Standing Stones Mabon – Interview

I had the honor to attend the Coven of the Standing Stones community Mabon celebration last weekend. This is a private, by invitation event, but those for whom it is needed, or appropriate for, always seem to find an invitation (or you can ask for one). If you ask; “What is this coven known for?” , most would say they excel in the ‘craft’ of the Craft, they put together a solid ritual experience. They are the most welcoming group you will find, and take pride in their diversity and inclusiveness.  Standing Stones has been supportive of many community groups and events over the years, particularly helping the local Covenant of the Goddess raise needed funds for survival a few years back, and ongoing help cleaning the highway with the Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) and raising funds for that group. If you can’t find them at Magus Books offering free classes, look wherever you see Pagan community growing and they are likely somewhere involved!

Standing Stones is a coven of leaders.  I got a chance to corner three of the most visible. Don, John, and Tamara, and ask some questions.

How long have you been doing a community Mabon?
John: This is the eighth year we have held this event as a community Mabon.

How many folks do you have attending?
John:  By our count, close to 120. A pretty good turnout! It’s a large family.

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Why do you hold this event?
John:  It is a way we give back to our community. By giving back some of our bounty, we help build our community. Our community gives to us and we have to give something back.

We started inviting our community to celebrate Mabon with us about eight years ago. About 70 people attended. Some in our community have been at every one. We feel honored by that. We used to hold both a community Ostara and a Mabon, because we liked honoring the balance of light and dark at both times of the year. But they got so large and came up so quickly that we decided it was best to just offer one. We picked Mabon because it is a time of abundance. We thought, let’s feed everybody and pick a time when we can all be outside and enjoy some great weather.

Continue reading →

Eye of Horus joins MNUnited.org

On Wednesday, September 26, the Eye of Horus Metaphysical shop announced through its Facebook page:

“Eye of Horus, as an organization, has officially joined the coalition of Minnesotans United for All Families. Owned by life-partners Thraicie Hawkner and Jane Hansen, they felt the Eye should take a stand for the spirituality and freedom of all.”

Jane shares her thoughts

We know there may be some of you who disagree or who think we shouldn’t “get involved with politics,” but we don’t think of this as a political issue. It is about human rights. At Eye of Horus, we have sought, since our inception, to create a safe place for people of alternative religious views or spiritual paths. It’s our welcoming “vibe” that people like so much.

We consider ourselves privileged and blessed to live in a state and in a city which allows us to support alternative beliefs, create rituals, and sacred spaces like our labyrinth to honor the earth and spirits of this land without hindrance. We don’t tell people what to believe, but we do hold the space which allows for the full expression of Spirit.

In fact, Thraicie and I held our hand-fasting/marriage ceremony in the 2nd floor gallery of the old Eye of Horus location over seven years ago. Our union was blessed by a Priest and Priestess of our faith, and witnessed and celebrated by our birth-families. Although we still don’t have access to the same rights as a legally married couple, it was not unconstitutional, and we can continue to hope that the laws will expand to provide us with the full rights and responsibilities of other couples.

In this time of year, so close to Samhain, I think of the ancestors who have lived here before, whose bones rest in Minnesota, including the Native Two-spirit people and my 2nd generation Norwegian father who gave his blessing to my marriage with Thraicie. It is an affront to them and to the land they have become a part of to insult them by changing the state constitution.

I’m voting NO on the Constitutional Amendment to ban marriage for same-sex couples. By doing so, I hold the space known as Minnesota as sacred space for ALL peoples and their families.

~Jane Hansen

CEO/Creative Director

Eye of Horus, Inc.

We’ve joined over 650 coalition partners

 

Nels Linde

Schulz co-chair on Johnson/Gray 2012 Minnesota presidential campaign

Life Cycle Announcement:

Cara Schulz* has accepted a role as the co-chair in the Minnesota Gary Johnson presidential campaign for 2012. Schulz has actively supported Johnson’s candidacy after initially covering him for PNC-MN, organizing two campaign events, going door to door collecting petition signatures necessary for Johnson to appear on the Minnesota ballot, and soliciting reporters to cover the campaign whenever possible.

Says Schulz of her hopes for the Johnson campaign and her own involvement, “It’s an honor, but a daunting and unpaid one. Governor Johnson is polling at 6% nationally and 5% in Minnesota.” She adds that after a radio campaign that started last week, Johnson ranks in Ohio polls at 11%.

Schulz states that even if Johnson is not elected to the office of President of the United States, his campaign can accomplish a win for those who vote for him. “Johnson, and voters, can still win even if he doesn’t win the election. If Johnson achieves even 5% of the vote, the Libertarian Party can receive millions in federal funding and is treated as major party. This could help break the two party stranglehold we are suffering under. Johnson is also raising important issues like gay marriage being protected under the constitution, the failed drug war, our eroding civil rights, our increasing debt and suspect monetary policy. ”

Johnson runs on a platform of fiscal conservatism and socially liberal views that Schulz states she supports.

He made national news last week for filing suit over his exclusion from the presidential debates, citing violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

*Disclosure: Schulz is an editor for the PNC-Minnesota bureau.

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Paganistan Weekly; October 1-7

Earth House Project of Minnesota will be hosting a Picnic this Saturday in Newell Park. Come on out for a Free lunch. http://earthhousemn.org/notices.htm

This Friday, the Eye of Horus will be hosting the Witches Tarot Release Party with Author/Creator Ellen Dugan: http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Witches-Tarot-Release-Party-with-Ellen-Dugan-p/cls-witchtarot.htm. They have been preparing for this party for months, and it looks like it will be an exciting event.

Of Pagan Interest October 1 through October 14

Of Pagan Interest highlights cultural events in the Twin Cities metro that fall under the extremely broad umbrella of “Pagan interest.”

Monday, October 1
Next Generation of Parks Lecture: Sweet & Salt, Water and the Dutch
6 pm
Location: U of M – Ralph Rapson Hall
Cost: FREE

Vita occulta plantarum (secret life of plants)
Location: Bakken Library and Museum
Cost: $7
Runs through October 7

Oktoberfest
Location: Black Forest Inn 1 E 26th St Minneapolis
Cost: FREE admission
Runs through October 20

It’s Chiming in Normaltown
Location: Midway Contemporary Art 527 2nd Ave. SE Minneapolis
Cost: FREE
Runs through October 6

Sacred Space, Contested Terrain
Location: Katherine E. Nash Gallery 405 21st Ave. S. Minneapolis
Cost: Free

Event Theosophical Society – Anita Collodoro Lecture
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: First Unitarian Society 900 Mt Curve Ave. Minneapolis
Cost: $6

Nature in Proximity
Location: Nina Bliese Gallery 225 6th St. Minneapolis
Cost: Free

Tuesday, October 2
Banned Books Week: Defend Your Favorite
Time: 6:30 pm
East Lake Library – Register Online
Cost: Free

Healthy Eating
Time: 6-8 pm
Northeast Library, Minneapolis
Cost: FREE

Great Decisions: Energy Geopolitics
Time: 1-2:30 PM
Washburn Library, Minneapolis
Cost: FREE

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Time: 2 – 3:15 pm
Location: MIA
Cost: $10

Wednesday, October 3
One Minneapolis One Read: Dakota 38
7-9 pm
Location: Minneapolis Central Library
Cost: FREE

Thursday, October 4
Talk of the Stacks with Naomi Wolf
Time: 7 pm
Author of the Beauty Myth presents her new book, “Vagina: a New Biography.”
Location: Minneapolis Central Library
Cost: FREE

Dead and Undead
“Find out how rabies is related to the mythologies of vampires and zombies, satisfy your urge for real human brains, explore reanimation through electrical shock, learn how to mummify a chicken and taxidermy a squirrel, watch out for the flesh eating beetles, and see the new Lost Egypt exhibition before it opens to the general public.”
Time: 6 pm – 11 pm
Location: Science Museum of Minnesota
Cost $15, $21 with Omnitheatre ticket

Friday, October 5
Twin Cities Oktoberfest
Time 4 pm through 11 pm, October 5 & 6
Location Progress Center MN State Fairgrounds 1265 Snelling Ave N
Cost: $25 admission

Saturday, October 6
Make Green Cleaning Products
Time: 12:30 pm – 2 pm
Location: St. Anthony Library
Cost: Free
Register online

Slutwalk Minneapolis
Time: 5pm – 9 pm
Location Father Hennepin Bluffs
Cost FREE

Friday, October 12
Zinnia Folk Arts – What is the Day of the Dead?
Location Zinnia Folk Arts, LLC 826 West 50th St Minneapolis, MN
Time 6:30 pm
Cost: Free admission

Saturday, October 13
Lost Egypt Exhibit
Location Science Museum of Minnesota
Time: Check museum hours
Cost $13