Workshops for 2023
Connecting to the Land That Hosts Us — Kristin McLaughlin
Druids have a special relationship with Earth and nature, one that comes from a place of awe and humility. In this first workshop of the gathering, we will learn a way to connect with the wilderness all around in a particularly focused way, and with that to the land that hosts us for the weekend. Based on our observations, we will explore the nuances of our communication and how we discern its messages.
Kristin McLaughlin is an OBOD druid grade member from Pennsylvania who focuses her druidry on two areas: ancestral veneration and nature. In the latter field, she obtained Master Naturalist certification and has attended two weeks of wilderness survival training from Tom Brown's Tracker School.
*Please have a chair or blanket if you prefer or cannot sit on the ground.
Druids have a special relationship with Earth and nature, one that comes from a place of awe and humility. In this first workshop of the gathering, we will learn a way to connect with the wilderness all around in a particularly focused way, and with that to the land that hosts us for the weekend. Based on our observations, we will explore the nuances of our communication and how we discern its messages.
Kristin McLaughlin is an OBOD druid grade member from Pennsylvania who focuses her druidry on two areas: ancestral veneration and nature. In the latter field, she obtained Master Naturalist certification and has attended two weeks of wilderness survival training from Tom Brown's Tracker School.
*Please have a chair or blanket if you prefer or cannot sit on the ground.
Druidry in an Urban Environment — Ben & Brandon Hughes
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Druidry in an urban environment can be challenging but very rewarding. In this workshop we explore how city living shapes one’s practice, including how to connect with nature even in places that feel the least “natural”, how constraints result in creative workarounds, and some surprising benefits of city living for druid practice. Insights from this workshop can be useful for non-city dwellers as well.
Ben Hughes (he/they) is a member of OBOD and AODA living with his spouse in NYV (Lenapehoking). He is trans nonbinary and works in Healthcare. His interests include hand crafts, music, environmental work and Social Justice. |
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Brandon Hughes (he/him) is a human being incapable of writing a serious biography. He currently resides on a small rock largely covered with water that sits far enough from the sun that it takes eight minutes to reach it. He does not possess super powers, despite his wishes and best efforts. He reads a lot and has forgotten much of it, but he still remembers a wealth of Simpsons quotes. He is not yet a Jedi as, due to not being real, he has yet to defeat Darth Vader. Oh! He is also a member of OBOD.
Manifesting Coordinates of Place in Life with Symbolism — Christian Bruner
Learning to orient oneself in the landscape we are born into is one of the basic tasks of every human from the moment we draw our first breath. With the knowledge of where we are and where we want to go comes the understanding of who we are. As bards, we apply a spiritual aspect to this quest, and in this workshop we will explore a method to manifest the coordinates of our place in life in the language of symbolism.
Austrian born Author and Celebrant Christian Brunner has practiced shamanism since the late 1970s and has been with OBOD for over a decade. Now a druid grade member in the Order, his druidry is focused on tracing back alpine culture and traditions to pagan times and on bringing lore and customs of his homeland into the awareness of the rest of the world.
Learning to orient oneself in the landscape we are born into is one of the basic tasks of every human from the moment we draw our first breath. With the knowledge of where we are and where we want to go comes the understanding of who we are. As bards, we apply a spiritual aspect to this quest, and in this workshop we will explore a method to manifest the coordinates of our place in life in the language of symbolism.
Austrian born Author and Celebrant Christian Brunner has practiced shamanism since the late 1970s and has been with OBOD for over a decade. Now a druid grade member in the Order, his druidry is focused on tracing back alpine culture and traditions to pagan times and on bringing lore and customs of his homeland into the awareness of the rest of the world.
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Druids as Community Scientists — Beth Mowry
As Druids, we know the fundamental importance of natural, interwoven cycles of the land and all our plant and animal kin. We also know the devastation that will occur if these cycles are “thrown off” by climate change, but what can we do? Sometimes, love is not enough; sometimes, we need to take action. In this workshop, learn how you can support scientists’ study of climate change and its impacts by doing something we already do - look closely at nature and note her cycles. We’ll be exploring the use of resources from the USA National Phenology Network so we can contribute to the understanding of how our Earth’s cycles are shifting. Beth has been working in education since she was a teenager mentoring younger girls at Girl Scout camp. After graduating from Penn State, she began a 10-year tenure with the Girl Scouts of the USA. After moving to NYC, she did graduate work to become a classroom teacher, working in Childhood Education, Earth Science, the NYC Outward Bound Schools, Climate Education, and many other druidly subjects. Recently, she became certified as a Forest Therapy Guide. Beth began studying OBOD in 2018. This led to the creation of The Awen Center for Wellness, Sustainability, Creativity and Nature-Based Spirituality and the Awen in the Catskills Seed Group. |
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Dancing Earth/Dancing Self — Gail Nyoka
No dancing experience needed. Just bring your willingness to move. In Sacred Circle Dance there are no missteps, no mistakes. It's meditation while moving, merging with the forces of creation. It is said that Shiva danced the world into being. Gail Nyoka has been an OBODie for over twenty years and is listed as a Celebrant. She has been a member of the Fellowship of Isis Priestess for even longer. Her Druidry encompasses Kemetic and Shamanic practices. Gail is a storyteller, an award-winning play-write and author. Gail Nyoka Stories (gailnyoka-stories.com) |