Update on our Retreat

The autumn equinox has passed; the moon has survived her eclipse. It's time now to turn our thoughts to indoor pastimes - Chokecherry's October Retreat on Saturday October 10th!

There are only ten days left to preregister for this first-time occasion, when we will be offering a full day of ritual and workshops, plus morning coffee and a light lunch. Our special guest speaker will be Rev. Jean Pagano, ADF's Vice Archdruid, who is flying out from Michigan to join us. Preregister now though our website here for special reduced rates - $30 for ADF members and $35 for others - as opposed to $40 at the door. No prepayment is necessary, but we need your information now for planning purposes!

The day's program includes:
• Connecting with the Spirits of the Land: The Four Permissions.
• What is an ADF Priest? (panel discussion).
• Daily devotions: ADF Hearth Cultures and Personal Practice—Two Viewpoints.
• Hospitality: The Basis of Right Relationships (by Rev. Jean Pagano, Vice Archdruid of ADF).

The afternoon’s programming will conclude with an ADF Unity Ritual, usually seen only at regional festivals. This will be followed by a potluck supper, allowing time for fellowship and discussion. Mark your calendars and preregister now - attendance may be capped due to space constraints.

Pagan Pride 2015

Chokecherry had a good Pagan Pride Day today. We talked to a bunch of folks who hadn't known about us before and some who had, handed out a lot of informational brochures and flyers for our upcoming Retreat, sold some books and awen patches, and even made a little money. We also did a Core Order ritual in under 30 minutes (our allotted time slot)! The only drawback was the hot weather - but on the other hand in Denver this time of year snow would also have been possible, so we're not complaining too much!

Chokecherry at Denver Pagan Pride

Join us tomorrow (Sept. 26th) for Denver's Pagan Pride Day! We will be presenting an ADF core order Druid ritual - our first at PPD - and will also be waiting to talk to you at our booth, where we will have lots of information about ADF and about our upcoming (in two weeks!) ADF Colorado Retreat! Hope to see you there!

Autumn Equinox

I'd like to thank everyone who came out for our Autumn Equinox ritual. It was a beautiful if rather warm day beside Mother Platte, who has now returned to her normal early autumn level. Our celebrant was Kevin Jenkyns, who led us in a very special ritual which combined elements of his Welsh and Native American background. We were also fortunate to be visited by Davin Mac Lugh, ADF's Southwest Regional Druid, along with many other new and old friends. It was truly a blessed day!

Drums along the Platte!

Autumn Equinox will be here before you know it! Join us again at Overland Pond Park beside the Platte River on September 20th when we honor the Kindreds with drums and offerings. The Deities of the occasion will be Beli and Dôn. Gather at noon, ritual starts promptly at 1 pm. Like all our rituals, this one will be followed by a potluck feast, so bring a dish to share. As part of our community service this quarter, we're also asking people to bring at least two items for our food drive. This may be our last outdoor High Day of the year before the arrival of winter sends us indoors, so join us to celebrate the turning of the seasons - and bring your drum!

Looking forward, looking back

A good if warm Lughnasadh. We were able to use the riverside platform again, Mother Platte having gone back to her usual level. After our ritual and feasting, we held a hobby horse race and a paper-scissors-rock tournament, the later complete with Celtic-style pre-bout insults. Proceedings were then brought to a halt by a heavy downpour, which was greeted with rapture and relief. Hail, Thor!

Our next public ritual will be Autumn Equinox, once again held in Overland Pond Park, hopefully on the riverside platform. Join us for one more outdoor day before we go into winter quarters!

Mid-July already!

How time flies! Only yesterday, it seems, we were celebrating Midsummer. Now we're looking forward to Lughnasadh. Join us on Sunday August 2nd to celebrate First Harvest at our usual location in Overland Pond Park on the banks of the Platte. After the ritual we are planning child-friendly Lughnasadh Games!

Feel free to bring any offerings you wish for any of the Gods, Ancestors, and Spirits. (Please limit your offerings to that which is burnable or biodegradable to reduce our impact on the natural environment which we hold ritual in!) Our celebrant on this occasion will be Angela Davenport.

We would love for everyone to bring a single piece of firewood from their home spaces to become part of our fire. After the rite we will have potluck fellowship in the park.! Please bring a dish to share that suits your own taste. We cannot have open glass in the park, so please bring beverages in cans, or expect to use a cup. Please also bring two non-perishable food items to be donated to a local food bank. We will gather starting at 11 am, and the ritual will start promptly at noon.