About Wolvenwold
"We did not inherit the earth from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children."
- Native American Proverb.
Wolvenwold is a beautiful 166 acre sanctuary located in the heart of the Southern Missouri Ozarks, about three hours Southwest of St. Louis. The landowners, a mother along with her two daughters and their husbands, (and a new baby) serve as the land stewards and are working toward the protection/restoration of indigenous animal and plant life that thrive there. The land itself holds many mysteries and is quite a place to visit. There are many areas here that have been designated as sacred groves, circles, and fire areas, and one can never possibly see all that the land has to offer in one visit! There are places to hike, attune with nature, meditate, common areas where all come together and share ritual, music, magick and knowledge.
Our home is open for special events each year: a celebration at springtime, called Beltane, and a celebration of All Hallows Eve, called Soule Feste, in the fall. These events offer a variety of workshops, for instance; the art of mead making, arts and crafts, yoga, massage therapies, tai chi, drumming, music, tarot and other esoteric knowledge, guided meditations, divination, and more. Vendors sell their wares; homemade crafts, clothing, ritual tools, and other items. Bonfires and bardic circles have been known to happen nightly, and musical performances are always a delight. We have rustic composting toilets, running water, and a hot shower, and yet camping here is really getting back to the basics of nature. Come to inhale the fresh air and visit with the lively spirits that surround Wolvenwold, and share magickal nights around the bonfire with us. Connect with all sorts of friends, new and old; to reawaken your soul- you deserve it.
The Meaning of Wolvenwold
The Wolves and the Story of Wolvenwold
"Tale has it that there are two lone wolves that live in these parts... a Red Wolf, and a White Wolf... and we hear them, but very rarely. I once had a dream about the white wolf… I spoke to him without words through a doorway. He was on one side, and I on the other. It was soon after we came out here to live, and I always thought of it as a sign that we were welcome."
-Beltana
The name Wolvenwold was inspired by Fran, the mother/landowner, with "wolven" referring to the wolves, and "wold" meaning literally:
Wold (noun)
[Middle English wald, wold, from Old English weald, wald forest; akin to Old High German wald forest, Old Norse vollr field] First appeared before 12th Century
1 : a usu. upland area of open country
2 capitalized : a hilly or rolling region -- used in names of various English geographical areas <Yorkshire Wolds
So was the birth of the name, Wolvenwold:
It is said that Osage tribes lived here at one time, and we have found a few interesting signs, but we usually leave things where we find them. There are many beautiful stone outcroppings here and there, and stone is definitely in abundance in many ways here! It is said that in these parts, we "grow rocks." The land itself, however, is very fertile in places, and herbs and other things can be grown here readily. Our plans include a large herb garden, and possibly a large crop of a single herb or two, and we would like to keep bees and encourage the growth of the Elders (where elderberries come from,) among many other plant species native to this environment. In the Summer months, when visiting Wolvenwold, you are likely to see plenty of elderberries, blackberries, pokeweed, mullein, shepherd's purse, horsemint, cattails, nettle, purple coneflower, and many, many others, including hundreds of thousands of black eyed susans... speckling the landscape with their yellow glow.
Wolvenwold: Diversity Profile- An Introduction
When you visit Wolvenwold, you are visiting a landscape forgotten by modern time and its progressive development. The land upon which Wolvenwold rests is a remarkably pristine example of Missouri's Ozark Highland Interior. Although the land has pastured livestock for decades and supported various homesteads, one can still find indicators of prairie and glade bounties just waiting to take the land back into their own.
If you search gently and carefully among the springs and seeps, the groves and savannas, the cherty bedrock streams and the hot, gravely prairie slopes, you will find that just enough has been left behind to allow this landscape a chance at recovery. The land has a healthy bank of native plant seed sleeping in its soils. Clinging to outcrops, ledges and draws, are a diverse wealth of plants, insects and animals that, with kindness and encouragement, may share with you and your children the wonders of an America long lost, forever forgotten.
Please tread these hills -the soft and rugged skin of your mother- It is one of the last living memories of the great diversity with which she once thrived.
Copyright 2000 J. D. Archer
John Archer
Missouri Department of Conservation Flora of Missouri Project, Assistant Missouri Botanical Garden
PO Box 299
St. Louis, MO 63166-0299
(314)577-0860
The Magickal Places within Wolvenwold
The Stage
Our stage at Wolvenwold is a twenty by thirty foot deck made of oak, a simple structure with electrical capabilities. The stage was built in 2000, for our first festival. Many fine folks have graced our stage over the years.
The Old Homestead
At one of the highest points on the land, there lie the ruins of an old homestead. We guess that it is about 150 years old. There are the remains of an old cistern, or well, and a small staircase. There is also an old root cellar up there. We would advise our guests not to venture up to this site without supervision from a land steward, as it may be dangerous, but with supervision, it is an interesting thing to see.
Camp Joe
At our first festival here at Wolvenwold, one of our staff members scoped out a campsite for himself that was back in the woods a bit, out of the way of the sun. Others followed, and it eventually came what we call "Camp Joe." Where there was once no road, there is one now, weathered by years of travel and campers. It is where most people congregate, and the vendors set up their wares. It seems to be the central area around which the festival goers have flocked. To us, Joe is represented by a smiley face. He is our God of fun and laughter and silliness. All are welcome in Camp Joe, and Camp Joe welcomes you!
Eldritch Grove
Eldritch Grove is a magical place (re) discovered by Beltana and Fran and ritually dedicated to the Fey Folk and the Eldritch by Beltana and SilverDrake Fey in 2000. At gatherings the Grove is a place for balancing, grounding, and centering spiritually, and at other times, is where we hold rituals honoring the seasons. However, it also holds its own unique mystery, frequently shrouded in Ozark mist at summer's dusk and dawn. Appearing to be situated on a Green Dragon or ley line, there is plenty of room for rituals focusing on spiritual development, and communion with Otherworld contacts.
For information on ley lines and what they are:
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMLeyLines.html
http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/leylines.htm
Cedar Grove (Sweatlodge Area)
Although our sweatlodge area hasn't been used as much as it could, it is still considered to be a sacred area to us. Here is where Johnny Moonowl and his wife discovered a site perfect for a lodge, which was held here in 2000. Here is what they wrote about it.
"The Lakota call this ceremony Inipi, which means "Born Again." The Ute call this ceremony "Coming Together." And that's what we were doing: looking for a place to come together to pray in a good way with and for all things, for health, help, healing and hope. Butterflies danced from flower to flower. Dragonflies darted this way and that. A gentle breeze cooled the heat of the noon sun as we walked through unspoiled land looking for just the right spot. We came upon a wonderful circle of Cedar trees, with the opening pointing toward the east and south. As we stood in the center of the circle, thinking this was the place, there upon the ground was a circle of round, smooth stones, very unusual stones for this land, and exactly were the center of the lodge would be. This place was a lodge, a natural lodge created by spirit, waiting for us to enter the sacred space. This place was chosen long ago, somehow, someway, for a lodge. And so within the walls of Cedar Grove, we built a lodge with and for the good people that visit and live on this land. All are welcome.
Sycamore Field
The story of the Sycamore in the middle of this field is a mysterious one... He looms over the whole of Wolvenwold, and resides on top of the hill with an amazing, breathtaking view of the scenery at Wolvenwold, and far beyond... When Archer, our botanist friend, rediscovered the oddity of this tree living in this place, he commented that a Sycamore would not usually grow on top of a hill like this, all alone and without a water source. "Hence," he says, "A very Magickal Tree!" We realized eventually that there is a source of water beneath this hill, and possibly a cave or another form of carst landscape, which is somewhat typical in these regions. Whatever the case... we feel that beneath this tree lies an entrance to quite an "Otherworldly" realm, and songs have been written to describe such.
Lizzard's Lair (Small Drum Circle)
This area was rediscovered and consecrated as one of the first sacred areas at Wolvenwold, a small clearing in the woods, surrounded by a plethora of Oaks as is common at Wolvenwold. We have done several rituals and spiritual workings in this space, and have heard the echoes of drums from times past here... in fact, on one occasion, Kittin and Beltana actually heard, at the same time, and looking at one another with surprise, someone drumming in the circle late at night when everyone else was up at the house. Echoes of the past? Who knows. But we like this little grove. We have had handfastings here, rituals, drumming, workshops, and more magickal goings on. This space has a very friendly vibe to it. We hope you can visit.
