Our Return to the Land! A Members and Guest Weekend Friday April 26 - Sunday April 28, 2013 Real People, Real Traditions, Real Community. Beltaine is about Spring, It's about Family. It's for Babies and Children, Maid and Gallants. Our Aunts, Uncles, Mothers and Fathers. Elders and Ancestors. Our joyous journey through the Wheel of the Year ...and the Web of Life.

"Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain;
Wheat that in dark earth, many days has lain..."

Join us for our annual homecoming and celebration of the Delights of Spring
It’s Beltaine at Four Quarters! A Weekend of Renewal !

Time for the season of hibernation to end, and the season of joyous activity and growth to begin! Come and see the Land in its springtime splendor, bedecked in a blanket of wildflowers and budding trees, with every morning borne on the music of songbirds. Greet the tribemates you haven’t seen all winter, and bring new friends to learn what Four Quarters is all about!

In addition to all your gear and springtime finery, please bring flowers to share for the Beltaine workshops and ceremonies. We want to the see the beauty of flowers everywhere we turn, so, if you would, pick up a grocery store bouquet or two on your way, and drop them off at the buckets by the Coffee Dragons.

Friday Evening join us for our First Fire celebration in the Fire Circle, where we burn sacred woods and offerings to sustain the sacredness of the Land and bless the May Pole to be raised on the morrow.
Expect drumming, dance and song, with Fire Arts in the Village Green. For the children, we host a storytelling hour at our Bardic Circle.

Saturday is a full day complete with workshops on singing, crafting, Earth Spirituality, Ecology & Sustainability.
Sweat Lodge with Buffaloe Heart by the river.

In the early afternoon we help The Lord and Lady of Spring raise and dance the May Pole to bless the land with fertility, life and love. The whole Tribe is welcome to lend a hand to raise the May Pole, dance and sing.

After raising and dancing the May Pole we share the sumptious Beltaine Feast by the Starvin' Artist (free for all attending) followed by an Ice Cream Social and the Members Meeting, where we lend our ears and our voices to the Community. Topics include news from the Winter and projects for the Summer Season.

At the Evening Ceremony we gather within the Circle of Standing Stones to focus our spiritual intent on the giving and receiving of Blessings.

Night time will see the launch of our Community Fire and Drum Circle
AND
our third annual Beltaine Couples Dance in the Pavilion.

After Sunday morning meditations, we gather as the Children of the Tribe raise the Seed Stone, where we pass on our Traditions of Stone Raising to the next generation.

At Closing Ceremony we re-affirm our committment to living Spiritually with respect for our Mother Earth.

2013 Beltaine Schedule

Beltaine
at Four Quarters
April 26-28, 2013

A Blessing of the Fertile Joys of Spring
For The People and The Land


Friday, April 26

5:00pm - Honoring the Nature Spirits at the Fox Altar
Come on down to Fox Altar and raise a toast to the Spirits of the Land! Coming back to the Land means sharing it with those of Fur, Feather and Fin; those of Leaf, Stone and Soil. All ages welcome. We will be sharing sparkling cider.
with Chelsea Willis In Service.

5:30-6:30pm - Meal Plan Dinner
with the Starvin' Artist

7:pm- "Looking at Love" - a ceremony that celebrates the return of Spring and lifts four perspectives of love at Beltaine - at The Main Stage
with Stone Circle Wicca in Service

8:00pm- First Fire Ceremony at the Community Fire Circle; a special opening to the Beltaine Season.
"The Bracers," our keepers of the Fire Circle, invite you to the lighting of the Bel Fire, the Sacred First Fire of Spring. Come and share in the blessings of The Bel Fire.

Followed by:
The Opening of Community Fire Circle.
Druming, Dancing and kids in the sand! Join us around the fire as we shake off that winter stiffness.

8:30pm - Opening of Bardic Circle for All
Song, poetry and the spoken word. A circle of friendship around the Bardic Circle.


Saturday, April 27

8:30-9:30am Meal Plan Brunch

9:15-10:00am - A Marriage in The Stone Circle, at the pealing of the Church Bell
Please join Bride Etain Anne Wilson, and Groom Dietrich Jeremiah Preston in celebration at our wedding in the Stone Circle. The ceremony follows both ancient and modern traditions of Beltane, with the bond of marriage symbolized by the tying of the couple's hands together with the cord ('tying the knot'), and jumping the broom (shackin' up!).
with Derek Johnson and Marcia Tirocke In Service.
As is our tradition the marriage is legally witnessed by our congregation assembled, so you had better be there!

10-10:30am - Labyrinth Walk
Our hill top Labyrinth continues to grow, and what better time for a walk of meditation than in the glories of a young spring day.
with Carrie Krystek In Service

11-12:00pm - Spring Members Meeting at the Drum Circle, at the pealing of The Church Bell.
Got Gripes? Better yet congratulations? Fresh ideas or looking to volunteer? The BoD hosts their "State of the Church" meeting for Spring. The Members Meeting isn't Just for Members - If you're thinking about becoming a Member, if you wonder what members talk about, or if you just want to find out the truth behind the rumor of snacks, bring a chair and take this opportunity to provide your input on what's in the works! Come join in on the conversation.
"Check the Message Boards at the Church Office and the Coffee Dragons' for late-breaking info and announcements"

12-2:00pm - Ribbons and Wreath Making - at the Main Stage
How could it be spring without flowers and garlands in our hair? And how can we dance the May Pole without the Beltaine Wreath bedecked in ribbons? Bring the kids and lend a hand weaving wreaths and tying the flying ribbons for our May Pole Dance.
with Eric Eldrich and Chelsea Willis In Service
"Get a drink for your flowers! Flower Buckets are available in front of the Coffee Dragon's Pavilion."

12-1:00pm - Stone Circle Choir Meeting and Sing
- ALL ARE WELCOME to share in our joyful noise! - Bardic Circle

12:30-1:30pm - Clothes Line Art Show with Ms. Sophia - at the Coffee Dragons.
Children of all ages come and learn a little about our traditions and share some arts and crafts!

1:00pm - Order of the Bracers- Meeting for Interested Recruits - at the Fire Circle

1:00-2:00pm- Intro to Stone Circle Wicca- with Johnathan White - at the Dining Pavilion
The Stone Circle Tradition of Wicca, which has been part of the life of Four Quarters since 1999, is a tradition rooted in the soil of Four Quarters. This workshop is a brief introduction to this distinctly local teaching and service tradition. The workshop is open to anyone of any faith background interested in learning more about Stone Circle Wicca and its ideas of vocation, service, and the sacred. Questions we will explore: "Where did SCW come from?--"What is ceremony for?"--"What does it mean to reverence the Four Directions?"--"What is it to honor and embrace the Ancestors?"--"What are ways we understand the Divine?"

2-3:30pm - Raising and Dancing the Maypole - The Crowning of the Lady and Lord of Spring.
In the Village Green at the pealing of The Church Bell.
With Herschel Nelson and friends In Service.

    When one thinks about Beltane, the image that comes to mind for many is the May Pole. While its exact origins are shrouded in time, it is commonly believed to have begun in ancient Germania, and then spread throughout Europe. Today the tradition can be found in almost all European countries, as well as within European communities in other parts of the world.
     It has been suggested that the May Pole represents the divine tree – The Tree of Life, The World Tree; known as Crann Bethadh to the Celts and as Yggdrasil to the Norse and Saxons. Writing in the late fourteenth century, Geoffrey Chaucer tells of the May Pole which stood at Cornhill in London. And we know that by the year 1400 the custom of the May Pole was well established across southern Britain. The tradition of celebrating Spring around the May Pole began to enjoy widespread popularity during the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries; they were painted, decorated with garlands, and served as a focal point for dancing. Interestingly, they generally did not include ribbons – this seems to be a more modern invention. Today May Poles are seeing a resurrection, and many schools include dancing around the May Pole as part of their annual May Day celebrations.
     Whether or not you choose to usher in the Merry Month of May by dancing around the May Pole, this tall wooden post garlanded in flowers and ribbons has become synonymous of the Rites of Spring, and the celebration that accompanies the returning warmth of the sun and the greening of the Mother Earth. It is a custom steeped in ancient practices and historical folklore, coupled with modern day beliefs and traditions. Whether or not it is viewed as a representation of one’s spiritual path or a symbol of one of the Greater Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year, dancing around the May Pole cis a fun way of engaging in the merry making of the flower filled Month of May.

4-5:00 pm - "A Ceremony of Blessings for The Land, The Tribe and The Stones"
At the ringing of the Church Bell- Main Beltaine Service in the Stone Circle
Kailin Miller and Mark Hargreaves In Service

The Order of Service:
Assembly of The Celebrants, Our Children offer a Blessing with The Mother Stone.
Cleansing and Entering The Sacred Circle. Choir-"A Circle Cast."
Quarters and Invocations. A homily from The Couple in Service.
An InterFaith Blessing of The People and The Land.
The Congregants Bless The People and The Land.
Choir and all sing - "The Invocation."
Close and Dismiss. Process to The Feast.

5-6:30pm - The Beltaine Love Feast
We honor the bounty of the Land. We honor the labor of those who feed the Tribe.
The Spirit we share, the food we share, binds us together In Community.

6:30pm - Please join Jeff & Joanna as they renew their marriage vows in Circle Cast for April's Full Moon Service.
At the Hemlock Hole Ritual Space in the Big Bottom, with Jeff & Joanne Carey, In Service.
(When we hitch em', it sticks)

8:00pm - at the ringing of the Church Bell - 3rd Annual Contra Barn Dance In The Pavilion
The 3G's playing with Mel Novner and Rhys McGovern as callers.


Sunday, April 28

9:30-10:30am Meal Plan Brunch

11:00am - The Children's Seed Stone Rising in The Stone Circle
with Mike McConnell In Service
Followed by - The Consecration of the Children's Seed Stone.
with Em Morris In Service

12 noon - Closing Ceremony in the Stone Circle
Our partings and good-byes as we reach out to our Land and prepare for the season ahead.