A bit about the Hosts;

Gordon Cooper began his study of natural sciences, nature spirituality and magic in 1976 while serving in the US Navy as Cryptology technician. In the early 1980's he began his study of the poetic traditions of Ireland and Wales and their contemporary applications, taking instruction and inspiration from a number of teachers and friends, most of them pat of the NECTW family of the Craft. Along that mist-wrapped variegated green road he became one of the founders of the Celtic Reconstructionist movement and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, where he holds the distinction of being one of their Mt. Haemus scholars. Due to a growing awareness of the viability and elegance of the Fraternal/Sororal Lodge systems and the desire to explore North American spirit ecologies he joined AODA shortly after its re-emergence in 2004.

His formal degree work is in anthropology and Turkish language studies. He has attained the rank of 3rd dan in Hsin Lu Tong martial arts school and continues to learn and apply lessons from this discipline. Current projects include a book on Physical Culture ("Hermetic Tension") with another druid author. He is a licensed amateur radio operator and resides on the shores of the Puget Sound.

Rev. Linda Costello earned her clergy credentials from the Fellowship of Druidism in the Latter Age. Linda has been studying about the ancient Druids since 1991 when she discovered the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. In 2002, she joined ADF, and has been active in leadership for the past six years, including the founding of the Grove of the Rising Phoenix. She went on to become a member of AODA, and soon after, FoDLA. She is also a first degree initiate of RDNA.

Linda is dedicated to teaching others more about history, lore, and application of this interesting and colorful culture, and to that end, in 2007, she founded EarthLove Fellowship: A Grove of FoDLA, in Scottsdale, AZ, where she presents public ritual and classes.

In addition to her involvement with Druidism, Linda studied ceremonial magic for two decades with the Servants of the Light, a mystery school founded by Dion Fortune. She has also studied shamanism with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies.

Linda has worked in the field of accounting for 35 years, although her real love has been in psychology and teaching. She has an undergraduate degree in Financial Management, but her graduate degree is in Education and she also has completed a year of counseling/psychology at the graduate level. In addition, she completed the two year program at the Gestalt Institute of Phoenix, and has attended numerous workshops and courses sponsored by the Jung Institute of Boston as well as the Phoenix Friends of CG Jung. She currently works as a personal development coach, as well as co-owner and chief financial officer of a comic book store.

Kenneth Proefrock received his Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Since 1996, he has engaged in the private practice of Naturopathic Medicine and is the sole owner/formulator for Vital Force Naturopathic Compounding, providing consulting services and therapeutic compounds for other Naturopathic Physicians and their patients. Dr. Proefrock serves as Vice-President for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners and is chairperson for the biochemistry portion of the Naturopathic Physician's Licensing Exam.

He is a member of the Council of Elders and current President of the Order of WhiteOak, a Celtic Reconstructionist Druid Order, and has been a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids since 1994, achieving the rank of Ovate in 2001. He is also a member of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA), and an instructor in the Nature, Deity and Inspiration department of Cherry Hill Pagan Seminary. He is married and has five children.

Tully Reill started out on a Druid Path in the late 1980's as a solitary. In 2005 he joined the RDNA and founded Arizona's first RDNA Protogrove. In 2006 he joined the AODA, being appointed to the Grand Grove in 2008, currently holds the position of Grand Almoner, and chairs the AODA's Inmate Correspondence Program.

He and his family currently reside near Winslow Arizona, enjoying the off-grid lifestyle on a ten acre ranch just outside of town.

Schedule of Events

Friday 10/2/09:
2:00pm-5:00pm_Arrival of guests and settle-in period
5:00pm-6:00pm_Grove Opening Ritual to begin the weekend's events
6:00pm-7:30pm_Dinner Break
7:30pm-???????_Social Mixer

Saturday 10/3/09:
10:00am-11:30am-Linda Costello's "The Sacred Center" Workshop
11:30am-11:45am-Break
11:45am-01:15pm-Gordon Cooper's "Closeted Spirits" Workshop
01:15pm-02:45pm-Lunch Break
02:45pm-03:45pm-Tully Reill's "Sustainable Living and More" Workshop
03:45pm-04:00pm-Break
04:00pm-05:30pm-Gordon Cooper's "Cycles and Seasons" Workshop
05:30pm-07:30pm-Dinner Break
07:30pm-????????-Social Mixer (musical entertainment TBA)

Sunday 10/4/09:
10:00am-11:30am-Kenneth Proefrock's "A Wildcrafted Druidry" Workshop
11:30am-11:45am-Break
11:45am-01:15pm-Linda Costello's "Lady of the Land" Workshop
01:15pm-02:45pm-Lunch Break
02:45pm-04:15pm-Gordon Cooper's "A Secret Lecture" Workshop
04:15pm-05:00pm-Break
05:00pm-06:00pm-Grove Closing Ritual
06:00pm-????????-Social Time, Clean-up, Pack-up and Farewells

Event Updates

Some updated information;

1) We do have an RSVP phone number available now. Please, if you are definitely going to be in attendance (and especially if you are going to be staying on-site) please let us know at;
623-977-0077 or you can e-mail me directly at myrddynemrys@gmail.com

We don't need detailed information about you, we merely need to know roughly how many people will be in attendance and who will be staying on site so adequate space can be provided.

2) There is a limited amount of space available for indoor sleeping at Shanta Ista in a sleepover-style (bedroll on the floor), so this will be on a first-come basis. There is camping available outside, but toilet facilities are inside, so a porta-potty is recommended (or jaunts inside when the need arises). For those not wishing to stay on-site, there is the Best Western Sawmill Inn nearby.

3) Shanta Ista has a strict DRUG -FREE policy, this will be enforced.

4) We will have access to the Retreat's full kitchen for all in attendance to use. For those not wanting to cook on-site, there are several small restaurants in town, reasonably priced and good food. We will not be doing communal meals as several in attendance have dietary restrictions. Plenty of meal breaks will be provided throughout the days.

5) Linda Costello of FoDLA joins us this year as co-hostess and will be holding a workshop. Subject matter will be announced in a future update.

UPCOMING-Southwest Druid's EGG 2009!!

Yes! We are going to be hosting a 2009 Equinox Grove Gathering.

Plans for this year's gathering are;

October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th

To be held at Shanta Ista Spiritual Retreat in the beautiful Ponderosa Pines of Heber/Overgaard Arizona. Their website is http://www.shanta-ista-ulc.com/ so you can see the fabulous facilities we will have at our disposal. Our hostess, Reverend Sandra Cauthron is a wonderful person that I've known for several years now and she is very enthusiastic about our holding this year's event at her Sanctuary. Cost will be $20 per person, per day, including lodging in the Sanctuary's main building (depending on available space) or camping outside on the Sanctuary grounds, but not meals. We are discussing the possibility of one or two communal meals, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Tentative list of guest speaker's for the event are;

Gordon Cooper, AODA's Archdruid of Fire (confirmed for the event)
Dr. Kenneth Proefrock (confirmed for the event)
Tully Reill (that's me!), AODA's Grand Almoner (confirmed for the event)
Linda Costello of FoDLA (not confirmed at this time)

Updates forthcoming.

For more information, please contact me at myrddynemrys@gmail.com

Photos II

L to R; Craig, Tully, Paul, Kenneth, and Gordon.
One of many wonderful conversations.
Paul Mitchell in concert saturday night
Kenneth's workshop on sunday.
Giving a gift of water back to the plant for its offering of itself.

Event pictures

As close as I was going to get to of the snakes
Somewhat shows them in the triple spiral
Group shot of opening ritual
During Gordon's workshop
Our ADF Rising Phoenix friends

The weekend's proceedings

Despite slightly higher than projected and average temperatures, and a few “unique delays such as mating Diamondback Rattlesnakes (nope, not kidding), I believe we can call the first Southwestern Druid’s Equinox Grove Gathering a success. Much information was shared, many new friends were made, and copious amounts of fun were had by all.

In addition to our own AODA members present (Gordon, Kenneth, Craig, and I) there were members from several other Druid Organizations. A wonderful couple who is with OBOD came all the way from Idaho, The leader of the FoDLA Grove Earth Love Fellowship and her friend were present, as were some of the members of the ADF Rising Phoenix Grove and their Senior Druid.

Others who were present were a family that are Kenneth’s good friends, Kenneth’s wife (who was kind enough to do much running around town when needed) and my son Rob who aided me and took many wonderful photos which I will soon post here at the blog.

Of course, we cannot forget our friend from the UK, Paul Mitchell, who provided wonderful music for our entertainment and gave us such an insight from the British perspective of many of our conversations throughout the weekend. His comments added another wonderful layer of information to things.

Our total count for attendees was right about two dozen, I feel a wonderful turnout for this first time event that did overlap so many other group’s previous engagements.

Adjusting our plans to suit the weather (HOT!) and the arrival of attendees, Gordon, Kenneth and I elected to hold the “official” Opening Ritual on Saturday instead of Friday evening. Instead, it became a wonderful mix of discussions on a wide variety of topics and viewpoints followed by some traditional Folk Songs by Paul.

Saturday brought us quite the surprise, as those of us that were camping awoke to find two Diamondback Rattlesnakes mating in the Ramada we were using. Three hours later we were convinced that snakes are not in need of Viagra. One of the attendees was able to get a picture of the two actually forming a triple spiral with their bodies. As soon as she e-mails me that picture, I’ll post it here on the blog. This was felt by all to actually be a “good omen”. Craig even compared the scene to the “Druid Animal Oracle” deck he had with him...picture perfect as they say.

Due to last minute computer problems, Gordon, Kenneth, and Paul arrived back at the camp late in the morning. Kenneth’s wonderful wife began her quest to get some of Gordon’s workshop material printed, which turned out to be quite the daunting task. With the late start, and the day only getting warmer, the three of us elected to forego the opening ritual we had planned (a wonderful Mistletoe Rite written by my friend Finegas...which the three of us were looking forward to...followed by an AODA Grove Opening). Instead, we opted to go with the Druid Revival tradition of Calling Peace to the Quarters. By Gordon’s suggestion and mutual consent between the three of us, we did state during the Call for Peace that “there was not peace in the east” (due to the war) and that “the work for this was ongoing”.

Gordon Cooper’s workshop...WOW...how can I sum this up in just a few words!? Such wonderful information and to see how the threads of 18th and 19th Century ideas, spirituality, and thought are so deeply woven into and influential in our modern practices in ways that are so plain but just not visible at the casual glance. There was even a group participation of a ritual reading which Gordon had redacted in the style of The Chicago New Thought Golden Dawn. It was so very moving and you could just about taste the energy in the air from it after our reading.

That night came Paul Mitchell’s concert. “English Pagan Satirical Folk Musician” is a formal way to say that this is a wonderfully genuine person with a beautiful gift for music, who has a splendid sense of humor and wraps it all together. The easiest way I can describe his music (and him) is direct you to his web page; http://www.myspace.com/pagansatire especially the tune “A far better Pagan...”. We have found out, though, that for some reason scorpions are attracted to the hats of English Pagan Satirical Folk Musicians (just like with the snakes, not kidding, three of them tried to go home with him).

Sunday morning brought us no copulating snakes, but definite warm temperatures. A he stated in a AODA Yahoo Group post, Craig had to take his leave of us that morning. He was certainly missed.

The good Dr. Kenneth Proefrock’s workshop on Local Herbalism was wonderful and informative. The way the information provided was blended with examples of his own family’s practices and spirituality was beautiful. The discussions on “connection with the Divine” were quite moving and tied in seamlessly with many connecting themes in Gordon’s workshop the previous day.

As many of us had quite a long drive ahead of us, we elected to close this wonderful gathering at that point. Gordon and I “concluded the work” to the quarters (again saying that work in the east was ongoing). Gordon made an open request for anyone who may have a request or offering for the good of the Grove or the Earth. Many wonderful suggestions and requests were made by all, including peace, prosperity, health, and safe travel. All swore their faithful service to the Earth Our Home and Mother upon the bared blade. One could feel all the energy that we had raised over the wonderful weekend returning to the ground as would water after a soothing rain shower as I led us all sun-wise from our circle of friends.

Yet before everyone departed, I asked Gordon to tell us the Revival Druidry Parable of Mortimer. The weekend would just have not been complete without an Ogham-laden Penguin sighting in the desert southwest...

As I had told everyone during our discussions on Friday night;

“This is what I envision Druids doing, be it Ancient Druids from across the Celtic Lands or our Druid Revival Forbearers. We are ‘engaging’ ourselves in Druidry...sharing information, discussing problems, working out solutions and enjoying each other’s company throughout the process. We’re doing work together that knows no boundaries, for our families, for the environment, for the future. This is what Modern Druids do...”


I would like to sincerely thank everyone that attended. I am deeply honored to have met you all and feel privileged to call you all friends.