Bonus Beltane Pictures

These ended up on Facebook today, and I figured I'd share a few more pictures from SIPA's Beltane ritual, seeing as I was dancing around the maypole and couldn't simultaneously get pictures of people dancing.

SIPA Beltane 2016

SIPA hosted their Beltane ritual this afternoon, which I was fortunately able to attend! I missed it last year because of a build day for an architecture group I'm in, and this year I was concerned it would overlap with set strike, but fortunately the times worked out. It was also supposed to storm today, but the weather turned out to be beautiful! All in all, we couldn't have had a nicer set-up for a ritual.

Today's ritual was at a shelter in Giant City, which has a lovely creek running past it. The shelter was smaller than the ones we've been at before, but since it was so nice out, it didn't matter.

Me before ritual, all dressed up with robes, a cape, Quartz necklace, and the flower crown I bought at Fairy Fest last summer.

The maypole; SIPA uses theirs three years consecutively and then burns it at Samhain. This is this maypole's second year.

Elemental banners around the Circle.

There were several dogs at today's ritual, including this little lady, Serenity.

Blowing bubbles and grilling bratwurst.

Dogs!

West side of the creek

East side of the creek, with Zeppelin the dog.

One of many red ochre rocks in the stream bed. I looked for fossils, but didn't spot any.

Waterfall into the creek.

SIPA's banner, which was incredibly difficult to hang. The gentleman on the left had to give me a leg up to tie the grommet to a nail in the wood, and then he climbed on the other guy's back to staple up the other corner.

Tying this year's ribbons to the maypole.

Our drummer getting in a good stretch so he's ready to go.

So many ribbons! Mine was a dark blue, to match my outfit.

Erecting the maypole (not my photo, I didn't have my phone during ritual).

Everyone getting ready to dance (also not my photo; that's me in the foreground). We wove in thoughts and intentions of things we wanted to grow this year. It was super fast-paced and a little chaotic, but...

...it turned out great! Our maypole, all braided up!

We had a potluck afterwards with a ton of food, and I was completely stuffed. I got back to campus around 4:00, which left me plenty of time to get ready for set strike at 4:30. I am very tired now, but it was a good day!

April 22nd, 2012

Happy Earth Day! Today is beautiful; open the windows and enjoy the sunshine. Here are a few things you can try to make your Earth day a little more special:

• Consider making an offering to Gaia, any local nature spirits, or simply to the earth itself.
• Plant a garden.
• Go out locally and pick up trash.
• Take a walk or a bike ride through a local forest preserve.
• Attend a spiral dance, or make up one of your own.
• Go to an environmental rally, or make a donation.

February 4th, 2012

A blessed (and belated) Imbolc to everyone! I stayed over at Hazelnut's house last night, and after dancing in circles around her room for about two hours, we did a lovely Imbolc ritual together. We lit seven candles (six white and one red) and read an invocation of the element fire over each to usher in the warmth and life of spring. Then we meditated for a while and enjoyed some delicious spice cake her mom made. Recipe, please? ;)
Today we walked to a half-dozen thrift and antique stores to browse, and found some really neat stuff. One shop had a mini cast iron pot on three legs that Hazelnut thought would have made a perfect cauldron, but it was $18, and a bit more than she wanted to spend on one item. We also found a pair of adorable rabbit candlesticks (Ostara, anyone?), a statue of a stag, and a few dream catchers; I was quite shocked by the number of witchy items that turned up. However, in the end, we got and split a pair of small bottles made of recycled glass, and a pair of tea-light holders. Mine is a sun, and hers is a moon.