Wheel of the Year Ceremony
SATURDAY, JUNE 21: Summer Solstice Litha Ceremony
Celebrate the Summer Solstice and Pagan Holiday of Litha Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary.
Summer Solstice is a celebration if Midsummer, marks the first harvest, and begins the journey waning towards dark. We will gather at Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary for a spacious emergence from the brilliance of the longest day, shifting to twilight, and then the first Stars in the sky. A community picnic starts at 4 pm for relationship building with the land and each other.
We will transition together into a meditative walk through the Sanctuary to connect us more deeply to the land and drop into liminal space together. We will visit floral and herbal gardens, old growth trees, and magical forest portals before settling into circle for ceremony.
Focused on the theme of balance between light and dark in our lives and how we are holding up in our inner and outer worlds, this ceremony will be tender, vulnerable, and very heart-centered. We will build an herbal altar, sing, vocal tone, heart share, and drink herbal tea brewed with medicinal plants grown organically at Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary. The evening concludes with a singing bowl sound bath accompanied by twilight spring sounds in a magical forest sanctuary.
Details
The EmpowR Transformation “Wheel of the Year” Ceremony series celebrates living in rhythm with the cycles of Nature (and our bodies which are a part of nature). We practice Pagan Earth-based spirituality in community and welcome people from any spiritual or cultural background. Our ceremonies are simple and invite anyone interested in connecting with Earth-based spiritual practices to remember our land-based roots before the harms of colonization severed our relationships with land and each other. We draw from the Celtic Wheel of the Year and Norse mythology as that is the ancestry of our facilitators and welcome all Earth-based spiritual practices and traditions in our cocreative space.
Age
All ages welcome. Please do a separate registration for each person over 18. Please send a message if a discount would be helpful for additional members of a family to attend.
Timing
Community Picnic begins at 4 pm. We will transition into our meditation walk at 5:30 followed by opening our circle for ceremony.
Food/Drink
Please bring easy food to eat picnic food, utensils, and non alcoholic beverages/water bottles. We love to encourage sharing and eating together and welcome a community offering table for food. Potluck offerings are welcome if that feels abundant for you – perhaps you have a first harvest food to share. All participants are invited to receive from the community food table and folks can bring food to meet their own needs as well.
Weather
We will be outside in June in Vermont. BRING BUG SPRAY (non-deet preferred) and blanket, sheet, scarf, long sleeves/pants. This is a rain or shine event and in rain we gather under a porch or inside if necessary.
Location
We will gather outside at Grandmother Cherry Sanctuary, under the trees, in the mountains of Plainfield, Vermont. The space is partially accessible–please communicate any accessibility needs ahead of time so we can plan for accommodation. Uley, the vocal and friendly cocker spaniel will greet you and join us in circle. Gentle, therapy type dogs are welcome.
Directions and additional information will be provided upon registration.
