Our Samhain High Rite of 2011 will be on November 5th at 5:30pm. Participants can start gathering no earlier than 12pm at CedarLight Center to help prepare and enjoy the center. Please arrive no later than 4:30pm for pre-ritual briefing. Times are subject to change, please check before you leave.

Times are subject to change, please check before you leave.

• Lore of the Season
  The Primary Honored of this Rite are going to be our Ancestors: All of our relations from all over the world who have gone before us and crossed the veil. Be they blood or spirit ancestor, they will be called and honored by all.  Our Prayer for this year’s Rite is: “Honoring the Ancestors”.
• Suggestions on Creative Offerings for the Gods:
  The Group Offering involves some homework. For those of you planning to make offerings to the Ancestors, please heed this notice. Each participant in the Rite is writing a hand-penned letter to an Ancestor (or Ancestors) to offer up into a wicker basket after all of the rest of your offering has been made. We will then commit the basket to the sacred fire as the final group offering. Example: Bob wants to make an offering! So Bob brings an offering to his grandfather by reading/reciting a poem he wrote for his grandfather. When he is finished, he puts his handwritten letter in the basket, signaling to others that his offering is complete. Additionally, everyone is expected to bring a pre-carved pumpkin to the ritual for the procession. We are using jack-o-lanterns to adorn the Ancestor’s altar in the Grove space, as well as many candles the Ritual is typically a long one. DRESS FOR COLD WEATHER. This year, Samhain will be a Vigil that lasts through midnight, in which our pumpkins and candles will be left burning in the Sanctuary so that people can have quiet reflection and one on one time with their Ancestors. The Rite will officially end after the Vigil ends at midnight, and the Gates are closed. Bring your preferred divinatory tool for the Vigil if you would like. The Sanctuary will be silent and meditative, meanwhile the inside will be telling ghost stories and raising funds for our Charity of Choice. Information on Charity will be added soon! Keep in mind; you are not REQUIRED to stay till midnight. It is optional.

Important note: Oaths are serious business. It is highly recommended that if you make an Oath to any of the Deities present that you keep to them. Oaths cannot be done at CedarLight rituals without permission from the Chief Liturgist, as it affects community and the ritual as a whole.

• This Rite is a DRY RITE
  Our celebrations are dry, meaning no alcohol permitted except the Waters of Life during ritual, which will be home brewed mead and water this time around.

• Bring a Dish for the Potluck!
  Bring a dish to share with the Grove after ritual if you wish to participate in the feast. We have meat eaters, vegetarians, and people on sugar restricted diets. Participants who bring a dish to share are welcome to participate in the feast. Your dish should serve approximately 6-10 people. Please label whether your dish has meat or not for our vegetarians. It’s also a good idea to list the ingredients if available.

  We are planning on preparing dishes that were passed down to us by an Ancestor if at all possible. We will be asking our Ancestors to join us for dinner and will be setting up a special place setting for them at their Altar, so if you want to save them a little, we can put some at their table for you.

  Some suggested dishes include:

  • Various fruits for this time of year (apples for example)
  • Baked breads and pastries
  • Pumpkin dishes or orange dishes in general
  • Lots of apple dishes!
  • Apple cider and mulled spices
  • Ancestral recipes or foods your ancestors enjoyed.

GUESTS WILL BE ASKED TO WASH THEIR OWN DISHES WHEN THEY ARE DONE.

• There are cans of sodas and bottled water available at the Grove for 50 cents each. Feel free to contribute beverages to the Grove! We are attempting to phase out soda and unhealthy surgar-y drinks, so please be considerate of this request.
• Dress Warmly
  Check the weather forecast before the ritual. The High Rite will be done outdoors, and it may be chilly. Bring a light jacket and dress warm. If you have a chair you’d like to sit in during the High Rite, we suggest bringing that too. Ritual robes are not required, and if you have no cold weather robes please don’t freeze yourself. We don’t want any pre-emptive ancestors.
• Donations
  All CedarLight events have a suggested donation of $10 per person. This can be contributed to Dagda’s Cauldron either at the Grove, or online.

  All donations go towards CedarLight Center bills and upkeep.
  Note: In 2009 our maintenance & repair costs were over $16,000.00 and by the end of Aug 2010 our costs for this year alone were nearly $18, 000.00. THIS is where your money goes, to provide a sanctuary where any pagan can come and enjoy public worship of the gods, every week and every High Day, along with providing space for other pagan groups to rent for their own services/workshops.

• Who?: Our high rites are always open to the public, bring a friend!
• Children and Pets
  Children are welcome to all CedarLight events, but must be attended at all times If your children start running around during ritual or being noisy, you will be asked to escort them out of the sanctuary. We do not yet have children activities planned for this event. Pets however, are not allowed unless they are service animals.