On Saturday October 8th our group met at the UU Fellowship for a Full Moon Ritual celebrating the Blood Moon of October. We had a great turnout, and again I was humbled at the amount of love and support our meetings are receiving. We started with our pot luck dinner; I believe food is always a great start to any get-together! And we’ve tried to keep our times very fluid, so that everyone who wants to attend can arrive when it’s best for them. This has seemed to work well, and all the feedback thus far has been positive. If you can’t arrive at 5 or 5:30, come when you can, and food will be waiting for you when you arrive.
After dinner we started our chalice painting. While we painted, we talked about magickal symbols and their meanings. As we painted we were mindful of the intent and energy we were placing into our work. The energy of your intent goes into the symbol and the symbol goes onto your chalice. In the circle your chalice collects the spirit of the Goddess and the power of the Moon, and as you drink, they mix with your personal energy you have imparted to your cup as they return to you. It’s the threefold law manifest: What you give out comes back to you threefold. And that’s the magick! As I went around the room, I was inspired by the beauty, vision and artistic spirit of the painters. I saw Norse runes, Theban script, alchemical symbols, astrological symbols, and even Ogham and mistletoe from our resident Druid! We will dedicate our chalices to our personal deities @ Samhain for the coming year.
At 7 we went outside to the fire ring and assembled for the moon ritual, held by Morrigan of the Manhattan Goddess Circle. As we entered the circle we began to have a light mist of rain, which we all found very nurturing and cleansing. No one wanted to go inside. We stayed by the fire and Morrigan talked us through a beautiful meditation of personal strength and the need to share our gifts with others during this dark half of the year. We contemplated our Pagan ancestors’ need at this time of the year not only to rely on the strengths and gifts of the clan for survival, but also the responsibility we all have of sharing our strengths and gifts with others, for the good of all and the harm of none. After cakes and ale, as the Circle closed and we began talking about our experiences this evening, the rain came back in full force 🙂 A perfect ending to another great night.
I’d like to give a big thank you to Loujuana of Mystic Myths in Aggieville for handing out our flyers and spreading the word about our open circles. She even closed her shop early so she could come be with us tonight. And also, a big thank you to Morrigan and the Manhattan Goddess Circle for bringing such positive energy, and great food 🙂 to our sacred space here @ UUFM. Some of them were members of the original Pagan Circle that was here 2 years ago, so in many ways this is a homecoming for them. We’re glad they’re back!
And don’t forget, on October 29th, starting @ 5 pm, we’ll be having our Samhain Celebration. If you like, bring a small halloween-themed covered dish to share. And after dinner be prepared to take off as we create Witches’ Flying Ointment. This will help us open our third eye chakras in preparation for communicating with our ancestors. We’ll also be talking about the history of Samhain. Brings drums, bells, rattles or other ceremonial instrument as we enter the place that is not a place and a time that is not a time, to welcome the spirits of our ancestors as the veil thins. We will also have an Ancestor Altar set up throughout the evening. Bring a picture or memento of a loved-one who has passed over, to place on the altar. There will be incense and candles for you to create your own personal dedication. The end result will be a beautiful and powerful gift of love and honor.
All our events are family-friendly, and there are children’s activities related to the theme of the evening. See you on the 29th!
Love and bright blessings,
Deirdre