From the Grand Master

It is 21st of January as I begin this report. Seven inches of fresh snow lie on the Manor's grounds, having fallen through the night and into the middle of this afternoon. While I always envision the February gather, a mere two weeks away, as being snowy, there's little hope of this particular snowfall surviving the rain and warmer few days that are forecast.

2011 was not a year of great changes for the Order, but rather one of solidifying what has been built already, and preparing for what is to come.

While no new members took the Grail this year, it was one of progress for our extant members. At Imbolc, three were initiated into the First Degree, with Lords John Whittemore and Janusz and Lady Veronica becoming Neophytes, having each successively answered the "question at the Barred Path." One gather later, Lord Janusz swore fealty and became my junior squire - another step in his chivalric education.

Lord Michael Ahrens continued to impress in his still relatively new role as Herald of the Order; he proved himself yet again as Master of the Lists in his first performance heralding a tournament in May. As a prelude to that same tournament, Sir John Coates was again named Champion of the Order, this time, in a novel turn, on the field itself.

Lady Maureen, in her capacity as Lady of the Grail, has begun re-convening the Circle of the Grail. This has met informally for some time, but is now gearing up to become a more official arm of the Order. Initiations into the Circle are expected early this year.

Our newest Fechtschule chapter, SIGMA (Staten Island German Martial Arts), headed by Lord Michael Ahrens and Christopher Torres, continues in its progress, attracting new trainees and growing in its instructional expertise. To say that I am pleased with how this has gone would truly be an understatement.

This year saw the fulfillment of a goal we set last year - that the Order do two children's hospital visits in 2011. This is something we hope to continue this year, as we feel this is an area where Selohaar can readily contribute to the general good. Our charitable support for Heifer International and, through several members' efforts, the Epilepsy Foundation, also continued in 2011.

In March, Jessica Finley visited (as she would late in the year as well) to help instruct a seminar for our SIGMA chapter of the Selohaar Fechtschule in Staten Island. This was well-received by the participants and was not only as chance for me to evaluate (to my considerable satisfaction) the current state of teaching at SIGMA, but also a chance for Jessica to shine - as well as Sir Robert Kelly and Lord Christopher Valli, who both served as assistant instructors for the seminar.

We were again invited the to "Changing Times, Changing Worlds" conference, where I presented a sequel discussion to my earlier presentation on the symbolism of three's and four's in Western mysticism, as well as a short, introductory class on messer fighting.

Performance on our tournament field continues to impress me and our combatants are now fully adapted to fighting almost exclusively with steel weapons in the lists. For the Summer Solstics gather, we held a "Fortune's Favor" tournament, with the choice of weapon determined by hazard of the dice for each combatant. This led to some very interesting and challenging bouts; no doubt we'll repeat this someday. The only disappointment was the planned Passage of the Four Elements - an elementally-themed Pas d'Armes - being rained out in September. We plan to do this instead at the 2012 Beltaine Gather, slated for May 12.

Our Pennsic War visit this year was marked by the return of Sir Robert, plus the first-time attendance of Lord John Whittemore. To say that Lord John was a huge hit on the Pennsic social scene would be doing a great injustice to the historic record! Sir Robert assisted me in presenting three fighting classes there, and Freelance Academy Press had another excellent year at the War.

I had the pleasure of instructing at a new Western Martial Arts event - the Vancouver International Swordplay Symposium - in February. I also instructed at the Western Martial Arts Workshop again in September, as did Lady Jessica Finley. Jessica and Historic Recrudesence Guild's lead instructor David Teague wowed the crowd at WMAW's Saturday feast by engaging in a spirited messer bout.

Last but not least, Lady Elizabeth and Lord Christopher Valli were married on October the 7th, to the general joy of their friends, family, and Order brethren!

Plans are underway to organize our ritual supplies for the various gathers throughout the year - a project under the Circle of the Grail's stewardship. This past year saw the debut of some new messer simulators on the field, as well as the use of Lord Matthew's impressive hand-crafted bows in the archery tournament.

Beyond this, we continued in our pattern of constant improvement in accoutrements - more period-style goblets, lamps for our pavilions, and lender armour were procured by the Lord and Lady of the Manor.

Some of what lies ahead for 2012 derives from our reach perhaps exceeding our grasp. Weather prevented the elemental passage of arms from taking place, and I found that, as I approached my research for presenting on the symbolism of the number twelve, there was more to do yet with the numbers three and four. Further, we've more work to do yet in creating a viable sword and shield curriculum.

Perhaps even more important, this year must be devoted in part to synthesizing the inputs of various members into creating a new incarnation of our native Mythos. The team members have done their part; now it is up to the likes of Sirs Carl and John, Lady Maureen, and me to finish this work. Our goal: create a basic 'storyline' for our archetypal characters that forms a framework for future ritual, and future story-spinning.

Lastly, expect 2012 to be a year of personal growth for our members, particularly some who are ready to take the next initiatory step. And I believe we can expect to see some new faces joining us on our continuing quest, and ultimately 'taking the Grail.'

So, yes, it should be a grand year for Selohaar!