From yon crag,
Down whose steep sides we dropped into the vale,
We heard the hymn they sang - a solemn sound
Heard any where; but in a place like this
’Tis more than human! Many precious rites
And customs of our rural ancestry
Are gone, or stealing from us; this, I hope,
Will last for ever.William Wordsworth, excerpt from The Excursion (19th c)
THANK YOU!
When I was perusing a book of English folk customs years ago and encountered the “precious rite” (to borrow a phrase from Wordsworth) of rushbearing, I knew that I needed to figure out how to graft it into our summer days…in a way that wouldn’t feel artificial or contrived.
And, over time, this ancient, rural custom has morphed into a beloved tradition and a supportive framework for how we approach liturgical living and our wider community.
I’ve gotten to go rushbearing with our liturgical life group on the farm, and I’ve pondered it with all of you here on Substack…but this is the first year our online community has gathered for rushbearing together, and I can’t even begin to say how delightful and refreshing it was!
My goal in gathering us all online is to encourage all our rushbearers to bring the creativity, questions, and ideas from our online conversations into their real lives and landscapes. We were fortunate to hear from a variety of different voices, each one a helpful reminder that liturgical living has so many facets.
We had a blend of pre-recorded videos for rushbearers to watch at their convenience, as well as several live discussions where everyone had an opportunity to ask questions and learn from one another.
I was especially delighted to get to host one of our guest speakers - Janelle of the Paternoster Guild - right here in the art studio!
If you haven’t had a chance to explore yet, please click through to the web sites of our wonderful guest speakers!
All of the Rushbearing Festival videos - pre-recorded chats, live discussions, and text chats - are recorded and available for paid members!
DOOR PRIZES
Thanks to the generosity of our paid membership here, I was able to sponsor some really lovely giveaways for each live video chat:
Gingerbread straight from Sarah Nelson’s bakery in Grasmere, England - provider of the gingerbread for Grasmere’s annual rushbearing ceremony!
Rushbearing rabbit (again from Sarah Nelson’s bakery) - a sweet little handmade cloth rabbit, carrying a basket of produce and gingerbread
Custom rushbearing-themed, historically-inspired Paternoster from the Paternoster Guild
And every rushbearer at the live videos is receiving seed packets from / Morning Star Seed Co. (I had purchased some seed packets to send to everyone, and Kelly from Morning Star so generously sent even more boxes, as a gift from her to all of the attendees!)
Thank you so, so much - to all of our incredible guest speakers, live video attendees, friends watching the replays…everyone following along on this journey, discerning what ‘rushes’ they can bear into their own communities. I’m so grateful to you all!
If you attended the festival live or have been watching the recordings, I’d love to hear your thoughts! What questions come up for you?
Pax et bonum,
Kristin
It was such a privilege to share in this community paraliturgy with you Kristin! I am still contemplating so many of the fruits of these discussions.
That's a lovely picture of you! It was lovely to participate in this. You have a magic in bringing people together ❤️