Solstice Celebration in MA, please RSVP, it would be great to meet!
I would like to invite everyone to:
The Fifteenth Annual
Winter Solstice Celebration
NOW ON THE 28th!! postponed from...
Friday Dec. 21, 2007 -- 7:00 pm
An outdoor event at
Hale Reservation (near Dover)
The year has come around again for our annual gathering around the fire among the stone people, the nature people and the earth to honor the return of the light. The colors and the full expressions of form have been stripped away, reduced to what is essential on the journey inside. The nights grow longer. Eventually snow and frost will slow us down. The process of cleansing, purifying and renewing begins. We enter dreamtime. We enter the passage between dark and light, a point of tension. At the moment of deepest darkness the seed of light is born.
We are in a collective time of transformation that will go on for the years to come. We notice the signs in the weather patterns, in the earth, in the political climate and our personal lives. Change is a constant and it is necessary, yet it is hard to accept and can be very difficult when we resist. There is a big unknown. We can let go as long the seed of promise can come with us. We have come to a point that we realize we cannot do this alone. We surrender to our humility and remember we have community and ancestors who are longing to connect with us and guide us.
According to the Dagara people we are entering a fire year. Fire is connected to the ancestors, it is the doorway to their world. They can be our anchors that aid us to move through the changes ahead, but we have to ask for their help. A person that has passed on to the ancestral world will have lost their dysfunctional behavior and has become a lot wiser. Knowing this may help you in healing your relationship with them. What is in the way of accepting change? What calls for change in your life? What are you holding on to for dear life? What needs healing to deepen your relationship with your ancestors? What do you need to do to stay connected and present? Are you accepting the greatness of your own being and are you doing what you set out to do in this lifetime? What is in your heart?
Katja Esser, Lyra O’Brien and friends invite you to this highly participatory ritual We use the element of fire, as a tool for transformation and deepen our relationship to the ancestors. Come with a piece of wood that you may add additional symbols to that expresses what you want to offer to the fire. It is the intensity of your prayer and willingness to change that excites the ancestral world and propels them to set things in motion. In this process we anchor our relationship to the other world so we may travel with their protection and guidance. Think of prayers as a way you talk to your buddy, make it personal.
Also bring a candle to express the light we hold out for ourselves and for the world. And bring a stone that has meaning to you and you are willing to give up.
What to bring: Please, bring your piece of wood, stone and a candle and any additional wood you want to contribute to the sacred fire. Make sure that your candle has either a holder or cup that protects it from blowing out in the wind or dripping on your hands. You may want to bring a thermos with a hot beverage and a cup and some snack or desert for after the ritual. Bring drums, rattles, a chair if you need one, flashlight, warm clothes and a friend. There is a suggested donation of $13 if you can and $10 if you can’t or talk to us in advance if money is holding you back, and maybe you can provide us with a service. We need helpers with the setup, and during the ritual. We need a person who wants to man the donations, we need energy tenders, drummers, smudger, and a fire tender.
Kindly respond when you plan to come. For further information call Katja at 617 365 4024, or email katjacreates@ritualexpressions.com or check out Katja’s website www.ritualexpressions.com. Or call Lyra at 617 325 4952, email lyraden@comcast.net. Please send us your email address to help us reduce the cost of mailing.
In case of rain or snow the event will be canceled, but we trust the weather spirits. You are welcome to stay the night to see the fire burn down.
We will be meeting at Cat Rock, which is about a ½ mile into Hale Reservation on the right. The ritual starts promptly at 7 PM. We may drive in and drop off our stuff but then have to either park the car at a nearby parking lot or at the gate at Hale reservation. Please keep in mind that you probably need an extra 20 minutes to deal with the car and plan your time accordingly.
Directions to Hale Reservation: Take 128 to exit 16B,’Route 109 to Westwood.’ Go I mile; take the 4rth right onto Dover Rd (Not the road to Dover!) Take the 3rd right onto Carby St.. You will pass the office on the left. Go straight till you see candles and sign to Cat Rock.
More Info about the group leader at:
I know Katja through a mutual friend.
It will be great to add our light here!