Birth & Death

Just back from a really great time in Western Massachusetts helping to birth BIRCH.

The bad news is that our little Miss Shadowfax, one of the late Raven Moonshadow's kitties, has gone off to die. (Photo is of Raven and me at a Spiral Dance back in the early '90s, I think; he crossed over in 1996.)

More when I catch my breath.

Berkeley Pagan Festival

Lovely day, all in all. Others have written more extensively, both my friends new Keeper of the Light Anne Hill and altar-builder Victoria Slind-Flor. Here's what the latter sent me. She captioned it, "Macha NightNare attempts to attack Anne Hill with keeper of Light Staff: joi wolfwomyn prays for Anne's deliverance." Many more cool photos: Jason Robinson's here and Greg Harder's here.

Corby and I took off as soon as we decently could and headed on over to the local Pagan wedding of the decade, that of Reclaiming Witches Kala and Dress. The bride was stunning in purple, the groom in bridal white, complete with fingerless elbow gloves and delicate veil. Both were as happy as I've ever seen them. Love of every kind was in the air midst the redwoods, firs and oaks of hilly Joaquin Miller Park. There were about 20 in the wedding party, about 300 guests, lots of live entertainment, a 1-hour, 20-minute ceremony followed by a 45-minute spiral dance. We missed the ritual, but arrived in time for entertainment, food, toasts, and plenty of schmoozing at the purple-clothed, Spring flower-bedecked, deity-named tables.

Conjuring Summer In

My Pagan friends have done a splendid job conjuring Summer in. What an utterly gorgeous May Day!

Corby and I danced the Maypole at Anne Hill's new place in Bodega Bay on Saturday. Great crowd, great weather, great music, beautiful brand new pole. But unfortunately Saturday night I was overcome with a mysterious illness. I spent Sunday just lying around, with aching intercostals, abs, hips (the bones) and head -- well, really, all of me -- reading the Sunday paper. So for only the second time in maybe 20 years I missed singing up the Sun with the Berkeley Morris Dancers at Inspiration Point in Tilden Park. The last time I missed I'd undergone a hysterectomy the day before so obviously wasn't up and about. Corby went anyway that time. Today he decided not to.

Early this morning Val and Tom Lux phoned, wondering why we weren't there, so I'm reassured that our pals really missed us. They were on their way to Vicki Solomon's house, our rendezvous place for breakfast in recent years.

Today, instead of marching for immigrants' rights, I scrambled to find health insurance. The costs are ridiculously high, and the parameters for an older woman like myself are even worse. Spent time at Kaiser Member Services and on the Web looking for something that will work for me and that I can afford. A discouraging process.

It reached 81º F. in lovely San Rafael today. After seemingly endless rains, Summer is icumen in.