Yule 2019
Public Yule Ritual – a Celebration of the Night of Mothers
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Gather at 6:30pm, Ritual at 7:00pm
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Gather at 6:30, ritual at 7:00pm.
Bring pictures or rememberances of your mothers to set upon the altar. Bring an offering for the Disen if you are so inclined.
In mainstream society, Yule is almost synonymous with Christmas but this was not always so. If we look into the history books, we find that the roots of the Yule tradition originate in Northern Europe. Mainstream Christmas today is dominated by Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus). But, as with many other Christian saints, there was a Saint Nicholas before there was a physical Saint Nicholas. Tracing this back, we see that the original Father Christmas, was the Yule Father, or the All Father – Odin. Likewise, we find that Yule originates in the Norse lands as well.
Originally, Yule was a two month period of celebrations, sacrifices and ritual. Scholars have connected the events of the Yule time period to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and increased supernatural activity, such as the aforementioned Wild Hunt and the increased activities of draugar—undead beings who walk the earth. But in the heart of the Yule season was Mōdraniht, Mütternacht or the Night of Mothers, a festival held during the winter solstice. In this night the old founding mothers of the clan or tribe are revered, together with ancient mothers of many previous generations, the mother goddess Frigg and other deities of Roman influence known by the name of Matres or Matronae. Those women, also named Disen, were in charge of protecting the countryside and the clan and keep the welfare and fertility growing. They were also the guardians of the field and the ones who helped women to give birth and protected men in war and in the hard work.
So we see that while Modern paganism may emphasize the rebirth of the Sun at Yule, traditionally, it is more a celebration of the Mother, the bringer of life.
Join us this evening for a celebration to celebrate the mother. Bring images of your mothers, that we may honor those of the past. Join us in a ritual to honor the mothers past, celebrate the mothers present and empower the mothers in the coming year to protect our collective welfare.
Fall Wicom Moot
Wicom Moot and Business Meeting
Sunday, October 27, 2019
12:30-2:30
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Samhain
On Saturday, October 26th, come and join WiCoM in celebrating Samhain. This will be a contemplative and divinatory ritual, with much quiet meditation, so it is not appropriate for small children. Mature teens are welcome and if older children can be still and quiet for at least 30 minutes, they are welcome also. We will be choosing tarot cards and working on the meanings for ourselves in the coming year.
Gather at 6:30, ritual at 7:00pm. Please dress appropriately for the season, no nudity is allowed due to the possibility of minors being present. Please bring a dish to share at the potluck afterward, though you will not be turned away if you cannot.
We meet at Living Table church in South Minneapolis, at 38th Ave and 40th Street south. Come join us and celebrate the season.
Mabon – the second harvest and equinox
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Gather at 6:30pm, Ritual at 7:00pm
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Pot-luck feast to follow the ritual.
Mabon
What goes up – must come down.
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
What goes around comes around.
Throughout our existence, there have been sayings reminding us to keep our balance. And apparently the universe agrees, since every orbit and chemical reaction must be balanced.
Suki invites you to join her in an observation of our part in The Great Cosmic “Balancing Act.” We will be walking a balance beam (of sorts) and/or supporting those who choose to “walk the line.” Accommodations will be made for mobility challenged folks. (Don’t worry, you won’t twist an ankle.)
This is also the second of the harvest Sabbats – and we find there is need within our community for compassion and for sharing. To encourage the spirit of giving – and of receiving, we will be symbolically creating a “Stone Soup” Please bring a small, clean stone to place into our “cauldron.” You will be bringing a stone home, but it is unlikely to be the stone you brought. Any clean, palm-size or smaller stone will work – even one from your yard or your favorite natural space.
Please consider bringing a pot-luck offering to our post-ritual feast. (And an ingredient list for those with dietary restrictions)
Will we see you there?
Wicom Moot
Wicom Moot and Business Meeting
Sunday, July 28, 2019
12:30-2:30
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Lammas – the first harvest
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Gather at 6:30pm, Ritual at 7:00pm
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Pot-luck feast to follow the ritual.
Centered on the compassion and forbearance of Lleu Llaw Gyffes , the son whom Arionrhod cursed. The working is to bring that energy into our lives.
Buckland’s Museum
Estelle Daniels
Looking for things to do in Ohio, I found a list of 149 interesting things, and #7 was Raymond Buckland’s Museum of Witchcraft and Magick. Well, we had to go, so on a Sunny Tuesday we set out to Cleveland, to see the Cuyahoga National Park and the Witchcraft Museum.
The National Park was founded in 1974, at the same time as the Clean Water act, along the very river that spawned the clean water act, when it caught fire. It was a nice park, but mainly geared to hiking and biking along the old Ohio and Erie Canal. We stopped at a few places, and read plaques etc. The train was not running, which was a disappointment.
Then we made our way to the Witchcraft Museum.
It occupies a storefront along a business type street. At the front is a gift shop, with crystals, books etc. and in the back is the museum, which requires a fee.
The museum is eclectic in what it has on display, and is not all Gardnerian or even Raymond Buckland, though a lot of the stuff is geared to him. Steven the owner and guide has a nice patter about Buckland, Gardner, Crowley and the other notables and items in the museum. He is cheerful and enthusiastic about his subject and the stuff he has collected there. He is honoring of the craft and what it means. But his patter is somewhat selective and sanitized for the public, especially about Crowley. Still, he didn’t say anything wrong, and there is a nice collection of witchy stuff: Raymond’s ceremonial robes, various athames, cups, wands etc, a demon in a box caught by Buckland himself, a Crowleyana corner, various tarot cards, divination devices, and other witchy stuff. He has stories about most everything there. We chatted and he was interested in Minneapolis and Paganistan. I turned him on to Murphy’s book on the subject. And told him about my books. I was invited back to do a presentation in September, and I’ll plan on that for sure.
While we were there various people also came, and it was curious cowans. They seemed interested, but not weirded out or frightened. The Museum is a continuation of Buckland’s Long Island Museum, transplanted to Cleveland in 2016 (though how it ended up there was not mentioned). Buckland himself visited in 2017 and I was told pronounced the place good. He has an athame from Sybil Leek’s grandmother—craft grandmother—and a crystal ball that was Sybil Leek’s. There is a picture of Janet Ferrar, and she donated a funerary chalice of Yew.
It is not a big museum, the room is about 20 X 20, but what they have is interesting, broadly representative and well displayed. We stayed over an hour and it was well worth the trip to Cleveland.
******
Feast of the Strawberries celebrating Midsummer
Date: Saturday, June 22nd, 2019
Time: Gather at 6:30 pm, Ritual at 7:00 pm
Space: Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
Midsummer is the time to kick back, enjoy the warm weather and eat the first fruits of the earth. The Wiccan Church of Minnesota will present a ritual celebrating Midsummer, and feasting on strawberries. Warning: If you are allergic to strawberries, stay away. You will not be able to avoid them. Just saying.
This ritual is open to the public and appropriate for well-behaved and controlled children. Gather at 6:30, ritual at 7. Please bring something to share at our potluck, though that should not stop anyone from coming. We will sing and dance and eat strawberries. That’s about it. Come join us and have fun.
For those bringing food/liquids to share an ingredient list for those with dietary restrictions is much appreciated.
The Turning of the Wheel
As my tenure as Green Man for WiCoM comes to the end, I look both backwards and forwards and wonder where the Pagan community is going. Our community has had its trials and lies shattered. There were no winners, we all lost. And I don’t debate the importance of the issues. But I look at other religions. They too have similar issues, but they seem to be more resilient in these situations. I have meditated on what the difference is but I do not see a clear answer. And this problem is not unique to the Twin Cities. Pagan communities everywhere seem to suffer rifts for one reason or another, and the community is pressed to survive. The Catholics, for example, have a number of their clergy indicted for sex crimes, but the church is not shaken. I would challenge everyone to meditate upon this and try to understand the difference.
During my reign as Green Man, I served the Lady. I have been serving the Lady in my own fashion since I was 18 years old. It was an honor to serve her as a public function. Since my first encounter with the Goddess in a lonely, remote section of woods in Georgia so many years ago, she has always been my first concern. She has been the light that has guided my way through so much. She has taught me lessons, some joyful and some tearful. But I have always trusted in her. When she chose me in her Lottery on the magickal Beltane night, I was happy to take up her work.
But I have done my work. My time is over. I wish that I could have done more. I hope that what I have done is enough. And I am wondering who else out there places the Goddess first in their life? Who else will take up the work? Will anyone rise up to heal the community? Does anyone else out there put the Goddess first in their life?
For my last act as Green Man, my last use of the Green Man’s energy, I called down healing upon our community. All of you are shining souls and I am honored to have the chance to walk this path with every last one of you. My time as Green Man has come to an end. But, as the Green Man, I know the secret. The mystery of the God, is the mystery of the cycle of death and rebirth. Though I pass on the mantle and retire from service, in my act of passing, I summon forth my successor. In the name of the Goddess, I call you forth. Rise up Green Man, I look forward to meeting you at the next Beltane!
Ostara -Balance at the Crossroads: Finding Your Path
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Gather at 6:30pm, Ritual at 7:00pm
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42
Pot-luck feast to follow the ritual.
Items of note:
>>Due to the snow, parking is permitted ONLY ON THE ODD SIDE of the streets. Parking in the area – already stressed – will be extremely tight. Please park on both north-south and east-west streets. Please also consider carpooling or public transit if feasible.
>>This ritual might not be appropriate for children. Please plan accordingly.
Ostara is the Vernal Equinox – the time of equal dark and light – the time of balance.
This is a ritual that will challenge you to examine yourself, your thoughts, and feelings so you can take the actions that support who you really are, what you really want and need. The “impossible” becomes “I’m possible” – just by being who you are and are meant to be.
Lilith tells us to take back our power. She calls us to stand in our truth, embracing our darkness and our light equally. She tells us to stop playing small; stop being afraid of burning too passionately; stop being afraid of being misunderstood. “Our FIRE is not for them,” she tells us. “It is for us!”
Come join us in celebrating the balance of light and dark at Ostara and regain your power!
Welcome!
Welcome to the Wiccan Church of Minnesota!
The Wiccan Church of Minnesota is a Twin Cities based 501 (c) (3) religious organization that celebrates both Goddess and God. Our church was founded more than 35 years ago.
WiCoM sponsors group rituals for the Wiccan sabbats, as well as for other special occasions. Many of these rituals are open to the public or invited guests who are not members.
RSS - Posts