Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
ADF Texas Imbolc Retreat – Gathering Under a Common Banner

ADF Texas Imbolc Retreat – Gathering Under a Common Banner

Last updated on: February 14, 2017 at 6:45 am by John Beckett

ADF Texas Imbolc Retreat – Gathering Under a Common Banner 2017-02-13T19:44:52-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This past weekend was my fourth time at the ADF Texas Imbolc Retreat. It’s hard to compare the four gatherings – they’ve all had different themes, different speakers, different participants, and different weather. This year’s retreat may or may not have been the best of the four, but it was excellent by any standard.

A few things have been constant: lead organizers Chris and Amanda Godwin and the folks of Hearthstone Grove in Austin. U Bar U, the Unitarian Universalist retreat center near Kerrville, where the retreat is held. Rev. Jon Drum, now Archdruid of ADF. And my favorite part of any Pagan retreat, the informal but deep conversations you just can’t have anywhere else.

Nine Waves Grove from Houston led the opening ritual. Nine Waves follows an Anglo-Saxon hearth culture – the deities are different from my usual Pan-Celtic approach, but as grove leader Lauren Neuman reminded us in her presentation on Saturday, we still know Their names, because six of them were preserved in the English days of the week. Nine Waves did an awesome job with the ritual.

Nine Waves Grove leads the opening ritual

Professional bard David Thompson presented a talk on Slavic Paganism and later led a Slavic ritual. Much of Slavic Paganism is based around home and hearth rather than around temple or grove, making it very suitable for a solitary practitioner.

Cynthia went with me this time and we co-led a workshop on ecstatic devotion, which we define as the direct experience of a God or spirit within the context of religious worship. This was a new workshop for us – which always makes me nervous – but it seemed to be well-received. Some of this material will end up in a future blog post or two, but the full presentation will probably be saved for a future book (beyond the one coming out in May).

John and Cynthia talking about ecstatic devotion

Chris Godwin presented a new magical system he’s developing based on Indo-European cultures and practices. It’s still very rough and it will need testing and refinement, but it looks promising. It is very attractive for those of us who like the concepts of thaumaturgical correspondences but don’t like the Abrahamic elements that found their way into Wicca.

Archdruid Jon Drum talked about Isaac Bonewits’ original vision for ADF and why the fire, the well, and the tree are so important in ADF practice. Hearthstone Grove led the main ritual Saturday night in honor of Brighid. During the day we wrote our prayers on strips of paper and tied them to a huge Brighid’s Cross, which was offered to the fire toward the end of the ritual.

Brighid’s Cross

The sky was clear and the moon was full on Friday night. After Cynthia recited a campfire piece to Cernunnos and Chris Godwin sang a hymn to the Morrigan, I felt the need to go to the woods. I followed the trail up into the hills – it was so bright I never needed my flashlight. How better to prepare to talk about ecstatic devotion than to experience ecstatic devotion the night before. Much of what I experienced was deeply personal, but some of it will make its way into our Beltane ritual in May.

Our last event Saturday night was a bardic competition. There were seven competitors. Five were singers. I told The Tale of Gwion Bach. Cynthia won with her rendition of “Come Ye Huntsmen,” an original poem about the Wild Hunt from the perspective of the Otherworldly riders.

I was wondering what to write about in this post, beyond the usual recap of what we did and how it went. On the drive home, Cynthia pointed out that when she’s gone to OBOD camps with me, she’s always been one of the few non-OBOD people in attendance. But while the Imbolc Retreat is an ADF event run by ADF groves and members, half of its presenters and over half its participants are not formally affiliated with ADF (I’m a member of ADF but my primary affiliation is with OBOD, with CUUPS, and with the polytheist practice I’m building).

Some of these people are solitary practitioners. Some are friends of ADF members and groves. Some are part of different traditions but enjoy hanging out with other Pagans and polytheists in the Texas Hill Country.

And they all gathered in a circle around ADF’s fire, well, and tree.

part of the landscape at U Bar U

ADF is orthopraxic – all their rituals follow the Core Order of Ritual, which honors the Three Kindred of Gods, ancestors, and Nature spirits. But ADF does not tell its members – much less its guests – what to believe about the Three Kindred. Non-Pagans are welcome – this year’s participants included two Christians and one Buddhist. Hospitality is among the greatest of Pagan virtues, and it was embraced and embodied this weekend.

At the same time, ADF remains the Pagan, polytheist, public church that founder Isaac Bonewits envisioned.

ADF is what it is and does what it does without excuse or apology, and it also welcomes all people of good will to gather around its fire. Many of the Imbolc retreat’s participants have gone home to practice Wicca or Christianity or their own form of spirituality, and this weekend they happily gathered under the banner of ADF.

In the process, friendships were made and renewed. Alliances were formed and strengthened. People learned things they didn’t know before, not by reading about them but by experiencing them.

In a world where differences are portrayed as dangerous, where we are told to fear certain religions, and where we are told we must build walls, I can think of no better way to spend a weekend.

Brighid’s Cross and the prayers it carries are offered to the sacrificial fire

Previous Post

February 12, 2017

How Should Pagan Clergy Dress?

Next Post

February 16, 2017 Do the Gods Test People?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Return to me, for I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than what?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Worship Burnt offerings Fasting Prayer