Midwinter 2021

 Chokecherry Grove will be celebrating Midwinter tonight, mostly via Zoom. All good folk are welcome to participate. Here is the link:Chokecherry Grove, ADf, i
s inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Midwinter
Time: Dec 19, 2021 03:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83296651190?pwd=eGhjTTYyOElKTlI0SVhGZUQyOUlNZz09

Meeting ID: 832 9665 1190
Passcode: 037946
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Samhain is here...

Chokecherry will be celebrating our Samhain ritual on this coming Saturday evening, October 30th. Since one of the purposes of our parent organization, Ár nDraíocht Féin, is to hold open public rituals on our eight High Days, we are making the Zoom link open to the public. Like all ADF rituals, people are free to join or leave at any part in the ritual. We will also be recording the ritual for later sharing, as we did with the rituals at our Rocky Mountain Retreat this year. All people of good will are welcome, so feel free to join us Saturday at 6 pm MDT.

Here is the link:

Topic: Samhain
Time: Oct 30, 2021 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 860 5380 2458
Passcode: 805836

Post-October Retreat Post

The weekend went great. We had glorious weather, if rather cold on Friday. Our speakers were fantastic, and the video recording worked well. We ended the weekend by walking the Labyrinth, the one ritual that wasn't recorded, although we shared it via two phones w/ the other folk on the Zoom link.

We're planning to do it again next year!

October Update #2 for our Rocky Mountain Retreat

 Our Rocky Mountain Retreat starts tomorrow, so this will probably be our last post about it. If you want to participate and have not yet paid, please do so today - the link is on the right sidebar. As usual, if you are viewing this on your phone, scroll down to the bottom to choose "view web version" in order to see it.

If you have already paid, but have not yet received the emails with your Zoom links for all the sessions, please contact us directly at chokecherrypg@gmail.com, as there was a problem with two of the email addresses provided to us by PayPal.

Hope to see a lot of smiling faces on Zoom tomorrow!

October Update #1 for our Rocky Mountain Retreat

 This is the last weekend before our Rocky Mountain Retreat. I want to share with you the Retreat schedule again, but first a bit about a new book by one of our speakers, Anthony Murphy.

To quote the publisher's blurb, "Mythical Ireland embodies the search for a soul among Ireland's ancient ruins, and is an attempt to retrieve something of deeper import from 5,000-year-old megalithic monuments and their associated myths. The book represents a fascinating and engaging journey through time, landscape and the human spirit. Dealing with archaeology, interpretive mythography, cosmology and cosmogony, the book attempts to grapple with a core meaning, something beyond the functional interpretations of academia.

In this revised and expanded edition, Anthony Murphy delves further into the many enthralling aspects of this journey. Just how much knowledge did locals have of the secrets of Newgrange before it was excavated? Who is the Cailleach, the ancient hag goddess whose image is ubiquitous in the ancient landscape? What happened to make Ireland’s Stonehenge disappear from the landscape? Who were the first kings of Tara? What were the indigenous Irish myths about the Milky Way? Did someone try to steal the Tara Brooch? Why are there myths in Ireland about flooded towns and cities?

Lavishly illustrated with exquisite photographs of the Irish landscape and ancient monuments, Mythical Ireland represents a personal and yet universal journey, a quest to reimagine the shrines as empowering and transformative sacred places. Murphy invokes the druids and poets of the Boyne and thus the sídhe of the ancient texts are reawakened for a modern and turbulent world."

Now on to the schedule.  

 Friday October 15th:
--------------------
2:30 pm MDT Ian Corrigan
4:00 pm MDT Gaarik Hamr
6:00 pm MDT Opening Ritual

Saturday October 16th:
----------------------
9:30 am MDT Diane Cacciato
11:00 am MDT Kristoffer Hughes
1:00 pm MDT Anthony Murphy
2:30 pm MDT Kirk Thomas
4:00 pm MDT Shaz Cairns
6:00 pm MDT Evening Ritual

Sunday October 17th:
--------------------
9:30 am MDT James "Pigeon" Fielder
11:00 am MDT Jean "Drum" Pagano
12:30 pm MDT Closing Ritual

Zoom links to all these exciting presentations, plus the ability to view recordings of any you missed afterwards, is available for only $20. The payment link is on the sidebar (if you are viewing this on your phone, scroll down to the bottom to choose "view web version"). I will be sending out the Zoom links on Wednesday 13th, so don't wait - sign up now to join us for this unprecedented weekend!

September update #4 for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat

 Only a little over two weeks now until our Rocky Mountain Retreat (October 15-17)! I want to tell you a little about our opening speaker today.

Rev. Ian Corrigan was the second Archdruid of ADF. On his blog at https://intothemound.blogspot.com/, he describes himself as "a Neopagan of the Druidic sort, interested in Celtic polytheism as it might manifest for modern people in North America. I'm also an occultist, broadly interested in arcane and magical systems and ideas, from medieval grimoires through Hindu Tantra and Asian shamanism to Thelema and Chaos Magic."

Ian's book Sacred Fire, Holy Well is an approach to a modern practice of Celtic Paganism and magical arts. Centered in the lore of the Gaelic Celts, it offers a simple summary of Irish mythic lore, and ritual patterns for individual and group worship. It also provides complete instruction in a system of Druidic magical work, trance vision, spellbinding and work with spirits.

Interested, but busy that weekend? We will be recording all the nine speakers' presentations and the three rituals, links to which will be available after the retreat to everyone who has paid for the Zoom weekend. So don't let your other planned activities get in the way of hearing these great speakers!

 Here is the schedule for the retreat: 

Friday October 15th:
--------------------
2:30 pm MDT Ian Corrigan
4:00 pm MDT Gaarik Hamr
6:00 pm MDT Opening Ritual

Saturday October 16th:
----------------------
9:30 am MDT Diane Cacciato
11:00 am MDT Kristoffer Hughes
1:00 pm MDT Anthony Murphy
2:30 pm MDT Kirk Thomas
4:00 pm MDT Shaz Cairns
6:00 pm MDT Evening Ritual

Sunday October 17th:
--------------------
9:30 am MDT James "Pigeon" Fielder
11:00 am MDT Jean "Drum" Pagano
12:30 pm MDT Closing Ritual

The payment links are on the right sidebar of this page. If you are viewing it on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page and choose "view web version" to see the right sidebar link where you can sign up for the whole exciting weekend!

September update #3 for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat

To continue sharing information about our scheduled presenters who are writers, here are a couple of jacket covers from former ADF Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas.  Kirk is our only Saturday presenter who will be speaking from North America - the others will be Rev. Diane Cacciato from Sicily, Kristoffer Hughes from Wales, Anthony Murphy from Ireland, and Shaz Cairns from Australia!

In this book Kirk explores the development of personal relationships with Gods and Spirits. He describes the subtle and complex integration of personal commitment, devotion and reciprocal offerings that begin and sustain with the Gods and Spirits. Sacred Gifts is all about reciprocity (the give and take of life) and how the religions of the ancient world relied upon this gift exchange to even exist. Just as people give to each other in life, so may we give to the Gods and Spirits, expecting blessings in return.

Again, if you are viewing this on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page and choose "view web version" to see the right sidebar link where you can sign up for the whole exciting weekend!

September update #2 for our October retreat

 Several - indeed most! - of our speakers this year are authors as well. Most ADF members are familiar with books by our Archdruid Rev. Jean "Drum" Pagano and former Archdruids Rev. Ian Corrigan and Rev. Kirk Thomas, but I would like to draw attention today to books by Kristoffer Hughes and Anthony Murphy.

Kristoffer has an impressive catalogue of books on Amazon. His latest title is "Cerridwen: Celtic Goddess of Inspiration", shown here. I can recommend all his work. As his presentation will show, he has deep knowledge of Welsh history, mythology, and the bardic tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Murphy has also published a number of books on ancient Irish myth and history, also available on Amazon. One of his latest books is "Mythical Ireland: New Light on the Ancient Past", shown here. I have followed some of his delightful podcasts on Facebook, and look forward to his presentation.

 I would encourage all of our prospective attendees, virtual or physical, to look over these and other publications by our authors before the retreat, as their presentations will hopefully be followed for a little time for questions!

September update #1 for our October Retreat

 We have finalized the speaker schedule for our October 15-17 Rocky Mountain Retreat. All speaker slots are 1 hour, plus 15-20 minutes of chat after the main presentation.

Presentations start on Friday afternoon at 2:30 pm MDT with ADF's former Archdruid Rev. Ian Corrigan, who will share with us some thoughts about connecting to the Ancestors and the Land. He will be followed at 4 pm by Rev. Gaarik Hamr, who will suggest some ways in which the use of runes for divination connects us with them. And at 6 pm MDT, Chokecherry Grove will present our opening ADF Ritual in the scenic courtyard of La Foret's Blue Spruce cabin.

Saturday starts at 9:30 am MDT with a presentation by Rev. Diane Cacciato, ADF's Regional Druid for Western Canada, speaking from her other home in the island of Sicily. She will be followed at 11 am MDT by Kristoffer Hughes, head of the Anglesey Order of Druids, speaking to us from Wales on the topics of Welsh history and the bardic tradition. After a lunch break, we will hear at 1 pm MDT from Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland, speaking to us from the Boine Valley near Newgrange. At 2:30 pm MDT we return briefly to North America with a presentation from former ADF Archdruid Rev. Kirk Thomas from his home in Washington state. At 4 pm MDT we will hear from Shaz Cairns, ADF's Asia-Pacific Regional Druid, speaking from what will be her Sunday morning in Australia. And our busy international day will finish with another ADF Ritual at 6 pm MDT in the Blue Spruce courtyard.

On Sunday morning we will hear at 9:30 am MDT from Dr. James "Pigeon" Fielder, Member of ADF's Board of Directors, Instructor of Political Science, Colorado State University, and Insight Professor, Cherry Hill Seminary. He will be followed at 11 am MDT by our closing speaker, ADF's current Archdruid, Rev. Jean "Drum" Pagano. Plans for an unusual closing ritual are also under discussion.

I hope many of you can join us for this exciting program, either by Zoom from the comfort of your own home, or by visiting us physically on Saturday at La Foret in addition to Zoom links for the whole weekend. Registration and prepayment links are on the sidebar - $20 for the entire Zoom weekend, or $30 per person the links and a sandwich lunch with us at La Foret. FYI: the links to register are not available on the mobile version. Click the "view web version" at the bottom of the page, and it will appear.

August update 1.1

 Some additional information for people trying to register: "FYI: the links to register are not available on the mobile version. Click the "view web version" at the bottom of the page, and it will appear."

Retreat Update #1 - August

 We are still adding presenters for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat, but so far we have:

REV. JEAN "DRUM" PAGANO, CURRENT ARCHDRUID OF ADF

REV. KIRK THOMAS, PREVIOUS ARCHDRUID AND ARCHDRUID EMERITUS

REV. IAN CORRIGAN, PREVIOUS ARCHDRUID AND ARCHDRUID EMERITUS 

KRISTOFFER HUGHES, HEAD OF THE ANGELSEY DRUIDS IN WALES

ANTHONY MURPHY of MYTHICAL IRELAND (mythicalireland.com), who podcasts regularly on Facebook about Ireland's ancient past!  

SHAZ CAIRNS, ADF Regional Druid for Australia and the Asia-Pacific Region.

REV. DIANE CACCIATO, Grove Organizer of Garry Oak Protogrove, ADF, in Vancouver, Canada and Regional Druid for the Canada West Region.

REV. GAARIK HAMR, Grove Organizer of Spirit Valley Protogrove, ADF, in Cleveland, Ohio

JAMES "PIGEON" FIELDER, Member of ADF's Board of Directors, Instructor of Political Science, Colorado State University, and Insight Professor, Cherry Hill Seminary

We have also added a payment link on the sidebar, in addition to the registration link. If you are planning to attend, either virtually or in person, please use both!

Lughnasadh

 Our virtual Lughnasadh celebration will be Saturday July 31. Ritual should start at 7 pm. Due to the expected weather our physical ritual will probably be indoors, but here is the Zoom link:

G R Grove is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Chokecherry Lughnasadh
Time: Jul 31, 2021 06:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85986697661?pwd=NUxEQ3Vja2FEcUV6cTYxWExhdnFWdz09

Meeting ID: 859 8669 7661
Passcode: 069584
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,85986697661#,,,,*069584# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,85986697661#,,,,*069584# US (San Jose)

Dial by your location
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 859 8669 7661
Passcode: 069584
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kc14lqmApq

October Rocky Mountain Retreat Update

 We have added more speakers to our list! Confirmed speakers now include:

ADF Archdruid Jean "Drum" Pagano

ADF Archdruid Emeritus Kirk Thomas

ADF Archdruid Emeritus Ian Corrigan

Rev. Diane Cacciato, Grove Organizer of Garry Oak Protogrove, ADF, in Vancouver, Canada

Rev. Gaarik Hamr, Grove Organizer of Spirit Valley Protogrove, ADF, in Cleveland, Ohio

AND OUR NEWEST ADDITION:

ANTHONY MURPHY of MYTHICAL IRELAND (mythicalireland.com), who podcasts regularly on Facebook about Ireland's ancient past! 

Our semi-virtual Midsummer!

 

Chokecherry will be holding our first public high day ritual this year semi-virtually on Sunday June 20th. This is the 7th anniversary of our first public ADF ritual!

 

The Zoom link will open at 7 pm MDT for gathering and set-up, with the ritual starting at approximately 7:30. We hope to see some of our friends from the park rituals again!

 

G R Grove is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Chokecherry Midsummer

Time: Jun 20, 2021 07:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85664058495...

Meeting ID: 856 6405 8495

Passcode: 630365

#3 Still here

First, my apologies for not updating this site for a while. Even in Denver, it is no longer snowing; instead we are welcoming in summer and looking ahead to the possibility of public rituals again. Initially, at least, these will be partly virtual. I am hoping to post a Zoom link in a couple of weeks to our Midsummer one.

We are also moving ahead on our plans for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat. There will be three options this year: (1) three days of Zoom sessions, including eight or nine workshops, for $20; (2) in addition, a Saturday day-trip option, probably for $35; and (3) a limited number of in-person full weekends with us. More details on that option will be available by September 1st.

As the summer progresses, check this site regularly for updates!

Still here #2

Yes, we are still here, and busy planning this year's activities!

First, we are planning on returning to the park for public Zoom rituals this summer - possibly by Midsummer, and probably by Lughnasadh. More details as we get closer.

Second, we are actively working on arrangements for our October Retreat. This will be mostly Zoom sessions, but with options for a Saturday day-trip and possibly a complete physical weekend. We have already lined up three speakers, and are planning on several more. See the Rocky Mountain Retreat tab on this page for more details!

Still here #1

 

We are still here, and are trying to figure out how to hold public zoom rituals. We hope to manage this sometime this summer. 

We are also working on plans for a virtual October Retreat (October 15-17, 2021) with multiple speakers! Please do not prepay at this time, as the prices offered will change. However, preregistration will insure that we keep you up to date on our plans!