Sacred Herd, June 30 - July 1

[ravenfire]

When: Jun. 29th. 2007 - Jul. 1st. 2007
Where: New Park, Pennsylvania

An event in celebration of the spirituality of the Horse.

Event Details: Sacred Herd is a celebration in the spirituality of the Horse in different cultures throughout the world.

This will NOT be a come up and ride the pretty horsey weekend. This WILL be an event where we will explore the fascinating bond of communion between humans and horses. There will be several talks on equestrian topics, both humorous and serious, superstitions concerning horses, horse tales by the campfire, a drumming circle and a woodland ritual in honor of Epona. Of course our four beloved equine charges will help with the demos! Well behaved children are always a blessing as long as they observe the rules of safety around horses. (To be explained clearly upon arrival!)

Camping is availible. We have a wooded area with camping spaces, plus some of the clearing we plan to use for our sacred circle, can host a few more tents on one side. (You may even bunk in the barn if you are not bothered by horsey smells!) A limited fare of food will be provided (hotdogs, pototo salad, etc...) and if you plan on coming we ask you contribute to the potluck. We have to charge $5.00 to cover the cost of the port-o-john. We are not in this to make money off of our spirituality, but we do want to be able to afford to host the event without straining a farm run on a limited budget.

Due to the size of our site and parking limitations we are holding the total number of people we can host to no more than 35 guests. If we don't know you personally and you plan on coming, contacting us prior to the event is a must.

Oh! The "boys" have asked that I make sure to tell you that, when it comes to treats, they prefer carrots, apples, starlight mints and ginger snaps!

Please come and share the beauty and tranquility of our small horse farm. There are many magical places on our property; wonderful, peaceful areas to meditate, and beautiful, golden horses to admire. Come and learn about horses! Take home a lucky horseshoe or a bit of mane. ( Believe me, my boys can spare it! ) The last and first Sacred Herd event was small but a great success! Everyone enjoyed themselves and even the horses were reluctant to go to bed that night! I hope there will be many more "Sacred Herd" events to come.

Devon, the Maid of Epona
Pocket Pony Farm

(More details available on witchvox)

http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_ev.html?a=uspa&id=50046

[carynml]

From Devon

Could you please tell the members at Cedar Light that if
they are planning on defintely coming to our Sacred Herd, we need to
know a head count for parking ASAP! As many people who can carpool would be an asset. If they want to contact us personally, we have 2 e-mail
accounts now. drey-devon@mindspring.com & my personal e-mail at
bluunicorn@earthlink.net.
Our phone # is ( 717 ) 993-0063

[ravenfire]

Very rough draft!  This is not official!

Friday evening:

Arrive, sign registration/waiver, site fee and set up camp. Farm rules on handout.  PLEASE READ especially if you have children!

8:00 P.M.  Campfire Reading.
A recital of Devon’s article, “Reflections On Epona” to give attendees a brief history of Pocket Pony Farm and its owners. Maybe also a reading of “The Science and Lore of Hippomanes”. We’ll play it by ear.

Saturday:

7:30-8:00 A.M. Horses brought in and breakfast grain fed. ( If I’m late, they’ll let me know it! )

10: 30  Basic introduction to the Horse.
The physiology of the Horse, habits and mindset. Why Horses’ hooves
are so important and the role of the farrier in equestrian life. I will ATTEMPT to keep it brief!

11:30   Its A Groom’s Life!
Discussion on the ups and downs of a lifetime spent w/ Horses. Grooms
are the unsung heroes of the horse world.

12:00-1:00  Lunch Break.
Horses’ Snack Time! Have your treats ready!

1:00   The Science of Saddles, Harness and Tack
Discussion on the evolution of different types of tack, including harness, where did stirrups come from, the use of bits, etc. Again, I will try to keep
brief but I could literally do an entire day on just TACK!

2:00   The Significance of the Horse in Religion
Discussion on the Horse and its role the the myth and religious practices of
different cultures including the equestrian based deities of these cultures.

3:00   Humor!
IF the weather proves incredibly humid and sticky, we shall sacrifice a
watermelon to the water spirits! Humorous readings concerning horses
and ridiculous laws about horses.Children’s activities with Erriker.( Dick Huntington) Kids bring an offering to the goddess OR one will be provided.

4:00   Women & Horses
The importance of the role of women in equestrian life both modern and historical.  Why women and horses seem to have this “thing” going on. Your  thoughts and opinions on this would be appreciated.

5:00-6:00  The Blessing of the Farm’s Horses
Would eagerly accept audience participation and embellishment on this part! So please ponder on this until then.

6:00-6:30  Horses Feeding Time and Turn-Out

6:30-7:30  Pre-Ritual Warm-Up
Volunteers to help with different aspects of the ritual would be a Goddess-   send and greatly appreciated!

7:30-8:30  Epona Ritual on “Singing Hill”

9:00-on  Revels! Bardic Circle
Drumming around the campfire interposed w/readings of horse stories
from around the world. Examples of the bond between horses and humans.

Sunday

7:30-8:00 A.M. Horses’ feeding time and bring in.

Breakfast  ( whenever enough people roll out of bed to make it
worthwhile! )

10:00-11:00 Equestrian Charities and Other Noble Causes
How we can make a difference in the lives of horses, even without
owning them.   Brief discussion on cruelty in the horse business and the ticklish topic of horse slaughter. Ethics in the horse business.

12:00  Lunch Break

1:00  Guided Meditation
Let’s see what comes up shall we?

2:30  Sacred Herd Again??
Did you have fun? Suggestions for when and how to do it better.

3:00  End of Sacred Herd event. Crowd disperses to their own homes.
Don’t forget your lucky horseshoe or horsehair lock for a souvenir of the event! There will be handouts of the readings to take home if you like.