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The Mists of Stone Forest started as a Keltrian grove holding its first ritual on Lughnasad 1995 CE in a very warm South Minneapolis MN basement. As part of a thriving and diverse pagan community we grew in number. With all growth comes change and a shifting of perceptions. We disassociated with Keltria as a grove in June of 1996. There some members of the grove that are still hold membership within Keltria.
The name Mists of Stone Forest were a gift from a scrying for our grove identity. As our community continues to grow we expect there to be other "Mists of" groves. We believe in a strong community grounded in shared ritual worship and magic. Our rituals take place for the most part in private homes and on private lands. The some exceptions being the local pagan pride events and grove attendance at regional pagan festivals.
We hold workshops with in the local community for those wanting to learn more about Druidry as we practice it. A sidebar on Druidic practices. There is an ever widening definition of what might make a Druid. Intolerance in the guise of religious purity is what has made many search for different paths outside the predominant culture. So our arrogance is that we don't claim to have the right or only path. We just know what works for us. If you call yourself a Druid then you are one. Whether someone else recognizes you as such depends on yours and theirs shared experiences, nomenclature, philosophy and so forth. What drives your heart and sings in your spirit is where you will find your own truth and your own name.
We are an initiatory path for those who choose it and are recognized by the grove initiates. There are many levels of participation also. We have a greater grove that consists of people that attend our rituals regularly. Some for the ritual experience only. Others as students and then dedicants. Then initiates. A participant is one that wants to take an active role in ritual. A student is participant that is more focused and may be considering dedication. We are all life time students in the path work. A dedicant is one that has been a student and participant and wants to make a deeper commitment with their life and studies. This is a precursor to initiation. Initiation is a mutual gift that is never guaranteed to anyone. Because our leadership model is that we work from consensus all initiates are part of the process. It has to be a mutual fit on many levels. The rings are not a hierarchy that stair step on top each other. They are a recognition of growth, like that of the tree. There are no specific time requirements as each person grows at their own pace. Typically though there about three years between each ring.
When one is initiated they enter the ring of the Birch. Typically for the next year they are rediscovering who what they are as spiritual and magical being. After that first year they then can become mentors within the grove. Mentorship and peer discussions are a vital part of our community strength and growth. The next ring is that of the Yew. The focus from self to core community evolves more fully. Teaching and leading ritual is layered in on top of the continual self discovery.
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