Laurelin Community

05/03/2026

Thank you to everyone who showed up for one or both of our Beltaine rituals. :-)

We had several new folks from the Barre/ Montpelier area, three old friends who haven't made it here in several years, and oodles of babies and children. It was wonderful.

If you have photos of the event you'd be willing to share, and/or would like to tell us what you liked about either of the rituals, please do!

We hope to see you at midsummer and/or Lughnasadh!

Welcome May!

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05/01/2026

Weather forecast for Beltaine on Saturday afternoon and evening:

It may rain in the morning but by afternoon it will be mostly cloudy with high of 52 and dropping down to mid-40s in the evening.

So... dress warmly and in layers - and dry shoes/ boots.

Hope to see you soon!

05/01/2026

Happy May Day/ Beltaine!

"The month of May was come, when every l***y heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit; for like as herbs and trees bring forth fruit and flourish in May, in likewise every l***y heart that is in any manner a lover, springeth and flourisheth in l***y deeds. For it giveth unto all lovers courage, that l***y month of May."
- Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur

'But I must gather knots of flowers,
And buds and garlands gay,
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother,
I'm to be Queen o' the May.'
- Alfred Lord Tennyson

"The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too,
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh."
- Philip Larkin, The Trees

Hurray, hurray, the First of May! Outdoor.... (well, you know the rest 😉 ).
- Old English Schoolyard Rhyme

ARTWORK BY: SUSAN ALISON
https://www.susanalison.com

04/23/2026

Our Beltaine gathering is May 2nd. Who all is coming to dance around the maypole? Or staying for the evening ritual?

04/01/2026

SAVE THE DATE

Beltaine - Saturday, May 2nd
More details to follow but you know there'll be a maypole....

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03/16/2026

Anyone I know going?

03/15/2026

Thanks to everyone who weathered the snow to attend Arboralia. Hope to see everyone at Beltane in 7 weeks! (May 2nd).

Hoom La Shoom, La Shoom Hoom.

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03/14/2026

Last shout-out - who all is coming tonight to drive the dregs of winter (internal and external) away?

https://www.facebook.com/events/883770367994228

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03/08/2026

Reminder that our Equinox ritual will be on March 14th (a week early). RSVPs are required.

Please RSVP by PM or via email to [email protected] soon.

https://www.facebook.com/events/883770367994228

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02/25/2026

A reminder:
Our spring equinox ritual will be a week earlier than usual. It will be on Saturday, March 14th (2.5 weeks away, woohoo!).
Details coming in the next day or two.

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12/21/2025

I post this every year: (And we watch the movie every year too!)
(Susan - speaking in lower case - to her grandfather Death - who always speaks only in UPPER CASE)

“Thank you. Now . . . tell me . . .”

WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? (The Hogfather... their world's version of Santa who they just saved from fading away due to non-belief)

“Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?”
NO.

“Oh, come on. You can’t expect me to believe that. It’s an astronomical fact.”
THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN.

She turned on him.
“It’s been a long night, Grandfather! I’m tired and I need a bath! I don’t need silliness!”
THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN.

Really? Then what would have happened, pray?”
A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED THE WORLD.

They walked in silence for a moment.
“Ah,” said Susan dully. “Trickery with words. I would have thought you’d have been more literal-minded than that.”
I AM NOTHING IF NOT LITERAL-MINDED. TRICKERY WITH WORDS IS WHERE HUMANS LIVE.

“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need . . . fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little -“
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

“So that we can believe the big ones?”
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

“They’re not the same at all!”
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET – Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME . . . SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

“Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point-“
MY POINT EXACTLY.

She tried to assemble her thoughts.
THERE IS A PLACE WHERE TWO GALAXIES HAVE BEEN COLLIDING FOR A MILLION YEARS, said Death, apropos of nothing. DON’T TRY TO TELL ME THAT’S RIGHT.

"Yes, but people don’t think about that,” said Susan. Somewhere there was a bed.
CORRECT. STARS EXPLODE, WORLDS COLLIDE, THERE’S HARDLY ANYWHERE HUMANS CAN LIVE WITHOUT BEING FROZEN OR FRIED, AND YET YOU BELIEVE THAT A . . . A BED IS A NORMAL THING. IT IS THE MOST AMAZING TALENT.

“Talent?”
OH, YES. A VERY SPECIAL KIND OF STUPIDITY. YOU THINK THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS INSIDE YOUR HEADS.

“You make us sound mad,” said Susan. A nice warm bed…
NO. YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN’T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME? said Death.

(From Terry Pratchett's "The Hogfather")

Happy Hogswatch everybody.