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This cycle of six annual seasonal festivals was born out of a desire to deepen our relationship with the land we live in and where some of us were born. You are welcome to join us as we create community ritual and festivities to cultivate and celebrate our sense of belonging where we are. The flavour is joyful, at times reflective, and strongly influenced both by the natural rhythms, plants and creatures of this land and by the folk traditions and celebrations of old Europe.
Celebrate...
Check our Weblog for reports of past festivals
The dates I have set for the coming year are simply convenient dates which fall somewhere in the middle of the relevant season. They would obviously vary from year to year. The festivals will be celebrated at locations around Fremantle. I'll post the location for the next festival on this site as the year turns...
Before each festival there is an evening preparation session, where we all contribute to the creation of the ritual / festivities. The more hands on deck the merrier the occasion. This is a non-threatening community-oriented project, so bring out your artist-, musician-, chef-, singer-, dancer-, hostess-, drummer-, celebrant-self and come and join the fun.Then "Come One and All" on festival day.. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you made it to the preparation session. Bring your family and friends along with you. We'll be collecting a small donation "at the door" to cover our costs, and on some occasions we'll also have a wishing well or donation bowl to collect money towards tree planting or wildlife rescue projects.
The themes, stories and symbols around which these festivals are
woven were developed by EarthDreaming Coven over a period of roughly four
years from 1996 - 2001. Unhappy with various attempts to fit the
old Celtic "Wheel of the Year" to the rhythms of nature in this particular
place and time, we decided to try to celebrate the local seasons as we
perceived them, that is, from the point of view of a bunch of city dwellers
seeking to deepen our understanding and relationship with the natural world
around us. We were heartened to discover that the local Ngungarr
people also recognise six seasons - although their understanding springs
from the very different perspective of people whose nomadic ancestors have
been living in direct relationship with the land and its dreaming for thousands
of years. As the project unfolded, we came to recognise that
the challenge was bigger than we had first imagined, as we strove to weave/discover
our own "dreaming" or deeper story... You can read more
about the local tradition of pagan worship known as "EarthDreaming" that
began to emerge over the course of four and a half intensive years of creative
work and practice on Catherine's website.
Rain BUCKETS Down
The coldest part of the year. Typically the season when rain
pours out of the sky in heavy "showers" that can drench you in a matter
of moments (except in drought years). We celebrate the wet,
the blessings of fire, the season of adolescence. This season and
it's festival is presided over by WaterFlow, the mythic power of flux and
change.
Come prepared for activities such as: Drumming, dancing with the spirits
of the land, candle blessings.
Bring:- a candle, a feather; drum if you have one; supper food / drink
to share.
FLOWERING Earth
The name says it all. We celebrate blossoming, nesting, creativity,
partnership and parenthood. This is Magpie's special time of year
- look out!
Come prepared for activities such as: Exchanging flowers with
loved ones, dancing around the spring pole, blessing the male & female
creative energies of the land to bring forth abundant fruit.
Bring:- flowers (at least one per person), hat / sunscreen, a
cup, juice or softdrink to add to the collective fruit punch; food to share.
SEEDFALL
The weather dries out again. Grass seed sets and falls.
The summer fruit ripens. A time for counting our blessings and sharing
our harvests. The season of mature creativity and mentorship, passing
the blessings on to the next generation. The season of leaving home
and empty nests. The mythic power of SunRadiance that activates,
energises and expands the universe, presides over this festival, bringing
everything to fruition in its own "ripe moment".
Come prepared for activities such as: Blessing the fruit and
seeds. A give-away ceremony. Giving thanks to our teachers
and mentors.
Bring: fruit & nuts; a cup, juice or softdrink to add to the collective
fruit punch; a small item of personal significance to give away.
DRY Earth
The heart of summer, when the ground typically stays dry overnight
(unless you or your neighbours have been watering) and you "could fry an
egg on the pavement" in the middle of the day. This is Snake's own season.
We celebrate the elder time of the land, the days of water gone underground.
Come prepared for activities such as: Reflections on our mortality,
celebration of the elders in our community, sharing the water of life.
Bring: elders, ash from your fire (if you have one); snake things;
a cup, juice or softdrink to add to the collective fruit punch
DEWFALL
Season of thunderstorms, of the return of dew on the ground overnight.
The transitional time between summer and winter, between the waning bright
and waxing dark. Season of death and germination, mingled together
in the mystery of the compost heap. We celebrate our ancestors and the
unborn generations of the future. EarthForm, the mythic power that
forges and releases the energetic bonds that bind all things into pattern
and form, presides over the deep mysteries of this festival.
Come prepared for activities such as: Painted eggs, pumpkin lanterns,
the infinity dance of life and death. We remember and celebrate all those
who have passed out of this world during the year, and plant the seeds
of our dreams for the year to come.
Bring: a coloured or decorated hard boiled egg each, a handful of seeds
(larger varieties preferred), memories of your ancestors and other loved
ones.
To find out more, contact Catherine on 9494 1665
or subscribe to the Keep the Wheel Turning! e-news below...
I look forward to meeting and celebrating with you all!
Catherine
Page last updated: 8 September 2004