Rev. Robert "Skip" Ellison (ADF Archdruid)

Skip is Archdruid of ADF and a founder of Muin Mound Grove, ADF, one of our oldest and most vibrant Groves. He has also organised Muin Mound Madness -- a Pagan mini-festival, for over a decade. He became a Wiccan priest in 1982 but he saw Isaac Bonewitz give a workshop at Earth Camp down in Harriman State park in 1990, and was so impressed with what Isaac was trying to do in getting Paganism out to the general public at large, as compared to small scale Wiccan covens, that Skip felt it was time for something like that to be done.

Skip has been teaching classes on many Pagan subjects for years at festivals across the continent, and has written books on the Ogham.

Workshop

Raven Mann

Raven is currently the ADF Preceptor and the Senior Druid and Preceptor of Whispering Lake Grove, ADF. He is a professional trainer for a large social service agency and has been a practicing Neopagan for the better part of the last two decades. Raven has been a dedicated member of ADF since January 2001 and has been an active member of both the international organization and his local community. In 2005 Raven was a founding member of the United NeoPagan Council of Lake Erie, an organization dedicated to educating the general public about a variety of Neopagan beliefs and practices in an effort to dispel myths, develop awareness and facilitate acceptance. Raven is currently working toward the completion of the first circle of the ADF Clergy Training Program.

Workshop

Carrion Mann

Professionally, Carrion Mann is the Director of Residential Services for a social service agency and a certified Domestic Violence Counselor/Advocate with a B.S. degree in Education. She is the mother of four children and has been a member of ADF since January of 2001. Carrion is currently the Kin Leader for Clann na Gael and the Scribe of the ADF Liturgist Guild.  She is one of the ADF Deputy Preceptors, a DP documentation reviewer and the DP Mentor Coordinator. Carrion is a member of Whispering Lake Grove, ADF where she holds the positions of Chief Liturgist and Treasurer, as well as the editor of the Grove’s quarterly newsletter, Whispers From the Lake. In 2005 Carrion was a founding member of the United NeoPagan Council of Lake Erie, where she currently holds the office of board Secretary. Carrion is currently working on the completion of the first circle requirements of the ADF Clergy Training Program, the Liturgist Guild Study Program and Generalist Study Program.

Workshop

• The Might and Magic of the Dead -
  
  

Ceisiwr Serith

Ceisiwr Serith is the author of The Pagan Family and A Book of Pagan Prayer, with a third book, Speaking of the Sacred, likely to come out within a year.  Several more are in various stages of preparation.  He has over two dozen articles to his credit, and has presented workshops at numerous Pagan festivals.  A Pagan for over thirty years, he has also gained a certain respect in the academic community, delivering papers at Celtic conferences at UCLA, Berkeley, and Harvard, the last of which appeared in the Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium last year.  He currently lives in the Boston area.

Workshop

• Law and Order East of the Asterisk -  The Proto-Indo-Europeans believe in a structure to the cosmos, to ritual, and to society. This workshop will discuss these different orders, the Proto-Indo-European words for them, and the relations between them.

Rev. Kirk Thomas

Kirk Thomas is currently the ADF Vice-Archdruid as well as Chief for the ADF Liturgists Guild, Preceptor of the ADF Bardic Guild and Pennaeth (Chief) of the Welsh Kin. As Liturgist for the Sonoran Sunrise Grove, he has written most of their rituals. He became an ADF Dedicant Priest (and member of the ADF Clergy Council) in October, 2003. He is currently working towards his Masters Degree in Celtic Studies from the University of Wales, and is also working on the Second Circles of both the ADF Clergy Training Program and the Liturgist Guild Study Program.

Workshop

• Shamanic Trance Journey - It has been a tradition at Desert Magic Festival to open with a trance journey of some kind. This year, Kirk Thomas will lead participants in a shamanic trance journey to the Lower and Upper Worlds.
  
  

Rev. Michael J Dangler

Michael J Dangler is a Past Senior Druid of Three Cranes Grove, ADF, and he's also a Deputy Preceptor (he was giddy with delight when he received a silver star and six-shooter). In August 2006, he was consecrated as a Dedicant Priest in ADF. He also helps update the ADF website, occasionally answer mail sent to the ADF office, and works as a mentor for the Dedicant Path. He's the Liturgist's Guild preceptor and the scribe of the Dance Guild, and he is also the Director of the Eastern Indo-European Kin.

Workshop

• The Lord of Wealth, the Child of the Waters, and the Bull in the Woods: The Vedic Culture and ADF -
  
  

Diane "Emerald" Vaughn

Emerald calls herself a Hellenicly-focused Neo-Pagan.  She belongs to Sassafras Grove, ADF and to a British Traditional Wiccan coven.  She’s a Witch, and a Druid, and she’s ok with that.  The Solitary Hellenic Ritual Template that she uses in her personal work grew out of her research into finding ways to adapt Hellenismos to ADF practice and cosmology. 

Emerald currently leads Oi Asproi Koukouvayies, the Hellenic Kin, and served two terms as Members’ Advocate.  In 2004 she completed the Dedicant Path and acts as a Dedicant mentor and DP reviewer.  Emerald is an active Liturgical planner for Sassafras Grove and holds the titles of “Grove Hellenicist” and “Grove Liturgist.”  Emerald earned a BA in History and Theatre Arts from Boston College and a Master’s in Education from Duquesne University.  She enjoys liturgy, bellydance, singing, writing songs and chants, role-playing games, margaritas, and rugby.  She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband Justin and her cat Spike, and she’s thrilled to have been invited out to the desert to share her passion for Hellenic culture and ADF.

Workshop

• Hellenic ADF: It's Greek to Me! -

  With its Pan-Indo-European focus, ADF attracts members interested in cultures from across the IE spectrum.  While the Celts and Norse still hold a strong majority within ADF, the ranks of Greek-focused members and Groves have been steadily growing.  This workshop seeks to provide an overview of how we can blend ADF ritual structure and cosmology with authentic ancient Greek practice to create a viable Hellenic brand of Our Own Druidism.  Topics to explore include: 

  • Why the Greeks?
  • What did an ancient Greek rite look like?
  • How does ancient Greek practice and thinking match up with ADF in terms of The Three Kindreds, cosmology, ritual structure, sacrifice, and seership?  How can we “make it work?”
  • How can we approach the Neo-Pagan Wheel of the Year in a Hellenic way?
  
  

Seamus

I have been a member of ADF for a few years now, before that I was into Native American spiritually (My great grandmother was full blooded Navajo.)and Astaru'.  I am an Heathen Druid. I am a Tyrsman who also walks with Thor, Brigit and Angus Mac Og. I am currently the Senior Druid of Three Cranes Grove and Guild Chief of the Warrior’s Guild. I (with help from COH and Kirk) am currently finishing up the new warrior’s guild study program –circle one. I am trying to bridge the archetype and historic warrior with modern day applications, all the while remembering that our arena is spiritual. My goal is to change the attitude of ADF that the warriors play silly games, beat their chest and move heavy things for others...we may do all that but we also must explore our role in ritual, in our communities and in the world. I also hope to show that all people should embrace the warrior within, and use that energy to push themselves spiritually, physically and mentally.

Workshop

• Lessons of the Modern Warrior: Blending Ancient Roles Into a Modern World - How do we apply what we know about warrior culture and history to today's world? How do we separate truth from romantic fiction?What is the place of the warrior is ADF and in society? How can be capture the basic archetype explored by Jung and others and adapt it for the schoolyard, bus stop and boardroom? What does a modern day warrior do? Take the essence of warrior beyond the red sash debates and fashion wars...round table discussion and introduction of new first circle of the study program and the warrior's triad.
  
  

Dennis Ford

Dennis Ford is a current member of the ADF Warriors Guild Council of Honor.  He currently serves the guild in the role of Registrar.  He is a regular member of the celebrant team of Sonoran Sunrise Grove.  He is a graduate of the ADF Dedicant  program.  He has studied various forms of martial arts over the years and is a firm believer that a warriors most powerful weapon is his mind.

Workshop

• Welcoming the Earth Mother Nerthus -
  

Nan Martin

BS, MM, CHT has been active with ADF’s Sonoran Sunrise Grove in Tucson since 2001 and expects to complete her Dedicant’s program in 2008.  She lurks regularly on the Roman Kin and Magic Guild discussion lists.  Nan has been active in the metaphysical community since 1996, when she certified as yoga teacher.  She trained in body work, astrology, and energy movement within the Kriya Yoga tradition and has recently certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist.  She is involved in many aspects of the pagan community, having served as both coordinator and secretary for the Tucson Area Wiccan/Pagan Network.  Nan is High Priestess for the SAGE coven and has taught magic, spell craft, yoga, meditation, astrology, stress reduction, and energy awareness workshops.

Jon Bollin

Jon's pagan spiritual journey began back in 1994.  He was living in central Idaho and enjoyed a journey into Native American spirituality and traditions.  As the years progressed, He felt a strong desire to connect with the traditions and spirituality of his Scots Irish ancestors.  And with a move back to Arizona, he landed with ADF and the Sonoran Sunrise Grove, of which he's been a member since 1999.  He firmly believes in the worth of ADF’s emphasis on scholarship and finished his ADF Dedicants Program in 2005 and the submission of the 1st Circle of the General Study Program in 2007.  Just recently he was appointed as the ADF Administrator and will be working to complete the ADF Initiates Program by 2008.

Workshop

• Trance Journey – Explore Annwn, Land of the Fey -

  Central to ADF’s style of worship are the Three Kindreds- Ancestors, Nature Spirits and Shining Ones.  There is much written on them.  The Sidhe are mentioned many times in relation to the Nature Spirits, but what do we know about their world or their care and feeding?  Points discussed in this workshop will be: 

  • Who are the Sidhe?  Fairies, or Deities?
  • What is Annwn?
  • Why would I want to connect with the Sidhe?
  • How do I connect with them?
  • Preparations and precautions
  • Connection methods
  • Methods for working with them
  • Ways to Return

  After a 30 minute lecture on the above topics, there will be an experiential trance journey in which the participants have the opportunity to use one of the methods for meeting and communicating with the Sidhe.  This will be guided and facilitated by the workshop leaders.  The trance journey portion will last roughly 30 minutes and will be followed by a discussion of what the participants experienced.  The discussion will last no longer than the remaining minutes left in the workshop time slot.