All times are Eastern Daylight Time (GMT-4). For those attending remotely, please remember to adjust accordingly.
Thursday 5/26
8:00 PM Opening Ritual led by Stone Creed Grove
During this rite, we light the initial sacred fire for the festival, welcome all the folk to our sacred time, and honor the Earth Mother and Gatekeeper that unify all ADF rituals.
Friday 5/27
10:00 AM Rev. Ian Corrigan: Coffee Talk – Working With the Not-Gods
The longer we pursue our Three-Kindreds animist religions, the clearer it has become that ‘The Gods’ as a mythic category are not the sum-total, or even the mandatory crown, of beings. The developing relationships with the Dead and the Landwights in the places where we actually worship make themselves felt in sometimes surprising ways, while our long-time customs of the Gods often persist. Join us in a conversation about personal cult and liturgy.
11:30 AM Rev. Garrik Hamr: Animals, Animism, Runework
Animals were an important part of the mental and spiritual landscape of the ancient Norse. In this workshop, we aim to note ancient attitudes toward animals while exploring the roles of animals in modern Norse runework and trancework.
12:45 – 2:00 PM Lunch break
2:00 PM Rev. Michael Dangler and Rev. Jan Avende: Druids In Cars, Going To Festivals: Extemporaneous Prayer Challenge!
Rev. Avende a (she/they) and Rev. Dangler (he/him) will present their processes for the creation of off-the-cuff, extemporaneous prayers: how they weave symbolism, surroundings, lore, and poetics into a cohesive prayer experience that connects a ritual participant to the community gathered for worship. We’ll give you the tools to create, and then apply them by speaking prayers and making offerings in an off-the-cuff manner within sacred space. Note, portions of this workshop, and extemporaneous prayers created, will be recorded for use in the podcast, with consent of attendees (meaning, you can participate and not be on the podcast, too).
3:30 PM Diana Paxson: Thor, Thurses and COVID
Featured presenter and noted author on heathenry Diana Paxson takes a unique look at how Norse religion can teach us how to handle Covid-19 and other modern-day challenges.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Dinner break
8:30 PM Cernunnos Devotional Ritual led by John Beckett, Rev. Kirk Thomas, and Rev. Amber Ferrebee
This ritual is focused on using sound, dance, and trance to engage with a figure who is both well-known and obscure in his lore.
After Ritual Chenille Canopy
This informal gathering is for those who identify as or present as women to be able to share space together. It is a tradition of Chenille that discussions and activities are generally kept confidential among that portion of our community.
Saturday 5/28
10:00 AM Initiatory Ordeals of Kelli Rankin
The ADF Initiates program has several ceremonial steps for adding a new member to their tradition. After completing their studies, a new Initiate undergoes ordeals and rituals to take on their new role in our community.
11:30 AM Chris Godwin: Travel, Fate, Kinship & the Soul in Northern Animism
Doppelgangers, Werewolves and Banshees were seen by the ancients as tutelary totems in the form of soul parts that dwell within mortals who worship them within those within the totem’s domain. We’re going to go over animatism vs animism, what constitutes a location definition of kinship found in universal animism, and take a look at the animists view of the first ancestor of that kinship.
12:45 – 2:00 PM Lunch break / People of the Purple Feather Lunch
The People of the Purple Feather is open to all ADF members who are willing to support those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and beyond. This annual informal lunch is a chance to connect or reconnect with others in our community on those journeys through their lives.
2:00 PM John Beckett: Talking about Druidry to Non-Druids
What do you do when someone asks “what is Druidry?” Their ideas about Druidry and Druids may be informed by bad history, by video games, or by the ranting of some fundamentalist preacher. We don’t proselytize, but when people are genuinely curious, what can we tell them that will be authentic and helpful, without overwhelming them with more than they want to know?
3:30 PM Diana Paxson: Goddesses of Ukraine
The people of Ukraine have a rich pagan history and traditions, and in this time of crisis it is appropriate that Diana Paxson offers ways to connect to those traditions and divine supports.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Pot-Luck Feast
For those on-site, this is our chance to share food and bind our community together.
7:00 – 8:00 PM Concert: The Mickey’s
The Mickey’s is a Celtic rock ensemble from Akron, OH which includes ADF Bard Laureate Dave “Thexalon” Kleinschmidt
8:00 PM Bardic performances
Our organization boasts many talented performers, including musicians, storytellers, poets, orators, and actors. We continue our tradition of creating a stage for them to showcase their talents.
Sunday 5/29
10:00 AM ADF Annual Member’s Meeting
ADF is an international organization with many activities going on and members on 6 continents. This meeting includes some discussion and reporting from our officers, and awards honoring the work of many members of our community.
12:45 – 2:00 PM Artisan’s Showing
ADF’s Artisan’s Guild provides a chance to showcase members’ works with serving of wine and cheese in our makeshift gallery immediately following the Annual Meeting.
2:00 PM Morgan Daimler: Fairies Across Ireland
A discussion of fairies across Irish folklore, from the Aos sidhe to selkies. They will discuss some of the popular types of fairies found in folklore, including the ever popular leprechaun, as well as more obscure beings, like the Alp Luachra. Focus will be on the stories we have of these beings but we’ll also look at how they interact with humans and how humans acknowledge their presence.
3:30 PM John Beckett: Being a Pagan Monk in an Instagram World
Our mainstream world is infatuated with filtered images, continuous outrage, and the quest for clicks. That makes it hard for us to focus on our lives, our world, our Gods, and our magic. One way to counter this is to incorporate elements of monasticism into our Pagan practices. This workshop will look at the history of monasticism in the East and in the West, related traditions in the ancient Pagan world, monastic practices that can be helpful to Pagans today, and how we can adapt the monastic model for our contemporary world – without living a cloistered life or taking a vow of silence.
5:00 – 7:00 PM Dinner break
8:00 PM Main Ritual – ADF Grand Symbel
The ADF Grand Symbel occurs every 3 years, coinciding with the election of the ADF Archdruid. This year, ADF Archdruid Rev. Jean Drum Pagano will be renewing his oaths to serve in that role for another term. There are also opportunities to present oaths, toasts, and boasts to the folk of ADF in our sacred time and space.
Monday 5/30
11:30 AM Farewell Blessing
As folk prepare to return to their everyday lives, we take the time to ensure they can go with the blessing of all the energy, scholarship, ritual, and connection that this festival has given them. As we opened with ritual on Thursday, we close with ritual, and ask for those beings who aid in travel to ensure that our guests arrive safely to where they are going.