Welcome! This site (Gleewood) is my place to collect resources, writing, and other materials related to my religious life and practice. You’ll find information about my blogs and resources, my background and training, and other related things that I’ve done.
basic biography:
I’m Jenett (pronounced like Janet, but with ‘Jen’ as the first syllable. Rhymes with then-it.) It’s not my legal name, but it’s the name I use with pretty much everyone outside of work and my family of origin.
I’m in my mid-30s, single, and a librarian by profession. I was born in the Boston suburbs, and lived there through the end of college. In 1999, I moved to Minnesota, where I lived (in St. Paul, two suburbs, and Minneapolis) until July 2011. In August of 2011, I moved to rural Maine for a new job – and so far, I’m loving it!
I live with a cat (Athene), a folk harp (Stoney End Lorraine model, 29 strings) and a bunch of books. I enjoy reading, writing, computer geekery, baking (bread and cookies), cooking, spinning (yarn) and knitting, as well as music. I am almost never bored.
religious life:
My primary religious practice is rooted in a small initiatory religious witchcraft tradition called Omphalos Tri-Cellan, founded in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, in the late 1990s. I started studying with The Circle of the Phoenix (the founding group in the tradition) in mid-2001, and became a 3rd degree in the tradition in November of 2008.
What the tradition does is a lot like Wicca from published sources – we celebrate Sabbats and Esbats, honor male and female deities, do our work in a cast circle, work magic, and many other things. However, due to different focus, I believe we’ve moved away from the core mysteries of Wicca, and into something else that’s also wonderful. Thus, I use ‘religious witchcraft’ as a better description. (And I’m glad to discuss this in more detail, though I find it easier to do in person rather than online.)
In early 2009, I hived off to form my own coven, Phoenix Song, but put it on hiatus after a year due to some health issues (now much better) and a lengthy job hunt (which did in fact lead to me moving). Now that I’m settling in my new home in Maine, I’m looking at ways to connect with other Pagans, both for general community or friendship, and in the hopes of finding people who might be interested in group work in the tradition.
The tradition has a strong focus on self-transformation in the context of religious and magical work with a thorough approach to ritual structure and design. We honor and work with a variety of deities, with members encouraged to explore and build relationships with deities independent from the shared group work. The tradition is GLBTQ friendly and aware, with an emphasis on forms of polarity that go beyond gender. Groups are priestess-lead, but prefer to consult and get general agreement whenever feasible.
If you’re curious about my personal practice, I made a nice discursive post about some of my beliefs and practices from my blog (note that a few things have changed with my move.)
group work:
For the immediate future, I plan to get familiar with my new home in Maine, connect with the local Pagan community, and see where my skills and interests best fit. I love teaching Craft material (both general and tradition specific) and hope to pick that up again once I’m settled in, with an eventual eye to re-establishing Phoenix Song as a working coven in the tradition sometime in 2012 or 2013.
I’m also happy to offer my knowledge in other settings: through a one-session workshop, a short series of classes, or more general material. You can find out more about my teaching background and interests elsewhere on the site.
I’m fascinated by what questions people ask (and where they go with the answers). I’ve got a particular interest in how to evaluate the very wide range of information we use in developing our religious lives (books, online, conversations, ritual, meditation, divination, and so much more), effective group work, and integrating music, ritual, and magic.
I’m also very interested in how those of us with challenges to our time, energy, focus, health, and exertion can live sustainable lives as Pagans, as teachers, as priests or priestesses, and community resources.
community interaction:
I’ve been active in both my local Pagan community and online for a number of years. Online, I hang out on several Internet forums (as either Jenett or JenettSilver as a username), as well as extensive writing on other parts of this site. (Find out more about where I am online)
Locally, other than within my tradition, I’ve been most involved through Twin Cities Pagan Pride, as a board member from late 2006 until my move in 2011. During that time, I’ve helped us gain 501(c)3 status, we ran reliably in the black, and we expanded what we offered in some awesome ways.
For several years, our free fall event (Twin Cities Pagan Pride) was a 2-day free event, but in 2011, we launched a new spring weekend conference, Paganicon (programming by the Pagan community for the Pagan community). I expect to continue to be involved with Paganicon long distance, as well as attending.
I’m also looking forward to getting involved in some events in Maine and broader New England of course – but I’m not sure yet what those will be. If you’re in the area, and have ideas, feel free to contact me! (methods are in the sidebar)