I’m so glad to know the source of When We Are Gone. At a Lammas camp I attended this year, it was when we sang that song during the closing ritual that I began to cry and finally “arrived” in the magnificent river valley where the camp was being held.

I met you, Anne, at the recent discussion about Reclaiming held in Seattle. We sang a song during the closing, and just as we dropped into the trance like place, where the song became a way of weaving energy and I felt tears come to my eyes “yes, this is what I’ve been missing,” a woman started speeding up the pace and clapping her hands. It was a good example of what is hard about doing a ritual where everyone is an expert and can have what they want. What was interesting to me was that the group held–partly due to your steady voice–and we kept on singing at the slower pace. I realized that this was one of the valuable skills I learned from Reclaiming: that you can influence the energy of an entire group, by staying true to your intention.

Another example. I remember one witch camp when Adrienne P created/”dreamed” a song that fit with the theme of the camp. One night, I think it was after the camp meeting, about eight of gathered outside the lodge and began singing the song. After a few rounds, I was wondering when we would stop. And then after a while I didn’t care if we ever stopped. And then after about an hour, our singing just came to a conclusion naturally. (Another great gift from Reclaiming ritual–I often find in other groups that the energy is forced and manipulated rather than allowed to peak and resolve naturally). That hour of singing was the most transcendent experience I had at that camp. I think it had something to do with being able to create something of such beauty with others and losing the sense of self in the process.

Wow, wouldn’t that make an interesting book, not just for Reclaiming folks, but for Pagan culture, in general… the process of creating liturgy as a process of creating community, culture, tradition, the “behind the music” of Reclaiming. Or, if not a book, perhaps an RQ column? :)

One of my favorite memories of MUSE Camp is the class you held on Pagan chants and songs in that wonderful Tibetan temple at Pema Osa Ling (then decorated with their 18 foot high Buddha and 4 earthy Pagan altars in the corners). That, and watching your girls make art and play on the grounds and in the pool. Good days.

Your writing has reminded me yet again that I’m grateful to Starhawk and those others who, in the early, fragile, days of the movement, kept the discussion of the divine feminine front and center long before it was ever trendy to do so. They dealt with ignorance, suspicion, and scorn, and made it possible for those of us who came later. We were then able to find Goddess inspired art, spirituality, and language that we women could relate to. To share in the meaning of it all as sacred equals in the dance of life – can anyone who grew up in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s forget what it finally felt like as spiritual seekers to realize that quest? And isn’t that the point? Isn’t finding meaning and connection at the very center of all we do? If not for their work early on, Paganism could have been just another minor movement with an outdated, patriarchal focus or it could been left behind in some occult backwater instead of empowering and inspiring thousands of men and women (in a relatively short period of time, I might add!) and influencing western culture in ways that have yet to be fully understood. Several historians have noted the tremendous influence that these women have had on the Pagan, feminist, and ecology movements, and I think it’s a fair (and necessary) point to make in this discussion we’re having now.

The inclusion of men who fought to rise above their upbringing, as we had to do, and who brought their own unique creativity and energy to the party has also been invigorating and, for my part, most welcome.

For some time now, I’ve seen elements of Pagan thought, ritual and language entering into the zeitgeist and becoming a part of our cultural garden. (Read: “The Tipping Point” for a discussion of how such social change comes about). I can now talk about things like sacred space and honoring the seasons in one’s life and raising girls with a sense of their own unique, spiritual place in the world with people who would never in their lives attend a Witch Camp. As you’ve noted, the discussion on much of what we hold sacred has now gone mainstream. The book “Cultural Creatives” is an excellent example of that.

The Wheel has turned radically since 2000. With such change, comes suffering, grief, challenge and renewal. We cannot deny or avoid this process but we can walk through that fire and come out stronger, more creative, more compassionate, deeper in spirit, more equal in relationship to others, and much, much happier.

What Pagans can do now is to ask themselves three very vital questions:

What Matters?
What Works?
What’s Next?

The trick is not to fear the answers.

Sia
Full Circle

I tried to collect some things, which I’ll drop on Macha as a collection of files when I get around to it – probably sometime after September when I’ll have completed my term as SpiralHeart’s Media Cell Chair – but if you’re interested, my feeble attempt at a Reclaiming bardic history is on the web at

http://stewardspiral.net/witchcraft/pagan_music.php