  Interfacing photonic and solid-state qubits within a hybrid quantum
architecture offers a promising route towards large scale distributed quantum
computing. Ideal candidates for coherent qubit interconversion are optically
active spins magnetically coupled to a superconducting resonator. We report on
a cavity QED experiment with magnetically anisotropic Er3+:Y2SiO5 crystals and
demonstrate strong coupling of rare-earth spins to a lumped element resonator.
In addition, the electron spin resonance and relaxation dynamics of the erbium
spins are detected via direct microwave absorption, without aid of a cavity.
