EarthSpirit
EarthSpirit Reflections 2023
EarthSpirit End of the Year Reflections for 2023
Once again the days are shortening and the cold is creeping in; the calendar year is coming to an end. It is time to take a moment to look back at what EarthSpirit has accomplished during 2023, and acknowledge the many EarthSpirit members who have contributed toward the organization’s growth and success. Some members have volunteered dozens of hours teaching, organizing, staffing or planning for EarthSpirit events. Others have made generous financial contributions this year, and still more have helped strengthen the community by attending in person or participating online. So many people have contributed in so many ways. We would not be who we are without you. Thank you! We feel blessed to be a part of this committed and dedicated community.
This year, once again, we engaged fully in EarthSpirit’s core work of sharing knowledge of Earth-centered spiritual traditions and practices, building community connections, developing a deeper connection with the sacred land, and offering transformative ritual.
It has been wonderful to be able to gather in person once again, maintaining existing strong connections and developing new ones. It was exciting to be able to bring our mid-winter weekend event, A Feast of Lights, back to Northampton, Massachusetts at the beginning of the year, making it easily accessible for many members who are local to that area. We will be returning to the same venue, the Hotel Northampton, in January of 2024.
We have held seasonal rituals for the community: indoors during cold months, and outdoors with the Sacred Land events at Glenwood which offer the public an opportunity to get to know EarthSpirit’s home and the sacred sites there. We welcomed Moira Ashleigh as our 6th EarthSpirit Community Elder in a ceremony at Rites of Spring this year. We performed marriages and funerals, celebrated births, and ritually marked other life passages, including holding Coming-of-Age rituals for 4 of our young people at Rites of Spring. This community remains remarkable in its care for the well-being and comfort of each other, making room for closeness and distance as needed when we come together at large events or community rituals. We continue to find strength in the web of connection that we have built with each other and with all beings of the Earth.
Our Zoom skills were put to good use again this year, with the continuation of our weekly Sunflower Morning and Evening get-togethers, hosted by dedicated volunteers Anya Arthen and Katie and Chris LaFond, with others filling in as needed. These weekly online gatherings for members have become a consistent presence and a way of caring for and holding each other over distances and time. Having online connection points throughout the year, along with our in-person events and rituals, has kept EarthSpirit at the center of many people’s lives.
With several certified Death Midwives as part of our community, we are beginning to offer some events and workshops on that topic. We hosted a Death Cafe in November, which was well attended, providing a space for open conversation about death. In January we will be holding a workshop on planning for the end of life and we hope to follow up with more conversations and workshops over the year to come.
Our dozens of event volunteers – teachers, ritualists, musicians, Clan Leaders, fire-tenders,designers, first-responders, cooks and planners – created beautiful and meaningful in-person events for hundreds of community members in groups large and small. Many thanks to all of those who made these events possible, and especially to the many hard workers behind-the-scenes.
This year the Board and a number of core volunteers shared their training in Restorative Justice with the rest of the community through workshops at Rites of Spring. This set of principles and processes provides a foundational structure we can use to hold those who may be in conflict within the community, focused on restoring relationships and strengthening our web. It offers a powerful counterpoint to the mainstream cultural narrative of justice through punishment and instead honors the power of truly listening, the possibility of change, and our interconnectedness even through times of conflict. We have begun to put these methods into practice as conflicts have arisen, and we look forward to deepening our practices together throughout the coming year.
EarthSpirit has maintained its connections with other communities too this year. Board members Chris and Katie LaFond organized the Western Massachusetts Pagan Pride event, featuring several EarthSpirit members as teachers or ritual leaders. Chris has also maintained a presence on a local television show, sharing seasonally about pagan traditions and holidays. I represented EarthSpirit as a featured presenter at Gaia’ Womb in Wisconsin and Andras did the same at Paganicon in Minneapolis. EarthSpirit members also continue to be involved in local interfaith groups and events.
Last winter was very hard on the trees at Glenwood. Some were bent to the ground and others were spit in half from the snow load. One large white pine next to the Peace Cairn had to be professionally taken down at considerable expense. Looking forward, we are planning further repairs and renovations to the Community Center (aka the Common House) and the Board has created a team to consider and discuss what else is needed to maintain Glenwood as EarthSpirit’s home for the future.
The EarthSpirit Community is built by many hands and dedicated hearts. Whether you participate in programs online or in person, whether you listen to the podcast or read the blog, whether you contribute your time, your friendship or your funds, you are part of what makes it happen. We look forward to seeing you this winter, and if you are able to this year, we hope that you will also choose to make a donation to EarthSpirit to help us meet our financial obligations in the coming year. We will happily send you a receipt for your tax deduction.
Thank you all for being part of, and supporting, the EarthSpirit Community.
We wish you all a blessed Yule and a prosperous and healthy year ahead.
Deirdre Pulgram-Arthen
EarthSpirit Executive Director
Please remember to follow us on Facebook (The EarthSpirit Community) and to subscribe to the EarthSpirit Voices podcast through your favorite provider.
EarthSpirit Yule Ritual
EarthSpirit invites you to attend our western Massachusetts Yule Celebration!
Saturday, December 16, 2023 5:30-7:30pm
Williamsburg, MA Grange Hall
Come celebrate the longest night and the rebirth of the Sun at the coming Winter Solstice
This welcoming ritual is appropriate for all ages. We will sing and dance together, and make gifts for one another while we celebrate the power of darkness and share joy in the returning light, even as the cold deepens all around us.
Families are welcome; and in fact, there is a special Procession of Light for attending children to be a part of. Please arrive right at 5:30 to find out more and prepare.
Location: Western MA – The Williamsburg Grange Hall on Rte 9 (Main St.) in the center of Williamsburg. Available by PVTA bus #42 (“The Burgy Bullet”)
Doors open at 5:30 PM and close promptly at 6:00 PM for an hour during the Ritual. Please do a home covid test before attending if at all possible, and do not attend if you have covid symptoms of any kind or have been recently exposed.
What to wear: Seasonal or ritual clothing.
Important: Children who wish to be part of the Procession of Light should wear light-colored clothing like white, silver or gold!
Masks for covid protection are optional and respected.
What to bring: A book wrapped in plain brown or white paper!
We are introducing the Jolabokaflod (Yule Book Flood) at our Yule Ritual this year!
From Katie LaFond: This tradition was started in Iceland during World War II. Paper was one of the few things that wasn’t rationed, so people gave each other books. Today, the tradition, as I understand it, is that people give each other gift-wrapped books and the night before their holiday they stay up long into the night reading them and eating chocolate. My family has enjoyed this tradition for years, and I shared it with The EarthSpirit Community in 2020. If you’d like to participate this year, please join us for our Yule Ritual. Bring a book that you’re ready to pass on. Wrap it in plain brown or white paper, and write on it what genre the book is, what age range it’s appropriate for, and maybe a fun tidbit about it. Put it under the tree, and at the end of the ritual, if you’ve brought a book, please pick a book to take home with you. Then, on the longest night of the year, tuck in with a cozy blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and enjoy your books!
An informal finger-food pot-luck will follow the ritual in the downstairs hall
Cookies, snacks, beverages, and other food to share are welcome. We will have cups and napkins.
Contributions for admission $5 to $10 on a sliding scale will be collected at the door to cover our expenses. Children 10 and under will be admitted free, and no one will be turned away for lack of resources.
If you would like to volunteer to help with set up or breakdown, or to contribute to the celebration, please contact us in advance asap by email (earthspirit@earthspirit.com).
For your Yule gift list, EarthSpirit offers: MotherTongue CDs on-line at CD Baby Weaving the Web of Life, This Winter’s Night
Samhain Ritual Western MA
EarthSpirit Samhain Celebration in western Massachusetts
We honor the change of season and our ancestors at this ritual of harvest and remembrance.
In the fullness of Autumn, in the growing darkness, come take part in a celebration of this time when the veil between the worlds is thin.
Take time for yourself to reflect on your mortality and honor those who have passed.
Find a quiet place in the darkness, and feel gratitude as you reap your final harvests between now and winter.
Location and Date:
October 29, 2023 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Williamsburg, MA at: the Williamsburg Grange Hall on Rte 9 in the center of town. Available by PVTA bus #42 (“The Burgy Bullet”)
Doors open at 6:30 PM
and close promptly at 7:00 PM for the duration of the Ritual
What to wear:
Seasonal or ritual clothing is encouraged. Please, no “halloween costumes”. Safety masking is optional and respected.
What to bring:
If you like, bring a small photograph of a departed loved one to add to the ancestor altar (be sure to write your name on the back and pick them up again before you leave). There will also be an opportunity to share some precious memories in their honor.
Please bring a donation of new warm basic clothing items: like new socks, gloves, underwear, toiletries, for the Survival Center as a demonstration of the ways we can support one another through the dark time.
An informal finger-food pot-luck and social time will follow the ritual. Cookies, beverages, snacks or other food to share are welcome.
Please bring nothing that needs utensils or plates. We will have cups and napkins.
If you would like to volunteer to help with set-up or break-down, or to contribute a brief poem or song to the celebration, please contact us in advance asap by email (earthspirit@earthspirit.com) so we can see how it might fit in.
Donations for admission $7 to $10 on a sliding scale will be collected at the door to cover our expenses. No one will be turned away for lack of resources.
Children under 15 may be admitted for 1/2 price however, please remember this is a solemn remembrance event and children should only attend if you, as a parent, feel it is appropriate for them and they will not disrupt the event for others. Parents are responsible tor stepping outside if their child becomes distracting and needs a break.
EarthSpirit Reflections 2022
EarthSpirit End-of-the-Year Reflections for 2022
Once again the days are shortening and the cold is creeping in; the calendar year is coming to an end. And once more we take a moment to look back at what EarthSpirit has accomplished during 2022, and acknowledge the many EarthSpirit members who have contributed toward the organization’s growth and success. Some members have volunteered dozens of hours teaching, organizing, staffing or planning for EarthSpirit events. Others have made generous financial contributions this year, and still more have helped strengthen the community by attending in person or participating online. So many people have contributed in so many ways. We would not be who we are without you. Thank you! We feel blessed to share membership in this committed and dedicated community.
This year we engaged fully in EarthSpirit’s core work of sharing knowledge of earth-centered spiritual traditions and practices, building community connections, developing a deeper connection with the sacred land, and offering transformative ritual.
It has been wonderful to be able to gather in person once again – outdoors and in places where we have been able to set our own policies. We have maintained strong connections and developed new ones. We have held seasonal rituals for the community, We have performed marriages and funerals, celebrated births, and ritually marked other life passages, such as coming-of-age rituals — sometimes in person with groups large or small, and sometimes online. We continue to find strength in the web of connection that we have built with each other and with all beings of the Earth.
Our Zoom skills were put to good use again this year, with the continuation of our weekly Sunflower Mornings and Evenings get-togethers, hosted by dedicated volunteer Anya Arthen and Board members Katie and Chris LaFond. These weekly online gatherings for members have become a consistent presence and a way of caring for and holding each other over distances and time. Having online connection points throughout the year, along with our re-emerging in-person rituals and events, has kept EarthSpirit at the center of many people’s lives.
EarthSpirit has been visible on the web in other creative ways as well. Our dynamic podcast, EarthSpirit Voices has entered its third season this autumn, continuing to bring forward the voices of EarthSpirit members and teachers through hour-long interviews released on alternate Fridays. The podcast is produced by Sam Arthen-Long of Singing Land Studio and is a gift of many hours of work for each episode. The EarthSpirit Voices Blog has been revived this year, by new editor Chris LaFond. Chris is regularly putting out a terrific collection of articles and writings by EarthSpirit members about all kinds of topics. If you haven’t been there recently, now is a good time to check it out!
Our dozens of event volunteers – teachers, ritualists, musicians, Clan Leaders, fire-tenders, first-responders, cooks and planners – created beautiful and meaningful in-person events for hundreds of community members in groups large and small. Many thanks to all of those, both visible and behind the scenes, who made these events possible, and especially to Dawn Flatt, Dana Duval, and Meesha Crowther who were the ones mainly responsible for establishing and following through with our COVID-related policies. This community remains remarkable in its care for the well-being and comfort of each other, making room for closeness and distance as needed when we come together at large events or community rituals
This year the Board and a number of core volunteers have received training in Restorative Justice, a set of principles and processes that will support our community in its more challenging moments. This method provides a foundational structure we can use to hold those who may be in conflict within the community, focused on restoring relationships and strengthening our web. It offers a powerful counterpoint to the mainstream cultural narrative of justice through punishment and instead honors the power of truly listening, the possibility of change, and our interconnectedness even through times of conflict. We are working to create policies and practices around how this process will be used consistently throughout our community and we look forward to sharing more about the principles throughout the coming year.
EarthSpirit has maintained its connections with other communities too this year. Director Andras Corban Arthen continues his work with the European Congress of Ethnic Religions, and Board members Chris and Katie LaFond organized the Western Massachusetts Pagan Pride event, featuring several EarthSpirit members as teachers or ritual leaders. EarthSpirit members also continue to be involved in local interfaith groups and events.
At Glenwood, we are continuing the process of redesigning and refurbishing the EarthSpirit office – replacing desks, cabinets and electronics so that it will function better for all of the volunteers who use it. We are also beginning to plan some renovations to the EarthSpirit Community Center (aka the Common House). The Sacred Sites are being maintained by volunteers, and we have been glad to be able to host a couple of small gatherings for other associated groups. It is good to feel a connection with this land reaching into more and more people’s lives.
The EarthSpirit Community is built by many hands and dedicated hearts. Whether you participate in programs online or in person, whether you listen to the podcast or read the blog, whether you contribute your time, your friendship or your funds, you are part of what makes it happen. We look forward to seeing you this winter, and if you are able to this year, we hope that you will also choose to make a donation to EarthSpirit to help us meet our financial obligations in the coming year. We will happily send you a receipt for your tax deduction.
Thank you all for being part of, and supporting, the EarthSpirit Community.
We wish you all a blessed Yule and a prosperous and healthy year ahead.
Deirdre Pulgram-Arthen
EarthSpirit Executive Director
Please remember to follow us on Facebook (The EarthSpirit Community) and to subscribe to the EarthSpirit Voices podcast through your favorite provider.
EarthSpirit Reflections 2021
Once again the days are shortening and the cold is creeping in; the calendar year is coming to an end. Once more we take a moment to look back at what EarthSpirit has accomplished during 2021, and acknowledge the many EarthSpirit members who have contributed toward the organization’s growth and success. Many of you have volunteered dozens of hours teaching, organizing, staffing or planning for EarthSpirit events. Others of you have made generous financial contributions this year, and still more have helped strengthen the community by participating online or attending in person. So many people have contributed in so many ways. Thank you! We feel blessed to share membership in this committed and dedicated community.
This feels like a year of back-and-forth and in-between, and through it all we have seen our community remain flexible and rise to the challenges of our time. We have gathered online and, more recently, have also been able to gather in person outdoors and in places where we have been able to set our own policies. We have maintained strong connections and developed new ones. We have held seasonal rituals for the community, We have performed marriages and funerals, celebrated births, and ritually marked other life passages, such as coming-of-age rituals — sometimes in person with groups large or small, and sometimes online. We continue to find strength in the web of connection that we have built with each other and with all beings of the Earth.
Our recently developed Zoom skills have been put to good use this year, with the continuation of EarthSpirit Saturdays as a vehicle for ongoing seasonal rituals that reach not only across the country, but overseas as well – thanks to volunteer and Board member Sarah Rosehill, and many other volunteers. Our weekly Sunflower Mornings and Evenings get-togethers, hosted by dedicated volunteer Anya Arthen and new Board members Katie and Chris LaFond, have become a consistent presence and a way of caring for and holding each other over distances and time. These connection points throughout the year have kept EarthSpirit at the center of many people’s lives.
EarthSpirit has been visible on the web in other creative ways as well. Our dynamic podcast, EarthSpirit Voices has entered its second season this autumn, continuing to bring forward the voices of EarthSpirit members and teachers through hour-long interviews released on alternate Fridays. The podcast is produced by Sam Arthen-Long of Singing Land Studio and is a gift of many hours of work for each episode. EarthSpirit Visions is our new Instagram presence where members are able to share photographic images of the places where Nature and Spirit meet, curated by a team of member volunteers. New images are posted there daily – a strong reflection and reminder of the way our spirituality has presence in our lives.
The organizational side of EarthSpirit continues to grow stronger. The Board of Directors welcomed two new members, Katie and Chris LaFond, and is now focusing on completing a
5 year plan with special attention on the work of the Membership Committee in addition to Fundraising, Program/Interfaith and Governance. These groups, which are composed of community members in addition to Board members, guide the priorities of the organization as we move forward. Our office team is working to make it possible for more people – including those who aren’t physically close to Glenwood – to support our community by volunteering time and talents. We hope to share some specific areas in which we could use help soon, as well as ways that you can let us know your general volunteering interests. You can also expect to hear directly from the Fundraising Committee in a few days as we roll into our Annual Appeal beginning on “Giving Tuesday”.
Over the year, we have held several large gatherings: A Feast of Lights was online over three days in February, and we offered five full days of Rites of Spring programming online in May. Although most of us would have loved to gather in person for these events, the online versions were able to feature presenters whom we would otherwise not have been able to bring, and we made the most of this special opportunity to renew connections with friends who live at too great a distance to travel to New England every year. Again, the team of volunteers both visible and behind the scenes is what made these possible.
Twilight Covening was finally able to take place in person again this October, and it was wonderful for those of us who attended to feel that we could be together safely. The community was remarkable in its care for the well-being and comfort of others, making room for closeness and distance as needed throughout the weekend. Again, we are immeasurably grateful to our volunteer Clan Leaders, Kitchen crew and Serpent team for making the weekend an amazing and welcoming experience. It was lovely to be outdoors and together again this fall for both an Ancestor Ritual at Glenwood and a Community Samhain Ritual in Northampton, MA. We look forward to an outdoor Yule ritual as well.
EarthSpirit has maintained its connections with other communities this year. Director Andras Corban Arthen continues his work with the European Congress of Ethnic Religions, and Board member Chris LaFond organized the western MA Pagan Pride event where several EarthSpirit members were teachers or ritual leaders. EarthSpirit members also continue to be involved in local interfaith groups and events.
At Glenwood this year, we have begun the process of completely redesigning and refurbishing the EarthSpirit office – replacing desks, cabinets and electronics so that it will function better for all of the volunteers who use it. The Sacred Sites are being maintained by volunteers, and we have been glad to be able to host a couple of small gatherings for other associated groups over the past months. It is good to feel a connection with this land reaching into more people’s lives.
Thank you all for being part of, and supporting, the EarthSpirit Community.
We wish you all a prosperous and healthy year ahead.
Deirdre Pulgram Arthen
EarthSpirit Executive Director
Please remember to follow us on Facebook (The EarthSpirit Community) and Instagram (@EarthSpiritVisions), and to subscribe to the EarthSpirit Voices podcast through your favorite provider.
Thank you for supporting EarthSpirit. All donations are tax deductible
2020: What a year it has been!
2020 is a year that will remain in memory as an extremely challenging time for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic, the rising visibility and unrest around racial injustice in the US, and the national election have all come together to create great stress for individuals and organizations. For EarthSpirit, despite the struggles, this has been a year of learning about the strength of our community at a time of crisis, and a year of focus and growth despite hardship. We have learned new skills, supported each other in new ways, and moved forward with projects that have been waiting for years. As I sit to write about it all, I feel most grateful to all of you for your confidence in us, and for the generosity and commitment shown by our members and volunteers.
Rites of Spring 2020 stakes in the ground
The organizational side of EarthSpirit grew stronger this year. The Board of Directors focused on furthering the work of three major planning committees: Membership, Program, and Fundraising. You can expect to hear directly from the Fundraising Committee later this month. These groups, which are composed of community members in addition to Board members, will guide the priorities of the organization as it grows into the next 5 years. In February, we welcomed our second ever full-time intern, Kael Alberghini, who has spearheaded many projects that have been on the back burner for years and that could have lingered there for many more without his time, attention, and skills. These include implementing a new database system for EarthSpirit, creating templates for our newsletters, processing trademark applications, and leading the labyrinth restoration project.
We are so grateful for his gift of a year of his time. Donovan Arthen has been Kael’s mentor for the year, and has also developed a new bookkeeping and accounting system this year and transferred all of our old records into it. All of these changes will make a huge difference in how smoothly EarthSpirit functions.
A Feast of Lights was a beautiful event in February, and its memory is even sweeter because it was the last time that we came together as a physical community. As we looked toward the spring, we realized that it would not be possible to hold our Beltaine rituals or Rites of Spring in person, so we began to learn about Zoom and we held a virtual Maypole, then a full five days of Rites of Spring programming, complete with rituals, a Feast, concerts, and a dance party. Our volunteers learned Zoom on the fly and were phenomenal at creating an online event that offered connection and community in the best ways we knew how. The same was true of Twilight Covening this October, our Clan Leaders and Assistants were phenomenal, as were all of the volunteers who staffed Zoom and created ritual or video in advance. What we have found though, as this year has unfolded, is that our success has also depended on the investment and commitment each of you has brought. We create the framework and really excellent programming, but to make the connections real, it has taken every one of you: your participation, your connection to the deep roots we have built together over the last forty years, and your willingness and desire to dream of the many ways we’ll continue to build over the next forty. Together, we have held the pulse of EarthSpirit strong and it has flourished during the most challenging year of its existence.
Our live online programs have expanded. Sacred Land, our monthly event series at Glenwood Farm, morphed into EarthSpirit Saturdays. This bi-monthly Zoom event, organized by ES Board member Sarah Rosehill with a rolling list of volunteers, offers workshops, discussions, and seasonal rituals free of charge to the whole community. Sunflower Mornings, hosted by Anya Arthen, takes place every Wednesday morning and offers a gentle way to begin the day and an opportunity for community connections.
Special events, such as the upcoming Winter Goblin Market (November 28) and the election night multi-community Zoom meet-up, bring opportunities for even more connection and mutual support. We’ll continue these regular programs moving forward, and we look forward to bringing you a special series of online workshops this fall and winter as well as Feast of Lights and Rites of Spring 2021! It has been a delight to connect more often with long-time members who have moved further away, and we look forward to seeing more and more members around the world as we come together from wherever we are.
EarthSpirit has maintained its connections with other communities this year as well. Our EarthWays Initiative, which works to build bridges with Indigenous communities worldwide, brought ES Board members, Andras Corban Arthen and Donovan Arthen, to two international online events hosted by the Grandmothers of the Sacred We. Andras also continued to work with the Parliament of the World’s Religions and Donovan taught at Chicago Pagan Pride this fall as well.
There is nothing like the power of being together in person: holding rituals where we can feel each others’ presence, singing together, being in the intimate company of wise teachers, experiencing rites of passage, and sharing affection and hugs. Of course, we want to be together again as soon as we can. In the meantime though, keep an eye on the website, the Newsletter and the Facebook pages and with your continued support and participation, EarthSpirit will continue to thrive.
