We may have been a little too vocal in asking for rain! After a long and early drought, the skies have opened and rain has blessed us - over, and over, and over again. It is wonderful to see the flowers blooming and everyone’s gardens thriving as we move into the hottest months of the year. We hope you will join us as we cool off in the swimming holes of Elizabeth Furnace and camp in the woods of Prince William Forest.
Event Announcements
Wilderness Between
The latest details on all WB events are on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/wilderness-between/events/
The next Planning Council Meeting for Fall/Winter events will be held in mid-September.
In keeping with the spirit of growth and our purpose as a collective organization, we would like to hear from members who have skills they would like to share or events they would like to lead. If you feel called to do so, please visit the new page on our website and fill out the form here:
Lughnasadh Cookout
Sat, Jul 29 · 11:00 AM
Elizabeth Furnace
Getting to Know Trees: Summer
Sat, Aug 12 · 11:00 AM
National Arboretum
Foraging Hike
Sun, Aug 13 · Time TBD
Cedar Creek Battlefield
Relearning Indigenous Sovereignty
Sun, Aug 20 · Time TBD
Virtual Event
Backpacking and First Aid Fundamentals
Wed, Aug 30 · 7:30 PM
Virtual Event
Frederick Pagan Pride Day
Sat, Sep 9
Universalist Unitarian Congregation of Frederick
Book Club
Sun, Sep 17 · 3:00 PM
Virtual Event
Equinox Camping Trip
Thurs, Sep 21 - Sun, Sep 24
Prince William Forest Park
MD Renaissance Festival
October 8 · Time TBD
Crownsville, MD
Backpacking
Fri, Oct 13 - Sun, Oct 15
Seneca Creek Backcountry
Ravenwood Faire
Sat, Oct 28 · Time TBD
Winchester, VA
Friends of WB
The Firefly House
Lugnasadh Celebration
Sun, Jul 30 · 3:00 PM
Rock Creek Park
Sharing Sacred Spaces hosted by The Firefly House
Sun, Oct 15 · 3:00 PM
Frederick CUUPs
Earth Centered Spirituality Service
Sun, Jul 9 · 12:00 PM
Universalist Unitarian Congregation of Frederick
Stone Circle Council
Bramble and Moon
Virtual Bardic Circle
Photos taken by Mason and Caitlin on a recent backpacking scouting trip to Seneca Creek, WV
Photo of Stonehenge from Mason's recent visit to the UK
Meet a Steward
Usually we use this section to introduce one of the Stewards, but we were asked recently to clarify some questions about what the role of a Steward is.
Who are the active Stewards? That's an easy question to answer: Rosey, Caitlin, Jillian, Jay, Marybeth, and Mason.
What are the Stewards? That's a more interesting question.
I was once asked if we were like priests. No; I would definitely not say that. Do I, Mason, think of myself as providing spiritual care to this community in the way a minister or priest might? Yes; but that is a contribution I make as a Steward. Other Stewards contribute in other ways. Stewardship in Wilderness Between is about helping to foster our community, and a community has many needs. We need to figure out how to have fun and be safe; we need to create opportunities to go deep and be transformed; we need to think about group dynamics, and leadership, and administration; we need to make sure someone brings the supplies; we need to be called on our shit; we need to scout locations; we need ideas, skills, and resources.
Wilderness Between is a collective, so everyone who comes to feel a part of this community is equally welcome to share, offer, and contribute to our community. A large part of being a Steward is about encouraging and lifting up the voices of others in the group. Stewards also contribute our own ideas, time, energy, and resources where we can. All in an effort to make this a space where we can learn from one another, explore together, and take steps on our individual paths in whatever way is best for each of us. All of us who are Stewards came to it because we enjoyed what was happening here and wanted to contribute. We started showing up. We kept showing up.
That is the ever so slight difference between being a member in Wilderness Between and being a Steward: we choose responsibility for the community. At the micro level, that means making sure things are getting on the calendar, but in the broad sense it means that we want to make sure that this space is welcoming, safe, engaging, and meaningful. Each of us have our own skills, our own professional or vocational expertise, but none of us are experts in building a community. We are just helping it get built.
So, please, don’t hesitate to reach out to a Steward with any question, concern, or idea for the community. We can’t promise we’ll have an answer for everything, or that everything can or will happen, but we want to know what you think, feel, and experience in the spaces that we find and create together.
Links:
Website: https://www.wildernessbetween.org/
Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/wilderness-between/
Discord: https://discord.gg/DxBHG4mn
Contact Rosey and Caitlin via Meetup or Discord if you have something you would like to share with the community and we will include it in the next newsletter.
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