A Message from Susan Ann
“Tellers go all over the world learning other people’s stories and they can tell them well, but the stories they need to tell (to themselves at least, if not the public) is the only one they have: their own. That is the base from which we really learn to understand the languages/lives of other creatures; the way we save our lives from the strangers who would consume us for their own purposes.”
Those lines were written by Joan N. Radner, a Harvard-trained oral historian, storyteller/performer, folklorist, and scholar who has caught my interest most recently. I came upon her work as I have been immersing myself in the genre of the fairytale, reading everything and everyone I can, and teaching a sixteen week course on middle tales with a glorious classroom of human beings – all of them 50 years of age or older. We did not explore fairytales from the perspective of Disney; we approached the tales as teaching tales for life’s journey. (The tales we studied were unfamiliar tales from all over the world). I have learned that fairytales were originally told by adults for adults, expressing the hopes, fears, and wisdom of grown-ups; they were not children’s fare. That we regard the fairytale as enchantment only for the child is a circumstance which occurred only in the last few centuries. There are many reasons why this has occurred but those reasons are not necessary to enumerate here.
My interest in sharing with all of you is this: The more I learn and experience about story, the more I realize how powerfully profound was the vision of our founding mothers – to focus on storytelling at our Gathering each year. After all, as Sandor McNab has written: A human being is a featherless, storytelling animal. Indeed.
I found, this semester, that the genre of the fairytale functions as an incredible bridge for men and women to open to their own personal story. Many of them went home and wrote their life story as a fairytale, some painted the images they saw in their mind as the fairytale was read to them in class (sometimes we even acted it out!), some brought their favorite fairytale books and pictures to display in the classroom, and many of us shared how our dream life came alive by the images sparked in the classroom.
The same phenomenon occurs in the sacred circle of Crones Counsel. Only, we are telling our personal story (at least a snippet of it) and we are sharing it with each other. We women know, and we have known now for 23 years, that everyone has a fascinating story to tell. When we tell our story in the presence of others, we, at one and the same time, are expressing our hopes, fears, and wisdom, finding the meaning of our lives and extricating ourselves from our isolation and loneliness. We have known intuitively that we often do not know our own deepest self until we hear ourselves speaking from our heart, without pen or paper, in a circle of humans whose hearts and mind are attuned to every word.
Soon we will all be together in Mt. Shasta being the teller of tales. And the hollowed-out catchers of tales. And the eager and ardent callers of tales. I wait with anticipation, contemplating the silken threads of story we will weave into the eternal spirals of our personal lives as well as this incredible community of women we call Crones Counsel.
Book Your Chalet before June 1st
It is very important that you book your Mt. Shasta chalet before June 1st or very, very quickly thereafter . . . like a day or two. The Resort graciously worked with Crones Counsel when we made the commitment to hold the gathering at the resort. Usually we have to book and pay huge sums of money up front for rooms. In addition, we are usually charged for rooms we book and do not fill. We did not have to do that this year because the resort administration has given us until June to book our rooms with the trust that we could, most likely, fill up every room. At present, we are at 80% capacity with close to 150 women registered for the Gathering. This is just fantastic.
And………….What this means is that after June 1st, the resort will allow tourists and guests to book the chalets. The resort has been available as our exclusive venue until June 1st. This will change. So, if you want to stay at the resort, in the chalets, please book your rooms now. Please be aware that a 50% deposit is required to hold your room. And, please ask the resort directly about their cancellation policy when you register.
Here are the chalets and rooms available at Mount Shasta Resort for CCXXIII October 7-11 2015.
7 One bedroom chalets, which have 1 king bed and a queen sofa sleeper, (which are pretty darn comfy)
5 One bedroom LAKE VIEW chalets, which have 1 king bed and a queen sofa sleeper.
2 One bedroom premium chalets 1 King only
3 Two bedroom chalets, which have 1 king, and 2 twins and a queen sofa sleeper
The two bedroom chalets are fantastic. Six women could stay in these very comfortably and they would be extremely cost-effective. All of these chalets are exquisite. They really are. You know, women, it would be a shame to miss out on this year’s event. Do whatever you can to live your dream and show up. If we can help out with arrangements, let us know.
Suggestions: Register for the gathering. Please be aware that we cannot exceed 200 women at the Resort. Then get on our Face Book page where you can talk with other women who are attending. If you need to gather a group of 4 or 6 together to book a room, or make travel arrangements, you can do it there. Then, have ONE woman call to book the room for all of you.
Transportation at the Gathering from Chalet to Lodge
Not a one of us needs to worry about how we will get from our rooms to the Lodge. Do you all remember last year? When we needed cars to get to Snow Canyon? Do you remember how every woman took care of every other woman and got us all there? The same thing will happen this year. We have a Hospitality Team with lots of Mustang Sally’s who love to ride and get us where we need to be.
Food at the Gathering
There is a restaurant on site. Every morning they will prepare a buffet breakfast between 6:30 and 9 am for $10 per woman. There will be a Banquet Friday evening sponsored by the Counsel. Most likely, there will be a Meet & Greet also sponsored by the Counsel.
The Artisan Hall
Many of you have inquired about tables to sell your arts and crafts. The Hall this year is gorgeous with windows all around and an entire patio surrounding the Hall. It is a glorious view. Our lovely Marta Quest will host the room again this year. Please contact her at: gmommaq@gmail.com
Blessings to Each of You at Summer Solstice
Taking joy in the eternal round of the seasons is supremely pleasurable. The longest day of the year will soon be upon us Sunday, June 21st. Many of you, we are sure, are already planning celebrations. If you haven’t yet laid plans, the suggestions below by Emely Flak might prove to be inspirational.
May each of you find joy in the summer months. May you be warmed in the deepest parts of your soul. May all that needs to come to fruition, fruit. May the harvest at summer’s end be bountiful. And may the warmth in your being carry forward to our gathering in Mt. Shasta. Until then, the Mother Board sends our love and best wishes for a grand summer.
Transportation to Mt.Shasta from Area Airports
Note from Transportation provider:
The key to getting a lower rate is coordinating with each other to fiy in at the same times.
When we pick up one or two people, we can not help but charge our normal rate, because it takes so much time out of the day for a driver.
So if someone decides when the shuttle will run, so people can coordinate their flights accordingly, everyone will get a very low rate: $44 each way from Redding airport and $50 to/from Medford airport instead of $140 and $180 each way.
We have 2 vans that can carry 10 passengers each plus full size luggage.
I can carry 14 passengers in each van without luggage.
Just call if you have more questions.
Here are the rates:
Redding Airport RDD <—> Mt Shasta City
Regular 1 Passenger … round trip $280, one way ……………………… $140
15 day Advance Resv … round trip ……………………… $238 … 15% off
2 Passengers … one way $140+$20= $160/2= $80 . each … 43% off
3 Passengers … one way $140+$40= $180/3= $60 . each … 56% off
4 Passengers … one way $140+$60= $200/4= $50 . each … 64% off
5 or more Passengers … one way $140+$80= $220/5= $44 . each … 67% off
Medford Airport <—> Mt Shasta City
1 Passenger … round trip $360 … taxi price one way $180
15 Day Advance Resv … round trip ………………………… … $306 . … 15% off
2 Passengers … one way $180+$20 = $200/2= … $100 .ea … -44% off
3 Passengers … one way $180+$40 = $220/3 = … $73 .ea … -59% off
4 Passengers … one way $180+$60 = $240/4 = … $60 .ea … -66% off
5 or more Passengers … one way $180+$80 = $260/5 = … $50 .ea … -70% off
Please call in reservation if within 5 days before trip!
JOA
SHASTA SHUTTLE & TAXI
510 N. Mt. Shasta Blvd Suite C
Mt. Shasta CA 96067
http://Shastashuttle.com
530-859-3266