"N E X T - U P"Announcements, articles and links pertaining to the SUMMER SOLSTICE; the Feast of the SUN Celebration: Monday JUNE 21st; SUNRISE at the TOR - Meet on-site at 4:30 AM...
"The Tor" ?Adjacent to a small public park in the South Hills, “The Tor”, as we call it, is a large hill from which much of southwestern Allegheny County can be seen. It has been the site of a number Sassafras Grove rites over the years. For DIRECTIONS and more about its significance to the Grove, see The TOR: Our Holy Hill NOTE: This year, the actual moment of Summer Solstice is Monday, June at 7:28 AM EDT. SUMMER SOLSTICE RESOURCES: Midsummer's Eve/Summer Solstice Themes The Grail and the Stricken King What Would the Druids do at Summer Solstice? / Why not the Sun? "BELTAINE*" (a.k.a. MAY DAY) SUNDAY, May 2nd, 2010, DIFFERENT SITE this year: "East Rise" grove; it's across the valley from the old "Valley Heights" grove in South Park; Picnic from noon-dark; ceremony at 3:00 PM This year's Community BELTAINE Picnic and Sassafras Grove Beltane Rite will be on SUNDAY, May 2nd, 2010 in South Park and included an all-day event with feasting, children's activities, maypole dancing, a bardic circle, fund-raising AUCTION and other family fun. BELTAINE resources:
" E A S T R E* " OPEN PUBLIC EVENT: We welcome you to join us for our Eastre (Spring Equinox) rite on Saturday, March 20th, 2010. Our celebration will be held in North Park, at Parish Hill Grove. Potluck Dinner: Please bring a seasonally appropriate dish to share. So far we know there will be a ham, haluski, and two types of traditional breads provided by grove members, so we need sides as well as vegetarian options. Altar Decoration: As part of our celebration of spring and our Earth Mother, we ask that celebrants bring POTTED plants that you can take home with you and plant later. If you choose to leave your potted plant as an offering, we will find a place to plant it to beautify the earth. Cut flowers are welcome too. Things to Bring: Wind chimes if you have a set. We will again be “ringing in the spring”. As always our rites are free and open to the Community, but we do rely on the donations of those who are able to defray the cost of space rental and ritual supplies. We are lucky to be in such a beautiful space for this rite, but it is also a rather costly space. Remember, even a dollar can help make the difference between having our costs covered and Grove members having to pay them out of our own pockets. Support your local Druids! EASTRE RESOURCES: "Easter"?!!? (Reee-lax...) What are you doing for OESTRE ? B R I G A N T I A - the February Crossquarter
THIS RITE WAS CANCELLED DUE TO THE SNOWFALL WHICH Sassafras Grove invites you to join us as we honor the goddess Brigid (aka Brigantia in the British Tradition) with a ceremony that’s become a real Pittsburgh Pagan tradition. The primary elements of this rite can be traced back through the mists of time to the mid 80’s in the era archaeologists refer to as the “ASH” Period (AlleghenySpiritHaven). Imagine: taking part in an ancient Neopagan ceremony nearly two decades old! BRIGANTIA resources:  More info, click here: W H E E L of the Y E A R 2010 Y U L E T I D E : The Winter Solstice Celebration SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20th, The Cottage, SOUTH PARK: 2-9PM Come celebrate Yuletide with Sassafras Grove as we honor this turning of the wheel. Holiday and crafts for children and adults, caroling and a special visit from Father Yule! This year we’ll celebrate an Old English rite honoring the northern god Ing and his sister, the beautiful Freo. Ing is the ruler of the elves and controls the sunshine. His sister Freo is a goddess of passion and abundance. To the Scandinavians these two deities were known as Freyr and Freyja. You will also have an opportunity to make an oath for the coming year. This is much like a new year’s resolution, although perhaps more binding. 2:00 pm-Doors open We are particularly excited that Father Yule will once again be making a trek from the frozen north to bring gifts and blessings to the children of our community! Children bring your wishes for the upcoming season! Alcohol is permitted on this site. BYOB. Due to park rules, glass bottles are prohibited. If you choose to drink alcohol, please drink responsibly. DIRECTIONS: From Pittsburgh (Liberty Bridge, stay in right lane going south through the Liberty Tunnels) as you come out of the tunnels follow signs for Rte#51 South; ("Uniontown" / aka Saw Mill Run Blvd) stay on Rte#51 for 2.5 mi. Make a right onto Rte#88 South (aka Library Road)and go for 4.8 miles to 5-way intersection at South Park entrance (a McDonalds on left / Park entrance straight ahead). Get in the far-left lane and go straight into the Park on Corrigan, keep going, eventually through the roundabout, all the way past the tennis courts to the County Fairgrounds. If you are standing with your back to the Park Police Station, the building we are renting is located just behind the far upper-left corner of the old fairgrounds stadium racetrack-oval, so, make a right just after the park Police Station/Park office (Brownsville Rd.)and drive down through the gap between the end of the racetrack-oval and the old "Museum" exhibition-hall with the big clock; the driveway to "The Cottage" will be ahead and slightly off to the right.  ...It's to be a big FAMILY EVENT, so please, plan to bring the kids! . The Earth reaches the December Solstice this year at 12:47 PM, EST Monday Dec.21st... "The MOTHERS NIGHT", the night before the December Solstice, according to the Venerable Bede (7th century, CE), was the greatest religious event of the whole English (Anglo-Saxon) pagan year. Count from that night forward and you find the (pagan) "Twelve Nights" conclude, where they should: on New Years Eve. YULETIDE resources:
Coming up next: S A M H A I N : The AUTUMN Crossquarter 7 PM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6th, Friends' Meeting House, Oakland Samhain marks the death of the year, the time of deepest Autumn, and the final harvest before Winter claims the fields as its own. At this time the veil once again becomes thin, and we more can more easily reach out to those who came before. We stand on the threshold of the Wasteland and the chaos and uncertainty our journey between one year and the next can bring us.
AUTUMN EQUINOX CELEBRATION Saturday September 19, 2009 This year's Autumn Equinox celebration is dedicated to Dionysos, God of Indestructible Life. By honoring Dionysos and taking his power into ourselves, we gird ourselves against the coming dark and know that even as our world begins to die around us, life endures. We will celebrate with a rite to Dionysos followed by an evening of Greek-inspired music, dance, food, and of course, wine.* WHAT TO BRING: · Greek or Harvest-inspired finger food and snacks. · A praise offering for Dionysos. If you have a vegetable garden, a portion of your own harvest is an appropriate offering at this time of year. · Drums and (especially) tambourines! Please turn off all cell phones & beepers prior to the start of the rite. As always our rites are free and open to the community, but monetary donations to help cover the costs of space rental and ritual supplies are most welcome and will be graciously accepted. Remember, even a dollar can help make the difference between having our costs covered and the members having to pay them out of our own pockets. Support your local Druids! For more information, please visit our website at www.sassafrasgrove.org or contact us at info@sassafrasgrove.org. You can also keep up with Sassafras Grove on WitchVox, MySpace and FaceBook! For an article explaining our theme please see Dionysos at Autumn Equinox.
LUGHNASSADH a.k.a. LAMMAS Celebration: Sunday August 2nd; Round Hill Park Open Grove Rite and Picnic: Sunday AUG 2nd, 2009 PLEASE COME ! This picnic is open to all the Pagan and Pagan-friendly folk of the Pittsburgh area. There will be lots of food and family fun at the event and our site is fairly private and very beautiful. There is no cover-charge but donations are always greatly appreciated. Do bring some food and/or soft drinks to share too though. A sacred marriage to “The Work”... “The Work” is one’s spiritual role in this lifetime and its external or worldly manifestation, be it raising millions of dollars around the world to end human suffering, or by simply being the very best shoemaker we personally have the capacity of being. It may be the job by which you make your living, it may be the way you ride your bicycle – but it is something which reaches beyond you to leave the world better for having had you in it. What “The Work” –is-, for you, comes to you through the eyes of your soul. Although it bears a sense of responsibility, it is ultimately not an unwelcome burden to our heart, for if it is a burden, it is not The Work. It is that which you cannot help but do, and for many of us it is that which we are already doing. It might be said that given the best of our personal skills and resources at hand, it is the holy-work we each are doing at every moment throughout our lives Ours is an annual rite of self-dedication, affirmation or renewal-of one’s personal submission to the call of this spiritual responsibility. It is in this rite that we remember, actualize, and celebrate the joys of our skills in action. Like Lugh and Sovereignty his bride, we accept and welcome the responsibility presented to us; we accept our “calling”... WE COME TO BE WED TO ‘THE WORK’... earrach (c)1993, 2007 THEMATIC INFORMATION for this Rite of the Wheel... The Lughnassad/Lammas, the Summer Crossquarter Our Local Goddess of Sovereignty SUMMER SOLSTICE; the Feast of the SUN Celebration: Sunday JUNE 21st; SUNRISE at the TOR - Meet on-site at 4:30 AM... "The Tor" ?Adjacent to a small public park in the South Hills, “The Tor”, as we call it, is a large hill from which much of southwestern Allegheny County can be seen. It has been the site of a number Sassafras Grove rites over the years. For DIRECTIONS and more about its significance to the Grove, see The TOR: Our Holy Hill NOTE: This year, the actual moment of Summer Solstice is Sunday Night, June 21st at 7:59 PM EDT. SUMMER SOLSTICE RESOURCES: Midsummer's Eve/Summer Solstice Themes The Grail and the Stricken King What Would the Druids do at Summer Solstice? "BELTAINE*" (a.k.a. MAY DAY) Valley Heights Grove, South Park; Saturday, May 2nd, 2009, Picnic from noon-dark; ceremony at 3:00 PM This year's Community BELTAINE Picnic and Sassafras Grove Beltane Rite WAS held on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 in South Park and included an all-day event with feasting, children's activities, maypole dancing, a bardic circle, fund-raising AUCTION and other family fun. Auction Preview Click here for pictures of some of our fabulous auction items! BELTAINE resources:
" E A S T R E* " OPEN PUBLIC EVENT: We welcome you to join us for our Oestre (Spring Equinox) rite on Saturday, March 21, 2009. Our celebration will be held in North Park, at Parish Hill Grove. 1:00 pm. Children’s Crafts and Activities (Adults can participate too!) Potluck Dinner: Please bring a seasonally appropriate dish to share. So far we know there will be a ham, haluski, and two types of traditional breads provided by grove members, so we need sides as well as vegetarian options. Altar Decoration: As part of our celebration of spring and our Earth Mother, we ask that celebrants bring POTTED plants that you can take home with you and plant later. If you choose to leave your potted plant as an offering, we will find a place to plant it to beautify the earth. Cut flowers are welcome too. Things to Bring: Wind chimes if you have a set. We will again be “ringing in the spring”. As always our rites are free and open to the Community, but we do rely on the donations of those who are able to defray the cost of space rental and ritual supplies. We are lucky to be in such a beautiful space for this rite, but it is also a rather costly space. Remember, even a dollar can help make the difference between having our costs covered and Grove members having to pay them out of our own pockets. Support your local Druids! EASTRE RESOURCES: Reee-lax; when you research it you'll find the word/feast-name "Easter" is more pagan than the word "Yule"... Only the English and the Germans ever used the (pagan) word Eastre for the Christian holiday, the whole rest of the Christian world uses a form of the word "Pascha" for their name for the feast of Jesus' ressurection. Irish Blessing Rite Tuesday, March 17, 7 pm Join us in a ritual honoring the Old Gods and Godesses of Ireland and our Druid Ancestors. This is our first event in a series of rituals and workshops presented at SpringTides on Route 8 in Hampton Township. Email us for more information or directions. B R I G A N T I A - the February Crossquarter
Sassafras Grove invites you to join us as we honor the goddess Brigid (aka Brigantia in the British Tradition) with a ceremony that’s become a real Pittsburgh Pagan tradition. The primary elements of this rite can be traced back through the mists of time to the mid 80’s in the era archaeologists refer to as the “ASH” Period (AlleghenySpiritHaven). Imagine: taking part in an ancient Neopagan ceremony nearly two decades old! BRIGANTIA resources:  More info, click here: W H E E L of the Y E A R 2009 Y U L E T I D E : The YULE Solstice The Earth reaches the December Solstice this year at 7:04 AM, EST Sunday Dec.21st... "The MOTHERS NIGHT", the night before the December Solstice, according to the Venerable Bede (7th century, CE) was the greatest religious event of the whole English (Anglo-Saxon) pagan year. Count from that night forward and you find the (pagan) "Twelve Nights" conclude, where they should: on New Years Eve.
Come celebrate Yuletide with Sassafras Grove as we honor Odin, Sunna and our Disir in Norse tradition, feasting, drinking and singing to drive the cold Winter away! Holiday and crafts for children and adults, caroling and a special visit from Father Yule! 12:30PM -Doors open We are particularly excited that Father Yule will once again be making a trek from the frozen north to bring gifts and blessings to the children of our community! Children bring your wishes for the upcoming season! What to bring:
-Praise offerings to Odin-songs and poetry are especially welcome. Toasts and silent prayers are thanks are also appropriate. Alcohol is permitted on this site. BYOB. Due to park rules, glass bottles are prohibited. If you choose to drink alcohol, please drink responsibly. We will be collecting children’s pajamas and books to support the Pajama Program. Please bring NEW child size jammies (leave the tags on) and/or new story books to help children in need feel safe and warm this winter season. More info on the Pajama Program can be found at http://www.pajamaprogram.org/ DIRECTIONS: From Pittsburgh (Liberty Bridge, stay in right lane going south through the Liberty Tunnels) as you come out of the tunnels follow signs for Rte#51 South; ("Uniontown" / aka Saw Mill Run Blvd) stay on Rte#51 for 2.5 mi. Make a right onto Rte#88 South (aka Library Road)and go for 4.8 miles to 5-way intersection at South Park entrance (a McDonalds on left / Park entrance straight ahead). Get in the far-left lane and go straight into the Park on Corrigan, keep going, eventually through the roundabout, all the way past the tennis courts to the County Fairgrounds. If you are standing with your back to the Park Police Station, the building we are renting is located just behind the far upper-left corner of the old fairgrounds stadium racetrack-oval, so, make a right just after the park Police Station/Park office (Brownsville Rd.)and drive down through the gap between the end of the racetrack-oval and the old "Museum" exhibition-hall with the big clock; the driveway to "The Cottage" will be ahead and slightly off to the right. ...It's to be a big FAMILY EVENT, so please, plan to bring the kids! YULETIDE resources:
S A M H A I N : The AUTUMN Crossquarter Saturday, October 25th, NORTH PARK: "The Cabin" Samhain makes the death of the year, the time of deepest Autumn, and the final harvest before Winter claims the fields as its own. At this time the veil once again becomes thin, and we more can more easily reach out to those who came before. We stand on the threshold of the Wasteland and the chaos and uncertainty our journey between one year and the next can bring us. This night we call all of our honored Ancestors to our fire to remember them, to honor them, and seek their blessing and guidance as we prepare to journey into the Wasteland. We ask Cernunnos, god of the in-between, to act as our gatekeeper and guardian as we do this sacred work.
The AUTUMNAL EQUINOX Celebration: Sunday September 21st; Parish Hill Grove, North Park This year's theme: THE RITES OF ELEUSIS
Please support your local Druids! As always our rites are free and open to the Community, but we do rely on the donations of those who are able to help defray the cost of space rental and ritual supplies. Remember, even a couple bucks can help make the difference between having our costs covered and the members having to pay them out of our own pockets... Each rite we do at FRIENDS' or at the W@LDORF costs us well over $120 in RENT, per night! Buildings in SOUTH or NORTH Park, over $160, per event! |