From the Grand Master

Snow blows and drifts in the cold and strong winds outside my 'ready room' windows as I begin this message for the newly-born year 2010. We celebrated the Order of Selohaar's 30th Anniversary this year – one filled with magic and camaraderie. While Sir Carl and I allowed ourselves some small time for reminiscing, we were far more occupied in watching in amazement the accomplishments of the Order as it stands now.

Three new Selohaar grace our ranks as of 2009: Lord Christopher Torres, Lord Michael Depaola, and Lady Justine Lore. All have been so active in the Order that it's difficult to imagine that they've only been formally a part of the organization as of this year. Lord Christopher has been a generous guest and member;always arriving with a choice beverage or victual in hand. Lord Michael has been a student of the fechtschule and the youngest of my teaching, and has been most impressive in his progress. We are glad for his membership as not only does he grace our tournament field but he is an engaging conversationalist. Lady Justine has enhanced the aesthetics of the Order and the website since she has arrived. She possesses a quiet charm and a keen photographer's eye. She has joined Lord Scott's service in documenting the comings and goings of the gathers.

Our members have contributed many services to further the Order's activities, whether it be Lady Veronica's always original flower arranging for gathers, or the behind-the-scenes work of members like Lord Scott Goodspeed; any time you see folks laboring to make something happen at a gather, you're likely to find Scott's hands there at work. And I would be more than remiss in not singling out the tireless efforts of our Chatelaine Lady Stacy (whose Office was formalized in February), who has continually upped the quality of our feasts, adding in many period recipes and elements along the way.

There are structures, formal and informal, evolving within the Order. This year both were in evidence. Lady Maureen's circle of initiates and acolytes continues to develop, framing itself through its activities and deeds. Whether it was through the constant support services for ritual provided by Lady Sarah, or the group that would congregate to craft the format of Circle, this process was in the forefront. The gentlewomen have progressed to crafting the rituals with Lady Maureen and Sir Carl.

The Selohaar Fechtschule added a new study group, the Historic Recrudescence Guild, in Anchorage, Alaska, headed by Mr. David Teague, and ably assisted by Mr. Matthew Cacy. David & company bring a strong focus on medieval history, in addition to their very considerable martial skills, to our growing network of schools, study groups, and chapters.

Also this year, Todd Sullivan's group, the Lake Ontario Fechtschule, became an independent study group, having been previously fostered as a branch of the New York Historical Fencing Associaition. Many know Todd and his group from their event: Chivalric Weekend, a bi-annual historical martial arts event held on Lord Todd's picturesque property in northern New York State. Chivalric Weekend will be held again this year in July – something we are all looking forward to!

Our 30th anniversary year featured a number of special events. While Lord Todd decided that Chivalric Weekend would be every other year, he held a smaller gathering on his property in Sandy Creek, New York, the "Bonfire of the Fencers", an informal day of training and fellowship. This featured some classes, notably an excellent class on Messerfechten by our friend Cory Winslow from MEMAG, plus bouting and test cutting with various weapons. Notably, Dr. Lee Jones allowed us to cut with his early 16th century bill; all were impressed by this beautiful and formidable polearm. The following day featured an outing to the Sterling Renaissance Festival. Once again, Lord Todd proved that as hosts go, he is second to none.

The year's centerpiece was the 30th Anniversary Gather in late July. I was honoured to fight thirty bouts with my fellows to commemorate the occasion; these were cleanly fought and I came away impressed and proud of the skills I pitted my own against. A grand outdoor feast capped the day, followed by great ceremony and outdoor carousing as the evening continued. It was a joy for Sir Carl, the Lady Maureen, and I to share such a fine day with the membership.

Our Fechtschule attended the Western Martial Arts Workshop (WMAW) in Racine, Wisconsin, hosted by our allies the Chicago Swordplay Guild (CSG), in style and en masse. The Historic Recrudescence Guild came down with eight members in attendance, added to Lady Jessica Finley and myself. This was the first large event that Jessica taught at, and her class on Ott the Jew's wrestling was greeted with accolades galore. There are few moments that can make a teacher more proud than seeing his top student succeed so. I was also given the distinct and singular honour of marshalling an armoured feat of arms at WMAW, which was a truly magnificent spectacle. Naturally, I made time to "break a lance" during the feat with one of the fine gentles of the CSG, David Farell.

Lord Christopher Torres and his wife Jillian had their first child, Sophia, late in the year. We were pleased she could attend the Yule Gather festivities, where she was both the belle of the ball and the perfect little gentlewoman.

We continue to refine not only ourselves and our understanding, but also the tools of mystic chivalry. To this end, we began the process of replacing our padded sword simulators with hardier, and more realistically playing, plastic versions. We'll continue to sample the evolving wares in this area, along with introducing some blunt steel sword combat for those possessing the proper safety gear required of the endeavor.

Lady Maureen and I added more period pottery, furniture for the pavilions, and sundry goodies to enrich the experience of attending a Selohaar gather. Many of these new accessories were purchased during our yearly sojourn at the Pennsic War.

This autumn also saw the debut of a tournament field accoutrement that I'd long dreamt of having: a wooden fence enclosure for the tournament list. Lord Matthew designed, and built most of, this fine structure, which breaks down easily but is both sturdy and elegant when erected.

Perhaps our greatest challenge for 2010 will be avoiding the temptation of resting upon our laurels. Instead, I believe we should view the last year's work as mere groundwork. There is much to do: we must continue to deepend our understanding of our Order's place in the Western mystic tradition, extend our hands to the outside world to share our knowledge and passion, and continue to attract those of like mind and spirit to our unique crusade. Let us look back on this past year not only with a sense of accomplishment, but rather a sense of what we can, and must, accomplish in the days and years to come, insuring that the next 30 years of Selohaar history will be even more glorious than the first.