Celebration Calendar

August - Lughnasadh

Saturday August 16th, 2008 - 5pm - Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown - Join the Hann Family for a Lughnasadh Ritual. The Celtic harvest festival takes its name from the Irish god Lugh, one of the chief gods of the Tuatha De Danann, giving us Lughnasadh in Ireland, Lunasdál in Scotland, and Laa Luanys in the Isle of Man. Lugh dedicated this festival to his foster-mother, Tailtiu, the last queen of the Fir Bolg, who died from exhaustion after clearing a great forest so that the land could be cultivated. When the men of Ireland gathered at her death-bed, she told them to hold funeral games in her honor. As long as they were held, she prophesied Ireland would not be without song. Tailtiu’s name is from Old Celtic Talantiu, "The Great One of the Earth," suggesting she may originally have been a personification of the land itself, like so many Irish goddesses. In fact, Lughnasadh has an older name, Brón Trogain, which refers to the painful labor of childbirth. For at this time of year, the earth gives birth to her first fruits so that her children might live. Please bring a bring an apple, acorn squash or an eggplant, lemon juice, basil, rosemary or other herb of your choice, and a taper candle in whatever color you choose as well as canned food item and potluck item to share.

September - Mabon, The Harvest

Saturday September 20th, 2008 - 3pm - Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown - Join Sprye in celebrating Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox. Mabon marks the Second Harvest, the end of the grain harvest (which begun at Lughnasadh), and rests on the Autumn Equinox. The Equinox mirrors dwindling of life (and eventual progression to rebirth), as well as the struggle for balance; day and night are equal for a single day. Lets celebrate the fruits of our labors, balance that we have in our lives, and give thanks for what we have positively manifested. Please bring a canned food item and potluck item to share.

Gallery Readings with Alexandra Windsong - Saturday, September 20th, 7 - 8 pm. Receive information about, and/or messages from, your spirit guides as Alexandra performs mini readings for each participant in a gallery style setting. Join us for a fun and enlightening evening as Alexandra shares her special gift. Makes a great "girl's night out". (Auras and past lives may be read for some participants). Space is limited to 10 people. (This is now full! We will work to set up another event like this in the future. Please check back to see when we do this again). $25.

October 31st - Samhain

Friday October 31st, 2008 - 6pm - Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown - Please join us as Calliel will be bringing us a Samhain Celebration. In early Ireland, people gathered at the ritual centers of the tribes, for Samhain was the principal calendar feast of the year. The greatest assembly was the 'Feast of Tara,' focusing on the royal seat of the High King as the heart of the sacred land, the point of conception for the new year. In every household throughout the country, hearth-fires were extinguished. All waited for the Druids to light the new fire of the year -- not at Tara, but at Tlachtga, a hill twelve miles to the north-west. It marked the burial-place of Tlachtga, daughter of the great druid Mogh Ruith, who may once have been a goddess in her own right in a former age.

At at all the turning points of the Celtic year, the gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, so many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest. Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire, and at the end of the ceremonies, brands were lit from the great fire of Tara to re-kindle all the home fires of the tribe, as at Beltane. As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come.

Please join us in celebration fo this time. Bring a canned food item and potluck item to share.

November - Hellenic Ritual

Saturday November 15th, 2008 - 5pm - Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown - Please join Suz in a Hellenistic Ritual. Hellenic reconstructionists, recognize the fact that for the ancients, religion was intimately linked with culture, and try to learn as much as they can about how the Greeks lived and thought, so that they can make their practices as valid as possible. The Hellenic pantheon is a rich tapestry that includes a multitude of divine beings. Suz will bring us an idea ofwhat this tradition celebrates through her own ritual. Please bring a canned food item to donate as well as a potluck item to share.

December - Yule

Saturday December 20th, 2008 - 5pm - Unitarian Universalist Church of Hagerstown - Please join Shad O' Slaya and Hawk for our Yule Celebration! Yule is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.
Please bring a canned food item to donate as well as a potluck item to share.

Planning Meetings

Pagan Night Out - September 20th, Border's Books on Garland Groh Blvd, Hagerstown, MD starting at 6pm!! Please join our Novice Yahoo Group for more information about Meetings and Pagan Night Out with Queen of Heaven Circle. THis is a great place to get to know everyone!