Fee: Suggested Donation: SEF Members $5 / Nonmembers $10
Singing, Dancing, Maypole and More!Bring your own picnic lunch. (Alcohol is not allowed at the YMCA.)Click ymca for directions.
Saturday March 14, 6 – 8:30 PM: Teen & Tween Esbat
At: Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, 80 Main Street, Hudson MA
Join us for our public ritual for families of kids ages 10 and up. This group meets the second Saturday of the month at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Hudson, MA from 6-8:30. We honor the moon cycle with a ritual and have a simple pot luck dinner.
Click here for directions.
Saturday February 28, 1 PM: SEF Annual Meeting and Potluck Brunch
At: Hayes Lodge, Hopkinton YMCA, 45 East Street, Hopkinton MA
Fee: NONE! FREE and Open to ALL – including you! The public, non-members, friends, total strangers — Yeah, I’m talking to you! Yes, YOU!
Opening Circle, Meeting Dance, brief and entertaining reports on our ongoing projects. Don’t miss our ongoing slideshow, highlighting all the fun and magickal events we’ve presented.
See what the SEF has done over the past year, and what we have in mind for the coming year. Socialize over hearty and delicious potluck fare!
There will be potluck brunch and snacks before, during, and after the meeting. Please note that we will not have oven space onsite, but we will be able to set up crockpots. If you wish to bring food to share, please bring items that will not need to be heated OR bring something in a crockpot, fully prepared and cooked, along with any necessary serving utensils. We’ll supply cups, plates, eating utensils, and some hot beverages. (Alcohol is not allowed at the YMCA.)
Click here for directions.
Sunday March 15, 1 – 3 PM: Pagan Family Spring Equinox Celebration
AND
Annual Ostara Egg Hunt
At: Brigham Hill Community Farm, 37 Wheeler Road, North Grafton 01536
Fee: $5 per craft item. Adults are welcome to make crafts too.
The PFC honors the Sabbats with mythology, stories, games, snacks, a craft and a child friendly ritual. While we endeavor to come up with crafts for little hands and all abilities, all parents are expected to work along with their child during the craft.
Parents must stay with their kids. If your child has specific food allergies, please bring your own snack. All are welcome – not only those with kids!
Click here for directions to the Farm
Saturday February 21, 6 – 8:30 PM: Teen & Tween Esbat
At: Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, 80 Main Street, Hudson MA
Join us for our public ritual for families of kids ages 10 and up. This group meets the second Saturday of the month at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Hudson, MA from 6-8:30. We honor the moon cycle with a ritual and have a simple pot luck dinner.
Click here for directions.
Saturday January 31, Doors open 6 PM: Public Imbolg Circle – Rite of Lupercalia
At: Hopkinton YMCA, 45 East Street, Hopkinton MA
Fee: (Suggested donation) SEF Members $5 / Nonmembers $10
Our name “February” (for the second month of the civic year) comes from the Latin “Februa”, meaning “purification”. The Purification Rites of Februa were held in February by the early Romans, and involved cleansing and purification with water. This festival coincided with the Roman season of heavy spring rains.
There will be a simple potluck supper after the Ritual. Please note that we will not be able to heat food onsite, but we will be able to set up some crockpots. If you wish to bring a potluck dish, please bring items that will not need to be heated OR bring something in a crockpot, fully prepared and cooked, along with any necessary serving utensils. We’ll supply cups, plates, eating utensils, and some hot beverages. (Alcohol is not allowed at the YMCA.) Soups, breads, and desserts will make for a hearty winter feast!
Click here for directions.
The SEF’s Pagan Family Connection is a place for Pagan familes to celebrate the Wheel of the Year together. We welcome children of all ages!
The PFC honors the Sabbats with mythology, stories, games, snack, a craft and a child friendly ritual. While we endeavor to come up with crafts for little hands and all abilities, all parents are expected to work along with their child during the craft. If your child has specific food allergies, please bring your own snack.
$5 members / $10 non-members
Doors open at 6 PM; Orientation at 7
To the Celts, the Morrigan appeared in many guises: Macha, the Horse Mother; Nemhain, the Battle-frenzy; the Washer at the Ford, who foretold death; Badb, the Raven, who escorted the Dead to the Otherworld. And though she is considered a Goddess of battle and of Death, at Samhain the Morrigan was mated with Dagda, the Earth-Father and God of Life, reminding us that life and death are part of one cycle.
In our ritual, we offer our blessings to our own Beloved Dead. Then we also look back on the changes and losses that have taken place this year and in our own past. Even changes that we know are beneficial can seem like “little deaths” — a casting away of parts of ourselves. Just as the Goddess will lead us to the Otherworld when our time comes, She also eases these transitions that can feel like little deaths.
There will be a simple potluck supper after the Ritual. Please note that we will not be able to heat food onsite, but we will be able to set up some crockpots. If you wish to bring a potluck dish, please bring items that will not need to be heated OR bring something in a crockpot, fully prepared and cooked, along with any necessary serving utensils. We’ll supply cups, plates, eating utensils, and some hot beverages. (Alcohol is not allowed at the YMCA.) Soups, breads, and desserts will make a hearty autumn feast!
Please be prompt! To allow us to start on time, there will be no admittance after 7 PM. This will be serious magickal working for all attending, and as such is not suitable for children.
Please note: Alcohol and pets are not permitted at the YMCA.
Admission is free, although we ask for voluntary donations to cover site rental, tea and cookies.
How do I find a coven? How do we find new students?
Both are questions we often hear at SEF gatherings. Spirituali-TEA is a casual event designed to bring these two groups together.
There will be an overview / orientation at 3 PM. After introductions, individuals will have the opportunity to sequentially chat with each coven, rather like speed dating, followed by unstructured conversation.
This is a great opportunity to meet other members of the community, and to find the coven or student you have been looking for.
Covens must register in advance, so that a program may be prepared. Please contact Shawn Berry by October 12th.
Autumn Retreat 2014: Finding the Divine in Nature
October 3 – October 5
Our annual Autumn Retreat is held in October each year. The Journey into Spirit Retreat is a magickal intensive, focusing on ritual, advanced magickal learning, and pushing our boundaries spiritually.
Finding the Divine in Nature
As Pagans, we recognize that our practices revolve around the natural world. Bot how much time have you taken lately to be immersed in nature? When was the last time you reflected on your spiritual practice – your relationship to the divine as it connects to your relationship with the Earth?
Join us at the Society of Elder Faith’s fall retreat, where we will explore our spiritual practice in the outdoors. We’ll work with the energies of the natural world and learn new ways of seeing and observing our natural surroundings in the beautiful Berkshire mountains.
Blending natural history teachings, solitary time in nature and an exploration of the divine in nature, we hope to help bring the natural world into your spiritual practice in a real and tangible way.
One registration from required per person. Payment is required in advance. Non-members are welcome! If you have questions or concerns, email Cynthia.
