Ways to Help in the Aftermath of the US Storm

How can you help in the wake of Sandy?  Give time, blood, and money.

Seriously.

Money:

The Red Cross will still have a LOT of work to do, mostly feeding people, including emergency workers and people cleaning up their houses, in the coming weeks.  Not to mention still providing shelter and food over the next few days. 

To donate either to where the need is greatest or to your local Chapter, click here: 
http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

To donate by text message: text REDCROSS to 90999. 

Text donation FAQs here:
https://american.redcross.org/site/SPageNavigator/ntld_Redcross_text2help_faqs?JServSessionIdr004=hziibru202.app293b

Blood:

Many, many blood drives were canceled due to weather, and the blood supply could get critically low very quickly.  Please consider giving blood as soon as you can:
http://www.redcrossblood.org/

Time:

So many ways.  But most of all, become a Red Cross volunteer.  The American Red Cross workforce is more than 90% volunteer. 

http://www.redcross.org/support

Holding the East Coast and Midwest in the Light / in the Goddess during storm recovery.

US and Canadian folks: would you like me to come visit you next February?

I'm hoping to make a trip to the US in February of 2013.

The Mid-Winter Gathering of FLGBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns) is Presidents' Day Weekend, February 15-18 of 2013, in Honesdale, PA (the Poconos): http://flgbtqc.quaker.org/gatherings.html.  I hope to go.

I also hope to come early, stay late, or both, so I can do some visiting and also facilitate some workshops, do some one-on-one sessions, do some dancing, etc. 

So, I am putting this out now:

If you are interested in bringing me to your community -- spiritual or secular, Quaker, Pagan, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, multi-faith, musical, or some other kind -- in February 2013, let's make plans now. 

You don't have to be on the East Coast; I'm particularly looking for a gig in the Berkeley, CA area, and really, I'm willing to travel anywhere. 

For workshops, I would need travel expenses within the US and Canada, and places to stay (mold-free and relatively dust-free).  I would also welcome stipends.  

I am interested in (and have experience) facilitating workshops on anything from and to:

• Singing the Goddess: singing workshops, with music particularly from the Goddess/Earth/feminist spirituality movements
• Theaological diversity and community building 
• Explicit Friends: community-building among Friends who experience the Divine in particular ways (can be adapted to other communities)
• Goddess spirituality and magic
• Sacred handwork: handwork as ministry and handwork as magic (craft techniques such as crochet, knitting, beading, basket-making, tatting, macrame, and more -- you name it) 
• Energy work and energy healing, as trained by John Calvi
• For Pagan Quakers and Quaker Pagans
• Winter Solstice Celebrations in your community based on A Winter Solstice Singing Ritual (I admit, this is not real popular in February) 
• Meeting for Worship for Healing
• Developing a workshop or retreat specifically for your community
• more. 

No group is too small; I don't know yet if any group is too large.  In larger workshops, it's harder to do intimate work, but we do break into smaller groups; in really small workshops, it's harder to do work that requires a certain energy of activation or number of people.  

I also offer one-on-one sessions in spiritual mentoring and energy work.  And I'd be really happy for opportunities to teach Scottish country dance and call English country dance.  

For more information, please see these pages on my website: 

• "About/Services" at http://stasa.net/about
• "Workshops & Retreats" at http://stasa.net/workshops-retreats

So, think about it, and get in touch if you know or think you might be interested.  

Thanks!

Updated information on FLGBTQC Mid-Winter Gathering

Updated information on Mid-Winter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns!  

As in the past, the Midwinter Gathering will be held over Presidents' Weekend - February 15-18, 2013.

LOCATION: The Gathering will be held at Bryn Mawr Mountain Conference Center. This is located in Honesdale, PA, which is in the Poconos. (Note: This is NOT in Philadelphia, and it's NOT in the town of Bryn Mawr with which you may be familiar because of a Quaker college of that name which is in that town.)  Here is the website for the conference center at Bryn Mawr Mountain: http://www.brynmawrmountain.com/

TRANSPORTATION: The nearest airport to Bryn Mawr Mountain is the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport (AVP), located about 1 hour away. This is a smaller airport, but our research indicates that it is actually less expensive to fly to this airport from most major cities in the US. Other airport options include: Lehigh Valley/Allentown (ABE) - 2 hours away. Newark (EWR) - 2 1/2 hours away. Philadelphia (PHL) - over 3 hours away. We strongly encourage you to use the Scranton airport if possible!

We are working on a way to provide shared transportation from Philadelphia to the Gathering. It is likely that we will arrange a bus or vas, as we anticipate a large number of attendees from the Philadelphia area. If you are coming from the Philadelphia area, please be assured that we will have updates for you as soon as possible on how we can help you get to the Gathering!

REGISTRATION: The registration form will be available soon (thank you for your patience!), but we do now have the information about registration fees. The standard adult rate will be $260 (per adult, for the whole weekend, all meals included). Some of the rooms are "summer camp" style (3-6 bunk beds, shared bathroom); others are "dormitory" style (1 bunk bed, 1 single bed, bathrooms on the hall) -- all these rooms are $260 per adult. There are a few rooms available which are further separated from the rest of the campus and have private baths; these rooms will be $280 (per adult). The rate for teens (age 13-18) will be $100, and for children (3-12) will be $60 (per teen/child, full weekend, all meals included). Children 2 and under can attend for free.

If you have questions... please know that your question may be answered soon as we will have much more information available for you, hopefully within the next few weeks!

We're looking forward to a really awesome Gathering and hope to see you there! Please stay tuned for further updates!

Forming now -- Edinburgh Solstice Singers! Please share widely

Forming now! 

The Edinburgh Solstice Singers

to sing in the 

Winter Solstice Celebration

presented by bread and roses spiritual nurture

Saturday night, 22 December, 2012

Details:

• We meet once a week for song-learning sessions / rehearsals, starting Monday, 8 October.
• We are a non-audition ensemble.
• You do not need to read music, although if you do, that can be helpful.
• All genders and voice ranges are welcome.
• Our music is written for sopranos and altos; we can make adjustments for tenors and basses.  (I am willing to work with tenors and basses if you are willing to work with my inexperience with those voice ranges.)
• There are no dues, but there may be a charge to cover room hire for rehearsals.

I am aiming for Monday evening rehearsals.  If there is another night that works better for most people, I would be happy to change.

We have a few copies of the songbook available to borrow during sessions, but not to take home.  You may choose to purchase your own copy, which comes with a compact disc that includes recordings of all the songs and teaching tracks for songs with harmony parts.

A list of songs is available on the website; detailed information about the songs is available on a sub-page.  http://tinyurl.com/EdinburghSolsticeSingers

I am looking for rehearsal space.  So far, the least expensive I have been able to find is £12-16/hr.  If there are enough of us to make that feasible, I will book that; if we are a small group, we may meet in my family's living room.  If you have a lead on more affordable space, please let me know!

If you are curious about or interested in joining, please contact stasa dot website at gmail dot com.

Please forward this to friends who might be interested. 

More information at http://tinyurl.com/EdinburghSolsticeSingers

Come sing with us!