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I'm trying to read the Spiritual Exercises to Serve for the Annual Retreat for a Carmelite and it's a really difficult and dry read. 😰
It's supposed to be done over 10 days but I even gave myself the whole month and can't get myself to get through the first day. It's brutal.
The Vault of Amoun Temple
I have recently discovered an interesting titbit of information regarding Amoun Temple – the London based temple of the Stella Matutina, which was extant during the early part of the twentieth century. Specifically, what it used as its Vault of the Adepti. Amongst the papers emanating from Amoun Temple was one written by Finem Respice (Robert Felkin) concerning the use of the Vault of the…
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Oakdale Grove’s Spiritual Retreat...
This last weekend, eleven of Oakdale Grove’s members attended our “Recharge Retreat” at Willow River State Park in western Wisconsin. The daytime weather was room-temperature to warm but nice and dry, and the nighttime weather was chilly jacket weather for sure. I had two wool blankets on Friday night and I was still shivering and had surreal dreams about trying to fall asleep in a tent. I only knew they were dreams because key details kept changing.
On Saturday night I lent a third wool blanket to a grovemate who was camping in a hammock. I almost did that on Friday night because it was hard enough to fall asleep. It turns out he too was awake for much of the night, so I could have approached him with the extra blanket on Friday but I didn’t want to disturb him.
Our Grove’s Preceptor held a class on Meditation on Saturday morning where we all took notes, then dispersed for a short while to practice our technique before we came back together to journal about what we observed with all of our senses. After lunch we had an open format discussion on the history, philosophy, and structure of Reformed Druidism which lasted into our dinner party which was a whiskey & charcuterie potluck. The Jack Daniels Original Tennessee Honey turned out to be my favorite of the five or six spirits we sampled. It was smoothest and sweet, and tasted better than one of the two more expensive spirits I had brought.
We had an initiation into the Order of Hephaestus, yeah technically that’s a Greek fire god but within the RDNA it truly exists. Our Flamekeeper Ross was ordained to that level of the priesthood and leapt over the fire nine times while chanting to Hephaestus. The badge of office for the Order of Hephaestus is a yellow ankle cuff. There was also an initiation into the Order of Ogmios, the Gaulish god of eloquence and deep wisdom. The order is reserved for members of the RDNA priesthood who are educators, mentors, motivational speakers, and tutors. Our Preceptor Courtney who has worked in education and is a mentor was ordained to the priesthood of Ogmios on this occasion. The badge of office is a golden masonic style “v-neck” collarette with a book pendant.
The Third Order: The Order of Dalon Ap Landu:
Saturday night I actually didn’t even try to sleep, because two of Oakdale Grove’s Second Order druids had been preparing for the priesthood for several years. They had their All-Night Vigil which I served as Vigil Warden for to make sure they conducted their rite of passage correctly. Everything went well, and at dawn they were individually ordained to the priesthood of the Reformed Druids of North America. Their first official sacrifices of their priesthood were made, and the omen was a resounding affirmation from all four directions, and they consecrated the Waters-of-Life in Dalon Ap Landu’s name with recognized authority for the first time.
They received their red and white ribbons: the prescribed badge of office for the Order of Dalon Ap Landu into which they entered triumphantly on that morning. Usually the presiding priest is not moved to tears by the proceedings, but it was a moment of great pride and I ended up crying during the most esoteric parts of each ordination. It’s more common for the ordainee to be brought to tears but let’s just gloss over the fact that yes that was also the case, moving on.
After the sunrise ordinations it was time to have breakfast together. I think I laid down for fifteen minutes before I got back up and went into the next planned event of the morning, which was on Bardic Expression. We had a lesson on making art with found objects which not only creates something unique but also keeps items from going into landfills. It’s great for reusing, upcycling, or cleaning up otherwise unwanted things. There were painted cans and painted rocks, and my favorite was one by a grovemate who made a highly detailed representation of a moon goddess:
After this last session, it was time to pack up and break camp. We went our separate ways, and the two new ordainees to the Third Order (as well as myself) went to our respective homes and to bed to recover from the Recharge Retreat.
Commander Albert Hawke 💛
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231) Vatican City, 2007
Feastday: 17 November
How Religious Communities Make Ends Meet
Full Question
Does the Catholic Church financially support Catholic religious communities?
Answer
Communities of women and men religious are certainly supported by the Church, but it’s primarily through the generous donations of individual Catholics and foundations, which are generated by the development efforts of each religious community.
In addition, there is the important and annual “Retirement Fund for Religious” collection in parishes across the United States, which helps to supplement the retirement needs of so many religious—particularly women religious—who served with distinction for many years but without being paid a lot for their efforts, particularly in educating children at Catholic schools.
Saint Rose of Lima (20 April 1586 – 24 August 1617) Peru, 1986
Feastday: 23 August
Third Order Ordinations
Services Provided by Oakdale Grove
A rite of passage for existing Second Order Druids who desire to enter the priesthood of the Reformed Druids of North America. Candidate must perform an outdoor All-Night Vigil (sunset to sunrise) fasting and meditating under the direct supervision of an existing Third Order Druid. If all the required tasks of the ordeal are properly completed, the candidate may be ordained in a ceremony of consecration at the moment of sunrise.
Upon entering the Third Order, the druid also becomes a member of the Council of Dalon Ap Landu, the governing body of the Reformed Druids.
Duration: 7 hours minimum up to 10 hours Cost: Here’s the thing, originally the cost was that the candidate had to buy breakfast for the druid who ordains them. That got mixed up over the years to the point that nobody knows who owes what to whom.
See also: the slew of requirements for the Vigil to be successful
