Category: News

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.

UMPA celebrates six years, debates a seventh

As the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance,  a federal 501c4 service corporation, prepares to celebrate their sixth anniversary at their biennial meeting this Saturday, they’re also contemplating if UMPA should disband or if it can be revived through an influx of new members and new leadership.  That question will be discussed while attendees enjoy music, food, and dancing.
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In late 2006 and early 2007, when Pagans across the nation were banding together in the VA Pentacle Rights Quest, the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) was born in the Minnesota/Wisconsin area. It’s conception was sparked by an unlikely source – a local curmudgeonly radio personality named Joe Soucheray.   In December of 2006, Soucheray was reading a news article about the Pentacle Quest on his afternoon show, Garage Logic. While he said that soldiers who gave their life for their country should get whatever they want on their headstone, he did get some mileage out of poking fun at Wiccans. He noted, jokingly, that Wiccans have a PR problem and they need to do something about it.

First, outrage swept the local Pagan community, followed shortly by thoughtful discussion.  “Soucheray was right, we should be doing more,” said Nels Linde, UMPA’s former chairman. “We have a PR problem in that we tend to be quiet people. We don’t get out there and say who we are or what we do. People think we’re out dancing in the woods in robes.”

Nels Linde and Judy Olson (among others) used their years of experience in group leadership and UMPA was born. According to the group’s website, “Our immediate activities focused on this issue, culminating in the Pentacle Rights Ritual at the Minnesota State Capital, in a blizzard on Febuary 24th, 2007. In a short 40 days we organized, produced an informative color brochure, made press contacts, and secured the Capital grounds for the event.”

The ritual, which included the formation of a human pentacle, was well (and favorably) covered by local andnon-local press.  After the VA settled the lawsuit and approved the Pentacle as Gravemarker for Wiccan Veterans, UMPA took up other projects.

UMPA Officer Bress Nicneven says, “We’re still sending solider packages to the middle east, from donations by patrons from Magus Books.  We still clean a stretch of I-35 E twice a year. We do ‘Meals on Wheels’ to the elderly during the holidays – annually. And feed the homeless when we have enough volunteers available.” Nicnven says UMPA is a relevant organization and he’s “excited about the potential that is UMPA, in the months and years to come.”

The organization notes that while over 300 people have been involved with UMPA over the past six years, membership has dwindled and that is prompting leadership to ask members and the community, “… does this mean UMPA is no longer needed? We don’t know. This is an opportunity gather for a great meal, entertainment, and to join in and discuss the future of UMPA; either find some new leadership and participation, or dissolve the organization and pass on any funds raised to another non-profit.”

The festivities this Saturday kick off with a tribal dance performance by Kamala Chaand at 4:15 followed directly by traditional Norse musician Kari Tauring and then the Bourgeois Bohemians, a fusion dance troupe, performs.   The Biennial UMPA meeting starts at 5.30pm where members are encouraged to add their vision for UMPA’s future and elect a new council.  Attendees are invited to enter the Best Chili and Cornbread of Paganistan contest and everyone present gets to sample the entries for dinner.  While entry to the event is free, the meal is a $5 suggested donation for non-UMPA members or free for members.  Everyone is welcome to the event.

Event information:

Saturday Feb. 9th 4-7pm
At the Living Table UCC
4001 38th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55406 – lower level
Handicapped Accessable, two blocks off Minnehaha bus line
Meal $5 by donation or free with UMPA Membership.
Choose the best Chili and Cornbread of Paganistan.
Bring your favorite Corn Bread or Chili to join in the competition (enough to feed 50 people a sample portion)
Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

Pagan Living TV Gains Mainstream Attention

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screenshot of Pioneer Press story from 2/1/13

screenshot of Pioneer Press story from 2/1/13

Freshman venture Pagan Living TV captured attention from mainstream press in its first month on air. The Pioneer Press article noted that the show’s appeal reaches beyond Pagan audiences, reporting,”Todd Berntson’s 58-minute television show has been picked up by a handful of cable access stations around the country, from the St. Paul Neighborhood Network to stations in Spokane, Wash., and East Hampton, Mass.”

The first episode aired on January 4th of this year.

Comments Bernston about the new publicity, “It was nicely done. When I was first contacted by the reporter he wasn’t really sure that there was even a story there. But after I started talking about what we were ding and what this represented he actually started getting very interested.”

Bernston also says that Pagan Living TV sees no cash from stations picking up the program. “We are completely funded through our viewers. We don’t get paid for distribution like we would on a commercial channel.”

PaganLivingTV also launched a campaign to raise funds to upgrade their studio. The organization also has plans to expand distribution. “We have had some interest by a couple satellite stations so hopefully by March or April we will be on satellite dish and on Direct TV as well.”

New Modified Traditional Sweat Lodge for Twin Cities area

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Among the new additions to the Twin Cities community is a sweat lodge. Last week, call went out for supplies to help complete the sweat lodge, which will be housed in the north suburbs.  Coyote Hawk is organizing the effort. He took time to discuss what this sweat lodge means for the Twin Cities community.
Is this the first sweat lodge in the Twin Cities area?

Actually, this is not new. There have been other sweat lodges. One of the first was built in 1994 in the Corcoran neighborhood in Minneapolis.  We had the [Corcoran area sweat] lodge for 8 years.

Coyote Hawk noted that as a result of the sweat lodge success, he knew of at least two sweat lodges that were formed: one at  31st and Bloomington, in a church and another set up by a native-based family.  So we did see an increase in activity for a period of time.

What do you want people to know about exactly why you are doing this again, at this time?

We’re experiencing fairly intense changes at all levels: the earth, levels of consciousness. The web of life is changing.  To prepare ourselves for this next age, we need to gather and do ritual.  This is a larger response from the society and earth.  We are honoring the greater need and call for ritual in community.

People are going back and understanding that we need ritual. They were squatting on sacred ground. Some of the sacred ground is ritual. The ground is not just the building on the hill; the function of the community is  to gather, to heal, and to connect through ritual.  We are giving space for other viewpoints to be expressed (e.g. alternative medicine, yoga, anyone who is working outside the dominant paradigm).

It is important to remember that we are all indigenous people struggling to remember a life that works in relationship to earth and to other beings. This is something that works at a deep level and fulfills us physically and spiritually.

This sweat lodge will help to import consciousness to the sacred masculine and feminine,and harmonizing the two. This is not just about couples, but the individual. Teachings on masculine and feminine polarity are a part of it. Continue reading →

Harmony Tribe Annual Meeting

One of the jewels of the Twin Cities Pagan scene is the organization, Harmony Tribe. Their annual meeting, open to the public, was held on Saturday, October 13, 2012 from 1-4pm at Black Bear Crossings in Como Park.


Meeting highlights included a recap of the past year, including approval of minutes, listing the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, certifying current memberships and renewing memberships for 2013, nominating and electing officers, committee sign-ups and finding a theme for the Sacred Harvest Festival in 2013. New business included a vigorous and often humorous discussion of a variety of potential themes for Sacred Harvest Festival 2013,  confirmation of the date and location for the November Meet-and-Greet and a formal announcement of the agenda for the next council meeting. The meeting began at 1pm with a spiritual opening and ended at 3:42pm.

Some suggestions which did not make the list for Sacred Harvest 2013 include the following:  New or Next Generation, [Member Tasha Rose commented “When I see this I think of a Star Trek convention.”], Discover Wealth by Sharing Wealth, which was panned as sounding like a financial seminar, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. During the discussion, Nels Linde noted that there is a dark moon during the festival next year. This might be a factor in consideration of a theme. Several themes had substantial discussion, however a proposal at the annual meeting to defer a final decision until the October council meeting passed unanimously.

A brief discussion ensued regarding the location and adequate space for the November Meet-and-Greet. The Harmony Tribe Meet-and-Greet has a large attendance. It is when all members come and convince their friends to come and become members. It was agreed that a private home was not appropriate for a Meet-and-Greet since Harmony Tribe is a non-profit organization.  Suggested options ranged from local stores to a park with fire pits and kitchen space to a local church.  A decision was made for members present to look for locations which would fit both the space and financial needs of Harmony Tribe for the November Meet-and-Greet. The final dates are posted on their website    Sat Nov 17th at Magus Books.

One possible innovation for future Harmony Tribe meetings will be the use of Skype or Google Plus to facilitate members who are unable to attend but who can be present via technology. This will be discussed during upcoming council meetings.

After the meeting adjourned at 3:42pm, two Harmony Tribe members, Steward Judy Olson-Linde and Council Member-at-Large Nels Linde spoke candidly about the recent changes in Harmony Tribe and their most successful accomplishment to date:  successful submission of a 501(c)3 application to the Internal Revenue Service. As a charitable organization, this is a necessary component.

Continue reading →