Imbolc Ritual and February Events

Join us for our Open Imbolc Ritual this Saturday, February 2nd, at 7:45 pm.  Our theme is the cultivation of hope.   Participants are encouraged to wear white or light-colored clothing, hand drummers needed. Our Imbolc celebration will be led by Irene. Snack/dessert potluck to follow, please clearly LABEL any offerings with the ingredients included. Recommended donation of $5.

Learn the chants we’ll be using at the ritual in the video below.

Monday, February 4th, 6:30 pm: Dark Moon Drum and Dance Circle

Shake off the winter blues, connect with the rhythm and learn some
new grooves with percussionist Rachel Elizabeth. The Dark Moon Drum Circle will begin with a brief workshop to help people get comfortable playing together. A drum circle is a celebration of life, community, and music-making in the moment. Please bring hand drums, shakers and other hand percussion. A few small hand drums will be available if you do not have your own. Feel free to bring snacks/drinks for yourself or to share. Dancers welcome.

Sunday, February 10th, 10:30 am: February Earth Centered Spirituality Service

Our Earth-centered Spirituality Group meets on the 2nd 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 February meeting (led by Irene & Robyn).

Tuesday, February 19th, 6 pm: February Full Moon Labyrinth Walk

Come enjoy the beauty and peace of the Labyrinth by the light of the full moon! The labyrinth will be illuminated from 6 – 8 pm. Everyone is welcome. During the cooler months, we take our Labyrinth practice indoors, and will be walking the Rainbow Seed Labyrinth, a canvas Classical-pattern Labyrinth. Please remember clean socks or slippers to walk the Labyrinth in. Recommended donation $5.

Sunday, February 24th, 1 pm: Beginning Pagan Practices: Protective and Defensive Magick

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January Events with Frederick CUUPS

Happy New Year from Frederick CUUPS!

As the calendar turns us toward 2019, we wish you the very best for the coming year.  May you manifest your heart’s desires, and may the blessings of the Gods be upon you.

This year marks our 5th annual New Year’s Day Purification Ritual.  We invite you to enter 2019 from a centered place of peace. Release the energies of the last year, and set a harmonious tone for the year to come. Sacred Space will be held from 7 to 9 pm on Tuesday, January 1st, in the Sanctuary of the UUCF.

Attendees are invited to move through the Elements, releasing the shadows of 2018 as they go. Elemental Guides will be available at each Quarter to offer a way to move into the energy of a new year. End your Purification journey with a walk to the center of the Labyrinth to receive any messages for the new year.

This ritual is an opportunity to move through Sacred Space. As such, there is no set start and finish time–it does not have a formal ritual structure. Your journey will be self-guided. We will hold the space open from 7 to 9 pm, and you should expect to spend somewhere between a half hour to an hour on your journey.

Please remember that this is a very popular ritual. There is a single path to follow, so at ‘peak’ times (generally around 8 pm), there can be a line. Please plan to arrive early or after the ‘peak’ and please be patient with the process of the people around you.

All are welcome to attend.

Other Upcoming Events

Thursday, January 3rd, 7 – 9 pm
Blackfeather Mystery School Begins

The Blackfeather Mystery School is a foundational, full-spectrum training in Empowered Witchcraft developed by mystic witch Irene Glasse and shaman Jake Hackney. The Mystery School meets alternating Thursday nights from 7 – 9 p.m. at the UUCF.  See the full list of dates at the Facebook Event. This training is focused specifically on reducing self-sabotage while providing a solid grounding in magickal theory, dedicant practices, mysticism, ritual structure and performance, spellcasting, beginning shamanism and journeywork, and basic physical self defense. This Mystery School is a synthesis and outgrowth of more than 20 years in the art and practice of witchcraft, and threads the needle between the structure of Traditional Witchcraft and the freedom of Mysticism. No previous experience in witchcraft is needed. More advanced practitioners may find the course helpful in terms of filling ‘gaps’ in their skill sets. It is recommended that you plan to attend the full course since the sessions build on each other.  This is the inaugural run of this training form, so it is donation-based. Recommended donation of $10/session. Facebook event here.

 

Sunday, January 6th, 1 – 3 pm
Unseen Power: The Darkside of Divine Feminine

What power lies in the darkness? How have women’s roles in myth been changed over the ages in order to discredit them? This workshop will focus on the dark, feminine energies of the world and how they manifest in both nature and ourselves. We will talk about such figures as Medusa, Hekate, Nyx, and the Morrigan. New/Dark Moon Magic will also feature prominently in our discussions. Individuals of all gender orientations are welcome. This workshop is being presented by Devin Gaither and Raven Rauth. Recommended Donation: $10.  Facebook event here.

 

Sunday, January 9th, 10:30 am
Earth Centered Spirituality Service

Our Earth-centered Spirituality Group meets on the 2nd 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 January meeting (led by Chris & Irene).

What are you wearing to the ball?

The 3rd Annual Midwinter Night’s Dream Masquerade Ball and Pagan Pride Day Fundraiser is on Saturday, January 19th, this year.  Tickets are going FAST.  Click here to purchase yours.

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
~Dancing to Music by The Dapper DJs
~Performance by Tribal Bellydance Troupe Amandari
~Raffle for fantastical prizes
~Costume Contest: Best Group, best Unseelie Court faery, best Seelie Court faery, best Winter Faery, best Couple

Faery and Fantasy Attire, Masks or Elaborate Makeup Encouraged
8 pm – 12 am, 21+, BYOB
No entry after 10 pm

Tickets:
$35 by January 18th
$40 at the door (if any remain)

Bright Gatherings in the Dark Season

Upcoming Rituals and Events with Frederick CUUPS

Saturday, December 8th, 7:45 pm
Open Seidr Ritual with The Mid-Atlantic Spae Team

“Speak now, seeress, ’till said thou hast. Answer the asker ’till all he knows. . .” says the leader.  Seidr is a Norse-inspired divinatory practice wherein participants can ask questions of our ancestors, our gods and goddesses, and other beings. Participants take a guided journey to the entrance to Hel (the realm of the dead), then one person (the Seidr Kona or Madr) crosses into Hel to relay answers. The Mid-Atlantic Spae Team are the special guests of Frederick CUUPS and will be offering this ritual to the community.

The Mid-Atlantic Spae team was formed in 2016, and consists of a series of experienced spae practitioners that offer Spae work throughout the Mid-Atlantic. They have conducted rituals at Sacred Space Conference, Trothmoot, Winter Finding and Vanir Fest at Thor’s Hollow in Virginia, and other gatherings and events.

Saturday, December 22nd, 7:45 p.m.
Frederick CUUPS Open Yule Ritual

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Yule Ritual! Yule, the Winter Solstice, falls on the shortest day and longest night of the year. Pagans welcome the rebirth of the Sun with feasting, dancing, music and festivities. Decorations include wreaths, boughs of holly, mistletoe, evergreens, and lots of lights. We will share a Yule celebration. Snack/dessert potluck to follow, please clearly LABEL any offerings with the ingredients included. Learn the songs and chants we’ll be using in the video below.