Welcome fáilte to The Witches of The Blackberry Field's, Victoria Witches Ball, Auld Samhain, Samhuinn, Suain Festival. Featuring DJ Yoseff, Mylove, KooKooMaMa, and The Moon Bodega playing at the Gaelic New Year's Witch's Ball.
We will be hosting a pan-Gaelic traditional ceremony to honour the dead, and the ancestors of the past. We would like everyone to know that all people of all ethinic and cultural backgrounds are welcome to attend. We host these cultural events much in the same spirit as other cultural societies host public celebrations, to share their traditions and heritage. So we hope you'll come share in the experience of the pan-Gaelic countries of Scotland, Ireland, and The Isles of Mann; where the New Year was commonly rung in at Auld Samhain, Samhuinn, Sauin; normally celebrated on Nov 11th according to the old Julian calendar, and even older Gaelic lunar calendar. There will be an invocation of Lá Mórrígan for those individuals familiar with the triple goddess of death, war, and prophecy. In Ulster Ireland she is closely related to the land and people of the Ulster Clanns making such appearances in legends such as the Ulster cycle of Donn Cúailnge, (The Brown Bull of Cooley), or Tain Bó Cúailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley). She will be delivering her message for the year to come, and offering blessings for individuals who would like to receive them.
Guests must be 18 years of age and up, so please bring your ID. Although we are not serving alcohol as we are supporting a sober Samhain, Samhuinn we believe it's best for ceremonies dealing with themes of death, and mortality to be a more mature subject matter. So please have childcare for the evening, as we won't be permitting minors at the event.
Door fee is $20 in cash, with a food item for the potluck dinner, or $30 with no potluck item. This is common for Pagan events such as the Vancouver Fringe Fest, as door fees help to pay for the space equipment and DJ's for the evening. You'll also want to wear your ritual best for the evening, and a mask for the Ball of course.
A free water station will be provided in the dance area for guests, so please bring an empty water bottle to fill up. All full water bottles will be confiscated at the door in order to avoid liquor entering the premises. You may bring a fold out chair, so you can sit down during the ceremony, or rest while the dance is taking place. The facility has a limited number of antique chairs which will be given priority to the mobility impaired. If you have mobility needs please contact the Event Organizer, Krystalynne O'Hagan, at least a week ahead of time, so arrangements can be made to accomodate your needs. We are inclusive of all disabilities, and do our best to make our events accessable to everyone. Please note if you have epilepsy there is loud music and flashing lights at this event, so it may not be appropriate in these cases.
The event will be taking place at Archer Art Gallery, Downtown Victoria. Please contact Krystalynne O'Hagan on FB if you need directions. Doors open at 1pm when toonie tea and coffee will served. So please put a toonie in the jar which will help us afford more coffee and tea at our next event, and possibly candles and other supplies. At 2pm the ritual will commence in the lower level where you will be ushered by a guide to the dance room. After the ceremony at about 3:30pm, a dance will commence. The potluck will be served at 4:30pm. Please bring a mess kit, and a chalice. Blackberry juice will be served at the community cakes and ale portion along with cookies. A gluten-free alternative will be available for the ritual. If you can have neither, than you might consider bringing a type of cookie you can eat at the cakes and ale portion of the ceremony.
There is room for vendors at the upstairs entrance area, so if vendors would like a table space we are charging $50. The upstairs space will be much quieter with normal lighting which will be ideal for Tarot, and divination readers that would like to read at the event. Please contact Krystalynne O'Hagan as she will reserve a spot for your table, and put you on our vendors and readers list. All vendors and readers should come with their own tables and chairs. The room is quite charming and full art so unfortunately there's no wall space, but there will be room for tables. Please show up at 12:00pm to set-up.
The Witches of The Blackberry Field is primarily comprised of mystics, artists, writers, bohemians, and talented folks of all kinds. We come together in the spirit of community, and good will to provide open circle events that are welcoming, safe inclusive, and educational experiences for all alternative spiritual seekers. Often we are conflated with Wiccan traditions, however we are a new, and evolving tradition founded in 2009, that is a living tradition. We don't preform Drawing Down The Moon, The Great Rite, The Five Fold Kiss, nor do we use ritual flogging or preform skyclad. Our tradition was originally founded by a group of women, who wanted to provide women's healing circles for our community. We still maintain that tradition at the heart of our practice, and continue to celebrate both Full Moons, and Fire Festivals with men, and women who prefer alternative earth based spiritual cultures. Our Bramble Mother Máthair SCO has been a practicing mystic and Witch for 26 years, but like most she has been a Witch all her life for 41 years. Her formal training began at the age of 15 when she was mentored by a family friend. She continued her studies with various groups, and covens over the years before finally in 2009 founding the WBBF with other Witches who were looking for an alternative non-Wiccan path. She continues to teach classes and mentor Witches, and share her passion for art, history, and magic with the magical community.
If you would like to stay in touch feel free to follow along in our Facebook group, or Instagram page, and check out our Ning site at www.blackberrywitches.ning.com The WBBF is an international Witchcraft tradition that has existed since 2009. We teach a variety of magical disciplines from pan-Gaelic Slavic and Greco-Egyptian Witchcraft. We support, and include LGBTQ and non-binary members, and do not discriminate against ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or culture. We include all well intentioned people in our tradition, and promote a community that is respectful and kind. Thank you.
May this season strengthen your roots, and help bring peace, and healing to all of your families, regardless of where they're from. Blackberry Blessings beannachtaí Sméar dubh.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Archer Art Gallery , 847 Fort St., Victoria, Canada
