Mount Franklin Annual Pagan Gathering

Mount Franklin Pagan Gathering 25-27th October 2013

Spring flowers courtesy of Mel's garden

Hello all, soon we will come together at beautiful Mount Franklin and join together in the celebration of our Sacred Festival of Beltane. We are so privileged this year to have the lovely Seline Cardamon-Cairns and Hawthorn facilitate the ritual with friends. this is the chant that we will be chanting as we enter the circle as we each make our way in with the Spiral dance. To assist them and to be inclusive of the ritual please find following this the words to the chant that we will be using during the ritual. If you could familiarise yourselves with them that would be sincerely appreciated.Last year we held a torch making workshop and, as it proved to be highly successful we will again be running another this year. To make your own torch you will need to bring and provide the following items:Kerosene, and strips of old bedding/materialA metal tin/container deep enough to leave your torch to soak in the kero-don't try plastic please! 

Balefire 2012 courtesy of R McLeod

Finally just a few reminders:

You must bring  your own firewood to the crater! You are not permitted to cut wood for fires at Mount Franklin either, so please leave chainsaws, handsaws, bush-saws and light-sabres at home. You can purchase firewood from a property at the foot of Mt. Franklin, just on the Castlemaine side. There is a large sign advertising firewood for sale and if you cannot bring your own that would be the first place to look.

You must also bring your own toilet paper! Parks Victoria keep the toilet blocks supplied but that is not sufficient for our Gathering's needs so please, bring your own! Don't expect to rely on there being paper provided, so bring your own to avoid being caught short.

The "Mount Franklin" brand of spring water you can buy at the shop does not, in fact, come from Mount Franklin. It is owned by Coca-Cola Amatil and they say the water comes from a variety of natural Australian water sources. The water you will find at the campsite is untreated and therefore unsuitable for drinking. It's very important that you plan ahead and bring plenty of drinking water with you to the campsite. 

ALL rubbish created, must be taken back. Including-general refuse, doggy doo, nappies, cigarette butts etc. Please do not throw bottles, tinnies, etc into fire places. Take them home for recycling-we advise some garbage bags to cart home all rubbish.

Please take note of our No Weapons Policy and courteous conduct expectation of all attendees
Anyone deemed intoxicated will not be permitted to partake of the Gathering ritual for Beltane. No exceptions.
Designate a driver if you plan on staying off the Mount.
Drink responsibly.
MFAPG Inc. Takes no responsibility or liability for those that cause problems or concerns across the Gathering weekend. Any troublemakers will immediately be pointed out to the local constabulary. We also take this opportunity to point out that attendees are expected to exercise magical hygiene and self responsibility.

Beltane Ritual Chant 2013

Ritualists lead the Spiral Dance into the circle area and Chant –

WE ARE THE PAGANS TURNING HAND IN HANDWE PRAISE THE POWERS AND THE SPIRITS OF THE LANDSPIRIT OF THE PAGANS, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHTSPIRIT OF THE PAGANS, JOIN OUR BELTANE RITE

This is the 2nd chant as we raise the Beltane energy...

When they have done so the Ritualists continue –

NOW TURN AND FACE THE OUTER CIRCLE

When they have done so the Ritualists continue –

WE CALL ALL THOSE WHO DANCE BETWEEN TO DO SO IN LOVE AND JOY

Hawthorn leads call and response chant –

I AM THE LORD COME DANCE WITH ME.

Seline leads call and response chant –

I AM THE LADY WILD AND FREE.

Hawthorn & Seline lead call and response chant –WE DANCE IN BELTANE ECSTASY

Torches 2012 courtesy K McCredie