Spring Equinox 2016

Spring Equinox
Honoring Artemis and Hephaestus
Conducted by Three Cranes Grove ADF
Spring Hollow Lodge @ Sharon Woods Metropark
Westerville, Ohio
~45 People
3/20/26 15:30

The Spring Equinox rite for Three Cranes Grove ADF honored Artemis and Hephaestus. It was conducted at the Spring Hollow Lodge at Sharon Woods Metropark in Westerville Ohio. To begin with Shawneen, a member of the grove, led the folk in a short meditation remembering the time when they were most connected to nature and a meet and greet exercise. This was followed my the procession into the ritual area from the outside where we had gathered. On the way in we where purified with water and incense. The Outdwellers were offered whiskey in exchange for not interrupting the rite and then the ritual proper began.

Since this was a Greek flavored ADF rite Hestia was honored first with wine then the Earth Mother in the form of Gaia was called and honored. The nine muses were called upon for inspiration and the folk were then led in the two powers meditation. The hallows were hallowed next – the fire lit from Hestia's flame, the well silvered (by sinking some silver into it), and since it was a Grecian rite a stone annotied as the omphalos to stand at the center of the worlds. Rev. Michael Dangler then called upon Garanus Crane to serve as gatekeeper and asked him to open the gates through the hallows.

Now with the portals opened the kindred were called upon. First called were the Ancestors then the Nature Spirits, and last but not least the Shining Ones. This was followed by a round of general offerings from the folk – at this point I offered incense to a fox spirit I work with. Next the two deities of the occasion were called upon and honored separately first Artemis and then Hephaestus followed by another round of offerings from the folk. I offered incense to each of the deities of the rite.

Anthony – a member of the grove then took the Omens from the Greek Alphabet Oracle.
From the Kindreds: Rho, interpreted as wait until things are good.
From the Artemis: Beta, interpreted as she was there and guiding us.
From the Hephaestus: Alpha, interpreted as the gift of everything.

This was followed by a final sacrifice of thanks to Artemis & Hephaestus.

The waters were blessed with light shining the virtues of the gifts into the waters. The waters were distributed and ingested by the folk so that the gifts may flow to the folk. The Working part of the right then commenced; The tools had been piled onto a table in the center of the ritual area before the rite and they were now to be blessed with the waters in addition to the hands of the folk who wanted their hands blessed. As the blessing was occurring Hephaestus was called upon and sound of a hammer rhythmically hitting steel sounded as a member of the grove used a sacred hammer to hit a block.

After the working Artemis and Hephaestus were thanked followed by each of the kindreds. Then the hallows were de-hallowed and Garanus the gatekeeper thanked. The muses nine were thanked then Gaia as the Earth Mother thanked and finally as it was a Greek rite Hestia who is always honored first and last was thanked.

Overall this rite especially the working was rather powerful and while I couldn't connect well with one of the deities of the occasion when we did a grove meditation a few weeks beforehand it was a good rite.