SHF Series – Childrens’ Play “Sleeping Beauty” with Pagan Twists

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The Kids’ Cauldron performed an old classic with modern Pagan updates to an appreciative audience Tuesday night.

The story is one we are all familiar with. A King and Queen hold a party to celebrate the birth of a long desired child and all the fairies of the realm are invited to bestow gifts on the young girl except one. That fairy, angry at not being invited, curses the child to die at age 16. The curse cannot be changed, but a fairy is able to alter it to something less dire – Sleeping Beauty will prick her finger on a spinning wheel at age 16 and fall into a deep sleep that can only be broken by her true love.

That may have been what attendees at Sacred Harvest Festival were expecting, but what they got was something more up to date and in line with Pagan sensibilities.

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Recognition Ceremony for Elder Ken Ra

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A Recognition Ceremony to acknowledge Ken Ra ‘s nearly forty years of service to our community is scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 14th, at 3:00pm in Harmony Park, near Geneva, MN. The ceremony will consist, in part, of testimony and offerings by many of his students and friends describing Ken’s dedication and service, and in his honor. A potluck celebration will follow. Located about an hour from the South Metro, guests can arrive after noon. This event takes place within Sacred Harvest Festival’s last full day, however guests will not be charged admission to attend this celebration.

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Election 2010 – Minnesota Primary Vote Tuesday

To comply with new federal regulations, Minnesotans vote in their first ever August primary – Tuesday, August 10th.  Experts concerned with how expected low voter turnout could impact the general election results in November.

September primaries have been a tradition in Minnesota since 1939, but passage of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act forced state lawmakers to move to an earlier date.  This law helps ensure that votes cast  by military members and other US citizens living abroad have time to be counted back home. All states must now provide at least a 45-day window between the primary and general election to accommodate absentee voting.

Some political experts predict the change in date will negatively impact voter turnout with some expecting a turnout as low as 12%.  The two main reasons given for why the expectations are lower this election are a decreasing sense of party loyalty and August being the most popular time of migration to cabins and lakes.

In Paganistan many of our community members are at the Sacred Harvest Festival.  The festival opened Saturday and attendance appears to be higher this year than last year.

According to Justin Lindquist, “I got there right at noon on Saturday and there were already more tents set up than last year.  Definitely more people are attending this year.”

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Minnesota Pagan Festival Starts this Weekend

August 7th – 15th members of the PNC-Minnesota will be attending and providing interviews and news coverage of the Sacred Harvest Festival – an Earth-based spiritualist camping festival held in a private campground located in southern MN.  I have to confess, attending the Sacred Harvest Festival with its active, close-knit community and excellent workshops and entertainment is one of the highlights of my year.  Add to that magnificent old oak trees, a secluded feeling location, and cool breezes from a picturesque lake and it is very much like how I picture Elysium to be.

To give a preview of what attendees can expect at this year’s festival the PNC spoke with Benjamin Davis, President of Harmony Tribe.  Harmony Tribe is the the 317A non-profit volunteer group that organizes the Sacred Harvest Festival.

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