Joliet pagan group creates its own spin on Thanksgiving and new beginnings

Treibh na Tintean, a modern pagan group, recently celebrated the autumnal equinox; the group celebrated the autumnal equinox by having a harvest feast as a type Thanksgiving.

Sandy Costa, Treibh na Tintean elder and Joliet resident, told The Herald News that “Every time we do a holiday, I learn something new about it.”

The first harvest celebration occurs in early August and stresses nuts, fruits and vines. This second celebration has an emphasis on foods such as squash and “things like that, very sustaining and lasting a long time,” Costa said.

So it was natural to gather about 6:00p.m. big potluck dinner inside the church building before the ritual started, Costa said.

Having a potluck before the ritual allows the group to reconnect with members and meet new participants, Costa said. She then explained that after the dinner everyone heads outside in the dark and gathers in a circle.

“We first create a circle where we’ll be safe and not distracted, where everyone can be together. It’s a very spiritual place,” Costa said. “We have a circle to spiritually create one place where we stay and do the spiritual work of this holiday. And then we call to the elemental directions to come and help us with the work we’re going to do.”

In pagan tradition, Costa said, every direction represents a different concept. First, everyone turns east to honor air, which symbolizes innovation and cleansing. They then turn to the South which represents fire, then west which symbolizes water and finally they turn north and honor earth.

The group idolizes Mabon, a Welsh god, during this celebration. “He’s kind of an obscure god who represents the great hunter,” Costa said. “He’s also a god of light and youth and strength. And although there is no real evidence the holiday was meant to be named after him, he’s a very good symbol of it.”

She explains why by saying “When you get ready for winter, what do you need? In terms of old traditions, you need sustenance, so you need someone to help you get through the cold when you can’t grow anything,” Costa said. “And Mabon, son of a triple goddess, is known as the best huntsman in the world.”

Treibh na Tintean concluded this recent harvest ritual by giving each person a bowlful of white clover seeds to distribute along the paths.

“We usually do a little chanting and drumming to help keep us together when we separate like that,” Costa said. “We need to stick together in the dark.”

White clover is a low-maintenance plant that bees and butterflies are attracted to.

“We try to take care of our pollinators, to take care of our environment, our small contribution to make our world better,” Costa said. “But it’s not too late to plants things. We still have time to grow things and help further the natural world.”

Treibh na Tintean’s “home” is the Universalist Unitarian Church in Joliet, and its sacred space is Covenant Woods,1.8 acres of woods, which the church gave the group for its rituals, said Costa.

Treibh na Tintean welcomes all who want to join, “We are an open circle,” Costa said “We do not require official membership.”