Amateurs show off talent at PSG

The talent show at Pagan Spirit Gathering is an opportunity for amateur singers, storytellers, and poets to perform.  It’s an opportunity for the audience to discover hidden depths in their fellow attendees.

The show took just over an hour and was watched by just under 200 people.  As performers waited their turn some silently rehearsed, others paced nervously, and a few appeared more at ease, joking with those around them.  As most performers exited the stage to appreciative cheers they wore smiles.  One young guitarist said, “That was such a rush. I can’t wait to do something like that again.”

Popular musician Arthur Hinds coordinated and MCed the show since Ed Francis, who’s done the honors for years, was experiencing medical issues.  “I love watching people embrace their own creative spark and over come the fear that is holding them back,” said Hinds, “It is something that everyone should do and I find that quest extremely attractive. Of course, I also enjoy performing art in general, and there is always plenty of good stuff. I thought that this year were quite a few real gems, some of them surprising ones.”

Below is a sampling of the 2012 PSG Talent Show.

Talent shows have become popular events at various Pagan festival including Sacred Harvest Festival which starts on Monday and is located near Geneva, Minnesota.

Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) is one of America’s oldest and largest Nature Spirituality festivals and is sponsored by Circle Sanctuary.  Started in 1980, PSG has been held in locations in Wisconsin, Missouri, and lately in Illinois.

Andras Corban Arthen – Sacred Harvest Festival Guest – Interview

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I can listen to Andras Corban Arthen all day. He has a rich, low voice with the gentle cadence of caring. He has a lifetime of experience in the Pagan community, and the depth of perception and the wisdom of his words keeps you riveted.  He is presenting and performing all next week at Sacred Harvest Festival, near Geneva, Minnesota.  Advance registration closes today, gate registration is available during the event Aug. 6-12th.

Andras Corban Arthen

You are just back from Europe, what were you doing there?

Andras: I go to Europe fairly often, since I have family and friends across the pond (I’m from Spain, originally), and a big part of my work is focused there. This trip served several purposes, the main one being related to a book I am writing, based on one of the presentations I will be doing at Sacred Harvest Festival (SHF) entitled The “Indians” of Old Europe. It looks at the cultures and spiritual practices that were originally called “Pagan” in the context of indigenous traditions from around the world. For over 35 years I’ve been searching for people in Europe who may be keeping alive the remnants of the old ethnic spiritual traditions of their countries, and have found some, both in Eastern and Western Europe, mostly in small, rural, out-of-the-way places where the old languages are still spoken. Most of them do not use the label “Pagan,” though their practices are not Christian and appear to be authentically very old. In some significant ways, they are quite different from what one typically finds in the modern pagan movement, and there are some important things that I think we could learn from them. When I first met these people I hadn’t been planning to publish a book, so before going further with this I needed to go back to touch base with them in person and ask for permission to write about them, their beliefs, and practices. I was able to do that with four of them, and in two of those cases wound up getting more information than I had before, so I’m pretty satisfied on that account.

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Paganistan Weekly; July 30- August 5

It’s just one more week until Sacred Harvest Festival, August 6-12; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

At Sacred Harvest Festival in 2008, I participated in a ritual known as The Sacred Hunt. It is a powerful and transformational ritual. I hunted for community. When I returned from the festival, I began developing the community Calendar at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TwinCitiesPagans/

In order to promote the Yahoo group, I began putting out this newsletter. My goal was never to publish a newsletter, but rather to promote the Yahoo group, but one thing led to another, and here we are four years later, and the newsletter is still going.
Putting out the newsletter just keeps getting to be more and more of a hassle, so after Yule of this year, I am stopping. I will continue updating the Yahoo group, but I will no longer be publishing this newsletter.

I accept that many people rely on this newsletter to stay informed, but 667 of you are already staying informed as members of the Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TwinCitiesPagans/

Follow the Moon: Astrology of intention and mindfulness

by Teri Parsley Starnes

Teri’s interest with astrology lies with helping people see how following a practice of intention and self-awareness leads to a fuller relationship with Mystery. Astrology is a wonderful tool for this. Her weekly column orients readers to the seasonal energy of
each month’s Sun sign in order to set magical/mindful intention for the lunar month beginning at the New Moon.

Each week Teri will write about the unfolding energies that support and challenge our intentions. The ebb and flow of the lunar cycle resides deep in our souls. Through following the phases of the Moon, we remember the natural cycles that guide us.

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