Category: Festivals

Exclusive: ‘New’ Location for Pagan Spirit Gathering Announced

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In a PNC exclusive,  Pagan Spirit Gathering, one of the largest and oldest Pagan camping festivals, announces its ‘new’ location this year.  The site used for the last two years, Stonehouse Park, near Earlville, Illinois came under fire by local residents for loud music festivals and illegal activities.    None of the complaints or arrests have occurred during PSG.  Stonehouse Park was then listed on a sheriff’s sale in June of 2012.  This prompted speculation that  Circle Sanctuary, hosts of Pagan Spirit Gathering, would need to move the festival for the third time in five years.  That speculation was put to rest today when Circle Sanctuary announced Pagan Spirit Gathering 2013 will be held at Stonehouse Farm.  Same location as 2011 and 2012, just a new name and under new ownership.

The sale of Stonehouse Park to its new owner, Daren Friesen, with its accompanying change of name to Stonehouse Farm, was finalized last Wednesday.   A temporary special-use permit, solely for holding PSG, was granted on Thursday, and Friesen is going through the process of securing zoning for long-term use.  Friesen attended PSG in 2012 and is the owner of several yoga studios in the area.

This is not the first time PSG faced uncertainty due to drug charges at a campground by other events not related to PSG.  In 2009, PSG moved to Camp Zoe in Missouri.  In November of 2010 Camp Zoe was shut down by federal authorities after a four-year-long investigation allegedly uncovered rampant drug use and sales on the property.    In 2011, PSG moved to Stonehouse Park.  Then in April of 2012 Stonehouse Park underwent increased scrutiny by area residents, law enforcement, and the DeKalb County Board.

Concerns voiced by community members and law enforcement included loud music late at night, underage drinking, and arrests at two events in 2011 where witnesses say multiple people were selling and smoking marijuana.  Park owners improved procedures at the park and barred the groups responsible from Stonehouse Park.  With only weeks until PSG was set to open, the question of if Stonehouse Park would be able to host festivals or would be shut down was still up in the air as the park’s Special Use Permit, needed to host festivals, was recommended to be revoked.

In May of 2012 PSG’s Sharon Stewart worked closely with Stonehouse Park, county officials and park neighbors to seek a solution allowing PSG to be held as scheduled.  Stonehouse Park was granted an amended special use permit, but the approval came with eleven new conditions and contingencies from the hearing officer and health department and board members warned owners that a single violation could lead to a revocation.

Stewart says that the permit passed in part thanks to local Pagan Spirit Gathering attendees speaking out.  ”During the meetings I attended it became abundantly clear we needed local Pagans involved.  John Dickerman, our Sacred Fire Keeper, Barbara Andree and Ana Bledschmidt with the Crone Temple of Wisdom, and Jim Bledschmidt who will be working with the Sages at PSG this summer came on board and their work was invaluable in this. Then at the meeting last night, my assistant Brian Sather and another local PSG’ers Shawn Skau and John’s wife Caroline were there in support.”

PSG2012 happened as scheduled at Stonehouse Park and boasted  record attendance even with the uncertainty regarding the location. Now that the location for PSG2013 is formally secured, registration is open.

Below is the full Press Release from Circle Sanctuary:

Barneveld, WI – Circle Sanctuary announced today the opening of registration for Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG), to be held on from June 16th – 23rd at Stonehouse Farm Campground in Earlville, Illinois.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be holding PSG at Stonehouse Farm,” said Sharon, PSG coordinator. “This will be our third PSG at this location, and we are excited to work with the new owners of the property to make this event a success and to grow PSG.”

Held the week of the Summer Solstice since 1980, PSG is one of the largest and oldest Nature Spirituality festivals in the United States. Participants come from across the country and internationally to form a joyful and supportive community.

“Our goal for PSG has always been to create a community where like-minded people can meet one another, learn, and develop tools and ideas that they can take home with them to deepen their spirituality in the year to come,” said Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary’s
founder and Executive Director. “This year our theme is ‘Connections’ and we hope to incorporate many ways for participants to connect with Community, connect with the Land and connect with the Divine!”

Throughout the Gathering, there are hundreds of program activities including rituals, concerts, workshops, panels, meetings, intensives, revels, dancing, drumming, firespinning, and bonfires. There are also a variety of youth program activities including specific programming for children, tweens, and teens. In addition, there is leadership training for Pagan ministers and other leaders through the Pagan Leadership Institute. Applications for programming and merchanting are now being accepted at www.circlesanctuary.org/psg.

Registration is open now via http://www.circlesanctuary.org at the “early bird” reduced rate until March 3rd. For more information visit http://www.circlesanctuary.org/psg.

Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids East Coast Gathering 2012

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This article is reprinted, with permission, by John Beckett.  The event was attended by several Midwest Druids, including the Crescent Birch Grove in southeast Michigan.

Now that I’ve told my big story I want to share my impressions of the rest of this year’s Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids East Coast Gathering. This was the third year for this event and the second year for me attending.

The big difference this year was the size: 103 people were registered and I think actual attendance wasn’t much less. Word is getting around the OBOD community that this is a good event and the presence of two “Big Name Druids” was an added attraction. There were people from all over the East Coast (as far south as Florida), the Midwest, Louisiana, Texas, and California, plus one from the Netherlands. And of course, two from England.

Philip Carr-Gomm gives the Chosen Chief’s address

Philip Carr-Gomm gave a Chosen Chief’s address that was more conversation than lecture. Many people expressed the intuition that “something big is coming” – being a UU Pagan as well as a Druid, I added “yes, and it’s our job to help create it!” Philip talked about the major crises of our world and how Druidry is a response many people are finding helpful. He also emphasized OBOD’s religious inclusiveness: there are Pagan Druids, Christian Druids, Buddhist Druids, atheist Druids, and the growing Spiritual But Not Religious Druids. I am undeniably a Pagan Druid and my primary interests are religious, but I agree we should keep our tent as big and as open as possible.

My favorite memory of Sacred Harvest Festival 2012 was…

“Seeing my friends.” Grace

“The poker game.” Duncan

“My husband being crone-slapped in the middle of the morning circle right on his butt in front of the village.” Crystal Blanton

“Learning to say tagalog” (“No” in filipino) Orion

“Being able to have quiet space with Andras [Corban Arthen] and Yeshe [Rabbit] and Crystal [Blanton].” Lisa Spiral

“Having quiet time with my sweetie and then we danced the Rangoli together and I got to play the big drums. It’s been awesome.”  Helga

“Building the energy in the Rangoli, it was amazing. And doing the henna for one of our friend’s handfastings and she did henna on us as well.” Hemunset

“The rangoli. We got to dance around and have fun.” Seth

“Playing the singing bowls and meeting friends like Grace.” Willow

“The people. There is just an incredible amount of simpatico that goes on with the people that I’ve met. This is our first year [attending] and Willow got a chance to celebrate moving into womanhood. For us it’s been a real joy, a departure from living in small town America.” Pete Baker

“Reconnecting with old friends. That’s really special.” Linda Green

“Being with alot of other people I know. It’s nice to see them again.” Gray Cat

“My croning. It was wonderful.” Larksong

“It’s hard to narrow it down. The rangoli was great, the rituals were amazing, the guests of honor were wonderful, and I always love seeing free-range, happy children. This is all-around my favorite festival.” JRob

Restorative Justice II at Sacred Harvest Festival – Editorial

Thursday, August 9th, the second community Restorative Justice (RJ)  circle was held at Sacred Harvest Festival,  a year after the first. The festival was a lot different place this year, it was observable that an immense amount of grief resolution and healing had taken place over a year. A focus on the festival theme of the sacred in our lives, and the power of love, had seemed to replace a sense of anxiety, hurt, grief, and fear that many had felt a year ago.

The Circle was much smaller this year, down to 15 participants, with 6 having their first experience with RJ at this circle. The feelings of the nine who returned were softened,  and reflected a feeling of a return to normalcy, which in this case is defined by the tribal sense of family this festival has generated based on the feedback of thousands of individuals over fifteen years.

Crystal Blanton had offered to facilitate this RJ circle again.  Crystal began with establishing a talking stick. This year she used a personal Phoenix tradition piece because:

“What we are doing in this community. We are rising from circumstances, regardless of what those circumstances have been, and where everybody falls in that. Taking where we are at, and using it as a catalyst to grow into something beautiful and bigger, and in some ways unimaginable.”

Crystal solicited;  “Any questions before we begin?   None were asked.

Crystal Blanton

Crystal:

“We open with two pieces to set the tone for where we have been, and where we are going :”

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence, when mindfulness embraces those we love they will bloom like flowers. “

And from an article: “Contact beyond the Gods”

Crystal read a quote about the spiritual importance of connection, and the connection we all have with each other. Acknowledging the importance of the process we are in, how we integrate the lessons we have learned into our spiritual being, and into the path before us. Not only learning how to work in community, but teaching how to work in community, for our children. Preserving what we have worked so hard for here.

Crystal begins the RJ circle offering two values she brings, asking each participant to state a value they bring to the circle.

Continue reading →

Kirtan from the Heart – Gift to Sacred Harvest Festival

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A Kirtan in Sanskrit means  “praise, eulogy” . It originates in India and has spoken only forms and the more “liberal” Eastern Indian sung forms.  It is a call response form of expression of devotion, and is at its essence a ritual to the Gods.  It is from a world of 100’s of millions of Hindus and some forms of Buddhism, who celebrate their spirituality through the Kirtan. Alliances between these forms of spiritual Pagan expression are flourishing on the West Coast of the USA. Polytheists find more similarities in their worship than the vast cultural differences between Eastern practice and Western Pagans. Relatively new to Midwest Pagans, but becoming increasingly popular in “New Age” and Yoga based communities, the Kirtan movement is growing. Neo-Pagan connections to call and response, and voice based devotional ritual seems a logical extension in the range of Pagan practice.

Sacred Harvest Festival guest, Yeshe Rabbit, brought this workshop as a taste of this form of expression. The workshop guided participants through, “… a magical progression to align body, mind, and spirit.”  I was drawn in and enthralled by the magic of this workshop.  The power of Rabbit’s voice was inspiring to festivants as the sound drifted through the village. The workshop participants were ecstatic afterwards, and bliss enveloped the village for the week. Jai Maa!  *

Gift yourself seven minutes, close your eyes and join in the song as you hear the culmination of what was  over a 90 minute ritual Kirtan.

Listen to Kali Mata – Kirtan From The Heart

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Jai Maa : This is a call to the Divine Mother, ‘Maa,’ a singing of Her glory. Literally, ‘jai’ means ‘victory,’ although we often translate it as ‘hallelujah’ or ‘praises.’ Speaking ‘Jai Maa’ in puja (worship ceremony) is an affirmation of the Divine Mother’s blessings, a chant of gratitude for all Her gifts and the challenges She provides that help us grow spiritually.

Nels Linde