Caren “Ren” Monson-deGrasse, Lycorennea, High Priestess of Successor Circle/Shapeshifter Coven left this world for the Summerland on December 11, 2022.
Ren was the beloved friend of many and her presence touched the lives of many more. She didn’t write a book or make music or art, but Ren left a legacy. The coven she founded with her husband, Herb, known as Waterfall, deGrasse, met for 40 years at a place called “The Faery Ring”: a redwood grove high in the hills on Lisjan Ohlone land of the San Francisco Bay Area. While Successor Circle/Shapeshifter Coven dissolved with her passing, a Daughter Coven, Phaerey Circle, was formed by her students and the Priestesses received the Shapeshifter Coven’s Book of Shadows and tools on New Year’s Day. Several former members now practice in a Solitary way, but may form another Circle using the Book of Shadows. This is Ren’s lasting legacy: A new generation moves forward, adding to and keeping the spirit of the Faery Ring alive.
Lycorennea Monson-deGrasse helped found The Society for Ritual Arts and was dedicated to volunteering at many events the group held and supporting our journal, Coreopsis Journal of Myth and Theatre. She was also a dear friend of many years of the editor of this journal. Monson-deGrasse is survived by her parents, Rey and Ray Monson, and her adopted son Bennie deGrasse.
The Community Memorial for Lycorennea “Ren” Monson-deGrasse was held on January 29, 2023, at 5:00 pm (PST) at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists in the Church Hall building, 1606 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, California, 94709. The memorial was livestreamed via Zoom and was accessible via the Fellowship of the Spiral Path Facebook page and the group’s website.
Fellowship of the Spiral Path, Darkmoon Circle Priestesses officiated with Diana Paxson leading the rite.
The family plans to place Lyroenna’s ashes in an undisclosed place in Yosemite National Park with her long-time cat familiar, Mishu, who passed into Avalon November of this year and her husband, Herb who left this world in 2012.