While headed home from a Dedicant Oath rite, we started talking about what it was like to move on from our current roles in modern Paganism, whether those moves were due to life changes, vocational changes, or just coming to a place where it was time to move on. Mike Bierschenk joins Revs. Avende and Dangler on this discussion again, and we our conversation goes a bit everywhere, but it was a good chat. Find us on Facebook , connect with us at Threecranes.org , and learn more about Druidry at ad...
Nov 23, 2023•31 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Today, on the way out to a Dedicant Oath Rite, Rev. Avende and Rev. Dangler travel with Mike Bierschenk on the way out to State College, and chat on a topic we've been meaning to get to for a while: what does it mean for us when our deities are jerks? Myths and legends are full of some really awful things that the spirits do to each other, to humans, and even to animals and plants. How do we navigate those waters? Content Note: You've read the stories about deities and how they interact with oth...
Nov 16, 2023•26 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Happy Samhain, friends! One of the great traditions we have as a Grove is that we keep an Ancestor Box. This is a simple box that has been with us for 20 years now, receiving new ancestors and bringing them into our shared community of ancestral family, and becoming a part of who we are. Today, because we were driving home from the Cantlos Druid Moon rite where we opened the box, we reflected a bit on how we interact with it, what's changed in two decades, and the ways we've found to keep the "s...
Nov 02, 2023•29 min•Season 6Ep. 21
On our way out to a Druid Moon rite, we took a moment to chat about a festival Rev. Avende had been to recently: Harvest Nights ! Long one of our favorite festivals, Rev. Avende had made the trip without Rev. Dangler this year, and so you can listen along as he hears all about what he missed. Find us on Facebook , check us out at Threecranes.org , and learn more about Druidry at ADF.org ....
Oct 26, 2023•24 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Today, Rev. Avende and our Grove Bard, Mike Bierschenk, travel out to Harvest Nights and bring you along in the car with them, as they discuss the role of the Bard in Three Cranes Grove, ADF, and in ritual in general. Both have served in the role for our Grove, and both have brought their own magical touch to the work. Find us on Facebook , check us out at threecranes.org , and learn more about Druidry at adf.org ....
Oct 12, 2023•27 min•Season 6Ep. 19
We continue our conversation from our previous episode with how we do magic for others: how we decide what sort of magical work to do, who to do it for or with, and how we divide out our magic by audience and type of work. We also talk about magical work for hire, and the boundaries we set around that. Find us on Facebook , check out our Grove at ThreeCranes.Org , and learn more about Druidry at adf.org ....
Oct 05, 2023•25 min•Season 6Ep. 18
After Summerland, we're back! Today, we talk about sympathy and contagion in magic: the idea that things that are alike can provide access to each other, either through being alike or containing the essence (Greek: ousia ) of a thing. We chat about them as subsets of attraction, referring to the Laws of Magic outlined in Real Magic . We talk a little bit about joss money (AKA "hell notes" or "hell money") as an example, but the majority of this discussion grows out of the need for Rev. Avende to...
Sep 28, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Today, we're off to Summerland , and we hope you will be too! We're looking forward to more new content with new friends there! Last week, we recorded an episode on the way to the Dublin Irish Festival for our annual Sunday Druid Service, and recorded a bit with Mike Bierschenk afterwards to review the service and our experience. If you want to watch the service, you can do so here: 2023 Druid Sunday Service . We also talk a bit about things new and old in the ritual, as well as unexpected last ...
Aug 17, 2023•36 min•Season 6Ep. 16
The Summerland Festival is next week, August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio! As of publication, you can still register! This week is the final of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual pa...
Aug 10, 2023•20 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Have you registered for the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio? You should! Come meet us! This week is the fourth of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. T...
Aug 03, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Have you registered for the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023, near Yellow Springs, Ohio? You should! Come meet us! This week is the third of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these ritual parts. Th...
Jul 27, 2023•47 min•Season 6Ep. 13
We're a month out from Summerland! Consider coming out to the Summerland Festival August 17-20, 2023 , in near Yellow Springs, Ohio! This week is the second of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in ADF ritual, the history behind those sections, and how they came to be part of our liturgy, before diving deeply into how we actually do these rit...
Jul 20, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Important Announcement! The Trillium Spring Gathering is back in 2024! Some more details in the episode, but check out the website, and join us early next year! Also, you can check in with us in person sooner at the Summerland Festival in August. This week is the first of five episodes we recoded back-to-back about "Managing the Magical," or how we do magical work in certain sections of our rituals. We'll talk about what we consider the "big magical workings" in Druid ritual, the history behind ...
Jul 13, 2023•26 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Today, Rev. Avende reviews their experience at the Wisteria Appalachian Summer Solstice festival in southeastern Ohio. They discuss their favorite workshops, including one on bone throwing by one of the owners of Moon Bees Apothecary and Spiritual Supply in Wisconsin, and a little about open and closed systems of divination. Then, it's on to ritual work and spaces, people that they met, and experiences with queer safe spaces and the amazing drumming circle. You'll also hear some ideas we hope to...
Jun 29, 2023•25 min•Season 6Ep. 10
A couple of weeks ago, we got to record with friends old and new in the barn at the close of the Wellspring Gathering , 2023. To our great delight, we were able to connect up with Collin from The Crone's Porch , a pagan discussion podcast much like our own, and record a small crossover episode. We also have Jacque (who has been on before) and Stephen with us, providing their perspectives as well. As always, we have a few linear notes and links for you to check out! Crone's Porch Podcast ; find t...
Jun 22, 2023•21 min•Season 6Ep. 9
We set a record for how fast Rev. Dangler can break Rev. Avende's composure on this episode! But the topic was a great one, where we got to speak about unconventional tools and challenge how we thought about the physical things that aid us in the work that we do for the folk. Find us on Facebook , check us out at threecranes.org , and learn more about Druidry at adf.org ....
Jun 15, 2023•25 min•Season 6Ep. 8
A listener question today comes in, asking, "Is there a place for me if I just want to 'show up' to ritual?" And of course, our answer will surprise nobody. We talk a bit about what it means to "just show up," to be part of ritual without taking a part. What is the expected level of participation, and can we make space for it in our Groves and in our broader work? And, if you want to just go to ritual, what do you need to do to make sure that remains an option in your local community? What sort ...
Jun 08, 2023•34 min•Season 6Ep. 7
"Good leaders spread everything, from wealth to work." Talking about the commitments we make as clergy and leaders in our work, we turned on the recorder so others could sit in. We spoke about how burnout impacts us, and how we avoid it (when we're able to). In particular, a lot of our discussion talks about our responsibility as current leaders to create space for new blood and how to deal with the parts of our work as leaders that just don't feed us (spoiler alert: it's delegation, boundaries,...
Jun 01, 2023•21 min•Season 6Ep. 6
We're on our way to the Wellspring Gathering this week and working hard on getting new content, so you get a bonus episode! This week, it's all about roadside divinatory attractions you can find throughout the North American travel landscape, inspired by our visit with a Zoltar machine in a travel plaza in upstate New York. Of course, there are pictures and videos worth looking at here: from each of us receiving our fortune from Zoltar to the creepy dog in Lucas, KS, and The Magical Druid's own ...
May 25, 2023•9 min
On our way to the Three Cranes Grove, ADF , annual liturgical planning meeting, Rev. Dangler hit Rev. Avende with a random question when they got in the car: do you set goals for your ritual year? We talk about what we expect on the planning side of things as we get into it, ways we look for balance, and things we want to look back on and consider as we move forward. We might have gotten a little ahead of ourselves since this would have been great content for the actual meeting, but hey, at leas...
May 19, 2023•18 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Last week we talked about how Rev. Avende and Rev. Dangler were trying to plan out a trip to Greece; this week, we circle back to the trip that Rev. Dangler and his wife took, and how they managed the space between good planning and good luck to find ways to encounter the things they wanted to do on that trip. Rev. Dangler's wife joins in as a special guest to detail her perspectives on the trip as well. Some of the things we mention on the trip can best be illustrated by looking at photos of th...
May 11, 2023•40 min•Ep. 29
Early last year, Rev. Avende and Rev. Dangler discussed the process of planning a trip in the not-too-distant future to Greece to tour some sacred sites. During the chat, they also talked about other trips they've taken, and upcoming trips that are on the horizon. Some items that come up during the discussion that are worth linking include: The Nautes Pillar MJD saw in Paris' Musée de Cluny [video link] An upcoming trip for MJD and his wife up the Rhine [commercial link] A little Mercury Prayer ...
May 04, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 3
When we think about rites of passage, we usually think about how they impact the person who experiences the passage directly, rather than the community around them. In this episode, we talk a bit about what it's like to be a part of that community, and explore a bit about how we've experienced rites of passage, and the observations we have about how they've influenced others... as well as ourselves. We recorded this episode on our way to a houseblessing for Anagantios, our Stay-At-Home Druid Moo...
Apr 27, 2023•21 min•Season 6Ep. 2
We're back for Season 6! At our Anagantios Druid Moon in 2022, we recorded this episode about the advice we would give to ourselves when we were our younger Pagan selves. It turns out our advice is actually still pretty relevant to us these days. We also brought advice from a special guest not in the car, which we gathered at Harvest Nights 2021. If you have advice for your younger Pagan self, we're collecting that advice! Record it and send us a link to the recording at druidsincars@threecranes...
Apr 20, 2023•22 min•Season 6Ep. 1
One of the things about recording a podcast is that you find yourself passing milestones on the journey, and today, we managed to get in our 100th episode! We talk a bit about how rites of passage have figured into our working life as podcasters, as members of a local Grove, and as individuals, and what it feels like to move through them. Most importantly, we look forward, because what comes on the other side of such a rite is impossible to know until you've crossed the threshold! If you're inte...
Aug 11, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 14
Druidry is not drudgery, and there is an element of joy to all of the work that we do with and for others. We speak of Rev. Dangler's initiatory experience, where joy was gifted to him as a tool of his work. Rev. Avende speaks of joy in their flow experience of ritual. We speak of the difference between joyfulness and happiness, and our aim to use the flow and the joy to bring connectivity to the folk. Our next episode is Episode 100! What are we going to do? We don't quite know yet! See you nex...
Jul 07, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Today we're talking about what Druidry is, and discuss the impacts of using the word "Druid" as ADF members. Spoiler alert: Rev. Avende hates it. We talk about the terms we could use instead, working both forward from our base practice, and backwards from the terms we have available. If you've ever been annoyed by the way ADF Druids use the word "Druid," this episode is for you. You may also want to check out our first season "Space Druidry" bonus episode . If you have a better word than anythin...
Jun 30, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 12
How do you find nature to put in your nature religion? We look at both the mundane and the spiritual aspects everyone has access to, consider that ancient Pagans didn't find a deep issue with lack of access to the "natural world," and talk about how we bring a bit of nature into our practice in visible and useful ways. The Vegetarian Epicure [ Amazon link ] Rev. Dangler's office "passage tomb" [ Facebook photo ] We know you're looking for festivals to attend, because why wouldn't you? The Summer...
Jun 23, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Because of the way that ADF is structured as a pan-Indo-European organization, it's entirely possible to come to ritual at your local Grove and experience ritual in a culture you're unfamiliar with, or (if you're clergy or an initiate) be asked even to write a ritual for others. We'll talk a bit about how we research and write the rituals as ADF Priests first, and then talk a bit about how we, as attendees, approach a ritual where we are strangers to the spirits that are honored. For "Circles of...
Jun 16, 2022•32 min•Season 5Ep. 10
Have you ever felt that you were in over your head with this whole ritual-and-magic thing? Do you feel like an "imposter" about to be found out? We all have, but it can seem like it's a lonely place to be. You might be surprised that, even with all the experience and work under their belts, Revs. Avende and Dangler both deal with it on the regular, too. We talk a little bit about what our own notions of "being an imposter" looks like, the ways that we personally combat those feelings within ours...
Jun 09, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 9
