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Leader Bio: Linda Costello

About me

My name is Linda Costello and I am the Founder and Senior Druid Emeritus of the Grove of the Rising Phoenix, ADF. Originally from Boston's south shore, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996. Prompted by an inner calling, I moved away from my beloved Boston's ocean and trees with my two children in the middle of summer 1996 to accept a position in the field of education, where I was instrumental in the start up of a new charter school.

Prior to moving, I had worked in the field of accounting since 1974, having earned an undergraduate degree in financial management. I continued my education by taking graduate courses in Counseling/Psychology, with a special interest in Jungian analysis, supporting myself while going to school by running a small consulting business specializing in small business accounting.

Daunted by the number of years of study it would take to become a Jungian analyst, I changed my major and earned my Master's degree in Education, which led to my move to Phoenix. When the charter school was finally up and running, I was offered a position as Director of Finance and Human Resources with a small software development company that specializes in educational software, which is where I am today.

However, my love of psychology hasn't abated. Having just finished the two year training at the Gestalt Institute of Phoenix, my goals for the future include obtaining my PhD in Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA.

How I came to ADF

I was lucky to be brought up Unitarian Universalist, and from a young age, believed that all of nature was imbued with Spirit, which probably played a big part in my chosen spiritual path. Soon after graduating high school in 1973, I met someone who turned me on to alternative spiritual practices, taught me how to meditate, and introduced me to shamanism and magic. He eventually became my husband of 14 years, and while we were together, we studied ceremonial magic with Servants of the Light, a Golden Dawn mystery school founded by Dion Fortune.

I stayed with Qabalah and ceremonial magic until after my divorce, where in 1991, I was introduced to the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. I felt like I had come home, to find a path that incorporated my deep spirituality, my love of magic and ritual, and my devotion for nature and the arts. I was very enthusiastic, started a seed grove, and tutored a few students on the Bardic path. At the same time, I studied with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies which led to my presentation of workshops in new age bookstores on Druidry and (what I called) Celtic Shamanism (Yes, I was quite "fluffy" back then).

When I moved to Arizona, I thought I would never find people into Druidry, so I put it aside, and explored other paths, one of which was Wicca. I became part of a coven for three years, and participated in rituals celebrating the high days. That fell away, and I began writing and holding generic pagan rituals with my friends. I was happy to be celebrating the high days, but it never felt quite right to me.

And then I met Kirk Thomas of Sonoran Sunrise Grove, ADF in 2001. He is the one who introduced me to ADF, and the more I looked into it, the more I knew I wanted to know more. The scholarly aspect was strong, and was also the piece I was missing. So, I became a member. I began attending rituals in his stone circle in the Autumn of 2002, six months after I had joined, and became a member of Sonoran Sunrise Grove.

After a year of attending the rituals of Sonoran Sunrise Grove, I felt it was time to start a proto-grove in Phoenix, and applied right around Samhain. Winter Solstice 2003 was the first public ritual of the (Proto) Grove of the Rising Phoenix. Running the grove has been a high point in my life.

I attended my first Druid festival, Desert Magic Festival, in May 2004, and after meeting some of the leaders of ADF, came away with a feeling that I was in exactly the right place. I realized that all of the studies I had done over the years were in alignment with the studies that my peers had done. I felt validated in a way I have never known.

After Desert Magic, the grove applied for and was granted provisional grove status, and I became the Senior Druid of the Grove of the Rising Phoenix just in time for Wellspring of that year.

While attending Wellspring in 2004, I was elected to serve on the Grove Coordinating Committee and did so for three years. Later in the year, I began writing articles for Oak Leaves, and worked as an editor of our publication. In April 2005, I was asked to be acting Treasurer of ADF until the annual meeting, at which time I was appointed as Treasurer for a two year term. A few months later, I was asked to be the deputy Regional Druid of the Southwest Region. I fulfilled all terms on these offices, including two years of service on the Mother Grove.

Currently, I am serving on the Council of Wisdom, and as Pursewarden of the Artisan's Guild. I am also the Leader and Founder of the Ecstatic Trance Special Interest Group – a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and you can find me at many festivals, presenting trance workshops. I am also helping behind the scenes to develop future study programs involving trance, magic, and meditation.

My future with ADF

I can say with certainty that I still feel a calling to assist ADF in the mission to bring NeoPagan Druidism to the public, and I know that ADF has a lot to offer to the NeoPagan community. I am glad to be a part of the vision, wherever it takes me.

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