Category: Happenings

Keys of Paradise: a growing local Pagan business

Keys of Paradise LLC, a local Pagan-owned business, is moving into a larger production facility in the old Hamm’s Beer Brewery in East Saint Paul. Their new 1358 square feet facility offers space for production, a meeting room, a healing space, classes, and their main offices.

“There is a lot of work to do, but it’s coming along great. We should be done in the next couple weeks. We’re almost done painting and putting up the walls.” said Co-owner Cameron Cegelske ,  “We were operating out of several rooms in my house for the longest time; however in late December we moved into this new space and have been working on getting it set up. It just outgrew my house.” Continue reading →

Malidoma Somé at Augsburg College Fri-Sat Feb 11-12th

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Malidoma

Malidoma P. Somé – Author, West African elder, professor will be speaking at Augsburg College,  Haverstein Chapel,  Foss Center on Friday, February 11, 3:30-5 p.m.  and  Saturday, February 12, Noon-1pm.  More info about this FREE event at:  www.augsburg.edu/convo or call 612.330.1104.

Malidoma Somé is an initiated elder in his village in Dano,  Burkina Faso,  W. Africa. He travels throughout the world carrying a message of hope, healing, and reconciliation through the powerful tools of ritual and community building. He holds a PhD from the Sorbonne in Paris and from Brandeis University.

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Paganistan Community Notes; February 7-13

Next Saturday night (February 12) will be the annual Bread & Brew competition at the Sacred Paths Center following their annual meeting. Bread! Brew! Pagans! That sounds like the basic recipe for a good time. http://sacredpathscenter.com/?page_id=1065

TC Pagan Pride normally has a booth at GLBT Pride, however this year none of the leadership is available that day, and they’re busily organizing Paganicon. This means that there will not be a clear representative of the local Pagan community passing out fliers from the myriad of different local Pagan originations (as Pagan Pride has done). Is there another Pagan group who would like to take up the Pagan banner at GLBT Pride? Please contact info@tcpaganpride.org and they will be happy to share all they know about working a booth at GLBT Pride.

This community has a huge Heathen population, but so far no heathen workshops have been submitted for Paganicon. If you’re a Heathen attending Paganicon, and you’d like to present a workshop, please go to: http://tcpaganpride.org/paganicon/programming

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Pagan Spirit Gathering Returns to the Upper Midwest

After an absence from the Midwest for over ten years, PSG, is back! At about a 7 hour drive from the Twin Cities, it will likely tempt those who have attended local festivals that have sprung up since previous site moves. The SE Ohio Wisteria, and Southern Missouri Camp Zoe locations represented about 730, and 850 mile drives, from Minneapolis.

In difficult economic times, festival attendance around the country was generally down in 2010. PSG has long had a loyal following wherever it has moved, and the new site will certainly draw more from the Chicago area. Confronting the classic dilemma, Pagans with either a shortage of time, or funds, will have a more difficult choice in the Midwest this year!

From Circle’s Press Release:

Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG), a week-long national celebration of Summer Solstice & Community, has a new site.

PSG 2011 will be held June 19-26 at Stonehouse Park, a beautiful, rural historical re-enactment campground near Earlville in Northern Illinois, about 80 miles west of downtown Chicago.
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Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

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Like most Minnesotans I was unable to watch the lunar eclipse take place due to thick cloud cover.  Likewise, due to that same cloud cover, I was unable to see the Sun reborn this morning.   I’ll have to settle for watching it second hand on youtube.

In some Pagan traditions Winter Solstice day is a time of omens that tell what will happen during the coming year.  The day is seen as a parallel for the year, with the dawn showing how the year will start and sunset showing how it will end.  Any changes in weather, clouds, wind, bird sightings, and even things such as money found on the ground or an overheard bit of conversation are carefully recorded along with the time of day that the omen occurred.  This time line of events is then related to the months of 2011, similar to a horoscope.

Others are honoring the god Freyr for Yule, spending the day eating a ham, hanging holly, mistletoe and exchanging gifts.  Or perhaps you are celebrating the Saturnalia or Sol Invictus.  Most Pagans are celebrate the Winter Solstice as one of the eight Sabbats, when the god is re-born by the mother goddess.

I am celebrating the Heliogenna, a holy time of somber remembrance and exuberant joy as Dawn leads a re-Born Helios across the sky once more.

My your Solstice day be a joyous one, filled with family, friends, and good food – and my all your omens be positive ones.