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Sorry for late reply. The post from Starhawk asking for responses is dated Nov. 11 and says this is open for 30 days, yet this site says it closes on Dec. 2. ??? So I’m hoping my feedback is accepted.

The altars were gorgeous, as always and yet especially so this year, I thought. I loved having an altar there for our most recently departed early member of the former collective, Bone Blossom. My favorite was the East; see my blog re SD. They gave the room a feeling both sacred and in some strange way, cosy.

I liked that the names of the BD were named while we were gathering, but I was unable to really listen to them like I like to do because of socializing (my own and others’). I think that reuniting with dear friends as we gather together for the ceremony itself is an essential and very beautiful part of the whole experience. I view the socializing as an important part of the process. Plus, that’s the time when people can circulate, and view and interact with the altars. (It’s well known that I much prefer the reading of the BD names to be a solid part of the ritual, inside the ritual. As for time, we read every single one on Oct. 31 and it doesn’t seem tediously long at all. Maybe that’s just us.) In any case, it was clear that they were spoken with care and reverence.

I don’t quite see the value of singing a song from long ago and far away in a form of English that uses phrasing that means nothing to a contemporary English speaker. (“Lyke-Wake Dirge”) Besides, the song is from the Christian era and features Christian symbolism. That said, I LOVE this song, the sounds of it. Buddheo-Pagan Richard Goering has written newer words that I think are more appropriate to Paganism and more meaningful to people in this time and place.

When the fire dancers crouched in the center, they were not visible to anyone except those in the first couple of rows on the floor, and maybe by some folks in the bleachers, but they were not visible to most people there. I was sitting in a chair near an altar, meaning I was somewhat elevated above the floor-sitters, and still I couldn’t see them. This is a simple matter of theater that can be avoided by having the dancers not dance real low.

The biggest flaw, IMO, is that there was no poetry. Poetry seems such an obvious art to employ in ritual. Nor could I hear the singing that accompanied the quarter-calling. I’m assuming this was a technical malfunction or something. I could tell they were singing, but could not distinguish what the words were. Unfortunately, this, to me, diminished the potential of all the invocations.

I loved it that there was no sermon this year! I thought Star’s mic check calling of the Fey was just right.

As others have mentioned, the various invocations were not particularly distinguishable from one another. I could tell who the Mother was because she danced with a bundle-baby.

I think it does a disservice to both the Mighty Dead and the Ancestors to conflate them into a single invocation. I loved that Kala and Moher did it together. I loved their hats and pretty dresses, not so much the fumbling with mic and paper. I was disappointed to hear at least two of the Mighty Dead names mispronounced (Doreen Valiente and Gwydion Penderwen).

What really knocked my socks off, tho, was the invocation of the Beloved Dead. Simple, few words, very effective movement, reverence, love. I found it to be utterly beautiful and utterly powerful. We all could learn a thing or two from those teens.

I don’t like having the words to the songs up on a screen. This is something I’ve seen in UU churches to get everyone to sing the hymns without needing to have hymnals. But reading draws focus to the words on the screen rather than the magic taking place. Having the screen up there at one end above the chorus mimics the old dais-and-pews format found in overculture churches. But even more important is the fact that reading engages a different part of the brain than simply singing or listening to the singing. I realize this element was introduced in order to allow people to know the words and actually sing along (those who haven’t sung them long enough to know them by heart). I just don’t happen to think it’s useful. Besides, I couldn’t see any of it; they appeared to be blurry broken horizontal lines. Of course, that could be due to my cataracts (soon to be removed) or just my failing eyesight.

I don’t like having an emcee and I don’t think it’s necessary. Georgie and Rhiannon were fine, but I just don’t like having someone tell me what’s going on. A welcoming, or better yet, the Proclamation of the Feast of Samhain — traditional, beautiful, poetic, accrues power with repeated use year after year — suffice. I think the urge to do this comes from the days when people were afraid of us Witches, and so we tried to put them at ease by telling them what was going on. However, as a lifelong student of ritual and a creator of rituals, I prefer to let the ritual speak for itself. Telling people what you’re doing, or what they’re supposed to be doing/feeling, is, to me, disempowering. It’s telling them what their experience should be rather than creating the magical atmosphere (using altars, lighting, costumes, aromas, colors, music, poetry, dance, etc.) that can foster an opportunity for a personal experience, deeper insight, perhaps a visitation by or revelation of a specific deity, or a life lesson. I like to do everything i can to make a ritual effective, and then let it go and allow each person to experience it in hir own personal way. (These comments are more about emceeing a ritual in general than it is about this year’s emceeing.)

I quite agree with the person who said things went smoothly. The ritual was “tight,” by which I mean that people who had roles were ready and did them, with no fumbling or dead time between sections.

Thank you all for your dedicated work.

The altars were gorgeous, as always and yet especially so this year, I thought. I loved having an altar there for our most recently departed early member of the former collective, Bone Blossom. My favorite was the East; see my blog re SD. They gave the room a feeling both sacred and in some strange way, cosy.

I liked that the names of the BD were named while we were gathering, but I was unable to really listen to them like I like to do because of socializing (my own and others’). I think that reuniting with dear friends as we gather together for the ceremony itself is an essential and very beautiful part of the whole experience. I view the socializing as an important part of the process. Plus, that’s the time when people can circulate, and view and interact with the altars. (It’s well known that I much prefer the reading of the BD names to be a solid part of the ritual, inside the ritual. As for time, we read every single one on Oct. 31 and it doesn’t seem tediously long at all. Maybe that’s just us.) In any case, it was clear that they were spoken with care and reverence.

I don’t quite see the value of singing a song from long ago and far away in a form of English that uses phrasing that means nothing to a contemporary English speaker. (“Lyke-Wake Dirge”) Besides, the song is from the Christian era and features Christian symbolism. That said, I LOVE this song, the sounds of it. Buddheo-Pagan Richard Goering has written newer words that I think are more appropriate to Paganism and more meaningful to people in this time and place.

When the fire dancers crouched in the center, they were not visible to anyone except those in the first couple of rows on the floor, and maybe by some folks in the bleachers, but they were not visible to most people there. I was sitting in a chair near an altar, meaning I was somewhat elevated above the floor-sitters, and still I couldn’t see them. This is a simple matter of theater that can be avoided by having the dancers not dance real low.

The biggest flaw, IMO, is that there was no poetry. Poetry seems such an obvious art to employ in ritual. Nor could I hear the singing that accompanied the quarter-calling. I’m assuming this was a technical malfunction or something. I could tell they were singing, but could not distinguish what the words were. Unfortunately, this, to me, diminished the potential of all the invocations.

I loved it that there was no sermon this year! I thought Star’s mic check calling of the Fey was just right.

As others have mentioned, the various invocations were not particularly distinguishable from one another. I could tell who the Mother was because she danced with a bundle-baby.

I think it does a disservice to both the Mighty Dead and the Ancestors to conflate them into a single invocation. I loved that Kala and Moher did it together. I loved their hats and pretty dresses, not so much the fumbling with mic and paper. I was disappointed to hear at least two of the Mighty Dead names mispronounced (Doreen Valiente and Gwydion Penderwen).

What really knocked my socks off, tho, was the invocation of the Beloved Dead. Simple, few words, very effective movement, reverence, love. I found it to be utterly beautiful and utterly powerful. We all could learn a thing or two from those teens.

I don’t like having the words to the songs up on a screen. This is something I’ve seen in UU churches to get everyone to sing the hymns without needing to have hymnals. But reading draws focus to the words on the screen rather than the magic taking place. Having the screen up there at one end above the chorus mimics the old dais-and-pews format found in overculture churches. But even more important is the fact that reading engages a different part of the brain than simply singing or listening to the singing. I realize this element was introduced in order to allow people to know the words and actually sing along (those who haven’t sung them long enough to know them by heart). I just don’t happen to think it’s useful. Besides, I couldn’t see any of it; they appeared to be blurry broken horizontal lines. Of course, that could be due to my cataracts (soon to be removed) or just my failing eyesight.

I don’t like having an emcee and I don’t think it’s necessary. Georgie and Rhiannon were fine, but I just don’t like having someone tell me what’s going on. A welcoming, or better yet, the Proclamation of the Feast of Samhain — traditional, beautiful, poetic, accrues power with repeated use year after year — suffice. I think the urge to do this comes from the days when people were afraid of us Witches, and so we tried to put them at ease by telling them what was going on. However, as a lifelong student of ritual and a creator of rituals, I prefer to let the ritual speak for itself. Telling people what you’re doing, or what they’re supposed to be doing/feeling, is, to me, disempowering. It’s telling them what their experience should be rather than creating the magical atmosphere (using altars, lighting, costumes, aromas, colors, music, poetry, dance, etc.) that can foster an opportunity for a personal experience, deeper insight, perhaps a visitation by or revelation of a specific deity, or a life lesson. I like to do everything i can to make a ritual effective, and then let it go and allow each person to experience it in hir own personal way. (These comments are more about emceeing a ritual in general than it is about this year’s emceeing.)

I quite agree with the person who said things went smoothly. The ritual was “tight,” by which I mean that people who had roles were ready and did them, with no fumbling or dead time between sections.

Thank you all for your dedicated work.

I agree with the person’s comment about reading the names of the beloved dead, it seems creating a tighter container for this would be really helpful.

Getting the actual spiral dance to work (from a gracing perspective) was a teensy bit confusing. It seemed like people joining in at the tail as it passed them were confused, not sure where to jump in and some of the graces got stuck in the middle. Somehow it magically worked!

Thanks for a wonderful spiral dance, it was really a blessing to participate in!

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I was one of the people who helped to read the names of the beloved dead, and I believe we need a stronger container for this part of the ritual (*is* it still considered part of the ritual, or just a prelude?). I wish that people could be made aware that this is happening, and asked either to listen respectfully or at least not to distract those who are listening. I much preferred when the names were read during the ritual proper. I understand the logistical challenge as the list of names has grown so long. One thing that would help would be to ask people to refrain from submitting the names of dead celebrities with whom they don’t have a personal relationship.

I am a single man, and I wondered how many of the beautiful souls there were also single and looking for a beloved. I wonder, if next year there is any way in the registration process for you to allow people who want to, to share their contact information so that Spiral Dance can help facilitate love and connection?