The Gathering & Beyond
11
By the week before the Gathering I estimated there were almost 500 people on Sanctuary grounds; but since only the Venders and those requesting housing, hookup space, or permanent residence were required to pre-register this was only a guess and according to Lizzie and Paula the meal count was closer to 700. There was a sign in/sign up sheet posted in the Community Center but for now it was strictly voluntary. Saturday morning we were gathered in the office going over the minutes for the next council meeting when Lizzie spoke up: "We need a more accurate head count for meals and we need to place another food order to replace what we've already used. Also we're going to need more meat before next weekend. We need to figure out some way to come up with a better count. How about a sheet asking a day ahead of time for the people to sign if they and/or their families are planning on eating in the community kitchen the next day with the number of people and what meal(s) they're planning to participate in. We can even have a space for special dietary needs. That way at least we'd have an idea what to expect. " "Agreed and we need to organize the work crews better; people are just sort of doing whatever and well some things aren't getting done at all." Mike added. "Okey so what do we do?' ***** "Mike give me a list of jobs volunteers can do with or without supervision and I'll make up another volunteer sheet, anyone who has any ideas of how people can help like story time or childcare can let me know as soon as we're finished here. I'll also type up a meal roster and post the hours for meals, the General store, the Infirmery. office Hours, and the Library and we can have Movie times for the children and even adults and families. If anyone else has any ideas let me know." Starr said. "Lizzie figure out what you need and call the store, order at least twice what you think we'll need, call Albertson's too; and let me know about the meat and produce, I'll make sure you get it." Andy said. "While we're at it we might as well post a request for residency sheet." "That should keep everyone busy for now, try to get this stuff to Starr or Penny as soon as possible so they can get everything typed up and posted. Anything else?" ***** That evening at dinner I noticed one of the cork boards had been put out by the front entrance The children had cut out capital letters reading Community & Gathering Announcements: Below it was tacked several signup sheets for different work crews, everything from painting and carpentry to cleaning out the hen house and the stalls, to trash and compost details; there were even openings for child care, activities, and story times along with a note asking everyone to Please read and put the days and times they can work on each sheet. and explaining that every person over the age of 10 was being asked to put in a minimun of 2 hours a day beginning Monday with a credit of $10.00 per hour worked going towards any fees or exchangeable for meals and merchandise. An announcement from White Eagle read that the General Store and Barter Emporium would be open Monday through Saturday from 1;00 until 5:00 and merchandise could be bartered, bought, or paid for with volunteer credits. There was a note from the Council thanking everyone for all their hard work and explaining that any hours put in over the 2 required per day would be paid in work credits exchangeable at the Emporium, Coop, Booths, or Community Office.and reminding everyone about the open COMMUNITY MEETING Sunday evening with Dinner served at 5:00 rather then 6:30. The last sheets were notes asking everyone to provide the name, age, and birthdates of all family members to Ms Starr or Penny in the office along with the grade level of each child, a building # if known and a little information about themselves and any special skills or abilities they might have as well as a few sentences on what brought them to Sanctuary. There was also a listing of the scheduled hours for all activities and services. ***** Everyone is busy and the main house was full of people this afternoon when I got back from the ridge where I'd gone to check on the final preparations for the wedding ceremonies later this week. We had originally planned to have the ceremony at Sanctuary so everyone could attend but the Gathering has become so huge this year that the kids decided on a private ceremony with a community reception afterwards during 'The Feast of Gaia'. David had recruited some of his congregation and they'd collected every folding chair and table they could find plus the benches and pews from Unity. Between John and his crew and with Unity's help they had cleared an area beside Blue Lake and built a permanent outdoor chapel which the women were putting the final touches on before the weddings. ***** "Anything I can help with?" I asked Penny who had taken on the responsibilties as Sanctuary's secretary. "Not at the moment. Ms Starr needs to see you when you get a few minutes and Pastor David's gone to pick up supplies in town." she said handing me my messages. "What's up Lady?' I said closing the door to the private office and sitting down at my desk. ***** "Penny bring me the requests for residency we've received so far and tell David to come in when he gets back. Also if any of the Council wanders in tell them I want to see them." Starr said sticking her head out the door. She handed me the stack of papers and busied herself while I looked over them. "The guides said we should expect this, but I didn't think it would start so quickly. Can we hold off on any decisions until after the Gathering and next Community meeting?" "With the exception of this one," she said as David walked in. "Here David, this is your Baby." ***** "This is a petition from 'New Unity All Faiths Sanctuary' for permission to build a church on the property and it's signed by you, High Priestess Ashara Tolbert of The North Shore Coven, and a Brother Ben Getty, licensed minister of the church of The Universal Power. Does this mean Sanctuary's to have its own chapel?" "That's exactly what it means, we'll gut Unity and all the lumber and things we have on order for repairs are being sent down here instead. Joe will be down this week with his family for a few days and we'll figure out what we need then and get it ordered. Also when we start culling lumber after the Gathering we'll use what we can in the building. Of course it needs to go before the entire council." "That would make it official I guess, but it sounds like a shoe-in to me," Andy said shutting the door behind him. ***** "Okey we have almost enough board members here for a quick meeting," Starr said when Ashara and Lizzie walked in. "The men are busy I expect but if someone could ask Amy to come in - she's in the library - and go get Tina or Kevin or both I have just a few things that won't keep that I need to discuss real quick and it's easier this way then catching everyone individually." ***** "So I quess you can see why we need to go through all these requests and weed them out a little," Starr said after she explained about the petitions. "We don't have space for everyone nor do we want some of these people so I'd like for you to each take a handful and go over them then initial it on the back declining, accepting or ???? each one with any comments you want to add. Make sure you pass them around so at least 3 different council members get a chance to look at each one and then return them to Penny and pick up some more if there are any. We'll vote on them at the meeting. Any questions?" "Okey then that's it. You all can get back to what you were doing." "David wait a minute." I said as everyone was leaving. "How do you plan on doing this Services thing, the locals have pretty well accepted our rather non conventional mission statement but---" "Yes I know and we'll just share the podium - in fact Ms Ashara is conducting this week's service - and we may have to start having 2, one on Saturday evening and 1 on Sunday afternoon. We're still working on the details, our biggest problem so far is what to do with the stained glass windows at Unity but I think we've made a decision on that." ***** This evening there were 2 new annoucements on the Community board: ### The first meeting of 'New Unity All Faiths Sanctuary' will be held Sunday afternoon at 2:30. Program will be led by Pastor David Carpenter, formally of Unity and Brother Ben Getty, Church of The Universal Power. High Priestess Ashara of North Shore Coven will speak and preside over the service. ALL are invited to attend. ### The other one was a request for anyone proficient in putting up fencing or knowing about beef cattle or well digging to please see Mike Adams or Kyle Grainger that Andy had posted earlier in the day. ***** I was getting dressed for the weddings and praying the rain would hold off when Joe Kidman Sr arrived late Friday afternoon with his wife, daughter and 3 grand children. "Ms Jo, there's a Mr. Kidman here, he says you are expecting him and he's sorry if he arrived at an inconvenient time but asked if you can spare him just a minute before you leave for the ridge." said the girl who was covering the desk for Penny when she knocked. "Yes of course, I'll be right out." "Joe, I'm so glad you could make it, I'd love to show you around so you can see what we've done but I'm supposed to be holding a broom at a triple wedding in about a half hour - would you and your family like to go to a Pagan wedding with me?" "We'd love to; I just need to know where to put the things we brought. Looks like another storm's coming in and my trucks need to get back to Dover and I can't seem to find Mike or Kyle." Joe had brought 2 trucks with him. The first truck was loaded with lumber and building supplies and the second held the most beautiful little house I've ever seen. Thank The Goddess Ed and David came down the stairs just then to rescue me and showed the men where to unload, then we all drove up on the ridge together. ***** When we reached the ridge David and Ed led the Kidmans up the path to the chapel while I stopped for a minute to talk to Paul and The Goddess. "My Love, our son is getting married and I know his greatest joy would be to have you there so if you and The Goddess can just let your presence be known I would be ever grateful." I said as I stood up. "Is Dad coming?" Kevin asked as he walked up to escort me so the weddings could begin. "Yes," I answered looking back to blow him a kiss. "He is." ***** The wedding ceremony was beautiful; each couple stepped over the broom to get up to the alter area where their families stood waiting then 1 couple at a time they recited the vows they had written themselves and exchanged the tokens of their promises. Following this the family members walked by and handed each a stone or a flower or something and whispered in their ear before walking off the stage to leave the 3 couples standing there alone: then 'IT' happened. ***** The full September moon came out from behind the cloud cover for just a moment and bathed the 3 couples in moonlight; at the same moment a beautiful buck exited the wooded area by the edge of the lake to their left. It turned and looked at everyone but instead of running off it just stood there for a moment before bowing its antlers towards the alter and walking gracefully down to the waters edge. No one moved; in fact we barely breathed until it had finished drinking, then giving us all one last look it bounded back into the trees and disappeared. The couples stepped down and the ceremony was over. No one spoke as we left the clearing. ***** Having left everyone else at the feast we were all sitting in the house later discussing what had happened earlier when David said, "Seems both The Goddess and Paul have blessed these unions personally and now I add the blessings of The Father. It just somehow didn't seem the right time earlier." handing each of them a small white dove feather. "My family and I felt the same way, but The Great Spirit also offers His blessing and these gifts" White Eagle added presenting each couple with a dream catcher for above the marriage beds. "I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life" Sue Kidman said. ***** "Joe told me how special this place was but until that moment on the ridge I wasn't entirely sure what he actually meant: now I know why he wants the children and I to stay here." "I was going to discuss it with you this afternoon but with the weddings and everything that happened I forgot all about it." ***** He went on to explain about Trisha's husband who was supposed to be overseas somewhere and no one would tell her anything and about how bad things were getting on the Marine base where they'd been living. "Dover's getting bad too I'm gone a lot and Sue's home alone, we're getting old and if anything were to happen to her I don't know what I'd do, so I was hoping you would consider letting them stay until Wes comes home anyway. I'd be willing to pay you in whatever way you decide - I know how you are about accepting money - and I could come down on weekends to help out." Andy looked around the table and receiving a nod from each of us answered. "We'd be honored but that camper of yours is not going to be near big enough for 6 people to actually live in and neither is that cute little house you brought with you. Tomorrow after breakfast one of us will show you what we have available right now and after the Gathering is over we'll come up with something more permanent." "Sounds like a solution to me but for tonight though I suggest you take a couple of rooms upstairs. Joe you know which rooms join and have baths, if they're occupied they'll have names on the doors so you can just pick out what you want, that party out there is likely to go on all night and I don't imagine that camper is sound proof." "Speaking of which I guess we all should join the festivities for at least a while longer." Lizzie said getting up. ***** The first meeting of New Unity All Faiths Sanctuary was going well, Bea had chosen music that was uplifting and non sectarian and David and Brother Ben each spoke for a few minutes then turned the podium over to Ashara. "Hello everyone. For those of you who don't know me I am Ashara Tolbert, High Priestess of The North Shore Coven, licensed Minister, resident and member of the board here at Sanctuary, and Daughter of The Goddess; All Mother of The Universe." "I was going to speak to you today about coming together as a family but something happened Friday evening that says it better then I ever could." "As you all know there was a wedding up on the ridge Friday. Tina and Danny and Andy and Beth pledged their vows; Lizzie and I renewed our commitment to each other at the same time. This in itself should be enough of a statement on the theme at hand; Christians, Goddess Worshipers, Native Americans, even a few card carrying Gays and a self profested Atheist all joining together as a family in celebration of love, but if this in itself weren't enough I think anyone who was there would tell you what they saw was enough to convince them there is a power greater then all of us and that power answers to many names." She continued to talk for another few minutes and then dropped a bombshell - one that even those of us who were there weren't expecting. "Now I know most of you here would consider this a gift or a message from whatever diety you answer to but I am about to show you something that only myself and the person who took the photos has seen. Sophia the floor is yours." she said turning a chalk board around to face everyone and pulling down the sheet that had been draped over it ***** "I wanted to make a private keepsake book for my sisters and the other couples so I was snapping pictures from the time we left for the ridge until we drove away, part of the time I had no idea what I was getting since I was just snapping 1 after the other but when I pulled them off my camera yesterday I was amazed. I took them to Ashara and she was in tears: she made me promise not to say anything and had me set them up in a slideshow presentation for this meeting so here they are. See if you see what we did." We watched as each picture came up, most were what we expected to see but a few caused gasps and whispered Amen's, Blessed Be's, and Oh My God's. There was one of the Gazebo that showed a whispy figure of a woman super imposed over the statue in the center of the alter and one of a man in 60's dress standing beside Paul's stone. Tears came to my eyes when I recognized the face. At various stages we could see other appirations mingled in with the guests or standing behind the pews but the most amazing ones were taken as the couples were saying their vows; there was a soft glow surrounding each couple and at the moment the deer appeared you could see the faces of the Christ, The Goddess, an Ancient Native, and another that looked only vaguely human with huge dark eyes smiling from the mists that rose from the lake. "If this doesn't say Unity nothing does. Blessed Be Everyone." Ashara said when the slides ended; she left the podium with tears streaming down her face. ***** By Tuesday the rain had been coming down almost steady for 3 days so when Andy called an emergency meeting of the council that morning to inform us that the National Weather Service had issued a Flood Advisory for some of the low lying areas we quickly posted notices that the Final Gathering service and Mabon Ritual would be held that afternoon at 2:30. We also posted a printout of the National Weather Map and the 5 day forecasts around the country explaining why; by lunch time people were already pulling out. ***** Friday morning Sanctuary looked empty compared to the week before but that afternoon we saw real sunshine for the first time in days, so despite the mud and in places standing water everyone is busy. Sophia who had hands down been voted the Gathering's official photographer was taking advantage of it - mainly from the porch.
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