I had been praying off and on for months about whether to attend the group rituals. I didn't know if they would be too different from what I was comfortable with. I just kept thinking I would try one out and see.
When I woke up this morning, I started praying about it again. Mostly asking for it to be a meaningful experience for me. As I prayed, a song popped into my head that I haven't thought about in a long time. It came out 20+ years ago. There was a time when I often played the CD on repeat, and I've listened to it here and there through the years, but not recently. "I'm Ready" by Eowyn:
I didn't listen to it while getting ready, but I queued it up to play when I got in the car.
I walked out a few minutes later than I had planned, mostly because I hit snooze a few more times than I had planned. But when I walked out... One of my crows was waiting for me, talking up a storm! It wasn't his usual "talk." As I was talking to him, others came. I felt they were wishing me well, coming to see me off on my adventure! They had left me a pretty leaf, which I tucked into the pocket of the plaid flannel shirt I was wearing open over a long sleeved henley. I tossed them a handful of peanuts in gratitude, and verbally thanked them.
I got there about 8:20 and was able to park in a spot facing the playground, very close to Cafe du Monde where we were meeting. I made a quick trip to the bathroom, and then found the others. We chatted for a while while we waited to see if the other member was going to come. At 8:30, we headed to the nearby spot where the rituals are done.
Of all the places in the park... 1,300 total acres... What are the chances that the ritual would be held in the exact area where hubby and I stood 9 years ago almost to the day to make our relationship official and exclusive?! It's a space with a high table (the height to use when standing), with benches a couple of feet behind it. We did the ritual at the table, and the benches are where hubby and I had our discussion that day...
The ritual itself was shorter than I expected. I followed along with the script, participating, but not taking a turn to read. The "leader" paused a few times to explain some basics, like which direction to rotate when we turned to face the directions. There was nothing unexpected in the ritual. I think for my first one, it went fairly well. I didn't really "feel" much during it. Today was more about just getting my feet wet, trying it out to see if I wanted to continue. After the ritual, we discussed when to have the between-rituals Zoom call to discuss questions about the gwersi etc.
The most amazing "magic" happened after the ceremony though. We were almost back to Cafe du Monde when a ray of sun shining on a rose covered with dew drops caught my eye. I told the other two grove members bye and stopped to take a picture of it. When I got home and looked at the pic, it isn't very clear. But it led to what happened next.
I felt drawn to go back to the place we had the ritual. When I got there, I could hear what sounded like geese approaching overhead. I don't have any recordings of geese in my bird ID app (Merlin), so I pulled out my phone to try to get it. By the time I started the recording, they had already passed by and Merlin couldn't pick them up anymore. I remembered that during the ceremony I heard a few birds, so I kept it running to see if it could identify what they were.
I did not expect what happened... Overhead, a whole symphony of bird song began. It was beautiful! Merlin identified ten different birds, some of which are marked as rare for the area. It was an amazing experience! The recording lasted about two and a half minutes. I ended it when the flock quieted as other people started coming closer.
At that point, I just took some more pictures and video of where I was before heading home. The park was getting more crowded, and the energy wasn't the same. I was eager to get home and type up the experience.
My crows left me an artistic gift for when I got home. There are at least 5 different pieces to it!
Until I get a God-nudge that tells me differently, I am going to continue with the grove. I want to be a part of the local community, and though my church comes first, it is nice to have this group as well!
Adding pictures and videos from my experience...
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GcHYua8fvKj53JWGjmlBqgAPEk7pZsRS
