Rituals
Protogrove of the Valley Oak, ADF has a dual Celtic/Norse hearth, and we celebrate eight public high day rituals each year. Being a brand new group as of February 2012, we currently hold our rites in public parks and such until we locate the *perfect* ritual location; the location is announced here on our website and on our mailing list, as well as via our Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as soon as plans are confirmed and/or reservations are made. Our rituals are traditionally held on the Saturday after each high day so that we don't overlap with the rituals in the other NorCal groups (Sierra Madrone Grove, ADF in Sacramento whose rites are the Sunday before each high day, and Feather River Grove, ADF in Chico, whose rites are the Sunday after each high day). All of our rites are open to the public, and (weather permitting) are followed by a hearty potluck; our hospitality has been dubbed 'without measure'! Several of our members have food sensitivities, so you're certain to find specialty foods (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.) as well as regular munchies; feel free to bring along a dish of your own to share. :)
We'd also like to invite you to bring any personal offerings that you might like to give during the rite; all of our rituals include a chance to make personal offerings to the Kindreds (depending on the location, alcohol may not be permitted; please check the ritual announcement before bringing any along).
Check our calendar to find out when our next ritual will be; we'd love it if you joined us!
Dedicant Program Meeting/Social Time
Every Tuesday evening at Chromatic Coffee in Santa Clara (Stevens Creek and Lawrence), we have a gathering to support each other in our current work on ADF's Dedicant Program. The rest of the evening is social time, where we chat about whatever comes to mind & just build our connections as a spiritual family simply by spending time together. These gatherings are open to anyone with an interest in our Protogrove, ADF or the Dedicant Program. If you'd like a low-pressure environment in which to check us out, this is the time and place; look for the table with the little black and white stuffed cow, and come join us! *Note* the DP meetings that fall in the same week as ritual begin early (7pm rather than 7:30pm) so that we can also plan the upcoming rite.
Eight Winds ADF Festival
Eight Winds is Ár nDraíocht Féin's yearly Northwest Region festival which is traditionally held at the end of June. The Northwest Region is made up of all of the ADF Groves, Protogroves, & Study Groups in the NW region of ADF (AK, WA, OR, MT, ID, WY, NV and Northern California (all of CA which is north of the southernmost borders of Fresno, Monterey and Mono counties; basically the zip codes above 93600). We've been very lucky that Eight Winds has been relatively nearby for the past two years, being held at the Prosser Ranch Group Campground near Truckee, CA in the beautiful Tahoe National Forest; some of our members have been in attendance for the past several years, and there were even more of us there in 2012, our first as Valley Oak!
PantheaCon
PantheaCon is "a conference for Pagans, Heathens, Indigenous Non-Europeans, and many of diverse beliefs that occurs annually over President's Day weekend". It's held at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, CA (very close to the airport); 2014's dates are February 14-17. Attendance tops 2000 each year, and rituals, workshops, classes and concerts are just some of the 200+ presentations available to those in attendance. While PantheaCon is not specifically an ADF event, Ár nDraíocht Féin holds a ritual there each year as well as hosting a hospitality suite on the second floor; stop by the suite and say hello, and you're sure to run into at least one of us during the weekend! Since we are the closest ADF group to the convention, we'll be handling the organizing of the hospitality suite there, so be prepared for some fun and educational classes & workshops in the suite throughout the weekend. :)
Protogrove of the Valley Oak, ADF has a dual Celtic/Norse hearth, and we celebrate eight public high day rituals each year. Being a brand new group as of February 2012, we currently hold our rites in public parks and such until we locate the *perfect* ritual location; the location is announced here on our website and on our mailing list, as well as via our Facebook, Twitter and Google+ as soon as plans are confirmed and/or reservations are made. Our rituals are traditionally held on the Saturday after each high day so that we don't overlap with the rituals in the other NorCal groups (Sierra Madrone Grove, ADF in Sacramento whose rites are the Sunday before each high day, and Feather River Grove, ADF in Chico, whose rites are the Sunday after each high day). All of our rites are open to the public, and (weather permitting) are followed by a hearty potluck; our hospitality has been dubbed 'without measure'! Several of our members have food sensitivities, so you're certain to find specialty foods (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.) as well as regular munchies; feel free to bring along a dish of your own to share. :)
We'd also like to invite you to bring any personal offerings that you might like to give during the rite; all of our rituals include a chance to make personal offerings to the Kindreds (depending on the location, alcohol may not be permitted; please check the ritual announcement before bringing any along).
Check our calendar to find out when our next ritual will be; we'd love it if you joined us!
Dedicant Program Meeting/Social Time
Every Tuesday evening at Chromatic Coffee in Santa Clara (Stevens Creek and Lawrence), we have a gathering to support each other in our current work on ADF's Dedicant Program. The rest of the evening is social time, where we chat about whatever comes to mind & just build our connections as a spiritual family simply by spending time together. These gatherings are open to anyone with an interest in our Protogrove, ADF or the Dedicant Program. If you'd like a low-pressure environment in which to check us out, this is the time and place; look for the table with the little black and white stuffed cow, and come join us! *Note* the DP meetings that fall in the same week as ritual begin early (7pm rather than 7:30pm) so that we can also plan the upcoming rite.
Eight Winds ADF Festival
Eight Winds is Ár nDraíocht Féin's yearly Northwest Region festival which is traditionally held at the end of June. The Northwest Region is made up of all of the ADF Groves, Protogroves, & Study Groups in the NW region of ADF (AK, WA, OR, MT, ID, WY, NV and Northern California (all of CA which is north of the southernmost borders of Fresno, Monterey and Mono counties; basically the zip codes above 93600). We've been very lucky that Eight Winds has been relatively nearby for the past two years, being held at the Prosser Ranch Group Campground near Truckee, CA in the beautiful Tahoe National Forest; some of our members have been in attendance for the past several years, and there were even more of us there in 2012, our first as Valley Oak!
PantheaCon
PantheaCon is "a conference for Pagans, Heathens, Indigenous Non-Europeans, and many of diverse beliefs that occurs annually over President's Day weekend". It's held at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, CA (very close to the airport); 2014's dates are February 14-17. Attendance tops 2000 each year, and rituals, workshops, classes and concerts are just some of the 200+ presentations available to those in attendance. While PantheaCon is not specifically an ADF event, Ár nDraíocht Féin holds a ritual there each year as well as hosting a hospitality suite on the second floor; stop by the suite and say hello, and you're sure to run into at least one of us during the weekend! Since we are the closest ADF group to the convention, we'll be handling the organizing of the hospitality suite there, so be prepared for some fun and educational classes & workshops in the suite throughout the weekend. :)