Assistant Director Report
Merideth Chaffin
Hello CMA!
Once more, I’m back from workend. Once more, I’m sore and tired and exhilarated and filled with the need to share it with you. There's something about going out to a workend. It's not just the camping, the getting back to nature, sitting around a fire, falling asleep under the stars, waking up to birdsong. It's not just good conversation, interesting people, communal meals, marshmallow roasting and a bottle of mead making the rounds. It's all this and more. It's what makes the ache worthwhile.
It's the ache of a good workout, the soreness of arms that have hauled wood or brush or stone, mixed concrete, wielded nail guns and hammers and drills. The blisters from walking the land, examining seldom visited spots of wilderness, taking in the beauty of it all. The sticky stained clothes, sweat and grime and sawdust, paint and varnish and mud. It's the satisfaction of accomplishment, of stepping back at the end of a weekend and saying "Look at what we did. Just look at it."
You should come and try it sometime. It's well worth the ache.
As you can see, I’m very caught up in all of this. Spring is here and Beltane is rapidly approaching. It is a time for planting seeds, for new beginnings and starting plans for the future. Out at Spirithaven, we are putting down new roots. Our workend crew is hard at work, making Mathew’s Healing Station a reality. Somehow, they manage to fit in a few other tasks each workend. Matt and Rain Land are doing an excellent job each weekend and I think you will be quite pleased with the results come Beltane.
Speaking of Beltane, we have been extremely busy behind the scenes. We have several bands lined up, most of whom have never played for CMA before. In the spirit of community, all of our bands this festival include CMA members. The musical line up runs the gamut from Reggae to Country to Rock and back again. We should have a little something for everyone and we hope you enjoy it.
We also have an excellent main ritual planned. One of our previous EDs, Maeven Eller, will be running Saturday night’s ritual. She will be closing out the Chakra Cycle with some special help from the folks on the Fire Crew. Come help us bridge the gap, finish the cycle and drive this magic home.
In addition to all of this, there are the workshops. We already have workshops, handfastings and event forms pouring in, so make sure you get yours in quickly. The sooner you get your forms in, the more likely you are to get your preferred site and time. I can’t emphasize this enough for those of you who may be getting handfasted this Beltane. A handfasting is a major event in your life and we want it to be incredibly special for you, but we need your forms and information to do this. Let us know when and where you want it and we will do our best to make it happen.
estival aside, we have many new ideas and programs beginning shortly. Our Community Mediation Program is coming together. DancerMike, our new Managing Director of Community Service is working on making the process smooth and user friendly to make sure all our spots are filled. Rachel, our Managing Director of Youth Services is overflowing with ideas for our next generation. Our Workend Crew is cooking up a program for Junior Land Crew. We’re busy revamping the Sacred Spaces program, going through the archives of Accords past for our history project, working on Phoenix's Circle and these are just the things that are written down! Spring has hit Texas full force and we are brimming over with ideas.
So come and join us, everyone! Come dance to the drums and talk around the fire all night. Come dream with us and we will make the dream a reality!
“Be the change you wish to see in the world”
Merideth
Assistant Executive Director