Sacred Harvest Festival is this week. For many people around here, Sacred Harvest Festival is just the big local Pagan festival. Many do not realize how uniquely important Sacred Harvest Festival is.

Years ago, I traveled to many Pagan festivals. I wanted to explore what it was to be a Pagan, and meet as many Pagans as possible. What I found was that at many Pagan festivals, people drank mead, drank other alcohol, had sex, and generally had a really good time. Sure there were workshops and rituals, but they were rarely well attended. Mostly Pagan festivals seemed like fun social gatherings.

Then I attended Sacred Harvest Festival. I didn’t attend the ritual, and what I saw was a mostly empty camp. Almost everyone else had gone to the ritual. People actually attended workshops also, and the quality of workshops was excellent. I saw children with families, where they were actually behaving as families. There was some mead, but very little drunkenness, despite the fact that the quality of the mead was superior to what was found at many other festivals. It was clear that Sacred Harvest Festival was special. I found it to be so significant that I wanted to be a part of the community which made this festival happen, and moved to the Twin Cities because of this experience.

By the time you read this, I will probably be at Sacred Harvest Festival. There are many in this community whose lives have been positively impacted by Sacred Harvest Festival. Many things have begun there, local political movements, friendships, events, and pregnancies. It is a fertile place for many purposes. Many seeds are planted and much grows. It is an important event. http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

Change of topic: One thing which grew out of the experience at Sacred Harvest Festival is the local Pagan community calendar at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TwinCitiesPagans/ After December 21st of this year, the focus will return to the Yahoo group as this newsletter ends. The Yahoo group has always been the source for this newsletter, and it is time to return the focus to the source.

** EVENTS THIS WEEK **

MONDAY; August 6

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

Cross Quarter (Lughnasad) at 9:26pm

TUESDAY; August 7

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

7pm Living Astrology Chart Clinic; http://www.meetup.com/Minneapolis-Astrology/events/vqtnqyqlbkb/

7pm Twin Cities Solitary Practioner’s Tea Time at Magus Books & Herbs; http://www.meetup.com/Twin-Cities-Solitary-Practioners-Tea-Time/events/52904872/

WEDNESDAY; August 8

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

6:30pm Minnesota Heathens Moot at Diamond’s Coffee Shop

8pm Introduction to Thelema at the Eye of Horus; http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Thelema-Class-p/cls-25.htm

THURSDAY; August 9

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

5pm Community Drum Jam at Living Waters Market; http://livingwatersmarket.com/Events.html

6:30pm Briar Patch American Tribal Style® belly dancing classes at the Eye of Horus; http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/ATS-Belly-Dance-Intro-p/cls-cw100.htm

7pm Minneapolis Astrology Meetup; http://www.meetup.com/Minneapolis-Astrology/events/64824212/

7pm Bi Salon, A New Bi Discussion Group; http://www.facebook.com/events/269035426525954/

FRIDAY; August 10

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

Breath of the One: 5 Rhythms Tribal Experience at The OM Collective; http://www.meetup.com/Shamantra-Meetup-Group/events/73907052/

8:30pm Irish Fair of Minnesota; http://www.facebook.com/events/343225962402133/

SATURDAY; August 11

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

10am Shamanic Forgiveness; http://www.meetup.com/lhsc-mn/events/63555232/

10am Million Women Drum Circle at the Women’s Drum Center; http://www.womensdrumcenter.org/wdc/classes-and-workshops/million-women-drum-circle

7pm Eye of the Boar Healing Circle at the Eye of Horus; http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Healing-Circle-p/cls-healc.htm

SUNDAY; August 12

Perseids Meteor Shower

Sacred Harvest Festival; http://harmonytribe.org/content/sacred-harvest-festival-2012-our-fifteenth-year

This week we have two local festivals on the calendar:
Northern Folk Gathering: June 14-17; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179255092128922
Earth House Midsummer Gather: June 17-24; http://www.earthhousemn.org/

Camp Fire is this week at Harmony Park, June 15-18. Check it out at http://www.campfireretreat.com/

Tony Burroughs Law of Agreement book tour will be in St. Paul on June 13 at the Como Lake Bed and Breakfast to talk about his latest book, and to host an Intenders Circle. http://www.highestlighthouse.com/events/minneapolisMN.html

The Sharon Knight concert at the Eye of Horus is almost here: June 22; http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Sharon-Knight-Winter-Live-at-Eye-of-Horus-p/tix20120622.htm

The Yahoo group calendar is down right now, so there’s no list of events this week. Hopefully it will be up soon at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TwinCitiesPagans/cal

Reading this newsletter automatically makes you a community insider.

Memorial Day there will be a special ceremony to honor Pagan soldiers at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. To help find the servises, you can find maps to the grave sites: Jason Schumann (Section T, Site 3677) http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGLMap?ID=7696304 and Daniel Ernest Schrankler (Section MemD Site 123)
http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGLMap?ID=7687133 . Learn more at https://pncminnesota.com/2012/05/27/memorial-day-event-honors-pagan-veterans/

The ancestor shrine and library which had been hosted at the Sacred Paths Center have now been moved to Keys of Paradise. You can read about it at https://pncminnesota.com/2012/05/23/spc-ancestor-shrine-and-library-find-new-home/

Many of us are very excited about the June 5th Transit of Venus across the sun. It is very rare and will not happen again in our lifetimes. There will be a gathering 6:30pm at Powderhorn Park.

The Eye of Horus is sponsoring two upcoming concerts. Sharon Knight June 22 at The Eye of Horus http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Sharon-Knight-Winter-Live-at-Eye-of-Horus-p/tix20120622.htm. Wendy Rule July 5 at Patrick’s Cabaret with special guest Kari Tauring http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/242893. Wendy Rule will also be teaching a workshop at the Eye of Horus July 3 http://shop.eyeofhorus.biz/Ritual-Music-Meditation-Workshop-p/cls-wrmed.htm

The Eye of Horus will also be celebrating International Fairy Day, June 24, with a tea from 5-7pm, and special prizes for people who join the festivities in appropriate costume.

This Friday is the one day per year when people can actually go up Witch’s Hat Tower.
Annually on the first Friday evening after Memorial Day Weekend, is the only day of the year that the Tower Observation deck is open to the public.
http://www.pperr.org/events/icecream-social.html

Tony Burroughs Law of Agreement book tour will be in St. Paul on June 13 at the Como Lake Bed and Breakfast to talk about his latest book, and to host an Intenders Circle. http://www.highestlighthouse.com/events/minneapolisMN.html

There will be another showing of the The Naked I: Wide Open, filled humorous, honest and true stories by transgender/gender non-conforming individuals and allies, exploring gender identity far beyond the land of “male” and “female”. There will be four performances: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday – June 13-16 at 730pm at Intermedia Arts. Reserve tickets at http://tctwentypercent.org/season.html

Camp Fire is coming, June 15-18 at Harmony Park. Check it out at http://www.campfireretreat.com/

These newsletters aren’t very long, but they sure are full of information.

The Sacred Paths Center needs help closing up. If you are in the area Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, please stop by and assist.

The Sacred Paths Center needs help moving the library and ancestor shrine to Keys of Paradise. You can call 612-293-5397 for more information and to volunteer. The really great news here is that Keys of Paradise has agreed to host the library and ancestor shrine!

In the course of just one month, with the closing of the Sacred Paths Center and Shadow Lights Minnesota, we are going from having 5 local metaphysical shops to having 3 metaphysical shops. This emphasizes the importance of supporting your local metaphysical shops.

Magus Books & Herbs
1309 1/2 4th St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
http://www.magusbooks.com/

Eye of Horus
3012 Lyndale Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
http://www.eyeofhorus.biz/
http://eyeofhorusbooks.com/

Keys of Paradise LLC
713 Minnehaha Ave E, Suite 111, Saint Paul, MN, 55106
http://www.keysofparadise.com/