Samhain Festival
October 29 - 31, 2010at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve
west of Mount Horeb & north of Barneveld, Wisconsin
25 miles west of Madison, Wisconsin
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Samhain, popularly known as Halloween, occurs in late October and early November. For most Wiccan practitioners, this is the New Year, and a time for letting go of the old and looking ahead to the new. It marks the end of the harvest season. Since ancient times, Pagans have paid their respects to departed loved ones, ancestors, and guides in the Spirit World at Samhain. The Goddess manifests as the Crone and the God as the Horned Hunter and Lord of Death. Sacred colors are Black and Orange. It is the festival of endings and transformation.
# Activities at this year's Samhain include: Friday night's Witches' Ball, featuring Stone Ring
# Workshops by Rev. Nora Cedarwind Young, Rev. Selena Fox and others
# Samhain Ritual by Revs. Georgette and Bob Paxton
# Childrens' Programming
# Circle Sanctuary Annual Meeting
# And much more!
For a list of what to bring, schedule and descriptions of activities, and other info:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/samhain
Program Schedule
Friday, October 29
10 AM Ministers' Intensive: Home Funerals with Nora Cedarwind Young
More and more families, loved ones and communities are choosing to care for their beloved dead at home. Learn this legal, time honored way of caring for a loved one that has crossed over the threshold to the Summerland. Learn about the laws in your state and how healing this hands on gift can be.
Noon Gate open for general arrivals
1 PM Opening Ritual & Festival Blessing
Join in a Community blessing of the Festival and Festival Grounds and an honoring of Samhain. Bring a rhythm instrument to play if you have one.
1:30 - 3 PM Writing your Own Obituary with Nora Cedarwind Young
This is a journaling class in open format with discussion about this exercise and how you would like others to learn of your death, what parts of your life or relationships you would or would not like to be mentioned and some of the more common practices around obituaries today. This is a great tool and insightful class. Come learn some things about yourself!
1:30 - 3 PM Nature Walk - with Reed
Walk the land with Reed and see the true beauty and glory of the season.
1:30 - 3 PM Childrens' Programming: Crafting Trick or Treat Bags with Jen and Bo
Reuse old T-Shirts to make reusable and washable trick-or-treat bags!
3:30 PM David & Jeanet Ewing's 20th anniversary handfasting with Selena Fox and others
5:00 PM Dinner
6 PM Arrivals for those attending Witches Ball only (with departures by 1 am)
7 PM - 12:30 AM Witches Ball - with live music by the Celtic band, Stone Ring.
Join in the fun. Dress in costume, if you wish! Enjoy the band performing Celtic tunes and other music. Dance, socialize, make merry! Some refreshments provided.
7 - 8:30 PM Childrens' Programming: Movie Time - Caspar the Friendly Ghost
8:30 PM Childrens' Programming: Final Parental Pickup
Saturday, October 30
7:30 - 9 AM Continental Breakfast
9:30 - 10 AM Community Music-making
10 AM - 11 AM Circle Sanctuary Annual Meeting
Includes review of Annual Report and 2009 Financial Statement, as well as the Strategic Planning process currently underway.
9:30 AM Childrens' Programming: Childrens' Orientation with Jen and Bo
Discussion with youth and parents about the land, and about appropriate behavior at Circle events.
11 AM - Noon Community Visioning
Mediated small-group dialogue / focus groups for visioning Circle's next year and beyond. Must come to the Annual Meeting to participate.
Noon - 1:30 PM Potluck Lunch
1:30 PM The Six Essential Documents Everyone Needs at End-of-Life, Now! with Nora Cedarwind Young
There are six essential documents that every person should have completed and file today! Death comes at many unexpected times and if you do not have these documents in order, you make a great difficulty for your loves left holding the bag without legal documents giving proper authority. Do you want your next of kin making your decisions, or do you want them to be yours? Come learn how this chance to get your paperwork in order will relive the paperwork load at end-of-life.
1:30 PM Childrens' Programming: Craft Workshop with Jen and Bo
painting patches for what will be sewn into a quilt and donated later to Circle Sanctuary. (making bags for anyone who missed Friday) Youth will be given square bits of fabric to paint on (or embroider). They will be asked to create things that reflect their own Samhain beliefs. I will collect the squares, quilt them together later and donate the finished project to Circle.
2:30 PM Crossing-Over Rites with Selena Fox
Old and New rites to aid the dying in their transition.
3:30 PM Pagans and Hospice Care - panel discussion with Nora Cedarwind Young, Heather Ockler and Selena Fox
Small pumpkins will be hidden around the grounds and the children will be sent on a pumpkin hunt. After the hunt they will go trick or treating.
3 PM Childrens' Programming: Pumpkin Hunt & Trick-or-Treating with the Ghetto Shamans
painting patches for what will be sewn into a quilt and donated later to Circle Sanctuary. (making bags for anyone who missed Friday) Youth will be given square bits of fabric to paint on (or embroider). They will be asked to create things that reflect their own Samhain beliefs. I will collect the squares, quilt them together later and donate the finished project to Circle.
5 PM Raffle Drawings & Silent Auction results
6 PM Dinner
7:30 - 8:30 PM Bonfire Magick: Drumming, Chanting, Storytelling, Preparation for Samhain Ritual
8:30 - 10 PM Samhain Ritual by Georgette, Bob, Selena & others
The veil between the worlds is thin this night. We'll cross it and gather messages from departed loved ones then return again to celebrate life and the Celtic New Year.
8:30 PM Childrens' Programming: Pumpkin Decoration and Crafting
Crafting, storytelling and hot cocoa!
10 PM Samhain Celebration Bonfire at Festival Circle
10:30 PM - dawn Samhain Visioning Labyrinth at Candlelit Spiral Labyrinth with Florence, Katrina and Vanessa
Sunday, October 31
7:30 - 9 AM Continental Breakfast
10 AM Childrens' Programming: Childrens' Service Project Contest
Youth will be given a list of 'services' they can complete within camp and the grounds. Each service will have a points value. (10 points for helping a camp elder take down and pack up their tent, 1 point for each piece of trash collected... exc.) they will turn in points after 1 hour and each child will be recognized for his or her work with prize
10 - 11 AM Native American Views of the Afterlife - with Shine
11:30 AM Samhain Festival Closing Ritual - with Bob & Georgette
Noon Lunch
1 - 4 PM Green Cemetery Open House in Circle Cemetery
Open public event including discussion of Green Cemetery and Home Burial practices, cremains interment and tours of Circle Cemetery.
Items To Bring
# Contribution for potluck feast to feed at least two dozen, for Saturday dinner. For details, please see our Potluck Guidelines.
# Flowers and/or herbs (fresh or dried) to place at gravesites at the cemetery (optional)
# Quartz crystals, dried herbs, or other small tokens of remembrance to be interred during the Cemetery rite (optional)
# Bring items for the ancestors and recently departed altars - photos or small personal items and candles.
# Candy for the trick-or-treaters on Saturday afternoon
# Old T-shirts to donate to the childrens' program for crafting time
# (adults & children) Costumes
# Items to donate for the Raffle and Silent Auction
# Bring dried herbs for offerings during rituals.
# Bring a pumpkin or gourd to carve for decorating the temple room and ritual spaces.
# Bring a mug or cup to drink from
# Camping Gear: tent, sleeping bag, pillow, air mattress, flashlight, water jug, towel, biodegradable soap and shampoo, personal toiletries, sungear, raingear. NOTE: Night-time temperatures at Samhain can dip into the 30s - - please pack accordingly!
YOUTH ITEMS TO BRING:
# Costumes
# Large Bag to collect pumpkins and Halloween candy
# Large Bag of Halloween Candy for Kids
# 1 Camp Chair, per kid, for the Kid"i? 1/2 s Clubhouse
Registration
PRICING
Adults (each): Before 10/11 10/11 - 10/21 After 10/22 and At Gate
3 Days 80 95 110
Any 2 Days 50 60 75
Any 1 Day (Fri. includes Witches' Ball) 35 45 50
Witches' Ball (Friday) only 15 20 25
Children 5+ (each) Before 10/11 10/11 - 10/21 After 10/22 and At Gate
3 Days 35 35 40
2 Days 25 25 30
Any 1 Day (Fri. includes Witches' Ball) 15 15 20
Witches' Ball (Friday) only 7 7 10
Children under 5 are free.
If interested in vending, please register as usual and contact Bob Paxton: bob@circlesanctuary.org
Cancellations received before October 24th will be refunded minus 50% processing fee. Cancellations received on October 24th or later will not be refunded. Please refer to Circle's cancellation policy if you should need to cancel your event registration.
For more information contact events@circlesanctuary.org or call the Circle office at (608) 924-2216.Theresa Chaze has been described as the woman who plays with dragons, especially the dragons of the mind. She leads her readers to magical realms and others worlds. Her work is based on her philosophy that all peoples can live together in peace as long as we come from respect, not only for ourselves but those who follow different paths or beliefs. Her work has been compared to Marion Zimmer Bradley and Anne McCaffrey with an adult version of Harry Potter mixed in.
