On a chilly but sunny Chicago afternoon, Wild Onion Grove and friends gathered together in Waldheim/Forest Home cemetery to honor Janus with a Roman-styled rite. I'd like to thank everyone who attended, especially our first-timers (thanks, Regina, for taking a role!), and Janet Berres for offering to read the omens for us.
My apologies for the brisker-than-normal weather. Our Yule rite will be held indoors, we promise!
Special thanks to Artisans Guild Chief and Wild Onion Grove member Caroline Farrow for her fantastic Janus trinkets! And congratulations to Chris Sherbak, our new Senior Druid, Colleen Evans (Treasurer) and James Gordon (Secretary)!
Happy Samhain and Pagan New Year to all,
-
Jack
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Senior Druid Emeritus - Wild Onion Grove Chicago
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Samhain with a Wild Onion Twist
The amazing thing about this time of year in the Upper Midwest is how varied, and often beautiful, the weather is. We've seen a ton of sunny, cool days this Autumn, some cloudy gray days foreboding a bit of what's to come, a three-day wind-fest (dubbed a Chiclone) and even a heat wave or two.
So, too, is Wild Onion's Samhain celebration - varied throughout the years. Sometimes it's a solemn occasion, sometimes a true celebration of the lives of the Ancestors who've passed on, and even a little experimental. One year we used a single deity (Hecate) for all the rite's invocations...Gatekeeper, DotO, Bardic Deity...everything. I think we took Her by surprise. Our omens weren't bad, per se, but it was as if we gave Her a fruitcake for Valentine's Day. A kind of, "Why are you giving this to me now?" kind of answer. It all worked out, thankfully, and we plan to work with her again soon.
This year we decided to ask Janus to be our DotO. We've asked a number of deities to add their magic to ours to open the Gates Between, and Janus has been our Go-To Deity for Roman rites in the past. We wanted to take a look at our traditional Gatekeepers, though, and honor Them as DotOs rather than functionaries. Wild Onion's last rite was to Mannanan mac Lir, and this Samhain it is Janus' turn to be honored.
We're also honoring our Ancestors as is traditional for this feast, and installing new officers -- busy, busy rite. Caroline, Chief of ADF's Artisan's Guild, is making Janus heads for the rite so that everyone can take a remembrance home of Him with them afterward. He looks back to the past from certainty for inspiration and lessons, and forward to the unknown for hope and progress. The Veil between Worlds may be thin, but so too is the Veil between Times. May Samhain grant us all quiet time to reflect on what was, and plan for what will be.
-
Jack
Senior Druid - Wild Onion Grove
So, too, is Wild Onion's Samhain celebration - varied throughout the years. Sometimes it's a solemn occasion, sometimes a true celebration of the lives of the Ancestors who've passed on, and even a little experimental. One year we used a single deity (Hecate) for all the rite's invocations...Gatekeeper, DotO, Bardic Deity...everything. I think we took Her by surprise. Our omens weren't bad, per se, but it was as if we gave Her a fruitcake for Valentine's Day. A kind of, "Why are you giving this to me now?" kind of answer. It all worked out, thankfully, and we plan to work with her again soon.
This year we decided to ask Janus to be our DotO. We've asked a number of deities to add their magic to ours to open the Gates Between, and Janus has been our Go-To Deity for Roman rites in the past. We wanted to take a look at our traditional Gatekeepers, though, and honor Them as DotOs rather than functionaries. Wild Onion's last rite was to Mannanan mac Lir, and this Samhain it is Janus' turn to be honored.
We're also honoring our Ancestors as is traditional for this feast, and installing new officers -- busy, busy rite. Caroline, Chief of ADF's Artisan's Guild, is making Janus heads for the rite so that everyone can take a remembrance home of Him with them afterward. He looks back to the past from certainty for inspiration and lessons, and forward to the unknown for hope and progress. The Veil between Worlds may be thin, but so too is the Veil between Times. May Samhain grant us all quiet time to reflect on what was, and plan for what will be.
-
Jack
Senior Druid - Wild Onion Grove
We have a new blog!
At long last the Onions have a blog! Here you will find website updates, upcoming events, cool things we made, food, information about Paganism, ADF, polytheism etc, and general philosophizing from members of our Grove.
To start with, we have Samhain coming up. Every year we go to the Druid Monument at Forest Home cemetery in Forest Park to have out rite. You can find out more information about Wild Onion's 2010 Samhain celebration here.
Secondly, the website has had a complete redesign. Hopefully it is more functional, and we have added new songs, poetry, and crafts with more being added all the time. There is now a Book of Omens chronicling our relationship with our various deities as well.
Next up will be a review of our Samhain rite, and some musing on plans for the future...
To start with, we have Samhain coming up. Every year we go to the Druid Monument at Forest Home cemetery in Forest Park to have out rite. You can find out more information about Wild Onion's 2010 Samhain celebration here.
Secondly, the website has had a complete redesign. Hopefully it is more functional, and we have added new songs, poetry, and crafts with more being added all the time. There is now a Book of Omens chronicling our relationship with our various deities as well.
Next up will be a review of our Samhain rite, and some musing on plans for the future...
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