Shining Lakes Grove, ADF presents

Samhain Weekend

Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th

Botsford Recreational Preserve, 3015 Miller Rd., Ann Arbor

Two days of rituals, workshops, and celebration!

Just outside the city limits of Ann Arbor, Botsford Recreational Preserve is a small section of old-growth forest with treehouses, walking trails, and the permanent nemeton of Shining Lakes Grove.

How much will it cost to attend? It's free! We will have a raffle to help cover our site rental costs, and of course donations are welcome.

(734) 262-1052 * robh@shininglakes.org * www.shininglakes.org

Botsford Recreational Preserve Directions

Samhain Weekend Schedule

Friday

• 7 PM or so: We do our traditional lighting ceremony for Fire Watch, as near as possible to the exact moment of sundown. If you’ve never seen one before, it’s very simple but very effective. It only lasts a few minutes so don’t show up late or you’ll miss it!
• 8 PM: Our annual initiation of the new Grove Leadership Council, who take their oaths of service before the assembled crowd. (“Crowd” usually being between one and ten people.)
• 8:30 PM: A Norse ritual led by Kestrel.
• 9 PM: Rob and Gen lead a discussion on the chthonic gods of ancient Greece, partly because we love them and partly because we hate how Hades was depicted in the “Clash of the Gods” show on the History Channel.
• Late Night: Folks can stay at the nemeton overnight, or go home and come back. Or go home and not come back; it’s not like we can track you down!

Saturday

• 1 PM: A workshop on jewelry making, led by Nancy O'Brien.
• 2 to 4 PM: The afternoon Samhain ritual, honoring Ana and Lugh as they reunite for the “winter” half of the year.
• 4 PM: Craft workshops: For the adults, knitting hats; and for the children, something else that we haven't decided yet.
• 5 to 6 PM: Preparation for the evening ritual. What, you thought the luminaria filled themselves with kitty litter?
• 6 to 8:30 PM: The evening Samhain rite, honoring Manannan and the Ancestors. This ritual usually involves themes of death and rebirth, and so may not be suitable for especially young children. (Not to mention it’ll be way too cold for small children to be out for that long anyway.)
• 8:30 to 10 PM: An Ancestor Dinner at the fire circle. Bring the foods that your own Ancestors loved, and share them with the rest of us!
• Late Night: And then we’ll clean up the ritual site in the dark, or the next morning in the light, depending on people’s schedules.