The theme for our 2013 ritual productions is New Directions. Following our 2012 Year of Change, NEW DIRECTIONS inevitably follow. With each Turn of the Wheel we embrace the possibility of New Directions.
As Pagans, our teachings are found in nature, the seasons, cycles, and the cosmos . . . all of which are in a constant state of flux. We have no Bible, Torah, or Bhagavad Gita . . . but in nature we find the reflection/lessons for how to grow, live consciously, and create the life we deserve. To that end we don't need to emphasize the need, or desire, for change and the inevitable new beginnings, new directions that follow. For Pagans that's a given. We understand the clarion call of life for continual renewal.

What we are bringing to our ritual theatre celebrations in 2013 are mythic lessons about standing at the crossroads of new directions, and discerning through wise, contemplative choices which direction . . . which new path to take. This year we will explore the tools we need to move forward, with courage, in new directions, down paths we have not yet trod . . . consciously choosing the new directions life is offering us.    

New Directions has been a wonderfully fertile subject this year as we opened ourselves, artistically and spiritually, to this mythic theme and the possibilities within it.

Vasilisa The Brave who ushers us through our seasonal rituals and myths in 2013. Vasilisa The Brave, from the Slavic mythic tradition, is a young heroine who journeys in search of wisdom, knowledge, and a quest for truth and assistance. Before beginning her journey, Vasilisa is given a doll from her mother that represents her intuition. It is the intuition that we each carry that will guide us on our quest throughout the year.

Vasilisa's special doll offers wisdom and encourages her to trust her own intuition, her inner wisdom. She is told to seek the Wise Woman, the Shaman in the woods whose myths and stories will guide her in the search for New Directions.

Like Vasalisa we return every season to hear the stories. We call on the Wise Storyteller and Shaman for support in following our own unique path and process, for she is a guide, a teacher, a teller of tales.   

Our Hallow Eve story is a modern telling of the myth of Baba Yaga. An ancient Slavic Goddess, She is a shaman, guardian, and often seen as a wild old crone. Like the Indian goddess, Kali Ma, she is a Goddess of Birth, Death, and Rebirth. While fierce and fearsome to look upon, Baba Yaga has a kind side, singing while She sprinkles the dead, their corpses, with the Water of Life so that they may be reborn. But as a manifestation of nature, she can be frightening as a force of all that is wild and untamed.  

When Vasalisa is sent on a quest by her spiteful stepmother to gather fire from Baba Yaga, the witch in the woods, she must reach deep within for the courage to face her fears and the shadowed woods she must travel through to reach the frightening hut of the old crone. Baba Yaga gives Vasalisa a series of tasks she must complete so that she can be released and return with the gift of fire. With faith in her mother, trust in her destiny, and the aid of her special doll, she completes the tasks and returns with the fire, a skull filled with the gift of fire.

In this year of New Directions we traveled through the seasons and reclaimed our intuition-Vasalisa's Doll, our own unique voice; Pan's Flute, our inner guide; Sarasvati's Lotus Candle of Wisdom and Creativity.

Join us for Hallows Eve as we courageously face the fears that challenge us, journey on a mythic quest through the shadow, aided by our ancestors, and gather the gifts, the harvest of our labors-mythic gifts that empower us spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically. Journey with us as we follow Vasalisa The Brave in her mythic quest for bold New Directions, steeped in the teaching of ancient and wise stories. As we witness these powerful myths and stories we remember our own power to create our lives in the directions we choose.

Our evening of ritual theatre opens with a song reminding us of the importance of Slowing Down in preparation for the dark days of winter. On this Hallows Eve, we honor our ancestors with offerings and ask for their blessings as we open the mythic gates for an evening of song, dance, art, and storytelling.

Temple of the Goddess and The Mythic Players invite you to share an evening of art and ritual theatre at our fall celebration and ignite your own creativity, connect with your inner wisdom.