Melissa Burchfield

Melissa Burchfield is a member of Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. (www.adf.org), where she currently serves as the Members Advocate. She holds the rank of Journeyman Bard in the ADF Bardic Guild, and she was recently reelected to the position of the Guild's Archivist. She is the founder and current Head of the Order of Bardic Alchemy, a subgroup of ADF whose practices center on the misty places where Bardic Arts meet Magic and Spirituality. She has published several articles and bardic pieces in the ADF quarterly publication, Oak Leaves, and the publication for the Reformed Druids of Gaia, The Druid's Egg. As a musician, she performs in various local venues and the ADF festival circuit, serves as the Bard of Three Cranes Grove (ADF) and was the winner of the 2010 Wellspring Bardic Chair.

Music in Ritual Part I: Music as a Ritual Device

Music is a well-documented tool for inducing trance and raising energy, but too few pagans know how to use it to its fullest potential. In this two-part workshop, we will begin by discussing the brain mechanics behind why it works to help us better understand this important tool.

Music in Ritual Part II: Using Music in Ritual Space

Once we have covered the why's of music in ritual space, we will discuss the how's in this follow-up workshop, including incorporating music into both public and private practice, appropriate song choice and exercises using other vocalization techniques for magical workings such as the "Druid's Hum," intoning the Awen and solitary and group toning. Please bring along an object to be charged, if desired and any healing requests you may have.