Winter Solstice Vigil and Yule Ritual

The River Temple of Athens will host a Yule/Winter Solstice Ritual and all-night vigil begining at 9 pm on Thursday, Dec. 21, lasting sometime after sunrise on the following morning. The ritual will begin shortly after 9 pm or shortly after and we can hang out etc until time to watch the sunrise. Pot luck breakfast if anyone has the energy. There is likely to be singing and jollity and we might watch the livestream of sunrise from Stonehenge or Newgrange. Anyone is welcome to come and go as they please through the night. For more info, write jim@athensarea pagans.org or join https://athensareapagans.org/

Here is a script for the ritual:

Mabon Ritual Sept. 23

River Temple will hold a ritual for Mabon (the Fall Equinox) on Saturday, Sept. 23 at The Hill. We will meet as usual at Rabbit Hole Studios at 5 pm but will adjourn early for the ritual which should begin around 730 pm. Bring food or drink, but be prepared to leave nothing behind. For directions and other info, email jim@athensareapagans.org or join Athens Area Pagans

Beltane Ritual will be April 30 at AllWays

River Temple of Athens will hold a Beltane ritual on Sunday, April 30 (technically Walpurgis night), at the land purchased for the AllWays project, 720 Vincent Dr., Athens. We will begin with an open house at 2 pm with tours of the land and informational programs in afternoon, and the ritual to begin about 8 pm. Here is a script for the Beltane Ritual. For more information about this and other rituals, either join Athens Area Pagans or email jim@athensareapagans.org

Mabon 2022

This years Mabon Circle was held at the hill this past Wednesday, Sept 21. We had a lovely ritual led by Embris. The ritual consisted of a circle of stations that the attendee processed around, following the Kore as she descended into the underworld. Each station had words to recite and an action to do, such as partaking of mead and pomegranate seed, lighting a candle, anointing with salt and water. The last station was a meditation area. Then we sat and talked about Mabon and what the end of season is about, the cycles that we follow in this existence.

We had a few attendees including an anthropology student and a journalism/photography student. We were glad to talk to these students and answer questions about ourselves, AAP, and paganism in general. They were both enthusiastic to learn about paganism from people who actually practice, and not the stereotypes our world is filled with.

Personally, it was nice to get out and sit around a night fire in “the woods”. As one with chronic illnesses, i too find myself cycling through good and bad times constantly. Some days I am in the spring and summer and able to participate more fully in life. Other days I’m in my own underworld, forced to rest and recover in the darkness of pain and inflammation.