Greetings, Sisters!

Our 2011 festival was a success!  Even though attendance levels were approximately the same as the previous year, our group of sisters in the woods included many new women!!  As our current group of regular attendees returns, and new women and girls find their way to the Woodlands, we are confident that attendance will continue to rise.  We are so grateful to those of you who have volunteered at Pantheacon, Pagan Pride, Spring Into Elderflower and also those of you who encouraged your friends and family to join us.  It's all of our efforts combined, that will help this community continue to grow and thrive.

Planning for our 2012 festival is well underway, along with many other exciting events.  Tina is coordinating our presence at Pantheacon and Artemis Passionfire has stepped forward to plan this year's Spring Into Elderflower!  Although the work can be overwhelming at times, we have the satisfaction of looking back at our goals and knowing many of them have been met.  We're also hard at work putting new procedures and tools in place that will make it easier for future staff to take over.

One of the changes we're making is a shift from the “Core Committee”, to a board style of leadership.  How this will ultimately look and function is still in the beginning stages of discussion.  One decision that has been made is that our leadership will now be referred to as the “Council”.  We believe this term better represents the values we are hoping to incorporate into our leadership model and sounds less rigid and formal than “the Board”.

As many of you know, for the past few years the Core Committee (past and present) were very focused on the basic survival of the festival itself. Dwindling attendance due to aging, the economy and other factors posed a dire threat to this community we all hold so dear. Thanks to the efforts of many dedicated staff and volunteers, much progress has been made.  A younger and more diverse group of women and girls have begun to discover the magic of Elderflower Womenspirit.  New workshops are being offered.  Updating our website and other online resources has enabled us to do greater and more effective outreach.  All this has made it possible for us to begin shifting our focus from merely rescuing the festival, to fostering its growth.  By “growth”, we are not just referring to an increase in attendance.  We are seeking growth in our diversity, and in the opportunities for spiritual, emotional and physical healing and support being provided to our sisters.

Over the past three years that the four of us have been on the Core Committee, there has been a great deal of change.  Some has been eagerly welcomed, and some has met with resistance.  Overall, we've received positive feedback from the community and believe that the changes we have made are having positive results.  There have been some missteps, but taking risks is a wonderful way to learn!  Also, if the community is not willing to take some chances and make changes, the ultimate result will be the same stagnation that recently left the festival in peril. 

Part of shifting our focus from survival to growth is changing our attitude toward our efforts to bring new women and girls into the community.  For the past several years, our mantra has been, “Elderflower needs more women.”  Which is certainly true, however, the reality is that more women need Elderflower.  Why have so many women sacrificed so much time, effort, and “tearing our hair out” moments, in order to keep this event going?  After all, we could just go to another festival, right?  We do it because we realize that we need to have Elderflower Womenspirit in our lives.  There is something very unique about this festival, and this community of amazing women, that feeds our spirits like no other experience we've had.

And we all know other women who need the very same things that the festival provides for us.

We all know other women who are struggling to maintain their sense of identity and self worth, in a culture constantly seeking to tear us down.

We all know other women whose knees are buckling from the weight of life's burdens; financial difficulties, emotional trauma, physical illness, balancing the needs of our families and ourselves, discrimination … the list goes on and on.

We all know other women who feel insecure and fearful, as we all watch the Religious Right (with its inherent misogyny) fight for dominance in our culture and our government.

We all know women that we've met, that we've listened to, that we've held, and thought, “She really needs to come to Elderflower”.

THIS is the reason to step up, and share Elderflower Womenspirit.  Donut do it just for a chance to win the nifty Goddess Doll.  By the way, this years doll will be Yemaya!  Donut do it just for the $25 Referral Credit. (But those are pretty cool perks, yes?)  Do it because the women in your life need it.  Women you work with, go to school with, worship with.  Women who drive the car with the Goddess bumper stickers, next to yours in the grocery store parking lot.  Women you meet at local gatherings in your community.

The theme of this years festival is “Sharing the Spirit”.  As part of manifesting that theme, the challenge we put before all of you is this… make a list of at least five women.  Share information about the festival, and encourage them to come with you this year.  If you can bring at least one woman with you this year, you've met our challenge. 

We hope you are all as inspired as we are, to make this years festival the best that any of us can remember!

Love and Elderflower Blessings,

Cynthia, Edye, Eldene, Phyllis, and Tina 
Elderflower Womenspirit Festival Interim Council

(Elaine and Maeryn have decide to leave the Council as of April 2012)

November 2010

Many blessings to all of our Elderflower Womenspirit sisters!  We are all honored to be serving again this year.  As the nights grow longer and colder, and 2010 draws to a close, we are still filled with the light and warmth of our most recent festival.  As this was our first year of being on the Core Committee, we were rather nervous.  The support from our previous Core and our volunteers, as well as the positive comments from the women who attended the festival, have helped reassure us that we are heading in the right direction.  It is our most sincere desire that we build on the success of 2010, and that Elderflower Womenspirit continues to grow and thrive.

Our goals for 2011, and beyond, are ambitious.   Far more work than can be accomplished by four women.  Our volunteers are the bedrock of Elderflower Womenspirit, we are so grateful for those who have stepped up to help with the 2011 festival.  We hope those of you who have attended will consider donating some time to support our efforts.  The original concept of our organization is that it is a grassroots, participatory experience.  The more women we have involved, the richer the experience will be for all of us!

The Times They Are A Changin’

The work we have done, and continue to do, includes a lot of change.  Much of this change has been received positively, and some has created some stress.  The reality we face is that Elderflower Womenspirit has been in existence for almost 25 years.  Any community that wishes to thrive must be willing to adapt and evolve.  Many of the practices we have followed in the past simply don't work anymore. We live in a world where communication is increasingly reliant on technology. Following “green” business practices is more critical than ever. The needs and desires of women seeking spiritual community are evolving, and we are challenged to compete with other organizations and their events.   Many of the changes we are making are also necessary to meet specific requests from the community, such as the upcoming online registration and payment options.  We are very grateful for the patience, understanding and support of the women we serve while we all go through this “growth spurt”!

One of the issues that we faced immediately as the new Core Committee was the need to build our community.  This is a critical task, and not just for the purpose of stabilizing the financial status of the organization.  Religious fundamentalism, with its misogynistic agenda, still has a very strong foothold in our society.  It's more important than ever that women are provided with opportunities to be part of strong, nurturing spiritual communities that celebrate the feminine aspects of the Divine.  Our goal is that Elderflower Womenspirit becomes one of these communities; a sisterhood that is active throughout the year, and not just for those precious four days in August.

A major piece of our plan for the upcoming festival is to focus on creating more diversity among the women who participate.  There is a dire need for this.  Worldwide, humanity is facing severe challenges; climate change, environmental pollution, economic collapse, war, crime and violence (especially against women).  And again, the vise of fundamentalism is cracking the foundations of our societies.  At such a critical time in our history, it is more important than ever that the women of the world present a united front against these threats.  It's crucial that we look past the things we see as being “different”, and focus on our commonalties.  It's time to recognize and honor the Goddess in ALL women, that we may strengthen our bonds with each other, instead of clinging to the labels that create artificial and counter-productive divisions.  The Goddess is making her presence known to all of her children, including those who follow traditionally patriarchal paths.  For example, the term “Jew Witch” is becoming more commonplace, and the works of Christian scholars such as Margaret Starbird are gaining more popularity than ever.  There is a place in the Goddess community for any women who are seeking her.

What Are We Doing This Year??

There is a lot going on behind the scenes.  Our website has been moved to a new server, and our new webmistress, Alyce Love, is doing a fantastic job!!  Maeryn is currently in the process of reviewing and revising the content of the website, to (hopefully) make the site more user friendly.  We plan to add photos to the site, in order to give visitors a visual of the festival experience.  Another feature we've been able to add is our new discussion board, which will enhance our efforts to further build Elderflower Womenspirit as a community. 

Cynthia has been working with our outgoing and incoming bookkeepers, Stacey and Phyllis, to update our bank accounts and financial processes.  The new server and banking procedures will also allow us to *finally* offer online registration and payment!

We will again be hosting a suite at Pantheacon, which takes place in February, in San Jose.  We are also planning to be present at other events throughout the year, such as Berkeley Pagan Pride.  If you will be attending Pantheacon, or another event in your area, please consider volunteering to help with our publicity efforts.

We changed our phone service, which has greatly improved our response to phone messages.  Edye and Eldene are handling our phone and email communication.

In response to the feedback that women had the desire to have more of a voice in the community, we have begun holding periodic “Community Meetings”, which are open to all festival participants.  We strongly encourage attendance to these meetings, or at least providing input to us by phone or email.  This is YOUR festival!!  Meeting notices are posted on our discussion board.

We have been able to hold registration fees at the same level for one more year.  In order to maintain the same rate for future years, we do have to build attendance.  To do this, we are asking each woman who attends to encourage at least one more woman to attend with her.  Also, the Referral Drawing is being continued this year.  For each newcomer that you bring to the festival with you, you will receive an entry for a one-of-a-kind Goddess Doll, created by Maeryn.  In addition, we have been able to lower fees for girls, in order to enable more mothers with daughters to attend.

We are more than just an event.  We are women in spiritual community.  We all teach, entertain, and nurture each other.  The experience of Elderflower Womenspirit is created by all of us, through the workshops, rituals, songs, creative work and love that we share.  If you find yourself thinking, “I don't have anything to share in a workshop”, talk to us.  We all have something that would benefit other women.  If you think, “I don't have time to volunteer”, think again.  Even the smallest tasks are a huge contribution.  Take risks, get involved, and make Elderflower Womenspirit everything it can be!

May Her Brightest Blessings Be Upon You,

Edye, Eldene, Cynthia and Maeryn
Core Committee, Elderflower Womenspirit 2011

January 2010

Hello Elderflower sisters,

Welcome to a bright New Year with many blessings and positive changes. As you know Edye Cheeseman, Eldene Gallagher and Jessica Hilberg have taken over the Core Committee responsibilities and we are looking forward to a great year and Festival. Our main goal as the new Core is to hold the energy of the festival year round and we are also here to help the festival evolve and grow as the dynamic event we all love and the to nurture possibilities of what the Elderflower Womenspirit Festival and ElderFlower can become.

This years' festival and ritual theme is:

Acceptance as a Way to Peace

Bear (Deb) will be priestess of the main ritual about self acceptance and will be welcoming the Goddess Quan Yin into our sacred festival space.

Your new Core is looking forward to being the priestesses for the opening and closing rituals, inviting in the five Goddesses of Avalon; Arianrhod, Rhiannon, Cerridwen, Blodeuwedd, and Branwen.

We are looking to blend in some fresh diverse participants and energies into the Elderflower Womenspirit Festival and are exploring having the workshops and programming tie in more with the theme of the festival. This is something that all of our sisters can help with. Many of you have been attending the festival for years and might not have realized what you could add to the festival in the form of a workshop, craft project or leading a meditation. Please look into yourself and also your fellow sisters to tap hidden skills to help us grow. We are very open to new ideas and suggestions.

As for the more mundane facets of the Elderflower Womenspirit Festival, once again the cost for this year has been kept to the 2009 rates.

The basic early bird rate is still $260, with incremental increases in registration fees after March 21. The fees are offered on a sliding scale. As always, we greatly appreciate the generosity of our sisters who pay at the higher end of the scale.

You may register with a deposit as low as $50 and still receive the lowest fee if we receive your registration by March 21, 2010. There is also financial aid and work trade options available.

We will be hosting a suite at PantheaCon 2010 with a party on Saturday February 13. Once again we need your help to do this. 

We are sending you the necessary materials to get registered and ready to participate and flyers for our upcoming to "Spring into ElderFlower" event. You will find two color copies for you and a friend. We have also included one white copy to allow you to make copies. Please remember to take flyers to any event you attend you never know who will be interested in joining us.

Please know that your new Core is here to help hold and grow the spirit of the Elderflower Womenspirit Festival contact us at anytime with any ideas, concerns or comments at info@elderflower.org.

Brightest Blessings into this New Year may you grow and enjoy!

Edye, Eldene and Jessica

Core Organizers for 2010 are:
Edye C.
Eldene G.
Jessica H.
Maeryn B.
Cynthia L.

As of April 2010 Jessica has decided to leave the core committee.