“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile”

The growing season is winding down, and we stand between the two final harvest holidays of the Wheel of the Year.  It is a beautiful time to deepen our spirituality, release that which no longer serves and set new intentions for the coming season.

October Earth Centered Spirituality Service
Sunday, October 16th, 10:30 am

Our Earth-centered Spirituality Group meets on the 3rd Sunday of each month in the Chapel at 10:30 am. This time provides an opportunity to focus on the Sixth Source of Unitarian Universalism: “Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.” Join us for our October meeting (led by Irene). We will honor the Blood Moon (the name of the full moon in October, which happens to fall on the 16th) with a Releasing ceremony and set intentions for our Winter Work.  Link to Facebook event.

 

October Full Moon Labyrinth Walk
Sunday, October 16th, 7 – 9 pm

Come enjoy the beauty and peace of the Labyrinth by the light of the full moon! The labyrinth will be illuminated from 7 pm till 9 pm. Everyone is welcome. Weather permitting, this will be an outdoor, drumming walk (most likely the last outdoor walk of the year). The first hour will be a quiet walk, the second hour drumming, so feel free to bring hand drums and other percussion instruments. If you haven’t walked a Labyrinth before, there is no ceremony or ritual. We put out the little flickering LED tealights and keep the space open. For an in-depth article on Labyrinths and what to expect at one of our open walks, visit this link.  Link to Facebook event.

Frederick CUUPS Samhain Ritual
Sunday, October 30th, 7 pm
The Samhain Ritual is one of our more elaborate offerings.  If you are interested in helping, please email Irene.

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Samhain Ritual! Samhain falls at the time of year the light noticeably fades. Pagans reflect on and review the past year and welcome the Celtic New Year. In this season, Pagans also honor death as a part of the sacred circle of life and remember those who have died. We will share a Samhain celebration (led by Irene). Parents, please remember that grief is a part of Samhain and decide whether your child will be comfortable exploring those emotions.

Please feel free to bring an item or items for the Ancestral/Remembrance Altar.  This year, we will have spaces for Ancestors, Beloved Friends, Ancestors of the Order (ascended masters, trailblazing witches – the Mighty Dead of Witchcraft), and Animal Companions.  You are also welcome to bring your preferred method of divination (tarot cards, runes, what have you) for the Potluck and socializing afterward. Samhain is a wonderful time for divination. And no worries if you don’t do any divining–I’m sure there’ll be plenty of readers who would be happy to practice on you 🙂

Traditional dress for Samhain is harvest colors or dark colors (mourning dress).

Potluck to follow the ritual, please clearly LABEL any offerings with the ingredients included. Link to Facebook event.

 

 

THANK YOU to everyone who came out for the second annual Frederick Pagan Pride Day! What an amazing day! Over the course of the festival, 393 people came through the Welcome area and we raised over 391 pounds of food for the Frederick Food Bank. We are all so grateful for such an extraordinary gathering of shining souls. Photos from the day can be viewed here.

A huge thanks to the staff of Frederick Pagan Pride Day (a combination of Frederick CUUPS board members and volunteers). These incredible people choose to devote hours of their time to creating safe and sacred space for our larger community.  They stayed late on Friday to help set up, arrived just after dawn Saturday to continue the work and didn’t get home till well after sundown Saturday night.  For all those hours, all that effort, all the work that went unseen but was utterly vital to Frederick Pagan Pride Day, deep and heartfelt thanks.

Thank you also to the workshop presenters, ritual leaders and performers. The most beautiful container in the world does us no good if it is empty. We are so grateful to the members of the greater Tribe who chose to share their gifts, their wisdom, their energy and their talents with us, who filled our pop-up village with light, love, laughter and connection.

Lastly, and most importantly, to the community. Yes, YOU. Thank you for coming to Frederick Pagan Pride Day. Thank you for bringing the best of yourself, for wearing your spirituality on your sleeve, for sharing your time, energy and excitement with us. For donating so generously to our local community with your gifts of much-needed food.  You are why we do this. Thank you for coming together as one Blessed Community, one Tribe, one People.This is the symphony, the tapestry of many threads, the universe of many stars. When we shine together, we can accomplish so much. Thank you for letting us be a part of your song, your weaving, and the light you radiate.  We can’t wait till next year!

If you are interested in being a part of the 2017 Frederick Pagan Pride Day, email us at frederickpaganpride@gmail.com or join the Volunteer group on Facebook (just request to be added).

Save

Frederick CUUPS’ second annual Pagan Pride Day will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2016, from 10 am to 6 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. People of all ages and spiritual backgrounds are welcome. Frederick Pagan Pride Day will include information booths, workshops, live music, vendors and other activities celebrating Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox. An item of non-perishable food will be accepted as admission and donated to The Foodbank Program operated by the Frederick Community Action Agency. Last year, our very first Pagan Pride Day drew over 336 people during the course of the day and raised 331 pounds of food for The Foodbank Program.

Keynote Speaker
Mare Cromwell

Mare Cromwell is a Gaia Communicator-Priestess, empathic intuitive shamanic healer, international speaker, and multi-award-winning author. Her books include: The Great Mother Bible; Messages from Mother…. Earth Mother; and If I gave you God’s phone number…. Searching for Spirituality in America. She has studied with Native elders for nineteen years and calls Western Maryland home. Mare is also a former worm herder.

Mare will be offering her keynote address at noon at this year’s Frederick Pagan Pride Day on Saturday, September 17th.  The subject of her address is “Earth Mother, the Buddha Consciousness and the New World Coming in” and a full description can be found here.

Rituals will be offered throughout the day by different Pagan organizations: Frederick CUUPS, Stone Circle Wicca and SpiralHeart.

We recommend bringing a camp or other folding chair for attending the workshops and watching performances.  There will be water filling stations, so a water bottle is also recommended.  Remember to bring some money for our wonderful vendors, a hand drum or other percussion if you’d like to participate in the drum circle, and sunblock if you need it. Please remember that your children are your responsibility and must remain under your supervision at all times, including when they are participating in Children’s Programming events – Frederick Pagan Pride does not provide child care services.

Want to help?  Sign up to volunteer at the Facebook Group.  Just ask to join!

Autumn with Frederick CUUPS

Full Moon Labyrinth Walk
Friday, September 16th, 7:30 pm

Frederick Pagan Pride Day
Saturday, September 17th, 8 am – 6 pm

No Earth Centered Spirituality Service for September

Earth Centered Spirituality Service
Sunday, October 16^th, 10:30 am

Full Moon Labyrinth Walk
Sunday, October 16^th, 7 pm

Samhain Ritual
Sunday, October 30^th, 7 pm

Save on Masquerade Tickets – Prices go up September 22nd!

A Midwinter Night’s Dream
Masquerade Ball and Pagan Pride Day Fundraiser
Buy Tickets Here

Saturday, January 21st, 2017 (snow date of Saturday, January 28th)

Join Frederick CUUPS for a Masquerade Ball as we dance into the night with the Winter Court of Faerie, rulers of the dark season!  Please come in a wintry costume as we revel and celebrate the darkest time of the year with the Good Folk of the Winter Court.

Attractions include:

~Winter Faery Market (now taking vendor applications)
~Dancing to Music by The Dapper DJs
~Performance by Tribal Belly Dance Troupe Naimah
~Costume Contest, Raffle, Silent Auction & More

Faery and Fantasy Attire, Masks or Elaborate Makeup Encouraged
8 pm – 1 am, 21+, BYOB
No entry after 10 pm
$25 before September 22nd
$35 before October 31st
$45 before December 21st
$50 after, if any tickets remain

Purchase Tickets Here.