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Pagans celebrate fruits of first harves

Drumbeats rumbled through the warm air setting the ceremonial mood with their ancient tone. On Sunday afternoon, Giant City State Park was the majestic backdrop for the Southern Illinois Pagan Alliance's second Lughnasadh celebration. SIPA members and newcomers, young and old, were all in attendance.

The St. Claire SIPA branch sponsored the ritual, with the purpose of helping people focus on building a relationship with themselves and then turning the individuals into a feeling of a group.

In the centermost area of the celebration site was a tall iron bar that had separate arms stemming out to hold its particular item.

A candle was set near the top and represented the sacred fire that is the center of all. The bells that hung on the side created ambience and a sound for the group to focus on. A sheathed sword was held in a side compartment and was a symbol of protection. A decorative bowl was placed on the ground and filled with water taken from the nearby stream. The water was used for spiritual cleansing during ritual.

A group of around 60 people and accompanying canines gathered in a circle around the druid Grinning Wolf, Fox and the symbols. Tara Nelsen, co-founder of SIPA, passed out tiny bottles of bubbles that were immediately strewn across the air, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

In addition to the people participating, a few curious people looked on from the sidelines to see what the ritual was about.

"We're just beginning to look both physically at the crops and the things you have planted in the mundane world, but for us as well this is a time to begin to look at the things that we have planted in our lives spiritually or personally; things that we've been working on or working towards," Nelsen said.

Grinning Wolf, a member of the St. Claire SIPA branch, oversaw the ceremony alongside celebrant Fox. Grinning Wolf wrote the ceremony that was intended to call in all of their kinship.

"I work from a center outwards; my ritual intent is more to build on the relationship between those of us here, the world around us, the people around us, the past the present and the future. It's all about developing a mystical kinship with all that there is," Grinning Wolf said.

Grinning Wolf separated the ritual in two parts: games and feast. A corn husking competition, egg balancing race, three-legged race and a combative game played with bright yellow foam tubes were the sports the participants could partake in. After the games, they ended the day with a blessing to give thanks for the day they had.

Lughnasadh is either celebrated Aug.1 or Aug. 2 every year depending on where the moons fall in the month.

Lughnasadh, a celebration for the beginning of harvest, is based on the Welsh name for the deity Lugh. Lugh of the Celtic legends was adept at many crafts. One of his legends was he went into competition with other craftsmen to prove that he was the master of all crafts. In his honor, the holiday is celebrated with games and competitions. At this celebration, they give thanks to the earth for its beauty and bounty, and feast on its abundance.

It is from these harvests that they eat through the upcoming winter. It is a time when the first fruits, vegetables and grains can be harvested and is also the hottest part of the summer.

At this event, boxes were set up with SIPA board members' pictures attached to them. They were to collect money for local food pantries. A pie in the face was the reward for the person whose box was the heaviest at the end of the day. SIPA's summer charity event will be going on until Aug. 15.

School supplies and monetary donations will go toward Head Start, which is an organization where preschool children of low-income families are put into a program to help with their overall development and needs. Surplus items will be donated to local schools.

"Not only is it a time for people to come together and to celebrate their spirituality, to hang out with their community, and meet other people with some of the similar interests that they have, but it's also an opportunity to do something good for the greater community we live in, and we try to do that at every event that we do," Nelsen said.

Nelsen believes it is important to do Pagan rituals in the public eye so people who are curious about Pagan religion can watch the proceedings and get a feel for what they do.

"It is an incredible thing to be able to do anywhere, with a religion that many still seem to have major misconceptions about," Nelsen said.

Bobbi Sailly, a senior majoring in information system technologies at SIUC, joined SIPA in May.

"I've always had a fascination with it, and I couldn't explain why. And as I've come and learned more, it just feels right. It makes more sense to me than other religions," Sailly said. "I'm going to be coming to every one of them, as long as I'm in driving range of here."

Factoid: For more information on the Southern Illinois Pagan Alliance, contact Tara Nelsen at taracat@earthlink.net or visit their website at http://SIPA.TIMERIFT.NET . Donation drop off is at New Ages Other Worlds , 1337 Walnut St. Murphysboro.