The upcoming DVPN Summer Social July 2007 & other happenings.

I belong to several online Pagan groups in the metro Philadelphia/New Jersey area. A common post made on these groups came up over the last week or so was this:

DVPN Summer Social

Sunday, July 22, 2007, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Lorimer Park, Huntingdon Valley, PA

If you don't already know, the DVPN is the Delaware Valley Pagan Network. The DVPN is an organization of Pagans from different backgrounds. You can be a Druid, a Heathen, A Wiccan, or just an ordinary Neo-Pagan. There are countless other traditions that fall under the term "Pagan" that can be listed, I just gave you the tip of the iceberg. You might be asking what is this organization about? Here is a quote from their site :

"The Delaware Valley Pagan Network (DVPN) was founded in 1999 as a secular organization that would help support the Pagan community of the Delaware Valley.
DVPN's primary goal is to help Pagans in the area find each other and share resources. If a local coven is sponsoring an open gathering, we help to promote it through our online network and newsletter. If a bookstore is having a special author event, we would also help them promote that. We hold public gatherings designed not just to bring Pagans together, but to allow members of the public to see what we do."

Last summer I missed the social due to physical problems & most of all, due to the high humidity and how that effects my body, it literally cripples me up. This year I plan on going with one of my true Pagan friends. This person was the only person who stuck by me through all the BS that came up from my ex-Coven & the treatment that I received. This person exemplifies how a true Pagan acts & was the voice of reason within my ex-Coven. My friend is no longer a member of my ex Coven due to BS & people who start BS. Anyhow, my ex-Coven will be doing the closing Ritual & I really wish them luck. Speaking of them, this will be the first time that I will have seen any of them since my Coven decommedation and there has been a lot of nasty words back & forth between all parties. I am over all that BS and have been since about like 2 days after it happened. I contacted another one of my friends who happens to be the HPS of a Coven in NJ when all the BS went down & now I am continuing my studies with her.

Since I am talking about this, my new Coven is the Silver Phoenix Coven in Pensauken,NJ. I was accepted there for who I am and my opinions & thoughts do count without anybody getting pissed off for what I say because we are a family & everybody has a say. I am not an official Coven member yet, I need to go through the program for my year & a day, but I am a 2nd year student due to my prior experience and am respected (unlike in my past experience) for what I know and my 1st degree what was obtained in my old Coven. But things are different in a Traditional Wiccan Coven than it was in an Eclectic Wiccan Coven (please note, I didn't say Eclectic Pagan Coven like my old Coven would like to be considered because 85% of their Rituals are truly Wiccan). Even though I am a second year student, I am a little behind knowledge wise than my classmates because their 1st year was spent in a more rigorous training setting than me, but with the help of other students & my teacher, I am getting up to speed.

Last month, we had the pleasure of experiencing a Blue Moon. A Blue Moon is when a 2nd Full Moon occurs in a month. This happens every 2 1/2 years or simply every 30 months. This past Blue Moon not only was the 1st Blue Moon that I experienced as a Wiccan, but it was the 1st Ritual that I partook in with my new extended family, and the 1st Ritual since I got decommendated from my old Coven. The results of this Ritual were unlike anything I ever felt. I felt reborn and full of life! It felt really good to get back in the swing of things again! I am really glad that I contacted Lady Misty and did not become a solitaire practitioner because I am surrounded by a supportive, caring bunch of people who like to learn & grow with each other without the drama & negativity that dampen your personal growth, goals, and aspirations. I have learned that a successful Coven has its ups & downs and like a family there are arguments, but nothing personal is taken and in the end, everyone has grown and learned without any feelings getting hurt or viscous personal attacks thrown about. In a Coven we laugh, we cry, and most of all, we have each other for support.

One more thing, in case you're wondering what happened to Treborus? Who is Caedmon? Well, Treborus was associated with my past & since I am moving forward, I chose a new name, Caedmon. Caedmon is pronounced Kad'mun. Caedmon is Celtic for wise warrior and since I am in a Celtic Coven, my name is appropriate. My old HPS had me read the book Wiccan Warrior, I decided to take on a Warrior name. Since I am continuing to learn that makes me wiser. So with all these factors combined and by process of elimination through numerology (with my magickal number being 1), I chose Caedmon, the Wise, the Celtic, the Wiccan Warrior.