Schedule
Our Jorė Baltic Spring Rite will be 21 March 2026 at CedarLight Center and on Zoom.
3:00 PM Doors open to the public
5:30 PM Pre-ritual brief and learning the songs, if any. Please try and be there for this part.
6:30 PM Start of rite
- Cost: $20.00 suggested donation
Times are subject to change, please check our website blog, our Event Calendar or our Ostara Facebook event for the most up-to-date information on the ritual. All High Rites are open to the public, so feel free to bring a friend 🙂
Times are subject to change, please check before you leave.
We ask that those who are sick please stay home and join us through Zoom. Covid, the Flu, colds and other viruses continue to circulate.
***IF YOU FEEL SICK, PLEASE JOIN VIA ZOOM!
All are welcome to join us via Zoom.
Zoom Info
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 468 067 1478
Suggested Offerings
- Incense, flowers, & herbs
- Seasonal foods
- Seasonal alcohol
- Bardic works you have created (please let the ritual team know ahead of time so they can slot you in)
- Hand-crafted items
PLEASE NOTE: We take oaths very seriously. Any oaths given as an offering MUST be cleared with the Senior Druid or attending Priest prior to the High Rite. Please see Den or Rev Caryn upon arrival if you plan on giving an oath.
Lore of the Season & Ritual Information
Intention: A prayer for a return to Darna (cosmic balance: beauty, goodness, and harmonious relations among the people, between the people and the natural world, and between the people and the gods.)
Pantheon: Baltic
Deities of the Occasion: Perkūnas and Austėja (Perkūnas is the guardian of Darna; Austėja, the Bee Goddess, is associated with nurturing, growth, and the creation of life, while bees were a representation of Darna in community.)
– Earth Mother: Žemyna
– Mothers of Water: Jūras Māte
– Bardic Inspiration: Saulė
– Gatekeeper: Velnias
– Outsiders: Ragana
Offerings
Private offerings: Traditionally the people would make offerings on Jorė to nature spirits and vegetation gods and goddesses to ensure a good harvest – offer this invitation
Key Offerings: – Beer AND / OR Virytas, as well as non-alcoholic option (TBD) – Community Craft of cotton AND / OR beeswax dolls
Explanatory Lore:
Historically there is little original information on Baltic pagan celebrations of the Spring Equinox as such: Romuva began celebrations of Pavasario Lÿge in the early 1990s. Jorė observances began somewhat earlier, in the 1970s, based on an annual festival known as Pergubrinės, documented since the 16th century as being celebrated at the start of the farming season.
This HR is a hybrid, including elements of Baltic spring celebrations from Perkūnas Day (2/2) to Jorė, celebrated on April 28 as the feast of the “young Perkūnas” fertilizing the Earth Mother, while bees emerge from the hives to forage and pollinate early flowers. We move from creating candles (on Craft Day #1) invoking Perkūnas’ protection, to using those candles to light the HR fire welcoming the return of brighter, longer days and the fertility of the land.
Charity: Operation White Stork, non-profit supporting Ukraine
Children and Pets
Children are welcome to all CedarLight events, but small children must be attended at all times because our center is not child proof, there are stairs, fires, candles and small items that could be swallowed. We do not yet have children activities planned for this event however that can change if we know they are coming.
Trained service animals are, of course, welcome.
Pets however, are not allowed because we have learned from past mistakes that not everyone knows how to approach an animal and not every animal will behave predictably with many strangers around. Thank you for understanding.
What to Bring
See section on offerings.
A dish that serves at least 6-8 people.
**We have folks with severe allergies and food sensitivities – please include a list of your dish’s ingredients.**
Suggested Seasonal Food:
- Warm dishes, crock pots are easy to bring and easy to take back home
- Eggs, egg dishes, roasted meat, lamb, salads, mushrooms, ramps, trout
- Please take any leftovers and your dishes and serving utensils home with you
There are cans of sodas and bottled water available at the Grove for $1.00 each. Feel free to contribute beverages to the Grove!
The High Rite will be held outdoors; please dress for the weather. If it rains, we will be under the pavilion.
Ritual Etiquette
- Do not honor deities of different pantheons than those being honored at this rite
- PLEASE KEEP YOURSELF MUTED ON ZOOM unless you are giving an individual invocation as part of the liturgy or performing a praise offering. Group call and responses should remain muted unless otherwise requested by the Chief Liturgist. Attendees who continually disrupt the ritual with background noise because they are unmuted will be removed from the Zoom room.
- Offerings will be mainly given in silence as a group, but if you have something you wish to say, sing, or recite, let the Chief Liturgist know ahead of time so they can make time for your offering
- Do not declare any oaths during the rite without expressed permission from the Chief Liturgist well before the rite
- Some rites include a regular renewal oath. This is optional for those who are interested, the text will
be available beforehand.
After Ritual
If participants wish to hang out after the rite, the Zoom room will remain open for socializing. Feel free to bring dinner and make it a virtual potluck! We won’t even nag you about washing the dishes but ask that you do so, to help out the Hearth Wardens!
Cost/Donations
All CedarLight events have a suggested donation of $20 per person. This can be contributed to Dagda’s Cauldron either at the Grove, or online via paypal to cedarlightgrove@gmail.com. All donations go towards CedarLight Center bills and upkeep.
