beginnings of a post to the list

Well, it's been a week and a bit now since a very satisfying time at Wellspring. I'm saddened that more people can't make it to festivals on a regular basis: the amount of energy and information you can gleen is truly remarkable.

Not to mention the sparkling conversation and intellectual stimulation you get from people you know and the people you newly meet.

Like getting Guild Chiefs off their butts and doing their job!

Ya ya ya. It's true. I've been quiet and not overly involved in the Guild (some might say I've been a petulant child and they'd not be far wrong) but due to the heroic efforts of Beth Savage and Jeremy M. I've been stoked to a simmer. We talked a lot over the weekend, along with my own Grove and camp-mates from Sassafrass. We also pitched some new ideas to various "elders" on the MG and COL and everyone pretty much liked what they heard. Generally, though, the response was "put a proposal together!" so that's what's been occupying my thoughts recently. (That and an amazing start to a deeping relationship with the Norse culture and Odin for me and my Grove - see my LJ at http://drubear.livejournal.com/ for more on that.)

I thought it best to start the process of including the rest of the Guild and other interested parties to join in the conversation. (Beth and Jeremy, if there are other points I'm forgetting, please correct me.) Some of my thoughts are still in the formative stage, but there are a couple of assumptions that I am working from.

First and foremost, I see our Guild as being a bit different from other Guilds. Whereas other Guilds represent a chosen "job" or "path" within ADF (and ones life) I believe that pretty much everyone in ADF is a scholar of some sort. So what makes membership in our Guild unique vs. (let's say) a member of the Warrior Guild doing research about ancient Parthian military formations (or lack thereof)? This question is at the core of our Guild and its purpose and has had different answers at different times. Our Guild was there at the beginning of the Guild system, and has (frankly) struggled since. I hope to end the challenge of "why/what/how ADF Scholars Guild" for at least a little while.