Tejas Web’s Regional Dandelion Gathering is October 13-16, 2022
We join together in-person for a long weekend in the Texas Hill Country. We encourage families, partners, and all ages to attend as we deepen our relationships with the Wild and one another. The flexible structure of Dandelion Gathering holds a variety of activities, magic, and fun: Rituals under the Stars, Justice Magic, the Wild, Fae, and Ancestors, Children’s Activities, Bardic Circle, Drumming, Dancing, and Optional Offerings. Drug-free and Alcohol-free gathering.
Indoor beds going fast! If you are thinking that you want an indoor bed, please reserve in advance. Fabulous tenting. Children welcome.
COVID Risk Reduction: Up-to-date vaccination, including boosters, required for all registrants that are eligible.
Early Bird discounts through July 15. Comfy beds, delightful tenting sites, plenty of bathrooms, hot tub, AND delicious food (organic, vegan, vegetarian, omnivore).
Wyrd Intention for the year:
We dare to fly into the Wild to gather Wisdom and Allies, and we transmute injustice into Justice from the Sanctuary of the Cavern.
The trees spoke, “Welcome back, we’re ready to help.” The crackling fire summoned us to the circle. The dandelion root grew thick and deep, the flowers bloomed, and then turned to seed and blew into the wind. Ancestors and the Mighty Dead are keenly interested. The Well of Accountability deepens, and we drink of it. The Earth sings with the music of crystals. Sacred water cleanses and drips. The drums vibrate in our dancing. We fly. We time travel. Change is rising, shining, connecting, rippling. We are the Spell that shifts reality.
Our main focus is to work with the Sunflower sigil. Below that are other suggestions our group came up with that might interest you.
:: SUNFLOWER ::
~ Our Sunflower has a pentacle and spiral in the center. There are others around the world also working with the Sunflower for magical purposes to support Ukraine (both seeds and full bloom).
~ The flower sigil can be printed and placed on your altar at home, drawn onto your hand, circulated via social media, visualized throughout the day, etc.. You are also encourage to create your own!
~ Here is the image created by Shel (hand model Sharon Pink) – see end of article for larger image.
WORKING WITH THE SUNFLOWER
=> SPIRALS
~ Imagine or visualize spirals spinning out of the sunflower, like the Fibonacci frequency, fractals of spirals shining and moving through space and time.
~ Spiraling out and spiraling away the desire to conquer and for conquest.
~ You might work with a double spiral, drawing forth the power of the earth itself – remember the fertile soil of Ukraine, the breadbasket that has fed multitudes for centuries.
~ Call out to those desiring peace and an end to war everywhere, especially in Ukraine as well as those working for peace inside Russia who are putting themselves deeply at risk.
~ We call to the spiral of change – the unexpected turns of events. The unpredictable, the beneficent, El Mundo Bueno.
=> PETALS
~ See the petals and ray of the sunflowers extending outwards. This sunflower wrapping around the world. Holding it in those rays of protection.
=> ROOTS & STEM
~ Feel the roots of the sunflower going deep into the earth, expand the roots to catch all the politicians doing terrible things and bind them all who would pursue war and oppression in Ukraine and other places around the world in turmoil.
~ The virus of aggression is caught by the roots, and Putin and others are sucked up by the roots and bound up, just like lead and other heavy metals are bound into forms that can do no harm.
~ Swaddled tightly in the roots, like a baby in a blanket. Held in the stem of the sunflower. Swaddled and held and prevented from doing harm.
=> SPIDER WEB
~ Forming a web of protection over Ukraine. Visualize pentacle around the country, holding Ukraine, anchoring the web of protection and spinning off little fractal pentacles to protected all who call for justice.
~ Creating protection. Any forces – any energies that enter with malevolent intent – will spiral and spiral away. Spiraling into directions that are unexpected and unplanned for.
:: OTHER ACTS OF MAGIC & MANIFESTATION ::
=> ANCESTORS
~ Call upon the ancestors of Ukraine for help and assistance. To help the people of Ukraine with food, shelter, warmth, basic human needs, and courage.
~ Give speak with Putin so he will have a change of heart and mind
=> GODDESSES
Ukraine Mother Goddess Invocation, by Madame Pamita
I call upon the ancient Ukrainian goddess Berehynia
I call upon the Forest Grandmother Baba Yaha
I call upon the mother goddess Mokosh
I call upon the mother bear who protects her cubs
I call upon Maty Zemlya Mother Earth, mother of all
I call upon all spirit mothers
Peace and protection for the land of Ukraine
Peace and protection for the people of Ukraine
=> #HEXPUTIN
~ March 2nd, 7:33 pm EST (3:33 am in Moscow), by the dark of the new moon witches around the world will #HexPutin You will need: Light blue candle, Yellow candle, Handful of sunflower seeds.
Hey lovely community!Registration for BIRCH 2022 is OPEN!
March 5th/6th through to March 19th/20th
Our main agenda item will be the second part of our process moving towards a process of accountability. The draft proposal is being worked on (and has been since our last meeting) by the Accountability Cell who stepped forward into this huge role at our last meeting. The draft proposal will be ready for discussion by the beginning of our meeting.We are holding the discussion part of the meeting via Loomio over two weeks asynchronously so folk in all time zones around the world can attend.
ANY ONE who considers themselves part of the Reclaiming tradition and agrees to uphold the Principles of Unity is welcome.
The two week meeting will start with a live Zoom session (March 5th/6th – time to be confirmed when registration is closed) which will be live streamed and which will include the creation of sacred space for the whole meeting, a review of the proposals and meeting agenda, a review of our BIRCH process and a short Q & A session. Community Reps will be invited to attend, in order to make the meeting size manageable.
The BIRCH meeting will close with a second live Zoom Session (March 19th/20th – time to be confirmed when registration is closed) which will also be live streamed. At this meeting we will review the draft proposal and any friendly amendments that have been made and call for consensus. This is NOT intended to be a meeting to discuss the proposal – that will all happen on Loomio during the two week asynchronous meeting. Community reps will be invited to attend this meeting to represent their communities. If you consider yourself part of the Reclaiming Tradition but do not belong to a community, please contact us. This process is not intended to exclude any voices, but to make the meeting size manageable.
If you are a Community Rep or Shadow Rep, please register as an individual via the above form AND register using this form: https://forms.gle/KXyqsqrLWYBY6gyg6
We ask that ONE person registers as Community Rep and ONE Person registers as Shadow rep per community.
Please help us get the word out by posting this to your local lists, groups and to members of your communities who might not be connected online
The BIRCH Committee: Alex, Lilo, Morgana and Raven Edgewalker
The Ableism-Impacted Reclaiming Alliance (AIRA), an affinity group within the Reclaiming tradition, grew out of a need. One that was always there but couldn’t be seen well until the pandemic forced everyone to reconsider how they were doing things.
The complete online 2021 Spiral Dance ritual – over two hours of magic – is now available online. From the opening conches to the ecstatic spiral, you can experience reclaiming’s most festive and powerful magic.
The Spiral Dance has been held annually in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1979. The past two years have been held online due to covid safety concerns.
BIRCH is the all-Reclaiming representative council. For more info, visit About BIRCH
Dear Reclaiming Communities,
The BIRCH Committee announces the dates, timeline and agenda for our 2022 meeting. We appreciate the feedback from the last meeting and have responded with changes.
We have shortened the meeting and reduced the number of Zoom sessions. In order to reflect the changes made in the POU at our last meeting we will focus the agenda of this meeting entirely on the proposal that will be in its second cycle of discussion: guidelines for principles of accountability (working title). This is a huge and important topic and reflects many years of calls for inclusion and accountability from DARC, BIPOC, Trans, Non-Binary, and Disabled witches in our tradition. NOW is the time to focus on and craft processes to support our evolution.
Thank you for engaging in this journey. The BIRCH Committee: Alex, Lilo, Lore, Morgana, Raven, and Sav
March 5th/6thBIRCH MEETING opens with a Zoom meeting that will be recorded and live-streamed. We will create sacred space, introduce the agenda, and initiate the topics for Asynchronous discussion in the 2 weeks immediately following .
March 7th-18th Facilitated Asynchronous meeting, closing 24 hours before the decision- making Zoom meeting. Attended by all reps and open to the whole community.
March 19th/20thDecision-making Zoom meeting, attended by all reps.
Times of the Zoom calls will be confirmed after registration to include as many time zones as are represented.
2022 BIRCH Timeline
Mid -August 2021: BIRCH Committee will publish descriptions for meeting roles.
September: The agenda is published with last meetings notes and guidance. Further guidance for community discussion and reps published. Seek a liaison with each community to be sure that the information is being widely distributed.
Call for facilitators, minute takers, other support roles along with guidance for what roles mean aka job descriptions, offer roles first to 2020 facilitator group and then recruit from community.
October: Local Community Meetings and Discussions. Registration opens. Zoom training for Facilitators and other support roles, with more to be scheduled if required.
Call for agenda items for 2023 meeting – these will be shared with the community in the final stages of the asynchronous meeting so that communities can begin to consider them
November: Local Community Meetings and Discussions.
Registration remains open. Zoom Training for Community Reps to answer questions.
January: 8th/9th or 15th/16th: Tech rehearsal for Committee, facilitators and support folk.
31st January: Call for future agenda items closes
February: 1st: Call for community folk to create sacred space and maintain the container for the meeting, Zoom call mid-month if required.
Are you a Reclaiming witch? Are you disabled, differently abled, and/or neurodivergent?
Consider joining the Ableism Impacted Reclaiming Alliance (AIRA)!
We seek to increase accessibility in Reclaiming spaces for the 25% of the population who are disabled, and thus further the work of decolonisation of capitalistic values within Reclaiming.
We hope to discuss, process, heal, and try to help bring our diverse perspectives to making Reclaiming spaces more adaptive and accessible. Your input and participation are valuable whether it’s joining meetings, discussions in the online group, sharing personal stories, witnessing the stories of others, joining rituals, or simply watching it all unfold. We encourage a level of participation that works for you and your needs.
Join the Ableism Impacted Reclaiming Alliance (AIRA) if this work calls to you!
When she co-taught at Witchlets and Redwood Magic family camps, April shared a xeroxed version of her book of games, exercises, and activities. Originally crafted for grades K-8, we’ve found it useful for all ages. It became part of our toolkit.
The original xerox-of-a-xerox got the job done – but the book needed a full production. The new version includes the original text – nearly 100 pages of games and exercises – plus several of April’s writings.
It also features memories from many who loved, worked, and played with April.
Available both as a print edition and as a free PDF. Like our other Reclaiming Quarterly publications, we hope thousands of people will download and use this amazing teaching tool.
– Rosa De Anda, Rock, and George Franklin for Reclaiming Quarterly
Culminating six months of discussions and meetings, the all-Reclaiming BIRCH Council consensed on January 30, 2021 to amend the Reclaiming Principles of Unity.
The following paragraph was amended. The strike-through was removed, and the italic-underline phrases added.
“Our tradition honors the wild, and calls for service to the earth and the community. We value peace and practice non-violence, in keeping with the Rede, “Harm none, and do what you will.”We work in diverse ways, including nonviolent direct action, for all forms of justice: environmental, social, political, racial, gender and economic. We are an anti-racist tradition that strives to uplift and center BIPOC voices (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Our feminism includes a radical analysis of power, seeing all systems of oppression as interrelated, rooted in structures of domination and control.”
Reclaiming 