Special Guests: Chosen Chief Philip Carr-Gomm and John Michael Greer.

The OBOD groves and seed groups of California have formed an alliance to provide a spiritual home for all isolated members of our order in the West: The House of Danu.  On behalf of the Council of 7, I invite you to go to our website and formally join this alliance. Through the website, you will be enticed to festivals, receive announcements of rituals, events, study groups, and be encouraged to participate in our numerous online forums'.

Friday, July 31 - Monday, August 3, 2009 (4 days, 3 nights)

Special Guests: Chosen Chief Philip Carr-Gomm and John Michael Greer

Held at Pema Osel Ling mountain retreat center, Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, in the neighborhood of Corralitos

(http://www.polmountainretreat.com/)

From the primordial waters of the Pacific, Danu calls to you. Come to the Gorsedd for the Festival of Lughnasadh, July 31 to August 3, 2009.  The House of Danu gathers for this celebration of California Druid culture where we bring forth our enchanting music, vibrant dance, visual arts, Druid merchants, poetry, drumming, storytelling, workshops, games, OBOD initiations, Bardic evenings around the campfire, a magnificent Eisteddfod, and a grand procession for the sacred ritual of Lughnasadh that you help create.

It will be held at the spectacular Buddhist Retreat Center known as Pema Osel Ling in the coastal redwoods near Monterey, California:
4 days and 3 nights of camping or fixed lodgings including all meals
that will be prepared by wedding chefs.

We are inviting members of all Druid orders to join us in this celebration.  Our facilities are limited to 250 participants, so OBOD members are being given exclusive access to our first phase of Gorsedd registration that ends February 16, 2009.  Act now to secure your place at this historic event.  Enter this magik portal www.houseofdanu.com and I will see you on the other side.

All meals are included in the price by experienced wedding chefs who can accommodate any diet. 

This is what you can expect:

Friday, July 31 (Arrival Day)

     We open at noon and ask that you arrive by 6:00P.M. You will be greeted at the driveway and directed to your lodgings/camp site to get settled.  You will then enter the Danu Portal where you will be anointed with water from Bhrighid's Well, and experience entering a sacred space and time.  Upon receiving your necklace with your name in Ogham, and temporary tattoo of the House of Danu, you will be free to explore our Avalon until dinner is served.  The dinner conch sounds at 7:00p.m. inviting you to the Feasting Hall.  You will be introduced to our customs as we dine with music in Celtic splendor amid announcements of how the weekend will unfold.  After dining, there will be a scholarly lecture on Druid history in California, followed by our gathering around the campfire for all manner of Bardic entertainment, drumming and dancing until Midnight.

Saturday, August 1st (Preparation Day)

     You will awake to distant music that nudges you from your dream time.  There will be a morning workshop where we will explore the development of Rites of Passage for men and women.  You will be actively engaged in the creation of Druid culture in the West.  After lunch, the pool will be open; our Druid vendors will have their creations, books, and CDs available for purchase.  There will be early afternoon workshops where you will prepare for the Sunday ritual celebrating Lughnasadh. Drummers will learn new rhythms, singers will learn new chants, actors will learn their lines, and you will be creating props for the grand procession.  Before dinner, there will be some scholarly seminars on various aspects of Druid culture and practice.

     After dinner, our Druid elders will be available for OBOD initiations for the Bardic grade.  A grand Eisteddfod will be convened at our amphitheatre at 8:30pm, followed by more Bardic activity around the campfire until Midnight.

Sunday, August 2nd (The Festival of Lughnasadh)

     After breakfast, we gather in groups to refine our preparations for the Festival, rehearsing and making props.  After lunch, we don our ritual clothing, theatrical make-up; gather our props, banners, garlands and instruments to line-up for the grand procession at 2:00p.m.  The ritual will not be something you observe.  It will be something you do.  The central working will fix our place in the season, and consecrate the sigil for the House of Danu with the best of our arts.  It will end with a spiral dance, followed by games, swimming, storytelling, partying, and some well deserved down time before dinner.

     After dinner, there will be initiation for those entering the Ovate Grade.  At 8:30, we gather in groups for the discussion.  At this point, you will have a lot to say about the direction you want the House of Danu to take, and the Council and staff will take this time to listen.  After the discussion, we will gather around the campfire to do what we do until about Midnight.

Monday, August 2nd (Leave taking)

     We will have our final meal together, and preview the official photos and video taken during the Festival.  A DVD will be available for purchase.  You can then depart to explore the delights of Santa Cruz and Monterey should you seize the opportunity for an extended vacation on the California coast.

REGISTER AT HOUSE OF DANU BY CLICKING HERE!