Samhain2009

Setting

• Location: Angel's Loft cabin
• Date: Thursday, October 29th, 2009 through Monday, November 2nd, 2009
• Time: When we get there to when we leave.

RSVPs

Sleeping Over

• Joseph: Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Monday morning.
• A.J.: Arriving X. Leaving X.
• Chris: Arriving Friday. Leaving Monday.
• Michael: Arriving Friday. Leaving Sunday.
• Lew: Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Monday morning.
• Shan: Arriving X. Leaving X.
• Star: Arriving Friday afternoon. Leaving Monday morning.
• Ritchie: Arriving X. Leaving X.
• Kaeli: Arriving X. Leaving X.
• Jessica: Arriving X. Leaving X.
• Daniel & guest: Arriving X. Leaving X.

Day Tripping

• James: Saturday and Sunday.

Sleeping Arrangements

• King Bed I: A.J. & Joe
• King Bed II: Chris & Michael
• Queen Bed: Kaeli & Jessica
• Full Bed: Lew
• Queen Sleeper Sofa: Shan
• Queen Sleeper Sofa: Ritchie
• Porch Pallet: Star

Cabin Payment

Total cost for the cabin is $719.13

• Down Payment Required: $250. Down payment made!
• Remainder Due: $469.13

Traditions & Rules

• This is a retreat from the regular world. Tell your friends and loved ones that you're going to be incommunicado. Shut off all cell phones and internet devices while at the event proper, please. This is a time where you should be focused inward on what we're doing here, rather than on the world outside our retreat's walls.

Rough Schedule

Friday

• Arrival, getting settled in.
• Setting up ancestral altar.
• Opening Ritual that night once everyone has arrived.
• Dinner: X
• Cabin decoration & PUMPKIN CARVING

Saturday

• Lunch: Sandwiches and Chili
• Hanging out (and sleeping in!) during the day.
• Samhain Rite that evening.
• Dumb Feast after ritual.
• Divination and other New Year things.

Sunday

• Lunch: Sandwiches and Stew
• Clean up, and seeing off those who can't stay til Monday.
• Dinner: X

Monday

• Last bit of final clean-up, and departure.

Ancestral Altar

We will be setting up an ancestral altar at the retreat. This is a place to remember those who have passed beyond, and who we remember with love and fondness.

• Please bring some memento of some sort to remember your own loved ones who have passed.
• Please be respectful around the altar - there may be others who are trying to meditate, pray or otherwise need peace around it. We will put the altar in an area that will facilitate that, but please be mindful.

Ritual

• Snow King: Joseph
• Ice Queen: Star
• Lantern Jack: A.J.
• Crone: Kaeli
• Representative for the Newly Dead: Chris
• Representative for the Ancient Dead: Lew
• Representative for the Fallen Defenders: Michael
• Wear something dark - preferably a mourning black - for this ritual. Cloaks of any sort are entirely appropriate.

Dumb Feast

The Dumb Feast is a meal held in complete silence. A single platter in the middle of the eating area is set aside for the dead, and everyone gives a bit of food from their own plate in libation at the beginning of it.

Traditionally, the dumb feast is made up of "underworld" foods. These are either foods that grow underground (thus, all root vegetables are appropriate), or that have mythic connection to the underworld in some way: pigs (and thus pork) are associated with the Underworld in Irish and Welsh myth, apples are the symbol of Effalion/Avalon where the heroes of Briton were taken after death, Persephone remained in the underworld because of eating pomegranate seeds, mint is associated with Hades through the legend of Minthe and rosemary was used in Hellenic funerary rites. Black breads (particularly rye breads) are also traditional at the Dumb Feast.

• Main Course: Pork Roast with pomegranate glaze[1]. (Joseph)
• Side Dishes
  • Pumpernickel Bread & Butter (Star)
• Desserts
  • Devil's Food Wildberry Pomegranate Cake (Kaeli & Jessica)
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Drinks
  • X

Other Food Arrangements

• Breakfasts: We are doing breakfasts on a catch-as-catch-can sort of style. Cereal, bagels & cream cheese, fruit and that sort of thing are our best bet.
  • Cereal
  • Milk
  • Bagels
  • Cream Cheese
  • Fruit & Berries
  • Yoghurt
• Lunches: At breakfast every morning, someone will be putting something into a crock pot for the day. Generally, this will be a stew, chili or soup, to be had with sandwiches and other lunch-type materials we'll have on hand.
  • Bread
  • Condiments
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Sandwich Meats
  • Saturday: Chili
  • Sunday: Beef Stew
• Dinners: We'd like one or two people to agree to make the dinners for each evening we are there. We are all contributing to the Dumb Feast on Saturday, but we will need dinners for Friday and Sunday (note - there are likely to be fewer folks there on Sunday).
  • Friday Dinner: X
  • Sunday Dinner: Chicken Quesadillas (Star)