Blog Archives

Isn't our home awesome?

7/27/2015

Earlier in July, some of us from the TAPA steerage committee had the honor and privilege of attending a very unique ritual down at Gaia’s Gardens in Raleigh.

The Red Oak study group, hosted the Keltrian Mistletoe Rite. This rite is one of two lunar rituals observed in the Henge of Keltria, a unique Druid group that focuses on Irish traditions. Guests gathered as the Keltrian Druids created sacred space, honored the four direction, and called upon land spirits, ancestors, and the Gods and Goddesses of Ireland. We were all blessed with sacred prayers, smokes, waters, and oils, and drew sips from shared cups blessed with the energies of balance and healing, health and inspiration.

The Keltrian Mistletoe Rite was a sweet and meaningful ritual, and it provided the community a chance to participate in something a little different from the usual Sabbats and full moons. Plus, it was a chance for us to share and sing together, and to laugh and learn about each other’s lives. Rituals like the Keltrian Mistletoe Rite remind us to be truly appreciative of the unique and varied events being hosted here in the busy and exciting Triangle of North Carolina.

Here in the Triangle there’s a little something for everyone, and a lot of big somethings, too. Each week we are blessed with rituals, workshops, gatherings, ceremonies, study groups, potlucks, and events. We have Druids and Neo-Pagans and Wiccans and Shamans, priests, priestesses, ministers, and magi. There’s always something new, exciting, and interesting in our community and its growing and thriving, expanding and flourishing more and more with each passing day.

Interested in finding out about all of the cool stuff that’s happening in your community? Be sure to check out our events page! Each month we dive deep into the interwebs to list all of the Pagan or Pagan-friendly events and offerings that we can find in the area. Don’t see your event listed? Let us know! People email TAPA all the time asking about groups and events, and we can’t help them unless we are connected with you! We want to connect groups to people and people to groups, so message us with your group and event details and we’ll list the information on our website and post the event on our Facebook page.

What’s next for Triangle Pagans? You had better go find out!

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Thanks, Friends!

7/20/2015

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On Saturday, July 18, our friends down at the Fellowship of the Oak in Raleigh hosted a workshop on “How to Make Spiritual Objects.” We first met the fine folks from the Raleigh CUUPS group (The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) at PPD 2014. Since then we’ve enjoyed seeing them for workshops, rituals, and other great gatherings.

The Fellowship of the Oak meets at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, and is open to all (you don’t have to be Pagan or UU!) According to the CUUPS website, the mission of UU Pagan groups is to encourage:

•networking among Pagan Identified UUs; providing outreach of Unitarian Universalism to the broader Pagan community continentally.

•providing educational materials on Paganism for Unitarian Universalist congregations and the general public.

•promoting Pagan - Jewish & Christian dialogue; encouraging the development of theological and liturgical materials based on earth and nature centered religious and spiritual perspectives.

•encouraging greater use of music, dance, visual arts, poetry, story, and creative ritual in Unitarian Universalist worship and celebration.

If you’re interested in connecting with this great group and wonderful organization, be sure to check out their Facebook group UUFR Fellowship Of The Oak – CUUPS, and be sure to look for their book at PPD 2015! This year's PPD is on Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, 2015, from 10am-6pm at the NC State Fairgrounds, Gate 5. It's a fantastic event every year, and a great place to hook up with friends and groups!

Thanks, Fellowship of the Oak, for hosting such a fun workshop, and we look forward to future gatherings and partnerships!

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An Important Announcement!

7/15/2015

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Back in October, TAPA was given the gift of space. It came quite suddenly and unexpectedly, but we jumped at the opportunity. Enjoying community space in the Durham/Hillsborough /Chapel Hill part of the Triangle is the dream of many, and we were blessed to have the opportunity to provide this in not one but two locations.

The Sanctuary became our little home, and we enjoyed hosting rituals, study groups, discussion groups, potlucks, and meetings there. We enjoyed holding regular “temple hours”, as well as opening up the space for baby showers and other fun events. We built a special TAPA altar, a lending library, and a collection of tools and supplies. We received generous donations, great feedback, and abundant blessings from the community.

We moved from the Sanctuary at Shared Spaces after the building was put on the market, and unfortunately, the same has happened to the Sanctuary at Thaumaturgy 777. Our local metaphysical and conjure shop is closing its doors as ownership of the building switches hands, and while we are saddened by this change in our community, we are all hopeful and excited for the next opportunities that wait for us as the wheel turns and turns again. And of course, we’re excited for the journey that we’re taking with you, the Triangle Pagan community.

We had originally made plans to offer a workshop in August, but due to the closing of the Sanctuary’s doors, we decided that it would be best if we postponed it for a future date (to be determined.) At this point, we’re putting our focus on Pagan Pride Day, attending other area groups, workshops, and events, and making plans for the future of TAPA. As always, if you have any questions or comments, we love to hear feedback! And we’re excited for the next few months and the blessings they bring.

Many, unending thanks to Sarah, who accepted us into the Sanctuary at Shared Spaces. Abundant gratitude and love to Magus and our friends over at Thaumaturgy 777. We’ve partnered with Magus since the very early stages of TAPA, and he’s been an enthusiastic supporter from the start. We’re sad to see the shop closing its doors, but we know that Magus will do great, where ever he is, and we wish him the best. Magus - thanks for allowing us to use your space, for letting us host our events in your Vision Room, and for donating the space for the Sanctuary. It’s been lovely.

Thank you so much for our generous donors and supporters over the years. We appreciate you so much more than words can describe! Stay tuned for more TAPA news, and see you guys around town!

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Fellowship of the Oak workshop

7/11/2015

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Our friends down at the Fellowship of the Oak in Raleigh are hosting a workshop! Here is the info:

"How to make spiritual Objects -Charms, Bags and Wand Workshop"

Come to learn how to make spiritual objects. Everyone will leave with a small bag. 20 minutes of talk with a hands on approach to the rest of class. Any spiritual object can be worked on. If not charm/spirit bag please bring your own materials. I'll show you how to finish them and energize them. Class limited to 20. Cost is $5.00 to cover the cost of the materials.

Saturday 7/18/15
1pm

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh
3313 Wade Ave, Raleigh, NC
(just down the street and across from Whole Foods)

http://www.facebook.com/groups/uufrfotocuups/

(message us and we'll pass on the information for this group and event!)

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Rituals and Workshops, Old and New

7/8/2015

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheWitchChandlery

On Saturday, July 4, friends and members of TAPA gathered at the Eno River to celebrate our 3rd Annual Fourth of July Ritual. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago we gathered for the first time, tucking a ritual into our busy schedules while we were trying to plan our first retreat. This was back before TAPA even had a name, when we knew that we wanted to form a networking and alliance group to encourage greater connectedness in our Triangle Pagan community but didn’t quite know how to make that happen. That first 4th of July ritual was sweet and powerful, and we all left the Eno River State Park feeling cleansed, renewed, excited for grilled food and fireworks, and most of all, hopefully for what we could contribute to our homes and our communities.

Our 2013 ritual was even more refined than that first, and this year’s ritual honoring Gods, spirits, and ancestors was even better. Between the TAPA steerage committee members we have many decades worth of experience. This includes individual practice, household devotions, group rituals and gatherings, and large-scale events. We’ve participated in and organized for groups and events in a handful of states. We’ve met with and studied under renowned and talented leaders. We’ve read tomes and tomes of material, and we realize that this is just the beginning. We’re constantly trying to improve our skills as group leaders and ritual facilitators as we seek to serve our Gods and communities.

One of the things we’ve realized is that there is a treasure-trove of introductory and beginner’s materials available out there. Everyone has access to the basics of Neo-Paganism, but what happens next? How do you take the next step into something a bit more advanced? How do you take your personal practices and group rituals to a different level? It was by asking these questions that we decided that our August workshop would be Ritual 102 (or is it Ritual 201?) “Ritual in a Box”. In this long-awaited workshop we’ll be discussing possible next steps to your Neo-Pagan praxis – TAPA style. You know the basics – now what? (And can we fit them in a box?)

The workshop will be on Sunday, August 30. Gather at 2pm, workshop starts promptly at 2:15pm. This will be an outside and public event, hosted at an enclosure at the Eno River in Durham, NC (we don’t have an exact location yet but one will be decided soon.) Because of the nature of this workshop we are offering a material’s fee of $5. In addition, RSVPs are required. Email us at TriangleAreaPagans@gmail.com if you have questions or would like to RSVP for this workshop. As always with outdoor events, bring water, sunscreen, bug spray, and any other outside things you may need. Also, as this event will be focused on “Ritual in a Box”, please bring a shoe box or a similar sized box for this workshop. You will go home with goodies!

As always, thanks for your interest and support in the Triangle Area Pagan Alliance. Thanks for a great year, and we look forward to the adventures the rest of the year holds. See you in August! (And after that is PPD – can you believe it?)

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