Stones Rising 2018
Wednesday, August. 29th-Monday, September. 3rd - 2018
Sunday, September 2nd - The Rising!
The Stone Peoples Intensive, Friday Aug. 23 - Tuesday Aug. 28
The Tribe positions the massive “Flame” Stone to take its place in the Stone Circle. Stones Rising 2017.
Four Quarters is an Interfaith Sanctuary: a place of safety of spirit, allowing all who attend the opportunity to seek, evolve and grow as they would wish. The heart of our Sanctuary is the Circle of Standing Stones, begun over 20 years ago when a single Stone was raised to inspire those that would come after: Follow in our Footsteps, Gather, Labor Together, Build a Circle for Yourselves and those not yet Born. For while the Stone Circle has many different meanings to each of us, we might all agree that it is the Heart of our Sanctuary… and it is good that we build it together as Community.
We celebrate the seasons of the earth here at Four Quarters; and as summer wanes and harvest begins, our Tribe will gather together to Raise new Standing Stones, gathering in the achievements and abundance of the year. Stones Rising is ancient tradition made new. It echoes the burial grounds, cairns, and megaliths that were built millennia ago by our ancestors; the act of building and growing the Circle is our Gift, Hope and Promise to Ourselves, to our Ancestors, and to the Generations yet to come.
Stones Rising is a six-day intentional community, where all actions are done with the purpose of furthering the growth of the Stone Circle, the Interfaith Sanctuary Church, and the Greater Tribe. It is a deep wellspring of our commitment to the Land, our Church and our Tribe. From Wednesday evening to Monday noon we recognize that service is sacred, and we celebrate the service of our Tribemates. For it is by working with others on behalf of the community that the Stones are Raised.
This year at Stones Rising 2018
“One thing arises from all things; all things arise from one thing.” – Heraclitus
At Stones Rising 2018, we gather to enact a Ceremony of Ceremonies – a six-day matrix of ritual for, service to, and celebration of the Divine, the Land, and the People. Each ritual is a step along the way, and together all of them create a single ceremonial act of commitment to the Vision that is the Stone Circle on the Land of Four Quarters. There will be spaces of work, of rest, of devotion, service, ceremony, and celebration for all. Whether it’s your first time, your third time, or your umpteenth time at Stones Rising, there is a place for you.
Every year our spirits reach back and propel us forward.
This year we look back to the theme from 2007 and create anew a festival for the present generation … ever mindful of our connection to The Seventh Generation. Stones Rising 2018 will celebrate not only "what we do” but “why we do this work” for the Divine, the Land, and the People
We explore the heart of our individual and collective vocations, honoring the motivations for the work we do:
- Preparing - the people and spaces to receive the Sacred
- Empowering - the people to make change
- Connecting - the tribe to the Universe
- Sustaining - the work of all so that it may go forth into the future
There is a place for your individual vocation, whatever it may be, in the single ceremony of Stones Rising, and a chance to use your own gifts for the growth of the community. Perhaps you are called to bake at the hearth of the Corn Mothers, to stand a watch over the sacred places with the Warriors, to join your voice to the singing up of the Sun, to enter trance and dance the Drums alongside the Ancestors, to utter the sacred names in ceremonies, to take up the ropes to raise a sacred Stone, or to bear faithful Witness to the work of sisters and brothers. Whatever your gifts and your vocation, here there is a place for you, and your talents and courage are needed. Experience the myriad connections that you have with others in your Tribe, others whose work may be very different from your own. Here there is sacred work together, but also time for connection and to experience the bonds of community
Together we will raise the arbors, we will sing the songs, we will feed the people, we will drum up the Moon, we will chant our prayers, we will witness the ceremonies, we will untangle the rigging, we will pour libation, we will dance the way open…and we will, all together, raise the Stones.We will retell the ancient stories, even as we again live them out and make history for our Descendants to tell. Once again, the Stones will rise, the Circle will be consecrated anew, and we will join together in celebration of the growing Circle that is Four Quarters.
For those for whom Devotion is their primary path of spiritual vocation, there will be three forms of community work, each happening at the Maypole site: Sunsong, Midday Prayer, and Moonbeat. Sunsong will be led each morning, with a cadre of celebrants whose voices greet the sun each day as it comes over the mountains. Midday Prayer will be led daily, with the offering of public prayers, both spontaneous and prepared, in a variety of traditions. Moonbeat will happen each night, with drums in anticipation of moonrise. Evening Fire Circles will reflect each day’s ritual and intention, and will host drumming, dancing, singing and trancing as well as Divination to gather wisdom and guidance for the People.
- The Ceremonies of Stones Rising 2018 will enlarge and deepen many liturgical elements common to Stone Circle Wicca ceremonies at Four Quarters: Gathering, Casting Circle, Reverencing the Four Directions, Honoring the Ancestors and the Descendants, Invocation of the Divine, the Central Working, Cakes and Ale, and Thanks and Praises. Each of these sacred actions will be its own full ritual, its own moment in a series of ceremonies that together make the One Ceremony.
- There is a place for you and yours at Stones Rising. The planning team has prepared a place for you, but only you can make that place your own, step into the Center of the Circle, gather with your Tribe, and join us in this new year of Stones Rising, sharing in the magic of a sacred circle of Standing Stones. Only you can answer the Call.
See you in the Stone Circle!
About the Stone Circle Tradition of Wicca: A Church Circle
The Stone Circle Tradition of Wicca is a Wiccan mystery tradition within the larger family of the Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary of Earth Religion, which exists to promote the spiritual development of Dedicants and Initiates; to encourage responsible fulfillment of diverse Wiccan vocations to priest/esshood; and to offer service to Four Quarters, to all in Earth’s Household, and to the Divine Spirit of the Universe, One and Many, Male, Female, Both, and Neither.
We recognize our responsibility to the unfolding future of Wicca as a religion. Understanding ourselves as a teaching and learning community within a larger religious tradition just beginning to find its way in the world, we commit ourselves to advancing a pragmatic perspective that emphasizes authenticity, integrity, compassion, and wisdom. While acknowledging the uniqueness of each soul’s Path, we commit ourselves to be faithful traveling-companions on the endless journey toward the Sacred, our Source and Destination.
We recognize our responsibility to each other and to the others in our communities. We affirm the equal necessity and value of a variety of Wiccan vocations to priest/esshood, whether the work be found in art, building, catalyzing, ceremony, counseling, dance, drumming, healing, mentoring, nurturing, prayer, song, storytelling, teaching, washing dishes, or in any of the other myriad paths to service as Wiccan priestesses and priests, and undertake to support each other in our individual spiritual practices and vocations.
We recognize our responsibility to Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary of Earth Religion. Understanding our tradition as rooted in the soil of Four Quarters, we commit ourselves to fostering the growth and health of the Land, the People, the Stones, and the Vision of Four Quarters.
The 13 Tools of Stone Circle Wicca (SCW) will be presented at the Fire Circle in a silent tribute the mainstay tools taught in religion, ritual and magick. Teachers and Facilitators will pass along Wiccan teachings and knowledge concerned with: Religion— introducing the knowledge to see the World in a Wiccan Way; Ritual— teaches the ability to lead any “standard” ceremony to meet the needs of people. Magick— offers spiritual experience to practice the art of changing consciousness at will.
Over the year and a day this class requires, each student “gathers the 13 Tools”— and led by accomplished teachers, study to acquire the knowledge, experiences, and skills to begin practice as a Wiccan Priestess or Priest as a 1° initiate. Each of the 13 sessions of the class is focused on one of 13 magickal Tools of Stone Circle Wicca—The Cord, The Book, The Drum, The Blade, The Censer, The Dish, The Cauldron, The Schmatta, The Chalice, The Bowl, The Mirror, The Candle, and The Wand.
The Cord: Represents our connections and what we are tied to.
The Book: Represents our chronicle, holds our memories and wisdom
The Drum: Represents the rhythm of life, the pulse that moves all things.
The Censer: Represents our awareness of the world and our senses.
The Cauldron: Represents both the tomb and the womb, life’s greatest mystery
The Dish: Represents offerings and service to community
The Blade: Represents division, created boundaries and what is cut away
The Chalice: Represents personal connections the hospitality of an offered cup
The Schmatta: Represents the veil and the illusions of the world
The Bowl: Represents the physical world and our place in it.
The Mirror: Represents our self image and our perception of others
The Candle: Represents illumination and the divine spark in all things
The Wand: Represents our power and responsibilities
Next class estimated to begin Winter 2020.
About Church Circles
From Section 5.0 of the Church Constitution: Members of the Church may form circles specifically to explore their spiritual lives and engage in religious practice with the full support of the Church and its resources. These circles may be (as examples) Wiccan, Strega, Native American, Eclectic, Santerian, Druidic, Shamanic, Indigenous or any other EarthSpirited path. Church Circles may exist to explore a special interest of the Church Circle that is not necessarily religious, but which the Church chooses to support, such as: Drumming, Recovery, Men’s or Women’s Councils, Crafts or other areas of special interest.
Information regarding starting a church circle can be found in the Church Constitution which is posted in it’s entirety here on the website.
It is a work of years, and each year we gather at Stones Rising to celebrate and continue that work.
Though it is a group experience, Stones Rising moves every person in a different way. For some it is the opportunity to unplug: to serenely walk the Labyrinth; to contemplate the misty mountains in the early morning; or immerse themselves in the magic of the creek. For others it is the expectation of meeting new people—people who will go from being strangers to family in only a few short days. But for all of us Stones Rising is the opportunity to do something that matters—something that will last far longer than any of us will. It is the opportunity to continue the creation of sacred space as we raise megaliths with our brothers and sisters.
The Circle's story is not just about the Stones: it is overlaid with personal histories, with hundreds of stories and memories and milestones. You will often see people laying their hands on the Stones. They might tell you that this is the first Stone they helped raise, or how it was raised in the rain, or how the rope broke. They might tell you about how this Stone took all day to pull, prompting you to remark, “It's so small compared to the others!” The other person will smile and say that the Stones have minds of their own. They might tell you of the year that their baby was passed through the Mother Stone during the Baby Blessing, and of the people who were there who no longer come to the Farm. And with each year, the Circle's history grows richer.
No membership binds us; no specific faith binds us. What binds us is a belief in the value of this world, this life, and the humanity we all share. Can you help raise Stones if you're not a Four Quarters member? Yes! Can you help raise Stones if your path is spiritual path is solitary and unique? Yes!
What if you're new and have never set foot on the Land before? Can you help raise Stones? YES!
We raise Stones the old way, the hard way, with heavy ropes, rollers made from tree trunks, and people. It could be done so much more easily, with so much less sweat and strain, if we would just use heavy construction equipment. But what would be the point? Machines are not important: it is the hands and feet and hearts of the people who move and raise the Stones that is important.
Using heavy equipment to move and raise Stones would make the whole process faster, too. We could have had the Circle finished years ago and would probably be building a dolman somewhere by now. But this is not our goal, to have an Instant Stone Circle. When we raise Stones together, one or two at a time, we have the opportunity to take a moment and think about the sanctuary we are creating. In the interval between one Stones Rising and the next, we have time to appreciate that what we are doing is holy work. It is the work of creating connections between all of us regardless of how different our spiritual paths may be.
We are not here to recreate Stonehenge or Avebury. We are here to create thisCircle, here in this place. We are here together on this sacred land to join hands, to join earth with sky—to raise Stones.
And we'll all stand together and we'll Raise another Stone,
To the Seventh Generation and the Children Yet Unknown!
Registrations
Membership Privileges Apply
Children under 16 are loved, cherished and FREE
Members Only Early Bird, $80 PreReg by June 9.
6 Days arrive Weds or Thurs, Pre-reg by Aug. 18
Members $100, Guests $120, $140 at the Gate.
4 Days arrive Friday or after, Pre-reg by Aug. 18,
Members $85, Guests $105, $125 at the Gate.
Late Registrations, CALL US!
Handicapped, Special Circumstances? CALL US !
Sunday morning’s Loaves of the Corn Mother,
Sunday afternoon’s Feast of the Standing Stones
are included in your registration.
Credit Card Registrations on-line at Stones Rising Registration.
Or call the office at 814-784-3080 with your questions or to register.
About Lodging at Four Quarters -
Rooms have double beds, blankets and pillows; Bunks have fitted sheets. During events rooms and bunks are bundled with meal plans and are booked for the duration of the event; you must call the office for reservations.
Meal Plan Information:
Dietary options are Omnivore, Vegitarian, and Gluten Free; all you can eat.
Please note the kitchen is *unable* to accommodate specific dietary restrictions.
- Dinner Weds - Monday Brunch, 8 meals - 2 feasts,
$120 pre-reg only, Omni or Herbivore.
- Dinner Thurs - Monday Brunch, 6 meals - 2 feasts,
$90 pre-reg only, Omni or Herbivore.
- Dinner Fri - Monday Brunch, 4 meals - 2 feasts,
$60 pre-reg only, Omni or Herbivore.
- Brunch Sat - Monday Brunch, 3 meals - 2 feasts,
$35 pre-reg only, Omni or Herbivore
If your child is old enough to need his or her own plate, please register them for the meal plan.
If they can share your plate, there is no need to register your child for the meal plan.
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Creating a Better Community
Ceremony with No Tools: 
