Paganistan Weekly; June 4-10

June 4, 2012June 4, 2012

The Walker Community United Methodist Church burned down. This was a gathering place for many progressive groups, and its loss is mourned by many in our community. You can read more about it at https://pncminnesota.com/2012/05/30/walker-church-a-community-commons/

Transit of Venus is Tuesday. This wont happen again in your lifetime. There will be a gathering in Powderhorn Park at 6:30 to note this significant event.
Transit Begins at 5:04 pm
Ingress Interior Contact 5:22pm
Transit Center 8:27pm
Sunset at 8:57pm (viewing ends for us)
Egress Interior Contact 11:32pm
Transit ends: 11:50pm

The Eye of the Boar coven will be featuring a singing bowl workshop this Saturday at their monthly free healing Circle. Stop by the Eye of Horus Saturday between 7pm & 9pm to experience these good vibrations.
Continue reading →

NorDCOG Town Hall Meeting Offers Hope For A Future

April 17, 20123 Comments

A Town Hall meeting took place to discuss the possible closure of Northern Dawn local of the Covenant of the Goddess ( NorDCOG), Saturday at Walker Church. The NorDCOG First Officer said the meeting helped the long established group determine what it needs to do to survive and remain viable.

Northern Dawn Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess was founded in 1982 by three covens; Minnesota Church of Wicca (MnCoW), Prodea, and Rowan Tree. NorDCOG has been continually hosting public sabbats since Samhain of 1982, and has hosted the COG national gathering (Merry Meet) twice.

In the call for this town hall meeting the problem was stated as, “As a foundational and networking center we can be proud of our contribution to the success of Paganistan. But the success of the community has not been the success of Northern Dawn. With so many options for community involvement, and what may be seen as some barriers to entrance, participation in Northern Dawn’s leadership has dwindled over the years to the point that today its future is uncertain. “

The immediate cause for the meeting was the lack of participation that has become a crisis in functioning as an organization. Several board positions are unfilled, including a ritual officer, so no public rituals have been planned. Meetings have been unable to meet quorum standards, and this has prevented NorDCOG to conduct business or consider active solutions to be considered and enacted, including possible changes to the bylaws. As a local of the national organization, mandates of operation are also in place that may pose a conflict in some considered changes within the organization. Continue reading →

Susu Jeffrey – Community Elder Marks Seventy Years at Coldwater Saturday

December 8, 20111 Comment

Highway 55 encampment, Susu's birthday 1999

Susu Jeffrey is an elder in many spheres, and in our Pagan community. She is a visionary, writer, and poet. She is a percussionist, singer, and ritualist. A social activist and advocate for human, water, environmental, and Native American rights. Once a reporter for a major daily, she has contributed to PNC-Minnesota. This month Susu turns seventy and invites you to join her celebration!

Come to Susu’s 70th Birthday Party at the entrance to COLDWATER SPRING Sat., Dec. 10, 2011, from 2-4 PM.
Bring a biodegradable vision gift for the last natural spring in Hennepin County-to tie onto the 30-foot locked fence. Coffee, hot chocolate & ice- cream-cake: Full Moon-traditional group howl!

Coldwater is between Minnehaha Park & Fort Snelling, in Mpls. From Hwy 55/Hiawatha, turn East (toward the Mississippi) at 54th Street, take an immediate right, & drive South on the frontage road for a half a mile past the parking meters, to the cul-de-sac. Dress for the outdoors.
www.FriendsofColdwater.org … BYO Chair !

I interviewed Susu today. Many know her, but many also don’t know much about her. Susu can be maddeningly irritating, persistent, loving, and deeply profound all in the same conversation. However she makes you feel, you know she has wisdom. I usually include my questions, but with Susu just state a subject, and she will share her thoughts!

Susu:

I have three degrees, five books, and thirty or forty non violence civil disobedience arrests. My first Pagan gathering was in 1979. It was a Pan Pagan gathering and it was like coming home, ya, this is what I believe. I asked my mom when a child, “What do you believe in?”, and she said, “I don’t know honey, I guess the sun”. My parents didn’t believe in a deity, you would call ‘god’, but they did believe in social justice. My father was in Congress, and I am very proud of what they both did, particularly my father. He was in Congress in 1942-44, one term, and he was one of the authors of the GI Bill of Rights. He was a poor kid, his parents were gypsies. They had no social standing at all. He put himself through school and became a lawyer who always remembered his roots. He always said, “You know honey, if you haven’t given away more money that you are allowed to on your income tax, you haven’t given away anything.” I grew up in the era of being part of a community, with the ethic of accepting obligations in being a part of a community.

Continue reading →

DC Pagan Community Center Set For Year End Opening

October 14, 2011October 14, 20111 Comment

The Open Hearth Foundation has secured a space for the District of Columbia (DC) Pagan Community Center. I interviewed Iris Firemoon, foundation board member, about the securing of a space and the Community Center launch planned for December 31^st.

Are you excited at the prospect of the DC Community Center opening?

DC Community Center Space photo: Capital Witch

We are very excited! We signed a lease at the end of September, and took possession of the space on October 3^rd. We have been hitting the ground running since then. Our official launch will be December 31^st of this year, and we will have a launch party.

How did you put this all together?

photo: Capitol Witch

The Open Hearth Foundation was founded in 1999. Several groups, area leaders , and individuals came together and decided that they needed a space that could accommodate the kind of work that a lot of Pagan groups do. We need a space where we can stay past midnight; where we aren’t worried about out drums being too loud; we are not worried about inviting strangers or the public to our home and to putting our address on the internet; where we can store the things that a group may need. They noted all these things and built a framework for what they wanted in a Pagan Community Center. Over the last 12 years we have been raising the money to get there. Continue reading →

Magus Books and Herbs – 19 years of Service – Interview

September 16, 20112 Comments

Magus books is celebrating 19 years serving the Twin Cities this month. Join them tomorrow, Saturday Sept 17^th from 10am-5pm for Customer Appreciation Day at Magus Books & Herbs. FREE BBQ’d Vittles catered by Standing Stones Coven , Tea Sampling, Door Prizes, Grab Bags, Tarot, Aura Photos & other fantastic specials. Talks & Discussion will be happening through-out the day.

I talked to Roger Williamson about the history of the store. Provoking Thoughts and Expanding Horizons since 1992! is your website tag line, what does that mean to you?

We feel that in society a lot of people aren’t encouraged to go out and pursue their dreams. They may not be aware of all the opportunities open to them. I would like to think Magus helps promote that idea, magical philosophy, that you can be anything you want to be. We try to appeal to open-minded people, who feel all belief systems are valid. We should respect all points of view, even if they happen to be contrary to our own.