Category: Festivals

PSG – New Home, Same Spirit

The Pagan Spirit Gathering, one of the largest and oldest Pagan camping festivals, has changed location this year. The former site, Camp Zoe near Salem, Missouri, has come under federal investigation. This prompted Circle Sanctuary, hosts of Pagan Spirit Gathering, to move the festival to Stonehouse Park near Earlville, Illinois.  It is a venue change that many past attendees are applauding.

Pagan Spirit Gathering
Summer Solstice, June 19-26
Stonehouse Park near Earlville, Illinois
Registration closes June 4th

“I love going to PSG, but it was so hot and humid at Camp Zoe that I wasn’t going to attend this year.  All I did was lay in the creek and I missed most of the workshops because it was so hot.  But now that it has moved to the much cooler and less humid Illinois, I’m going!” said past attendee Eisling, “Just think, it should be nice enough we can even have camp fires at night.”

PNC-Minnesota talked with Ghetto Shaman Billy Crow Staver about the move to Stonehouse Park and what PSG will be like this year.  The Ghetto Shamans are a camping group that attends PSG each year and helps Circle Sanctuary with marketing the event.

“The PSG experience is something really special.  It’s a place where people can come together and let their guard down.  Magically things happen there.  It’s where I met my wife, I met her at PSG.  I’ve met some of my best friends through PSG,” Mr. Staver said of his years of attendance.  ” The people who attend PSG seek new connections to the Divine and form a new tribe.  It’s an experience that is hard to explain and shouldn’t be missed.”

Organizers say Stonehouse Park offers many more amenities than they have had at other PSG camps.  “There are more electrical hook ups throughout the camp.   There’s a larger shower house and a community store.  People will be able to keep their camp site cleaner since they have community sinks available for dishes and washing your clothes,” says Mr. Staver.  He notes the best change will be in how the camp feels to attendees, ” We’ll be able to camp closer together and be able to see one another and this creates more of a family community type feeling and that’s one of the biggest benefits to camping at Stonehouse park this year, we’ll get that feeling of a close family again.  We kind of lost that at Camp Zoe.”

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Heathens Gather at June 10-12th event near Twin Cities

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The Mjolnir, Heathen Symbol

I had the opportunity to interview Brody Derks of the Thule of  Volkshof  Kindred, about Heathenry and their upcoming event in June, the Northern Folk Gathering , at this years Paganicon.

Tell me about your University of Minnesota experience?

I was the president of the University of Minnesota Pagan Society, we networked with other groups around the Twin Cities. That was a wonderful experience to see all the Pagans in the surrounding area, and their diversity.  I have always been a Heathen.  I joined the Volkshof Kindred a few years ago.  Now I am a representative.  We are one of the strongest Heathen groups in the Twin Cities, and in Minnesota. We have built up our name, but there are other Kindred groups that we respect in Minnesota.

How did you know you were a Heathen?

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Paganicon Opens Friday! – Interview

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Elysia, LLewellyn Senior Acquisitions Editor

Elysia is the Senior Acquisitions Editor for Witchcraft, Wicca, Pagan, and magickal books at Llewellyn. She spoke with me about the new Pagan Conference this weekend, Paganicon.

You are representing Llewellyn Publishing at Paganicon, what is their role in the event?

We are one of the sponsors. This is the first time that we are stepping in as a sponsor for an event. What generally happens with regard to Pagan conferences, is sometimes I will be sent to them, and we’ll have a table or a display. We often provide items for a raffle or a charity cause. For many years I have been going to Pagan conferences, and it has been a loss that we haven’t had one here, in the Twin Cities.

When I heard that there would be one here, I let the management at Llewellyn know, and said, “We really should get involved in this”.  It is our community, and we want to support it, and hope it grows to be huge!  For myself, I want to be involved in the future so it is just as much a success as others I have gone to.  This year we are supporting by bringing John Michael Greer as Guest of Honor.  We are providing his transport and meals, and Twin Cities Pagan Pride (TCPP) is providing his housing during his stay.  This was a great way that we could work together, getting someone really interesting, and a “Big Name Pagan” (BNP) into the Twin Cities.
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John Michael Greer – Interview with Paganicon Guest

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John Michael Greer

John Michael Greer is the Guest of Honor at the launch of Paganicon this weekend. He will be giving a keynote address at 8pm Friday night, to open the event. I got the opportunity to interview him, and listened spellbound to his articulate thoughts. I first asked about the path that brought him to be Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). He treated me to his personal history from age 10, fascinated with UFO’s, Unexplained Mysteries, Magic, and reading the Lord of the Rings. He said he was a boyhood, “Geek before being a geek was fashionable.” His many books are references that are a must for every bookshelf. He is a gentle, polite, and soft-spoken man, but one with a passion, clarity, and eloquence that show through his writing, and promises a keynote address, not to be missed! His areas of mastery and expertise are lengthy, varied, and impressive. If anyone can be called a Pagan Visionary, I would say it is John Michael Greer.

What can you say about your keynote address Friday night at Paganicon?

There are two ways you can take a talk about Paganism and the future. One is what is going to be the future of Paganism, the other is how is Paganism going to deal with the broader future, that is breathing down our necks at this point. I will be talking about both. We are moving into a future that a lot of people are going to find very challenging, especially if they have bought into the attitude, that “Our ancestors were stupid. We are smart, and we are going to go zooming off to the stars.   We know the truth, and no one else has ever done so.” Continue reading →

Deadlines loom for Paganicon

Although Pagan festivals are nothing new to the Twin Cities area, an indoor convention with soft beds, flushing toilets, and central air and heating is.  Paganicon, a three day Pagan convention, starts March 25th.  There are some deadlines coming up that Con organizers would like the community to know about.

Pre-registration for Paganicon ends March 4th.  You can register on-line here.  Once this date passes, you will need to register at the door on March 25th at a higher rate.  Pre-registration is encouraged as there is a cap on attendance.  On;y 250 people can attend this first Paganicon.

If you are planning on staying at the host hotel and wish to take advantage of the special room block rate, you need to make your reservations by March 4th.  More information on hotel reservations can be found here.

The last deadline that Paganicon organizers want you to be aware of is the deadline to request advertising in the program book or
to sponsor Paganicon. This deadline is the same date as the other three, March 4th.

Paganicon organizers say they’ve received more programming submissions then they could find slots for, the vendor area is completely reserved, and several great entertainment acts are scheduled.  If you would like to look at the interactive schedule you can do so here.

What: Paganicon
Where: Doubletree Park Place in St. Louis Park, MN
When: March 25-27
Web: http://tcpaganpride.org/paganicon/