My Kansas City Adventure - Part 2

This is part 2 of a two part biographical article about the times when I lived in Kansas City in 1980's. This part is about the Order of the Gnostic Star and how it was founded.

It was in the year 1986, when I was living in Westport that I met two individuals who talked me into sharing my recently developed knowledge. I had been a confirmed solitary practitioner and as I said, I didn’t seek to form any group or teach my knowledge to anyone. I had been convinced that my newly acquired knowledge was for me alone, and that it was useless for anyone else. That made me shy away from sharing it with others. However, these two individuals, who became known in the Order as Frater Calixtus and Frater Discipulus Merlinii, convinced me that not only was my knowledge of magick relevant and intelligible to others, it was also incumbent upon me to teach this knowledge and spread its practice.

So inspired was I by these newly met friends and future associates that I began to immediately formulate what I had developed as a personal system of magick into the lore of the E.S.S.G. Frater Calixtus had been a wiccan high priest, occult scholar and theosophist, with many years of occult practice and knowledge. Frater Discipulus Merlinii was also an accomplished occult scholar, who had a quick wit and was also a brilliant writer. The three of us became the founding elders of the first temple of the Order. What they saw in me was someone who had a lot of practical magickal knowledge, the kind of knowledge that they needed to build a magickal lodge. So they formed an alliance with me and melded their greater scholarly skills and erudition with my practical and creative capabilities. The result of this synthesis was the birth of the lore of the E.S.S.G.

To gain an even better understanding of this event, I will use the musings of Frater Calixtus written in 1996, which was used  in the prologue of the first volume of “Mastering the Art of Ritual Magick.” I think that you can get a pretty good idea of how he perceived me and what he thought of my supposedly “useless” lore.

“Nearly a decade ago [1986] through the kindness of a mutual friend I met Frater Barrabbas. That encounter is still reverberating and growing within my magickal life. And much of what is best within me I owe to that encounter. It is difficult if not impossible to write of the life of any occultist, as Moina Mathers once wrote of her late husband MacGregor; ‘...there being so much of an inner and secret nature involved...so much of the symbolical in the historical, so much of the latter in the symbology.’ ( Preface to ‘The Kabbalah Unveiled,’ p. viii by M. Mathers)  Thus to write of Frater Barrabbas's outer life, his family, his siblings, his academic background is but to give you a single dimension of this myriad minded man.

At our first meeting it was our love for that Western yoga known as Magick which sparked our further conversations and enlivened our discussions. But I noticed early on in our friendship a unique quality to his Magickal vision and work. There was no derivation, no dependency upon past systems of magickal exploration in his philosophy. He was not content to retrace old patterns within the Magick ritual Circle, but to use them as jumping off points for deeper pioneering in the transfigured time and space of the Circle. Only with great reluctance on his part and even greater prodding on my part was I eventually able to see his Magickal diaries and rituals - and nothing I could have done could have prepared me for the experience. Immediately I saw innovative ritual structures such as the vortex and the Elemental Octagram presented. I saw his respect for Magickal traditions of the past; be they Kabbalistic, Enochian, Freemasonry, Golden Dawn, Thelemic or Neopagan. Moreover I felt his frustration that here in the late twentieth century ‘Magick’ for the most part was merely endless variation on themes established in the past and frozen in time.

Others of like mind came together to form the Egregora Sancta Stella Gnostica (E.S.S.G.) a gnostic ritual magick order. Uniting us was Frater Barrabbas's view that the sheer stasis of contemporary Magick was evident by the nature of the information available to the occultist in the public arena. And that adherence to a tradition regardless of its historical richness was a prison with its doors locked from the inside.”

How odd it seems to me today to be credited with changing Frater Calixtus’ life when not long after writing that tribute, he abandoned his study of magick altogether and became, instead, an atheist and a political Socialist. He must have believed what he wrote at the time, but whatever effects the group had on him were completely supplanted by other beliefs that he held more dear than the practice of magick or any form of occultism. Perhaps it would have meant more to me if he had remained and even mastered his occult practices and advanced his beliefs. I believe that he would have made a formidable occult scholar and practitioner. He even wrote some of the lore that the Order uses today. One other point, what Frater Calixtus was writing may have been true of the occult community in the 1980's, but by the 90's, there were a lot of new directions being developed, not to mention Chaos magick and the forming of the new Golden Dawn orders.

Anyway, let me continue with my narrative. At first there were only five or six members of this loosely defined group of magickal students. Then within two years, it had reached its peak of around fifteen active members. Those members began their task of crafting the lore of the Order by first writing all nine of the seasonal ceremonies. All I did was set the pattern for the rituals, the rest was their work entirely. Also, the first of the Circle Consecration and Elemental Octagon rituals were developed at this time. During the Autumn of 1987, all sixteen Elementals were sequentially invoked by the group in a period spanning a couple months of Saturdays, so they experienced the first flush of their own generated magickal power. In the midst of these intense workings, the egregore of the temple began to emerge, becoming a tangible presence. Also, the first two initiations were written and performed for most of the members of the group, and the first vision quest was devised and performed that autumn. We had planned to fast for most of the duration, but found that camping and fasting didn’t go well together, so we broke the fast and decided that such activities were better deployed in other types of (mystical) workings.

In January 1988, I wrote and performed an invocation ritual for the spirit of the Egregore, known as the Archangel Chiramael. This rite was attended by some of the members of the group and represented their first exposure to the specialized techniques of invocation and evocation as conceived and developed by me. Needless to say, the overall experience was quite a hit with the group, and that finally determined for me that the invocation technique which I used was capable of being perceived and experienced by others, not that I had any doubts.

In the second year, the group had already tired of the Celtic Grail lore and proposed to write up a completely Egyptian variation. I helped them with this task, but once again, they did most of the work. I later refined those rituals, but the material used was selected and incorporated by members of the group. So the more basic rituals were written and practiced as a group effort, all I did was act as the teacher and guide. I also often led the first attempts at performing these rituals, but soon afterwards, others were getting their chance to lead the group in the performance of these magickal rites. At this time I introduced not only the techniques of talismanic magick, but also my system of invocation and evocation. I conducted classes where these techniques were taught, and some of the group members were able to take up these new practices and perform them for themselves. The group also performed some of this new lore, but not as aggressively as had been done with the elemental workings. In the second year, I also introduced the specific five Grail celebrations, and then later on, the five Grail Alchemical mysteries. There was a lot of creative effort going on all during this time, and not only from me.

As new levels of occult knowledge and practice were needed by the group, the associated rituals and lore were translated from my seemingly endless personal supply. I also formulated the structure of the Order, and with the help of my associates we put together the bylaws and determined the hierarchy of the temple. On February 13th, 1988 (after practicing together for almost a year and a half), the group officially inaugurated itself as the first temple of Isis-Sophia #1, which was based in Kansas City. For the next year, I acted as the Magister Templi and brought to fruition the study and practice of magickal Gnosticism and the liturgy of the Anti Apostolic succession, which became the backbone of the initiatory lineage of the E.S.S.G. At least two members became ordained as gnostic priests, and one of them made it to the grade of acolyte. 

I had believed (and still do) that the Masonic lineage and occult lore, which had spawned numerous occult lodges and organizations, had been exhausted. So, I had based the lineage of the Order on my personal spiritual lineage, transmuting this new occult lineage from the ordination and consecration that I had received years previously. Thus, the Order became a Gnostic magickal religious order, based on initiatory holy orders and a sacramental system of illumination, making it quite different from what had been practiced previously.

Also, I decided, and was enthusiastically supported by the members, to fashion the hierarchical structure of all temples of the Order into a Star Group. This is an organizational structure where each temple is an autonomous group ruled by the consensus of its members regardless of rank or spiritual accomplishment. The internal hierarchy of the temple was temporary and subject to the will of the group. In this manner, I had finally put to rest the particularly bad experience that I had in the “coven from hell”eight years previously.

The structure of the Order and the hierarchy of the temple was successfully established and accepted by all. Yet as a sign that even I was subject to its rules, I relinquished my role as Magister and turned it over to my second, Frater Discipulus Merlinii, in an orderly fashion on Feb. 13, 1989 (the second Anniversarium). Group consensus was absolute, allowing no one to dominate it, which was a good and wise decision on everyone’s part. That meant that as the founder, I was not beyond or somehow outside of its rules. I had to comply with them in order for me to continue as an active and equal member, and I had no problems with this approach.

As I had given up my status as preeminent member of the group, some of the most important activities that the group engaged in were done without my direction or leadership. I can recall a couple of outdoor Vision Quests being done without me being the ritual leader, and at one of them, all I did was the domestic work of making certain that the torches and the fire were tended. The rest was done by members of the group, and the resultant ritual performances and magickal effects were quite profound. 

Then in the early summer of 1989, I finally left Kansas City permanently to pursue career opportunities in the Southeast. The temple in Kansas City continued on for another year and a half and then folded in late 1990, when its members could no longer function as a consensus-ruled group. The last Magister was Frater Arjuna, who was a faithful, brilliant and dedicated member of the Order, having received all of his transformative experiences through the practices and initiations of the Order. He was the product and prime example of what the Order was capable of doing for an individual seeker. He continued to be the head of an informal body, known as the Isis-Sophia #2 temple, which also finally disbanded in 1993.

My move took me to Atlanta, and then to Tallahassee, where I was able to assemble and perform some of the most important magickal and occult work that I had ever managed to previously achieve. Of course, that story is part of my continuing sojourn through the southeast, and one that I will relate in the future.

So that was my Kansas City adventure, and it lasted for six very important and formative years. At one of the last pagan gatherings that I attended there, one person summed up what I guess most folks felt about me leaving their community. She told me that the community was going to lose an important and valuable member, and that it would be nearly impossible to find anyone to replace me. I was flattered by her effusive support and belief in me, but I knew that no one was irreplaceable. However, according to my friends who still live there, the community did change, losing its depth and quality of engagement for a larger and less knowledgeable community. I blush at the thought of this acknowledgment, but I don’t for one minute believe that it was my fault or occurred because I left.

All communities change, and sometimes that change makes things less meaningful and engaging to some, but to others, it might seem as though things got much better. It all depends on your expectations and goals. One person’s engaging community might be another person’s boring continuation of fluff and superficial mediocrity. It all depends on your point of view. Needless to say, I will always remember my wonderful time in Kansas City and the great crew that I helped to assemble so we could forge and practice a new cutting edge type of ritual magick.

Frater Barrabbas

Heartland 2010 and the Order of the Gnostic Star

Well, I got back from my road trip to Kansas City on Tuesday night, and I am still getting settled back into my work regimen. A lot of things happened while I was on my vacation, including some interesting and amusing events at Heartland that involved yours truly. I promised to report on how the pagan festival went, so here is my report.

The trip down to Kansas City from Minneapolis took around seven hours to complete, consisting of some hazardous driving. The interstate is being massively repaired in sections, so the road was reduced down to two way traffic for nine to ten mile sections, and I had to pass through five of these gauntlets to get to my destination. Then, when I returned home, I had to pass through them again. At least the interstate highway system is being repaired. I suspect in a few years the road will be almost like new between these cities. Until then, driving them has some hazards that have to be dealt with.

In addition to going to Heartland, I spent a couple of days both before and one day after the festival with my friend Frater Arjuna, who lives in a quiet residential area north of town. Frater Arjuna and I have been friends for over 23 years. He and I are the only active members in the Order, a situation that has been going on now for the last fourteen years. We talked about many topics, from politics to hard core occultism, while listening to the music of “Therion” and “After Ever.” I also looked over a book that my friend had recently acquired that was written by E. A. Koetting, entitled “Evoking Eternity.” I ordered a copy for myself, which is a good thing, because it is now temporarily unavailable. After reading over several chapters, I found this book to be informative and interesting, although written somewhat pretentiously. However, I was rather dismayed at discovering Koetting’s intellectual alliance with Joseph C. Lisiewski, since that appeared to put him into the clique where poltergeist activity and fire and brimstone apparitions are considered important proofs that an evocation has successfully been achieved. These magicians eschew subtlety for the drama of delusional pyro-techniques and special effects. They also appear to denigrate the task of learning to master the mind through an arduous practice of meditation. Someone who engages in all of the extremely pious preparations required for the first step (Consecratio) in performing the rites of one of the old grimoires would undoubtedly experience something analogous to someone who has mastered meditation, except the one who has mastered the mind through meditation will have a powerful skill independent of any specific application. The power of the “As If” paradigm can make even the most absurd magickal practice work, although it may work less efficiently and inconsistently. I will attempt to write a more thorough review of Koetting’s work in a future article.

On Thursday, I traveled out past Bonner Springs in Kansas to where Camp Gaia is located and registered for the festival. I hadn’t been to the camp ground in over fifteen years and I marveled at what had been accomplished during that hiatus. The camp ground had formerly been quite rustic and bereft of amenities, but now it had a new bathhouse and a concert pavilion, while the older buildings had been spruced up. I was given a cozy half cottage for my stay, with a bed already made, towel and even a package of ear plugs, which I would find great use for in the coming days. (Circle drumming seldom ended before 5 am the next morning.) The camp site also had a really nice outdoor ritual area with the circular area laid with golden sand and permanent solid wooden benches arranged around it.

Camp Gaia is quite beautiful, being divided into two levels by a forty foot escarpment. The lower level has a lovely mud bottom lake where the cabins, dinning cabin, bathhouse, office and caretaker’s home are located, and the upper level, where the ritual site, pavilion and most of the camp grounds are located. To travel from the lower level to the upper level, one can either follow the road that curves around the camp ground or access the stairway that climbs up the escarpment for a more direct ascent. I can claim to have gotten quite a bit of exercise during my stay going up and down that stairway, since a single ascent can leave one a little bit breathless and momentarily rubbery legged. Many such ascents will function as a daily exercise regimen.

During the four nights of the festival, the weather was nearly perfect, perhaps a bit too hot on the days leading up to the last day, Sunday. On Sunday, the perfect weather was profoundly interrupted by a violent storm that lashed the trees and camping tents and dumped quite a bit of rain on the ground for an hour or so. The clouds and rain cooled things down a bit, but made everything far more humid and less comfortable. Prior to the storm, the days had been quite warm and the evenings comfortably cool.

After getting the festival brochure, I examined the schedule and found when all of my workshops would have to be performed. I had three workshops to give and they were spaced out one per day, starting on Friday around lunchtime. I was to give my History of the Heartland Pagan Festival at that time, and then the Twenty-two Stages of the Cycle of the Hero on Saturday, and finally, on Sunday early evening, the workshop on Elemental Magick. I had my work cut out for me, since I now always study my notes a few hours before I have to give my workshop. This usually cuts into my ability to socialize, since I have to carefully manage my time so I will be prepared to give the best presentation possible. I have to make certain that I have eaten, that I am properly hydrated, had enough rest and not suffering from any partying done the previous night. I know that I am not in my best form if any of these important tasks are either omitted or partially completed. Getting enough rest is very important, since it allows me think clearly and respond to any questions or cues from the attendees. What I didn’t need was to be hung over or exhausted from an evening of carousing, something that I would have enjoyed but later regretted.

My first class was on Friday and it was reasonably well attended, of course the subject matter was something that probably interested nearly everyone at Heartland, or at least those who are interested in history. Word got around that I was one of the founders of the pagan festival, so that got me more attention than I might have gotten otherwise. I was in good form and didn’t make any egregious mistakes or commit any faux pas. All of my classes were conducted in the pavilion, which was an arched roof building that was open on three sides. The pavilion was used for the music concerts, since it had a stage, a powerful sound system and a lighting system.

The second class, conducted on Saturday at around lunch time, was marginally attended, but it also went quite well. I had done some additional work and added some new points to this class on the Twenty-two stages of the Cycle of the Hero, predicating that it is part of the psychology model of magick and developing a deeper explanation of what that model is like, its usefulness and also its flaws. I felt that this class was a lot better than when I had done it at Pantheocon back in February. Going over the notes and adding some additional points helped to make it a lot smoother. Oberon Zell-Ravenheart helped me out by showing the trumps of the Tarot cards as I silently read off the cue cards and distilled their content into my workshop narrative, adding deeper material from memory. Except for one cue card being out of synch, the workshop proceeded at a good pace and I was able to end it earlier than expected. Although everything went as I had hoped it would, I came to the realization that lunch time (12:15 pm) didn’t seem to be a good time for having a workshop, and not only that but the afternoons were very warm, probably almost 90 degrees F. It seemed more conducive to having an afternoon siesta than listening to me drone on for 75 minutes.

The final class held on Sunday was at 6:30 pm, which might have been the perfect time for a class if it wasn’t for the fact that the weather finally decided to break from being perfect to quite foul. As I hurried up the stairs and past the merchants area to the pavilion, I was all too aware of the fact that the sky had become quite dark, with distant flashes of lightening and the rumbling of thunder. The wind had picked up quite a bit as well, so as I situated myself in the pavilion, I made sure that all of my papers had something heavy on them to keep anything from flying away. The wind was occasionally blowing through the pavilion, so I decided to use a mike to help amplify my voice over the noise of the coming storm. The technicians also turned on the house lights so I could see my notes. As I waited for everyone who was going to attend to find a seat in the front rows around me, I noticed that the storm was getting more severe. There were only around 25 folks assembled around me, but there were also probably around 50 or so who were clustered in the rear of the pavilion, to wait out the storm. As I started my workshop, the bottom fell out of the clouds and it began to fiercely rain, with the wind blowing wet breezes into the pavilion. Luckily, I was just out of reach for most of the storm, but things did become a bit damp. About a third of a way through my workshop the storm got so loud, with lightening and thundering, that I temporarily halted the class, since I was not able to compete with the noise that mother nature was producing. I waited for around ten minutes as the front passed directly overhead and then the storm began to subside. I then continued the class and managed to complete it without too many distractions.

There was a great deal of irony in me attempting to lead a workshop on elemental magick when the elements of nature were showing a great deal of fury and power. I would refer to the element of fire, and there would be a great flash of lightening. I would talk about the element of air, and the wind would shake the trees and blow gusts into the pavilion, and of course, water, the cloud burst of rain, and earth, the shaking of ground as the thunder broke overhead. It was a chaotic cataclysm of unbounded nature on display for one and all. I was able to use the powerful display of the elements as a kind of hilarious antiphon to the serious nature of what I was talking about. It was quite humorous, in a “Frater Barrabbas” sort of way. I did get carried away at one point. I pointed to the stormy sky with the lightening and thunder, and said, “You there, gods, I defy you!” Some of the folks in the pavilion (most of whom were there just to escape the fury of nature and not to attend my workshop) actually booed me for saying that. I rejoined on them in an entreaty, saying, “Come on, haven’t any of you seen one of those old sword and sandal movies where Hercules shakes his fist at the sky and says, ‘I defy you, Zeus!’” The boos died away quickly amid a few laughs. I guess you could say that I probably went a bit too far on that joke, but sometimes I am amazed at how superstitious some people can be.

Anyway, I managed to get through my workshop in the midst of one of the biggest storms I had seen so far this season. There were reports of some twisting clouds and some hail, but by the time I was done with the workshop, the storm had ended. I guess we were lucky that the storm wasn’t more fierce or damaging, but it did dump quite a lot of rain on the campground in a short amount of time, making some of the paths and walkways a bit treacherous. I was quite careful when walking about after that storm had passed over, not wishing to slip and fall.

While my classes were not attended to the capacity that I had hoped, at least I was able to sell quite a large number of books - probably close to 20. I also would run into individuals who would want a copy of my class notes after the class, and the left-over class notes for the second class disappeared by Sunday evening, since there was nothing to collect on Monday morning. However, what was missing was the hunger for knowledge that I had experienced at both Pantheacon and MPUC Ostara. Perhaps it was more subtle, or that what I am attempting to teach was not as useful as, let’s say, relationship classes or Nordic divination and magickal practices. 

All in all, the festival was a good experience for me and I must say that I enjoyed it. I met some really wonderful people, and I also got reacquainted with a number of folk that I hadn’t seen in a long time. I got to play my flute with some really good musicians and share some drinks with some friends. I attended two of Oberon’s classes and found a new level of respect for his current project, the Grey School of Wizardry. I met his second significant other, Julie, and found their company to be quite warm, understanding and insightful. For the past two years, at every event where I meet and get to spend time with Oberon, I become more impressed with his wisdom, deep insights and historical perspectives. He lived through the late great sixties, which I saw only as an adolescent. Oberon is also one of the founders of neopaganism as a cultural movement in this country, so his memories of those formative times are vitally important and relevant to all of us. I could listen to his tales for hours, and I also had a blast exchanging ideas with him as well. I will look forward to seeing and sharing thoughts with him again. He and his lady are warm, down to earth and quite accessible to ordinary folk. Oberon dressed as one would expect a wizard to dress, looking a bit like either Gandalf the Grey or Albus Dumbledore - I found it fun and engaging.

The Heartland Pagan Festival has been going on now for twenty-five years. It is a sustainable gathering that relies on a group of loyal and faithful attendees, a large number of whom have been attending this event for many years. There were more than 800 attendees, and this number is exactly what the HSA organization seeks to replicate each year, since more attendees would adversely affect the camp site and overcrowd the finite resources. According to one past vice president of HSA, the magick number for sustainability is 500. While I had feared that Heartland would be adversely affected by the proximity of the Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG), both in terms of geographics and calendar, I believe that I can rightfully say that each event has its own mutually exclusive loyal following. So I believe that Heartland will be around for the 30th anniversary, which I also hope to attend.

There were a few things that I experienced at Heartland which I thought could be improved. Overall, it’s a good festival that is well organized and staffed. As a guest speaker, I was made to feel special and privileged by the staff, which was a unique experience. However, the festival was lacking in regards to really substantive workshops and discussion groups. The heaviest presenters were all hired speakers (such as myself), and the indigenous presentations were light and infrequent. The workshop schedule was poorly planned as well, with classes starting at 12:15 pm, which is usually when people would be seeking something to eat or to rest up during lunch. I had to hit the dinning room early myself in order to make my classes. I can imagine that others who were not so well organized would have been eating when I was giving my classes. I also felt that the pavilion was not a good venue for teaching classes, since it was too large and open on three sides, allowing for people to wander in and out, talk and socialize while classes were being conducted.

Years ago, when I was involved in planning and executing the Heartland Pagan Festival, we had a lot of really substantive workshops and discussion groups, most of which were headed by local occultists, witches and pagans. Most of those brilliant people seem to be absent and are now greatly missed in the current incarnation of Heartland. It’s my hope that as time passes on, that some of these wise local folk will come back to the festival that they helped to formulate years ago. I know that doing an event like this every year can be frustrating and unrewarding, but it’s my hope that as things are always changing, that this, too, will change for the good.

In my honest opinion, it would seem that Heartland is more inclined to musical entertainment than actually sharing knowledge or discussing critical issues. There were half a dozen different musical acts that were presented during the three evenings, and all of them were of a very high caliber. The final act for Sunday evening was probably one of the best Celtic Country bands I have heard in some time, they were called “Flannigan’s Right Hook.” A band consisting of three women, called “The Traveling Fates” was also extremely good and very entertaining. The women excelled at playing multiple instruments and percussion, and their voices blended in wonderful harmonies. I particularly found the one band member named Bekah to be quite fetching.

The main rituals were also well thought out and performed, but only the closing rite was done during the night, the rest were done while it was still light out, which was strange. The main ritual focused on sacrifice and loss, which I thought was rather daring, since this is a topic that most pagan folk would rather avoid. There were some minor logistic problems with the main ritual, but it did manage to get its point across. I would recommend that such topics, if they are to be presented in a main ritual at a pagan festival in the future, should first be discussed and clearly defined in a workshop. I saw that many people were confused about what was going on and probably didn’t get the deeper meanings of the rite, since it was obscure even to me.

I would like to announce one final item of great importance that happened to me during my visit, but it wasn’t at Heartland. One of the founders of the Order contacted Frater Arjuna and wanted to meet both of us on the last day of my visit to the Kansas City area. He had dropped out of the group twenty years ago and had not been involved with it since that time. I welcomed the opportunity to meet him again, and after breaking the ice, the three of us toasted a new era of cooperation and engagement with the presently dormant Order. I hope that this individual (we will call him by his old name, Frater Discipilus Merlinii) will be true to his word and help us to rebuild the Order. I took it as a good sign and an auspicious omen for all of us. Since I performed the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal, large swatches of my past have been resurfacing and getting reclaimed by me. I feel as though I am being refilled with all of my past historical doings (much of it forgotten), and remembering them as if they had happened just yesterday. I would assume that as this process continues, all of the facets of my life will be present and fully activated before the days of autumn arrive. Then I will be able to complete the final task in the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal, or at least that is my hope.

I believe that my trip to Kansas City and attending the Heartland Pagan Festival represents yet another facet of my past becoming reactivated and reclaimed. It was magickal and quite insightful. I have several pages of notes highlighting things that occurred to me while on my retreat. I look forward to fleshing them all out, including four new workshops to develop.

Frater Barrabbas