/ancestral presence.
This monthly drop-in group affords those who are actively working to integrate their connection to the ancestors into their daily lives and personal journeys a place to drop back into that connection with the support of others who are also open to and/or immersed in this work.
When: One Wednesday each month
2024 Upcoming Dates: 2/21, 3/27, 4/24, 5/29 & 6/26
Time: 6:30 – 8:00pm
Investment: Sliding scale from $25-$45 payable via cash, personal check, credit card or Venmo
To register: Contact Eamon Willow at (512) 560-7294 or e-mail at eamonwillow@calonyddraig.com if you plan on attending.
*Please note: In the spirit of reconciliation practice and reparative action, 50% of fees/investment collected for these monthly Ancestors groups is returned to the service of Indigenous and Black people, communities and narratives through the following organizations:
Native American Rights Foundation – www.narf.org
Lipan Apache Tribe: https://www.lipanapache.org/LAT/donate.html
Society of Native Nations – http://societyofnativenations.org
International African American Museum – https://iaamuseum.org