We are having our annual mid summer celebration on Saturday evening, July 11 on private property in Medford. Why so late in the year? To avoid conflicts with all the other amazing events going on in late June through the Fourth of July.

Our celebration will involve the dedication of our World Tree which is a nine foot section of a blue spruce. This also marks the final resting place of Cotton who graced me with her presence for 21 years.

Our ritual space now includes two 100+ lbs standing stones (in the North and West), a pond with a gold fish as our "salmon of wisdom" (roughly in the East) along with our huge permanent fire pit with the permanent Maypole (roughly in the South) . The mister system has been redone to keep us all cool when the days are warm.

We would appreciate our guests bring libations or prayer flags to be tied to our new symbol as well as prayers/offerings for beloved pets and/or the Deities associated with them.

The Grove to provide a Salad Niçoise with Tuna and barbequed chicken on the side for those who do not partake. We'd like participants to bring finger foods or deserts.

After our celebration and potluck we will show: Rider-Waite Learning to Read the Symbolism of the Tarot, DVD ~ by Morhan Ki'ilehua

In other news:


Dear Friends, Kin and Folk in the Earth Mother,


As you may know. Norman Nelson, one of the three original founders of the RDNA died APril 13, 2009.

I would request you consider a period of mourning for him for this season from June 26 until Lugnasadh on August 1st, at which time kick up your heels. The Druid Inquirer issue for the Summer Solstice (see below) is dedicated to Norman Nelson.

Five ppropriate activities for the period of mourning include:
* Inflicting terrible puns and jokes upon others, or receiving them yourself.
* Brewing and consuming alcoholic beverages.
* Pilgrimages to Carleton (physical or mental)
* Utilizing the motif of "5" in your life and dealings.
* Beginning a scrap-book ("Chapbook") of your favorite articles, essays and notes of a Druidic nature.


FIFTH ORDER
I request the members of the fifth order to contact me at mikerdna@hotmail.com to discuss whether anything needs to be done about the matter of no longer having a living patriarch of the order. While I'm not of the 5th Order (4th, 6th and 8th only), I do not mind assisting in the deliberations. I will likely be contacting you about the issue. The issue is that usually the council of the 4th order is in charge of nominating the 5th order's patriarch, but that could be interpreted only as for the founding patriarch. As there are several exisitng members in the 5th order, I would postulate that they can pick their own patriarch or matriarch; or not pick up, as they see fit. LIkely a consultation between the 4th and 5th Orders will be necessary to hammer out an agreement, or perhaps nothing will happen?


CONTENTS of the DRUID INQUIRER

News of the Groves
Change of Mike’s RDNA website
News from the Order of White Oak
My Own Land, a Poem
The Passing of Norman Nelson, a Founder.
The Obituary of Norman Nelson
Later Chronicles, Chapter 10, a Poem
Some Final Thoughts, by Norman
The Epistle of Norman
The Second Epistles of Norman
The Third Epistles of Norman
Media Corner: 2 Classic Space Botanical Robot-Dramas
Book Review: 9 More Pages of Reviews of Really Old Celtic Books, Part 2


Deadline for next Issue is July 20, 2009

FINAL NOTE: MY WEBSITE WILL MOVE
I will alert you where my website (www.geocities.com/mikerdna) moves to this summer before geocities.com goes offline forever.


*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*'`'*.,.*
Yours in the Mother,
Mike the Fool