Author: JeanL

For this Samhain season, our beloved Secretary Kat Kurfman has built an altar to the ancestors in the River Hall. Please reflect on her description and observations written below… and then, as you are comfortable, bring a picture or item or an offering to honor your beloved dead… Blessed Samhain!~Jean

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There is a remembrance altar up in the hall. This is a mix of cultures and traditions and is very fluid rather than specific. I can share how I would use this altar, but I cannot say it is how you should use it. There is room for many ideas, many memories, and many paths. 
I bring to the altar pictures of loved ones recently lost. Next to their pictures I place items and treasures that bring forth memory and connection with those individuals. What you bring and how you place it is completely up to you. Along the table there is room for roughly 2 small picture frames, and a few small items per person ~ please use discretion when choosing what items to place… Perhaps larger items would be better suited for your own home. 
I’ve gathered some photo book pages that can be hung off the front of the table to allow for more photos of family and friends and those who have passed. Anyone is welcome to use them, they are available in the hall. 
In the middle of the table I have setup a ritual space. In the center is a large bowl that can be used to gift offerings of food or spices. Please use proper disposal once you have completed your prayer/offering/ritual. Next to the bowl is a cup for offerings of liquids. Again please use proper disposal once you are done. I have also placed a lamp with a candle inside to light the way from darkness, a 1-minute sand timer for use in multiple ways, an Alebrije, and an incense burner. Please use fire safety measures and perhaps get permission from council before burning things in the hall. Also be mindful of those around you with scent sensitivity. 
At the top of the ritual space is a picture frame with cabinet style doors. Inside these doors is a blank picture frame. This is a space for mindfulness and working with the veil. To connect with lost loved ones, older ancestors, and our connection to the divinity within death. This spiritual tool has been cleansed and made with pure intentions of allowing one to call loving, peaceful energies with no ill-intent. Please be mindful of your intentions when using it, and keep the doors closed when not in use. Covenant of the River is an open eclectic group, and I would use this altar as a tool to focus intent, and bring forth connection. 
I have bells spread throughout the table and electric candles (no fire hazards!) That can be used to offer/request blessings and open/close the space. Remember to turn off the candles when you are done. These items can be moved or shifted to accommodate more space on the table. They do not need to be in your space. Please be extra mindful of other people’s belongings and space on the table. 
How you use the space is highly up to the individual. 

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May the gods and good spirits guide us all as we navigate this turning of the Wheel and the blessings of the shadow season.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Council or Kat.

May the blessings of the gods, the fae and the supportive ancestors be a reminder that each of us have a way to give gift, to share what we have to spare and to bring the love of community to the forefront of all our actions!

Covenant of the River is moving and shaking this summer! Untamed is just under two weeks from welcoming guests to a weekend of celebrating our larger Pagan community. Fort Collins Pagan Pride is in the process of securing a bigger location for our event in August. Then in the fall, the Denver Witches’ Ball will be held at the end of October in Denver at the beautiful Highlands Masonic Temple.
And those are just the larger events we are supporting as a community. We also have camping trips, yard sales and Sanctuary Care days on the calendar between now and Labor Day!
It is easy to feel overwhelmed with so many opportunities for shared work. I encourage you to figure out which events fit in your schedule and give what you can, when you are able. There is no one way to be an active part of the Covenant of the River community and all forms of gift are welcomed. Sometimes this looks like just being present and holding space for others in need. Sometimes this looks like being on a committee or team that is planning a larger event and then working your tail off the day of that event. If you can’t carry heavy things or work in the sun, maybe you can help organize supply drawers during our Sanctuary Care Days. If altitude isn’t your friend, maybe you can help man the yard sales in town. If you need help figuring how to support our community while respecting your own needs and boundaries, please reach out to Council. We will work with you to find a way.
As we continue to find safe ways to be in community, feeding our spirits and honoring our diverse paths, there will be hiccups and potholes that we did not anticipate. This is the summer of finding our footing again. We may have to get creative. We will certainly have to remember that each person has their own way of staying safe and expressing their spirituality.
As you are willing and able… This is a consistent mantra at Covenant of the River. The leadership team, the Council and the Board of Directors, appreciates every act of contribution and we set the expectation that members will honor and respect their own needs. This mantra, as it were, has two parts; first you must want to and second you must have the wherewithal to give the time or effort.
As Covenant of the River moves through this season of work, of celebrating with the larger Pagan community and giving gift, we look forward to working alongside all of you!

Blessings!

Jean Loomis

I find it wonderful that on the night of the Snow Moon rising, our sanctuary will be blanketed in fresh snow and the skies will be blanketed with clouds gifting our region with some much needed moisture. If your ritual needs require a visual connection with the full moon, do not fret, you can do your ritual work tomorrow night when we are supposed to have clearer skies.

As most of you know by now, I like to read horoscopes, astrological analysis and try to glean some insight from the folks I trust that are astrologers. I am not an astrologer. I encourage you, if you are interested, to look at your chart, find somebody you can understand explaining astrological analysis and see what the stars have to say about your way forward. For this ritual, and many rituals I have put together in the past, I have read a few analyses and come up with a few images that stood out to me for the central working. Then I added gratitude, breath and moon gazing.

The following ritual can be followed as is or elaborated on to your liking. As always, pay attention to your own needs and the resonance you feel with any step or guidance. You are encouraged to manifest this full moon ritual offering in whatever manner suits you.

Altar
Cloth- in a color that encourages you
Candles- preferably tall where the flame can be seen while you work
Favorite divination tool- I was going to use Runes but the tool that you are most familiar with, or are trying to build a relationship with perhaps, might be a better choice for you
Offering bowl
Bowl of water or black mirror
Chalice with sweet beverage

Ritual
Take a few deep breaths, letting go of the day and being present in your sacred space

If you want to call quarters or draw a sacred circle, this is a common place in the ritual to do so

Recognize the day and the divine feminine you are honoring- whether it is silent or five minutes of flowery language, this part is the centering of the ritual

Give offering and recognize the gifts, out loud or silently, that the goddess has shared with you- pour some of the beverage from the chalice into the offering bowl or directly onto the ground if you are outside

If you are able, this is a good time to gaze up at the moon- bathe in the light- feel the light wash over you and the relationship you have with the divine feminine strengthen-

Coming back to the altar, restate your purpose for the ritual tonight- if we had been in person tonight, I would have pointed out how the full moon is a time of culmination and celebration. I would have spoken briefly about how the planets are all direct right now and how that allows for a fair amount of forward motion in our lives. I would have reminded everyone gathered that with culmination comes opportunity for the next big thing to start.

If you can, position the items on your altar so that there is space on both sides of your gazing bowl or black mirror while your divination tool can still be easily reached. Take a few deep breaths and watch the reflective surface for a few minutes, letting your gaze become unfocused. Ponder the parts of your life that are in the culminating phase- what projects have you finished? What doors are you closing? Pull one of whatever you’re using as a divination tool and place it on the right side of your gazing tool.
Take a few deep breaths and watch the reflective surface for a few minutes again, letting your gaze become unfocused. Ponder the parts of your life that are in the dreaming or pre-planning phase- what is on your horizon? What goal do you have for the Spring? What door is on the verge of opening for you? Pull one of whatever you’re using as a divination tool and place it on the left side of your gazing tool.
In theory, these two cards or runes or sticks will be guidance on what or how to celebrate what is culminating and what is still coming.

Feel free to sit with these two bits of guidance for as long as you need. You may want to do more moon gazing/bathing at this time so that you can meditate on the guidance you received for a few more minutes.

When you are ready, say another word of gratitude for blessings from the divine feminine or the full moon and pour another bit of beverage from the chalice into the offering bowl

Echo your recognition of the day and the divine feminine in the moon to close your rite

If you called quarters or drew a sacred circle, this might a good time to release them

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However you choose to honor the Full Moon, I pray that the blessings of the goddess are felt and recognized around your hearth this snowy Snow Moon day!

Blessings!
Jean Loomis

We have arrived at my favorite time of the year.. The liminal space between the end of one year and the beginning of another. In my tradition at least. It is the time to clean out the closets, sit with yourself and make your hearth the best space it can be. It is time to take long walks watching dappled sunlight create shadows. It is time to sit in front of the mirror, lights off, candles lit and see what you need to recognize in your own reflection.
Samhain marks the end of the working year; the harvest has been brought in and now we can gather at the hearth with our beloveds. As the nights grow longer and the veil thickens, a quiet settles on the land. We wait in limbo for the light to return at Yule.
In the waiting, we have an opportunity to do the mundane work of clearing the clutter and the spiritual work of understanding our shadow selves.
Shadow work is a very personal way of weaving together magic and self empowerment or care. It is the practice of taking time to look at our innermost workings to manifest the best version of ourselves so we can achieve great things. Shadow work can be the picking apart of negative behaviors or it can be learning new communication styles. It can look like intense meditation sessions or a tarot spread surrounded by chunks of amethyst. How is not as important as why you are doing the work or what you want to achieve. Shadow work is digging in and unearthing the parts of your unconscious or personality that are maladaptive or so repressed that they manifest in ugly inconsistent ways.
There are plenty of ways to get started from journal prompts to Jungian texts to new-age podcasts. A few minutes on your favorite search engine will help you find a tool to kick-start your journey. I can recommend Kelly Ann Maddox and Christine Jette, as they have both helped to form my understanding and practice of shadow work. I will put links to their work in the comments.
After the hustle and bustle of the summer and then the harvest.. It is time to intone the Iza rune and listen to what the vibrations shake loose. I encourage you to sit in front of the mirror with nothing but candle light, to answer hard questions in a fancy notebook or meditate on a mountain trail and find a better way forward.

Many blessings on the journey!
Jean Loomis

Blessed Mabon! May the balance of light and broomsticks bring you a moment of reflection that empowers your journey into the darker half of the year. For those of you that were able to join us in the Sanctuary on Sunday: Thank you for your patience and levity. It was a boon to my soul to be be able to share that ritual with all of you.

We also had an opportunity to honor the Harvest Moon this week, with it’s rise at the end of our ritual on Sunday. I was privileged to see it’s pale full self over Horsetooth Rock this morning on my way to drop off the kiddo at school. I am always filled with such peace and gratitude when I catch sight of her hanging over the Rockies.

Many Pagans put a whole lotta emphasis on the full moon and I do not want to take away from the significance of our relationship to that breathtaking satellite. I would, however, like to remind us all that the moon’s cycle- from dark to full to dark again- has beneficial energy for magic, manifestation and contemplation on every one of those 29.5 days. I am only going to touch on the waning moon here, because that’s where we are now in the cycle, and the energies of the waning moon fit beautifully with the onset of autumn. I encourage you to do a little digging into the energetic correspondence to the phases of the moon.

With the full moon on Monday, today’s moon is waning and starting to show a little more lopsided egg shape when she rises later in the evening. This part of the moon’s cycle has energy to support releasing and reflection, which I think goes really well with the fall cleaning and hearth sweeping. As our families and focus move indoors, many of us are already planning to clean out closets and sweep out the corners that have collected dust bunnies over the summer. Collect what can be donated, like a stack of magazines that will never read again and the kitchen gadget that you doesn’t get as much use as you thought it would. There’s a coat drive somewhere in town soon: donate those old coats and warm clothes. Getting rid of what no longer serves you isn’t just about bad habits or grudges. There are plenty of ways to find meaning in releasing.

It is super easy to add a dash of magic to these mundane activities, if you want. Try adding a mantra or empowering statement to your repetitious vacuuming or an essential oil to your duster. You can also turn the fall cleaning into a full blown ritual to release what no longer serves. Light altar candles, set intentions, burn incense and make offerings to your house wights before you start your cleaning. Once the house is in order, consider anointing your doorways or salting your thresholds. Before you extinguish your altar candles, take a moment to express gratitude for your home.

The waning moon and the turning season are in cahoots to help you release the things, both mundane and spiritual, that which no longer serves you.

Blessings!

Jean Loomis

Welcome to the midweek moment in the Council Blog on our new website! We will probably still do some Facebook videos but the majority of the Council’s musings will now be here.

This coming Sunday (August 1st) Covenant of the River will be celebrating Lughnasadh with ritual and fellowship at the River Hall. We have much to celebrate at this time of First Harvest, not the least of which is that we will be honoring this high holyday in person in our sacred space!

Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas, is a time of beautiful breads and dinner spreads shared among the community. Lughnasadh celebrations can include competitive games, copious homegrown flower arrangements and counting the blessings of the past year. It is a time to walk among the lush fields and give thanks for the bounty in our lives, both that which we can see now and that which we trust will come with the turning season. Gratitude is shown to our folk and our gods for all that is good in our lives.

While many of us are not physically harvesting wheat or any vegetable in mass quantities, we can still pause at Lughnasadh and be proud of what we have in this modern world. The First Harvest is a time to recognize the skills it takes to make our personal goals bear fruit. The manifestation of healthy children, full pantries and clean swept porches takes effort and hope just like a crop of barley or strawberries. The time you have spent breathing to find your center and the prayers you have sent to struggling loved ones counts as part of your harvest, in my opinion. Offerings can be made for the grace you have been given and for the grace you have maintained. While many traditional Lughnasadh themes center on food, I would encourage you to look at what else sustains you for this life requires more than food for sustenance.

May the gods and good spirits continue to guide us on the path that feeds our souls and fuels our passions. May you find blessings around your hearth and in the faces of your beloveds.

~Jean Loomis