Nova's Elemental Blessing

a year and a day, we welcome Nova to her community!

Thank you so much for joining us at Nova’s elemental blessing! We are so excited to share such a special and meaningful occasion with our chosen community, and are happily anticipating making some truly lovely memories together. We know you must have some questions about the festivities, and have put together some information we hope will be helpful.

WHAT?

An elemental blessing is an earth-based welcoming ceremony for new little ones. It symbolically connects our children to the natural world that will nourish and sustain them throughout their lives while also celebrating their important place within our greater community. These ceremonies are highly participatory and intimately personalized, with carefully chosen Guideparents joining the child’s parents and honored family members in celebrating new bonds of life, love, community, and possibility. Nova’s blessing has been written and planned specifically for her by her loved ones, and is an unique celebration of her special life.

WHEN?

Saturday, September 14 @ 4:00 PM! Please click here to read more about how we chose this particular date and time.

Date: We have chosen the traditional Pagan timing of “a year and a day” for Nova’s elemental blessing, counting forward from the day we first brouglht Nova home from the quiet shelter of her birthing center into the vibrancy and excitement of our lives. This auspicious date also falls on September’s full moon.

Time: Nova was born at 4:00 AM after exactly 24 hours of labor, so we’ve selected 4:00 PM as our start time to maintain that lovely synchronicity (in addition to enjoying the last beautiful hours before sunset.) The moon is at peak strength during this time.

WHERE?

Nova’s blessing will be taking place inside a private campground, at riverside campsites #29 & #31 in Audra State Park (near Buckhannon, WV). Audra is a place that holds some truly special memories for us, and we are very excited to imagine future family camping trips along the same riverside where Nova’s special ceremony was once held.

There is limited onsite parking due to several other events taking place nearby, so carpooling and arriving a bit early to get situated is recommended. (Depending on how early you arrive, you may or may not run the risk of being roped into setting things up with us!)

HOW?

Nova’s blessing will be taking place in a quiet riverside campground, with her ceremony conducted at the water’s edge of the Middle Fork River. Afterwards we will enjoy a potluck dinner around the fire pit while

Please bring the following two things with you to Audra in order to fully participate in Nova’s blessing:

• A camping chair (as there will be no onsite seating at the campground)
• A yummy side dish to share at the potluck (as Erin and Ryan will be cooking up several delicious mains to share)

We strongly encourage you to arrive early to Audra and enjoy some truly fantastic swimming and/or tubing in the Middle Fork River, in addition to checking out the lovely riverside trails. There is a bathhouse across from our ceremony site, so you can enjoy the outdoors to the fullest before getting ready for the ceremony. Please wear whatever nice clothing speaks to you for this occasion and feels comfortable in the early autumn setting, and don’t worry about standing on ceremony or being overly formal. We enjoy spontaneous and warm gatherings, and are looking forward to sharing that vibe during Nova’s special day.

...a quick note

A quick note about presents: as the saying goes, the only presents Nova needs is your presence. We will have a “memory tree” set up to offer Nova the gift of a future promised shared experience (e.g. taking her for ice cream or to a movie when she is older.) We would love for everyone to take a few minutes during the festivities and jot down a promise to share a meaningful experience with our littlest love at some future point.

We’ll see you at the river!