On Saturday night, Northern Rivers Protogrove gathered to celebrate Samhain and honor the Ancestors. We decided to have the rite indoors as the rain and cold were quite intense. We are aiming to be more family-friendly and we wanted the little ones to be safe and comfortable. I used to look down my nose at “fair weather Pagans,” but my tune is changing. I’m all for communing with Nature in the rain and snow, and there’s definitely a time and place for that, but when you practice a tribal religion, the needs of the many must come first. Although
I missed the stone circle, we set up a beautiful altar inside the Kripalu Yoga Center.
We also set up a special shrine for the visiting Ancestors. Guests brought photographs, skulls, and other mementos. I happened to see an announcement that this Samhain marked ADF’s 30th year, so I grabbed the copy of Oak Leaves that eulogizes our late founder, Isaac Bonewits. He’s definitely an ancestor of the heart for many an ADF grove and protogrove!
My friend Tara lead the rite and she did a fantastic job. She even made some wonderful favors for guests in the form of little skulls painted on stones she gathered from a lake. This Samhain Northern Rivers Protogrove met another milestone in that we have been having our High Day rituals at the Kripalu Yoga and Wellness Center for an entire year! It’s been a beautiful partnership and I’m so grateful for their hospitality. Between the growth in ritual attendees and the outstanding participation and leadership of fellow members, I am so proud of us. On a personal note, since I wasn’t leading the rite, I took the opportunity to write and memorize an invocation to the Ancestors. I was told I did a wonderful job, and people were moved by my delivery. It’s always good to hear! My favorite part of every Samhain, however, is the spiritual and emotional release that comes with honoring our beloved dead and accepting the beauty and inevitably of death as well as the promise of life’s renewal.
Here’s to a new liturgical year full of new and wonderful developments with Northern Rivers Protogrove!
Author M. A. Phillips 