Category: Human Interest

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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Final Push for Pagan/Japan Relief Effort

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The fundraising effort by the Pagan community for the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan heads into its final push this weekend.  The goal is set at $30,000 and as of press time, $28,631 has been raised since the effort began on the 14th of March.

Peter Dybing

Peter Dybing, First Officer of Covenant of the Goddess, has set up a fundraising page to gather donations from Pagans to send to Doctors Without Borders to aid survivors in Japan. This organization has teams on the ground in Japan and is setting up medical treatment centers.

Not only is giving to a charity such as Doctors Without Borders in line with Pagan ethics, it’s a way for Pagans to donate as Pagans and be recognized as such. Several well known Pagans have joined Dybing in this effort and echo this sentiment.

Ivo Dominguez Jr, author and owner of Bell, Book, and Candle says this type of public initiative is important for the people receiving the aid and for the Pagan community, “It is needed because many of us have given much and lead lives of service but I often hear us described as uncharitable by people of other faiths.”

Circle Sanctuary Community created a Healing for Japan altar.

Selena Fox, Senior Minister of Circle Sanctuary, agrees with Ivo, “It is important for there to be some Pagan charities that are visibly part of the charity realm.  This gives Pagans an opportunity to work together, and it lets those of other faiths, philosophies and spiritualities know that Pagan charities exist, which in turn, can aid in interfaith understanding and lay the groundwork for future interfaith collaboration.”

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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 →

Sacred Spaces Part 5 – Funding and Sustaining a Community Center

Sacred Spaces is a series that looks at successful examples of modern Pagans creating and maintaining permanent places for worship and fellowship. In this segment, we look at how Sacred Paths Center, a Pagan community center in St Paul, made it through a financial crisis that could have closed its doors and emerged financially sustainable.

In Part 6 of Sacred Spaces, we talk with Sacred Paths Center Executive Director Teisha and Board member CJ Stone about the profound impact the community center has had on the Pagan community in the Twin Cities and why it is worth the effort, sweat, and money to have a place where Pagans can be Pagans.

Previous segments of this series can be seen here:
Part 1 – Temple of the River: Getting started
Part 2 – Temple of the River: Challenges and Construction
Part 3 – Temple of the River: Funding
Part 4 – Sacred Paths Center: Birth of a Community Center