Archdruid's Report
Lúghnasadh to Samhain - 2001

This has been an interesting and eventful quarter for me. I've traveled to five festivals, including one in Texas, hosted a festival in Syracuse and traveled around the perimeter of the US visiting with ADF members and groves.

I started off the first weekend in August, 8/2 to 8/5, by attending the Shining Lakes Lugh Fest put on by Shining Lakes Grove, ADF in Brighton, Michigan. As always, this is a very well run festival and was nicely attended. I presented four workshops at this festival, a meditation workshop that started with a discussion about mediation techniques and ended with a guided meditation, "The Way of the Trees workshop", "How to Integrate ADF into your family life" and "Daily Devotional Rites." I also made regalia sales totaling $232 and traveled 1076 miles to and from the festivals.

The third weekend in August, 8/17 to 8/19, was spent hosting, along with Muin Mound Grove, ADF, Muin Mound Madness at my home in Syracuse, NY. The theme of the festival this year was "Future Planning." We spent time brainstorming idea about where we wanted to see ADF in 1, 3, 5, 9 & 27 years. We then developed plans that would allow those visions and ideas to happen. An article on the vision will forthcoming in Oak Leaves. Regalia sales at Muin Mound Madness were $40.

The fourth weekend in August, 8/24 to 8/26, was spent at the Summerlands festival in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This is the regional gathering for the Ohio River region. The main ritual on Saturday night was a unity rite for the region and was put together and executed very well. I presented two workshops at this festival, "Daily Worship Rites" and "How to Integrate ADF into your family life." And I made regalia sales of $587 and traveled 1068 miles to and from the festival.

The second weekend of September, 9/7 to 9/9, I attended the Triple Guild VI festival held in Massasoit State Park in East Taunton, Massachusetts. This festival is put on by the Filedheacht School of Distance Learning, a bardic school created and ran by Gwynne Green, ADF's Chief Bard and The Sacred Forest, a magical training school created and ran by Rob Barton, ADF's Preceptor. I presented my workshop "The Role of the Magician in ADF" and I traveled a total of 727 miles to and from this festival.

The third weekend in September was spent at Fall Fest, put on by Red Oak Grove, ADF. This festival was held at Four Quarter's Farm in southern Pennsylvania. It was a crisp fall weekend and is in a beautiful location for festivals. Four Quarter's Farm has been creating a circle of stone and is the home of the Stone's Rising festival. The circle is coming along nicely and is a very impressive place to hold ritual. I presented a workshop titled "Druidism, Past, Present and Future," sold $87 worth of regalia and traveled a total of 982 miles to and from the festival.

The fourth weekend of September was taken up by my local grove's Fall Equinox ritual on Saturday, 9/22. After this ritual, we had a separate ceremony that was very special to me. After being the Senior Druid since 1992, I ceremonially transferred to position to Kia Marie Wolfe, who had been elected at Lúghnasadh. This was done, in part, by telling the story of Muin Mound Grove, ADF and then passing the keeping of the story on to Kia Marie.

On Sunday, 9/23, I left on the West Coast trip to visit with ADF members and groves in the southern and western states. This trip covered 27 states, not all with ADF members but we're working on it, and lasted until 11/1. I visited with members in nine locations. Not all of the trip was ADF related. I took time to visit places that refreshed my spirituality as well, such as Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks.

While in Texas, I attended the Modron's gate festival. Llygedyn Tuath, located in Round Rock, puts on this festival. I hope to see this tribe become an ADF grove in the near future. During the festival, I led the opening and closing rituals and presented my workshop titled "Getting in touch with your Land." And I sold $116.75 worth of regalia at this festival.

During the rest of the West Coast trip, I met with ADF members in Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. In total on the trip, I sold $307.25 worth of regalia and traveled 7,417 miles for ADF.

For the quarter, I sold $1,253.25 worth of regalia and traveled 11,270 miles for ADF. Further information about the festivals I attended and stops I made to visit with members and groves, including pictures for most of them, can be found on my website at www.dragonskeepfarm.com under trip reports and pictures.

Bright Blessings
Rev. Skip Ellison

Archdruid - Ár nDraíocht Féin