On September 20, 2020 at 4 PM, around 32 attendees came together online to celebrate the Autumn Equinox together, and honor the marriage of Dionysus and Ariadne.
This was the fifth virtual ritual that Columbia Grove has produced together, and we had people joining us from all over the continent. How blessed we are in these days to be able to still come together during the pandemic, and even have folks from out of state attending who would not otherwise be able to!
The deities honored for this ritual were:
Hestia the Hearth Keeper, Gaea as the Earth, Columbia our sovereign deity, Athena as the warrior, Apollo for inspiration, and Hekate to show us the paths between the worlds.
The Grove has been experimenting with new and different ways of "opening the gates" and this time we asked folks to join their energy with ours as we tried asking Hekate to shine her lanterns on the paths instead.
We are also taking advantage of the format of the virtual rites to try mixing things up a little bit from our norm, which usually is set in a way to accommodate accessibility when it comes to all the movement typically associated with an in person rite.
If you were able to attend our virtual rite, and you noticed things done in different ways, let us know if you liked it or disliked it, or how you would like to see things possibly shifted in the future! You can send your feedback to ColumbiaADF@gmail.com.
Rook took the omen from the Greek alphabet oracle by using a set of dice and correlating the numbers to the oracle. Below is the write up of the omens and their interpretation that Rook provided.
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The Ancestors gave us Lambda (19) "The one passing on the left {Laios} bodes well for everything."
Passing: going through; bodes: shows, indicates, gives a sign, signifies, declares; well: rightly, happily, fortunately.
Since the left is traditionally the sinister side, the oracle may mean that an apparently sinister thing or event may be a blessing in disguise. The left is also associated with the unconscious, lunar mind, and so unconscious processes or intuition may signal a favorable outcome. A promising sign comes from an unpromising quarter.
The Nature Spirits gave us Xi (16) "There is no fruit to take from a withered {Xêros} shoot."
Fruit: produce, return, profit, result; withered: lean, harsh.
There is no good to be gained from an angry young man or woman. The frayed end of a good line. Harshness and stinginess will achieve nothing. You can't get blood from a turnip; you can't get water from a stone. Don't polish a turd.
The Goddex gave us Zeta (24) "Flee the very great storm {Zalê}, lest you be disabled in some way"
Storm: surge, distress; disabled: hindered.
Don't make a sea-voyage in bad weather. It is futile to fight the force of the ocean; likewise, bucking the inevitable will weaken you and hinder your progress. Avoid raging storms of any kind; save your energy for when it can be effective. Sometimes flight is wiser than fight.
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Afterwards we gathered together and opened up the mics so folks could ask questions about the ritual, ADF, or related items on their mind. We had very fruitful discussions about the Godden, our reoccurring Beyond the Gates camping event, and the practice of veiling in various pagan cultures.
Our thanks for this ritual goes out to Rook for leading the ritual and writing much of it, and Arin for co-leading and filling in the rest. Zabet played the lute for us while folks gathered and conversed in the chat, and Spider handled the tech.
And also big thanks to Claire, Andrea, Stacey, Forest, and David for taking roles in the ritual.
All told, it was subjectively a beautiful rite, and though we look forward to meeting in person once more, we also appreciate and love the virtual aspect and appreciate everyone who logged in an loaned us their energy.
Ghost:*!