SEF Board Member Sabbats, SEF Events

Beltane Need Fire Ritual – April 23, 2023


When:  April 23, 2023 

Time:  Gather at 1 pm, ritual pre-talk and ritual begin at 1:30pm

Where:  Grafton Barn (Community Harvest Project), 37 Wheeler Rd, Grafton, MA

Who:  All ages welcome

Ritual: “Need Fire” Practiced until at least the mid-nineteenth century, from the Scottish Highlands to Russia, the Need Fire was considered a panacea in times of trouble and, more specifically, a remedy for disease in humans and livestock.  While details vary greatly, the basic rite consisted of the extinguishing of all fires, the igniting of a new fire by friction, the building of one of two bonfires fed by specific woods, and the passing of participants/animals through the fires’ smoke.

 The Society of Elder Faiths invites you to join us as we build a Need Fire to purify ourselves for the coming seasons. 

Cost:  Free

Bring:  Your own picnic lunch and beverages (no alcohol)

              Each participant will add wood to the fire and are encouraged to bring their own.  (Please note:  The piece of wood should be non-toxic, dry, no thicker than one inch, and no longer than one foot.  Contact us if you have questions.  We will be bringing extra wood.)

SEF Board Member Tweens & Teens

Teen and Tween Esbat – Feb 12, 2023

Lupercalia – Light: Society of Elder Faiths Teen and Tween Edition

Come join us for a PG rated Lupercalia Ritual at 2PM on February 12th, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Hudson (80 Main Street)!  We’re going to sacrifice some goat (cookies) and have a ritual to celebrate love in the form of friendship and love for ourselves.  Think…  a Valentine’s Day party like you used to have in elementary school, plus a ritual.  Enter through the side door, because we’re upstairs in the Knight Room.  I promise you’ll be home in time for the Super Bowl.  Parents and Teens and Tweens alumni welcome to attend! 

If you are able, please bring a donation to UCMH for the space.

SEF Board Member SEF Events

Annual Meeting – February 25, 2023

We will be hosting our Annual Meeting in person once again at the Unitarian Church of Hudson and Marlborough in Union Hall downstairs.

The doors will open at 5 pm, and we will begin the meeting at 5:30.

At 7 pm, we are thrilled to announce the return of Conjure Cinema! We will have movie-style concessions for a small price.

As always, admission is free for this event. If you wish to renew your membership but haven’t yet, this meeting is the perfect opportunity to do so.

More information is forthcoming, so watch this space.

SEF Board Member SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Teen and Tween Esbat – Nov 13, 2022

Long nights getting you down?  Having a hard time staying motivated when you have to go to school before sunrise and it’s dark by the time you get home?  We’ll be doing a simple spell to keep us motivated and help us turn our dreams into reality.  This event is open to students between 6th and 12th grade.  Parents are very welcome to attend and participate. 

  • Suggested donation -$5 (all proceeds go to UCMH)
  • Location – UCMH
  • Time – 2PM
SEF Board Member Coffeehouse, SEF Events

The Annual Coffeehouse Returns! November 19, 2022

The Board is excited to announce the return of the Coffeehouse.

When:  Nov. 19, 2022

Time: 6pm 

Where: Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson, MA, 80 Main St, Hudson, MA 01749

Admission: $5 per person

What: Auction, music, food, fun!

Food tickets will also be on sale for dinner.

To help make this event a success, we have some needs to fill. Please keep reading for info.

Call for artists!

We are looking for stage acts for our November Coffeehouse. If you are interested and available for November 19, please let us know as soon as possible by responding to Evan at squirrelforge@gmail.com. Please list the nature of your performance as well as any technical needs we might be able to accommodate.  Space for performers is limited.

Item donations

If you make jewelry or have another homemade item which you are willing to donate to the Coffeehouse silent auction, please let Barbara know at societyofelderfaithsma@gmail.com.

Include:

Your name:

Your item name:

Description:

Value:

If you could send a picture so that we can advertise, that would be great.

SEF Board Member SEF Events, Tweens & Teens

Teen & Tween Esbat Group – 09/18/2022

The Society of Elder Faiths is bringing back the Teens and Tweens group on 9/18 at the UCMH. We’re so excited!

Doors open at 2:30 PM, programming starts at 3. The Teen and Tween Group is open to all pagan kids in 6th to 12th grade.  Parents are very welcome to stay, but are not required.  If you’d like, you can bring your favorite school supply (Your best pen?  Your TI-85?) because the theme of this ritual is a blessing for scholars.  

$5 suggested donation. If you have any questions, please contact Heather W.

SEF Board Member Sabbats, SEF Events

Samhain Ritual – October 22, 2022

Descent of Persephone

Persephone and Demeter are caught between the transition of adult and child, and winter to spring.  Come hear the story and find comfort in change.  There will be an opportunity to honor the Beloved Dead.

Cakes and Wine will be served but no meal.

This is an outdoor event.

Where:  First Universalist Church of Franklin, 262 Chestnut St., Franklin, MA 02038.

When:  October 22, 2022

Time:  Gather between 6-6:30 pm.

            Pre-ritual talk between 6:30 and 6:45pm

             Ritual to begin at 7pm.

Bring:A flashlight and dress for the weather.

Cost: Members: $5, Non-Members: $10 

SEF Board Member Sabbats, SEF Events

Lammas Games – Saturday, July 30, 2022

This year we will be having the Lammas Games at Dunn State Park in Gardner, MA. It will be a smaller event than in past years, but we hope to have a wonderful time reconnecting with our members.

Please be advised: parking costs are $8 for MA residents/$30 for out of state residents. If you have a state park parking pass, you are all set. These fees will be collected upon entering the parking lot. If you have a handicapped license plate or placard, that fee should be waived.

The schedule will run as follows:

  • Open the site at noon.
  • The Games (for all ages) will begin at 1pm.
  • Ritual will begin around 3:30pm.

We will not have vendors, but we will have a dollar table of items as well as a gift basket put together by the Board as a prize to go to one lucky attendee!

We were just advised that the water quality has been poor recently at Dunn, but if you want to fish or kayak while you are there, you are welcome to!

Carpooling IS recommended, if you are able, just to be able to cut down parking costs for everyone.

If you would like to renew or start a membership, we can help you with that.

And if you wish to do any grilling, there are grills available. We would just need to contact one of the park’s staff to unlock the one nearest the pavilion.

We hope to see you there!

SEF Board Member Pagan Family Connection, Sabbats, SEF Events

PFC Ostara Family Walk – 3/20/2022

The PFC is offering an all-ages Equinox walk on Sunday, March 20th from 1 – 2:30 PM. As the daylight reaches its balance and life in the natural world stirs, we will explore the Assabet riverside for signs of spring. What heralds the coming of spring and how do we know when it has arrived? How are our lives – Pagan and mundane – affected by the changing season, and what can we do at home to honor the coming spring? Come experience the magical energy emerging from the Earth right now, and celebrate the Equinox by the Assabet River! 


There is no fee for this program, but donations are always welcome. We will meet at the Assabet River Rail Trail parking lot located at 417 Main St. in Hudson. Please note that this lot is not in downtown Hudson, but further east along Main St., across from the Main St. Cemetary. We hope to see you there! 

Cynthia will be leading this event. Her contact info is below:

978.400.2866

cynthia@inkwoodtarot.com