Welcome to the September 2007 edition of the Laconneau Monthly Newsletter. IN THIS ISSUE
SEPTEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Alpha Girls: Part of the first generation that is reaping the full benefits of the women’s movement, today’s American girl is maturing with a new sense of possibility and psychological emancipation. Dr. Kindlon offers an in-depth portrait of the alpha girl, a born leader who is ready to explode into adulthood and make her mark on the world and, by her example, serve as an inspiration for women everywhere. Visit the Reading Room: UPCOMING RETREAT Laconneau Autumn Retreat Join us for three days of meditation and teaching in La Chapelle de la Madeleine, as we host our traditional Autumn Retreat in Greenville, North Carolina. The retreat will begin on the morning of Monday, October 22 and end on the evening of Wednesday, October 24, 2007. The Laconneau Autumn Retreat will lead us into the Autumn Festival, commencing on the evening of Friday, October 26 at the same location. Due to space and accommodation limitations, the retreat is limited to eight women, who are required to have completed the Level I class series. For more information, contact Elaine at Greenville@laconneau.org. Retreat Fee: $475.00 (Includes lunch, but not accommodation) Retreat Online: http://www.laconneau.com/Retreats.html LACONNEAU AUTUMN FESTIVAL Laconneau Autumn Festival: The Autumn Festival, known in France in the Breton language as Noz Kala-Goanv, marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year. The Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light season at the Spring Festival beginning May 1st and the dark season at the Autumn Festival beginning November 1st. Some believe that the Autumn Festival was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle and, as the Celtic day began at night, that it may have marked the Celtic New Year. It was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings and the stirrings of seeds below the ground. Whereas the Spring Festival welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most spiritually potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today as Halloween. While the Spring Festival, the other great gateway of the Celtic year, initiates us through light and brings sunshine and communion, the Autumn Festival is the yin to the Spring Festival’s yang - the via negativa rather than the via positiva. At the Spring Festival, we learn through relationship; at the Autumn Festival, we learn through separating and allowing to die that which is no longer useful or relevant in our lives. By doing so, we align ourselves with the endless cosmic cycle of death and rebirth. For the Tradition of Laconneau, the Autumn Festival is a rich and deeply meaningful time. It is a time for remembering our history, which extends from the dimly lit shadows of ancient times through the early Christian era and the difficult, dangerous medieval centuries to this modern age. Through this festival, we remember the One we serve as well as our sisters throughout the ages whose courage and self-sacrifice have allowed us to participate in this rich inheritance. We remember them not in sorrow but in joy, for this is the time of the inward journey, the giving up of the old life in the sure knowledge of rebirth. Just as surely as all of Nature is reborn, so too is Her promise to us - the promise to be reborn and to once again rejoin the sisterhood of our Tradition. It is also a time when we remember with hope the ancient prophecy that forms the heart and hope of our Tradition: “Al cap dels sept cent ans reverdajara lo laurel.” Never in recent memory has there been a time when it has been more important for strong women to come together, in full awareness of the disturbing changes that are taking place on a daily basis in the world around us. Never in recent memory has there been a time when it has been more important for strong women to join together in council in an attempt to find a real solution which truly reflects women’s values and their aspirations for the future. This year, we will continue to hold the Autumn Festival in the old way and in full accord with the principals of our Tradition. Come join us in Greenville, North Carolina for this wonderful weekend of comradeship, council discussion, workshops, feminine spirituality and festivities. Lend your voice to the power and love of sisters such as yourself who feel a burning need to see change in this world. Festival Fee: $275.00 Festival Online: http://www.laconneau.com/FestivalFall1.html UPCOMING PILGRIMAGE
For centuries, pilgrims have ascended the winding way to the abbey church of the Magdalene crowning the hill at Vezelay, often crawling on their hands and knees in penitence and petition. Construction on the basilica of La Madeleine began in 1096 and it very quickly became the fourth most popular of all sites of Christian pilgrimage, attesting to the enormous sway that the Magdalene still held over the hearts and minds of the population of that time, a thousand years after her death. Based on legends that she and her family had fled to Gaul as refugees before the first orthodox gospels were even written, the fascination and hold that Mary Magdalene held over this ancient land was both powerful and mystifying. What was the fascination that has held a whole nation in its thrall for nearly two millennia? Was Mary really the founder of the Celtic Church? Was there a connection between Mary and the Cathars? If so, has her cult survived to this day in the countryside of Celtic Europe? FRANCE: September Events September 25 - October 4, 2007 Pilgrimage France Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarFrance.html Atlanta Region Coordinator: Jehanne - jehanne@laconneau.org GEORGIA: September Events Friday, September 7, 2007 Atlanta Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarAtlantaGA.html Atlanta Region Coordinator: Lorrie - georgia@laconneau.org THE CAROLINAS: September Events Sunday, September 9, 2007 Greenville Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarGreenvilleNC.html WASHINGTON, DC: September Events Saturday, September 8, 2007 DC Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarWashingtonDC.html DC Regional Coordinator: Lorely - dc@laconneau.org PENNSYLVANIA: September Events Sunday, September 2, 2007 Philadelphia Region Coordinator: Anna - philadelphia@laconneau.org REGIONAL NEWS France News: Laconneau is planning to offer a limited opportunity for a small group of Tradition members to complete Le Sentier Cathares (http://www.cathares.org/le-sentier-cathare.html) in the Languedoc in the autumn of 2008. More details will be available in our November Newsletter. Georgia News: During the month of August, the Georgia Circle contacted and reconnected with people who have attended Laconneau events in the past in an effort to strengthen the community. Members of the North Georgia circle met women for lunch and the Atlanta circle hosted a community dinner. Philadelphia News: The young women in the Philadelphia circle will help form young women’s circles in the other cities where Laconneau is already established, forming the next generation of a solid women’s network. They continue to learn about women’s history and are applying that knowledge to the actions they are taking to affect positive change within the current political atmosphere. CONTACT LACONNEAU Please contact your coordinator with questions or updated regional information. In France: Jehanne jehanne@laconneau.org In Georgia: Lorrie georgia@laconneau.org In the Carolinas: Elaine Greenville@laconneau.org In Washington, DC: Lorely dc@laconneau.org In Pennsylvania: Anna Philadelphia@laconneau.org Contact Information Online: http://www.laconneau.com/Contact.html Please visit our website, www.laconneau.org, for the complete calendar, further articles, the book of the month, Laconneau’s history and additional information.
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