In the dance between the self and the collective—between is, was, and shall be—we weave a spell of healing.
Samhain with Baltimore Reclaiming
Saturday, November 6, 2021
6:00 pm
Samhain is a time of year to recognize transitions, in-between spaces, edges. Between life and death. Warm and cold. Comfort and discomfort. Wild and urban spaces. Male, female, both, and neither. It is a fire festival marking the last harvest of the year for some places, and a doorway into the mystery of winter. It’s a time that, supposedly, the ancestors and the spirit world are close to our mortal one, a time we might bump into the dead, the good neighbors, and Others. It is a time to recognize liminal spaces, and the dwellers between the worlds.
This year’s arc is based on the magic of the Pentacle of Care, a tool created by Galen Smith and Tere Parsley Starnes of the Upper Mississippi Reclaiming tradition. For this ritual, we will find ourselves experiencing the points of Interdependence, and boundaries. As we bring these points, and indeed those of Vulnerability, Integrity, and Creativity into Samhain’s liminal spaces, we will encounter questions about what boundaries are, how we live with them and use them to connect. We will wonder about how we are connected to the dead, and what it means for the living to offer them healing. We will establish our own boundaries, and seek beyond them, finding connections within each-- igniting a safe space with light and song, and bathing in the sacred dark. To travel mindfully where a witch may want, they must know of boundaries and when to keep them, and when to risk breaching them for magical and priceless connections.
This ritual will take place outside, at the Clifton Pleasure Club. Please make sure you are dressing in layers. Bring offerings for ancestors if you wish, although we will also provide some for you, too. Something to comfort you in an outdoor space may be good. If you can, bring something to help create a fire, items for an ancestor altar, and anything you need (good shoes, etc.) to help you navigate darkened places.
Location: This ritual will be held at the Clifton Pleasure Club (2803 Grindon Ave., Baltimore, MD 21214, accessible by the 28 and 54 bus lines). Our event will be in the yard outside the club. Restrooms are available inside the Clifton Pleasure Club. The yard is accessible, the building is not. If you have questions about the physical space, please contact Pansie at matthew.smith.pa@gmail.com.
Time: Please arrive beginning at 6:00pm for a 6:30ish start.
Please Note: Due to the state of the Covid pandemic, our rituals will be privately held for the first half of the year, at least. If you have already been to a Baltimore Reclaiming ritual or class in the past two years, you are invited back to celebrate with us. If you are new to us, please keep in touch for changes and other offerings that may allow us to connect in new ways.
Face Masks: At the Summer 2021 Baltimore Reclaiming Community Meeting, we agreed that we would move forward with in-person rituals, and follow CDC guidelines regarding face masks and social distancing; with the first two rituals of the year, at least, being held outdoors. We are asking everyone who is able to wear a face mask. (Some disposable masks will be available for those who forget, or do not have their own.)
Who is Baltimore Reclaiming?
Baltimore Reclaiming is a radically inclusive community of witches who use our magic to bring transformation, justice and healing to ourselves, Baltimore and the world. We are a group of witches, artists, pagans, healers, activists, queers, priestesses, anarchists, theater geeks, feminists, and other good humans. We see our work as teaching and making magic: the art of empowering ourselves and each other. In our classes, workshops, and public rituals, we train our voices, bodies, energy, intuition, and minds. We use the skills we learn to deepen our strength, both as individuals and as community, to voice our concerns about the world in which we live, and bring to birth a vision of a new culture. We gather, mostly on the Sabbats, to work magic, often for personal healing and also for the healing of our society and planet. We believe that the work we do together in our sacred circles really can change the world.
What is Samhain?
Samhain is celebrated by modern Witches as a festival of the Dead. At this time of year we honor our ancestors and believed that the veil to the other world is thinner. It is a celebration of the end of the harvest, and the start of the coldest half of the year. Samhain's origins are in ancient Europe as one of the main Celtic seasonal festivals.
Cost:
Baltimore Reclaiming does not charge for our events, but we do have considerable expenses, including renting the ritual space and buying supplies for the ritual! We recommend a $10-$20 donation per person. No one is turned away for lack of funds. You are fully welcome regardless of your ability to financially donate. You may contribute via PayPal to ritual@baltimorereclaiming.org or via Venmo to 910-988-5760.
Drugs & Alcohol:
All Baltimore Reclaiming events are drug and alcohol free. We respectfully request that you do not use drugs or alcohol before or while attending our events.
What to Expect:
New to Baltimore Reclaiming? Visit our Rituals page to learn more about what to expect at an event.
Dress Code:
Wear whatever you like! You are welcome to wear everything from jeans and a t-shirt to a tuxedo. Often, people like to wear something special for ritual which might mean a favorite dress, a special shawl, a flower crown, or something else. We encourage you to wear whatever you feel most comfortable in. This ritual will be held ENTIRELY OUTSIDE so please come prepared.