Leader Bio: Aesa

Who Am I?

Couldn't we have started with an easy question? I am Aesa. I am a native of Lynchburg, Virginia and have lived here in the City of Seven Hills, as it is fondly called, for most of my life. As a teenager I set up a small sanctuary in my closet—how many can say they literally came out of the closet (OK, so it wasn't a broom closet)? Ever since the day I first climbed up into the White Pine in the backyard to make an offering and actually heard the voice of the tree I have been hooked—and who wouldn't have been?

In 1997 I graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College with BA's in Politics and English Literature. I then moved to San Lúcas Tol&icute;man, Guatemala to work in (and eventually run) an orphanage. After which time I returned to the Hill City, worked through some really nasty culture shock (yes, it is far worse returning to your culture than leaving it), and took a position in the Multicultural Office at Lynchburg College. While at LC, I earned my M.Ed. in English. I am currently the Director of Education at an historic house-Museum, an instructor of ATS Bellydance, and mom to a fat cat, a lazy dog, and a vicious Siberian hamster, as well as being GOSH's SD.

It was during my tenure at LC that the answer to the second question happened.

Why did I join ADF?

I found the website and found people mingling scholarship with faith—great googly moogly! I spent several entire days cruising the ADF website, reading every article on it, reading every word I could find. It was a safe thing to do--join an organization without actually having to meet other pagans—cause, you know, a lot of pagans are weird—look at Bardd Dafydd—who spells stuff with two "d"s?

It was at the first Trillium Festival (go, go to Trillium, register now!) that I met some of those weird pagans—Fox, Ian, Dafydd, SpiralDancer, Explore, Caryn, Francesca—crazy people, all of them, and I loved every minute of it! A year later I contacted Gwydion/Robert, a long-time ADF'r who had gotten a PG going near me. I worked with DogWood ProtoGrove until it started to fade. Deciding I was not prepared to go it alone again, I started up a Druid Discussion Group for the thriving local Wiccan community. Lo and Behold, I converted the lot of them and we became a ProtoGrove, our first ritual was Lughnassadh of 2001. I was terrified and stumbling, and worried I would mispronounce something. Now, the Grove of the Seven Hills (GOSH) is going strong and is the leading pagan organization in our area (that's what I do in ADF).

What is My Vision for ADF?

Photo of Aesa Chilling Out ADF is a pretty great organization. I want to see it continue to serve the pagan community as a resource for well-reasoned spirituality, for quality public rituals, for tasty mead. When I attend area rituals, I find that more often than not the liturgy is "borrowed" from ADF, either from the public website or, in some cases, a straight-up bootlegged version of one of GOSH's rituals. That means something is right—the form of our worship is powerful and speaks to other people. The international organization provides a framework for smaller groups/Groves to form legal pagan churches in their communities. That is important. ADF provides excellent training programs—there is precious little of that available. My vision for ADF is to see its root ball widen, its trunk thicken, its branches spread, and its fruit to be plentiful and nourishing.

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