Yesterday was the first time I hosted an in-person public ritual. (For privacy purposes, I will not post photos of attendees.)
Honeysweet Ritual & Potluck - July 30, 2022 - Delaware State Park. Celebrating Bee Deities, The Melissae, and the sweetness in life. Hosted by Rev. Foxlyn Wren.
Gluten-Free Hexagon Cake with vanilla buttercream. The squares around it are honey cakes. I couldn't find Bit o Honey candy, so I made my own. It was soooooo yummy!
Honeysweet Altar. A sphere was cast with heartbeat drumming and visualization. I led the group in grounding and anchoring, and inviting our Guests (Bee Deities, Melissae, Ancestors, Guardians) to the Rite.
I drummed, while everyone gave offerings of flowers, birdseed, seeds, and nuts.
I taught about what Honeysweet was, and taught everyone how to make origami bees filled with words, symbols, and energies of gratitude, love, and sweetness we wanted to draw in our lives to help us through the upcoming dark months, just as bees feed on honey throughout the winter. (There was also a choice to color bees instead.)
I went around to each person and had them ask the Melissae a question. A Divination Bee was drawn from the hive, with the answer, and was theirs to keep.
After divination, we thanked out Guests, "slurped up" our energetic cords, and released the circle.
We feasted on hot dogs, coleslaw, chips, veggies, fruit, and cake. Lots of yellow watermelons and white honeydew!
Rev. Kristy "Foxlyn Wren" Tackett
After the feast, free divination was offered. One lady had a card jump from her deck for me. Of course it was the Fox! It was a card that spoke about Shadow Work.
Getting the courage and motivation to host this public ritual was definitely part of my own shadow work. I wasn't nervous during ritual though, that came earlier with making the event on Facebook and inviting people. I had a bit of Imposter Syndrome and a fear of success--what if people actually came?! I had to remind myself--my Shadow Self--that was the point. I wanted people to come. What if I couldn't deliver? What if I messed up? What if, what if what if???
Okay, then we'll learn from those experiences and improve next time. A lot of ritual and event organizers that I respect and am inspired by all had issues in the beginning, too. Even as a veterans, problems still come up. You deal, you adapt, you problem solve, and learn from them. That's better than waiting around for someone else to put something together. I've been wanting to host public rituals with drumming, feasting, and community for years, but I never had the courage to do so. Plenty of opportunities, but no motivation. This year, with Honeysweet, an opportunity presented itself and I took it. I fought my shadows--the anxieties--and I did it. I also worked with my Shadows to see where I needed to make improvements within myself, such as asking for and accepting help.
I accepted the offered support from the community instead of thinking that I had to do it all myself, which wasn't easy to do. My Shadow Self didn't want to burden people--but I got over that. It was a potluck and those who attended wanted it to be a success, as did I. Only by working together as a community was that going to happen. And it did! Bee spirit!
Thank you so much to everyone that came! I really appreciate yall. The Fall Equinox is coming up in September, and I'll take what I learned from this one and apply it to the next.
Thank for your support!
- Rev. Foxlyn Wren
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