Tag: events

Christopher Penczak – Interview with Paganicon Guest

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Christopher Penczak at Stonehenge

I talked to Christopher Penczak about his appearance as featured Paganicon guest March 16-18th.  He is an energetic, prolific, and well spoken author whose writing have sought to synthesize and integrate many magical concepts with the practice of the Witchcraft.  He is offering three workshops and a ritual at Paganicon, so if you don’t come away understanding his perspective, you have missed out!

Have you visited the Twin Cities area before?

I have! Many years ago, right after I signed with Llewellyn, I spoke at Magus books, and visited. It was right after “Inner Temple of Witchcraft” had come out. I came out a few years later when Llewellyn moved, and believe I again visited Magus, and the Eye of Horus, I think they had just opened.  I am excited about my Paganicon experience, and my first real teaching opportunity in the area.

Tell me about your presentations at Paganicon?

The Awen Symbol

The Three Rays of Witchcraft is from the book I am most excited about, it is from a few books back, the first one released from my own publishing house, Copper Cauldron.  It came to me from a vision, trying to reconcile my own experience differences between Wicca based Witchcraft and more folk-loric based Witchcraft, along with my more Qabalistic side, shamanistic side, and more “New Age” side.  A lot of my influence for the book ‘Ascension Magic’ came from theosophy, New Age, and light worker material which really doesn’t fit into the Witchcraft paradigm. I was experience a schism in my own spiritual practice and this is how it all came together for me. In meditation I experienced an image, a  vision of the Awen, the symbol from Druidic tradition, that was a little bit different. It brought together all these different ideas for me.  I got bolted right out of the meditation. It was a really unique experience for me because nine days later, I had the draft of the book written. It was inspired, and is my favorite book to date. For me it gets into deeper thoughts about magic and Witchcraft. What are we seeking through magic? What is the Witches version of ‘enlightenment’ ? The The Three Rays really deals with the concept of power, and your true will; Love, unconditional love; and wisdom. How do we get to be creatures that can hold love, power and wisdom at the same time?

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Susu Jeffrey – Community Elder Marks Seventy Years at Coldwater Saturday

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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.

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Starhawk Visit Schedule : Mon-Tues Dec 5-6th

Monday, December 5, 2011 at 5  PM
Mayday Books, 301 Cedar Ave. (downstairs), West Bank, Minneapolis
”  Empowering Tools for Challenging Times  ”

From Cairo to Wall Street, all over the world people are coming together to create change, organizing without top-down leadership or hierarchies. In thousands of voluntary groups everywhere, people work together to create everything from community gardens to media to new ways of living. Such circles can be enormously creative and empowering, but they can also be cumbersome and frustrating. Yet when they work well, they liberate our imagination and change the world.

In her latest book, The Empowerment Manual, A Guide for Collaborative Groups,  Starhawk draws on four decades of experience in circles and collectives to show us how to foster connection, clear communication and positive power in ourselves and our groups. She is well-known as a global justice activist and organizer, whose award-winning work and writings-translated into many languages-have inspired many to action.  She has lived and worked collectively for thirty years. 

Starhawk will sign copies of The Empowerment Manual and chat with folks informally.

Join us for a potluck.  Bring some food to share.  

Sponsored by OccupyMN; Women Against Military Madness (WAMM); & MN-WEB (Women’s Earth Brigade)

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Tuesday Dec. 6th:

Empowerment Training Day with Starhawk 8am-5pm. 
This day will be focused on trainings and discussion about core issues facing OccupyMpls, to build a respectful and empowering collaborative group throughout the winter.  The day will include an 8-9 a.m. Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser with a presentation from Starhawk. The rest of the day will consist of Facilitation Training, Teach Ins on various topics, and Open Space for discussing core issues facing OccupyMN. All at Walker Church, 3104 16th Ave. So, in south Minneapolis.  Sponsored by OccupyMN/Minneapolis. New website:  OccupyMinnesota.org.

If you would like to host a breakfast table and for questions Contact Malia at kochikaralove@gmail.com .

  • 7am: Prep for Breakfast-Fundraiser.  Table hosts arrive and help set up.
  • 8-9am: Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser.  30 minutes eat & chat.  30 minute presentation, with a short slideshow about OccupyMpls & Occupy around the world, a story or two from Starhawk, and a few testimonies from people involved with OccupyMpls.  Attendees will be asked to contribute what they can to help cover the cost of Starhawk’s plane-fare, and to OccupyMpls’s general fund.
  • 9:30-12pm: Facilitation Training: (All interested in becoming a facilitator for General Assemblies invited!) What is the Art of Facilitation? How do we improve our skills?  What are some current issues with General Assemblies and how can they be addressed?
  • 12-1pm: Lunch
  • 1-2pm and 2-3pm: Teach-ins:  On various topics, including “Anti-Oppression Awareness”; “Economics Unmasked”; “Art and Community Activism”; and more.  (TBA)
  • 3-5pm: Open Space: Discussion on various core issues facing OccupyMpls, including:
  1. What is the relationship of General Assemblies to Direct Actions? / How are we using Direct Actions as a movement? / Is there a framework for input or feedback pre- & post- actions?
  2. Visioning: What is our goal?  Do we have different goals? Are there Affinity-groups?
  3. Structure of General Assemblies: What is Consensus & how does it work?  What is modified consensus & when is that a better option?  What are blocks & how do address inappropriate use of blocking?
  4. Guidelines & Shaping of “New Norms”… how to build a culture at OccupyMpls that is empowering and respectful?  How do we address conflicts, violence and intimidation?
  • Dinner (location TBA)
  • 7-9pm: General Assembly (location TBA) The “GA” is the governing body of the various Occupy movements.

Sponsored by OccupyMN/Minneapolis.

“God Factory” Art Show Opens Saturday

Roger Williamson with Painting

Roger Williamson of Magus Books and Herbs has a one person art show of his paintings entitled, “God Factory” , Mystery IS Energy… but what does that mean? opening this weekend at The Nicollet.  Comets-ov-Cupid and Jealous Jester will offer live music for the opening reception 7pm Saturday, October 8.  The Nicollet is a spacious relaxed space with fine coffee and food at the NE corner of Franklin and Nicollet Avenues in Minneapolis.  I talked to Roger about his art.

How long have you been painting?

I used to paint way back in school in Coventry, England. Later my father was helping to get me back on the straight, and signed me up for art school in the town we lived. He dropped me there the first day. I wasn’t very impressed with it. For the next six weeks he dropped me there each morning. I would walk in the front door, down the corridor and walk out the side door. He finally got a letter asking where I was… and he asked me where the Hell I had been. I really was in love with rock and roll, so I had spent my time in the south railroad coffee bar. It was the first time I had heard Bo Diddley, and I can still remember that experience. In those days you could go to college free in England. At that time I was totally preoccupied with music, and that continued until my thirties.

I was writing a book and I needed an image of the Lovers tarot card. I had never been happy with the images that were available. My art started from there. I was working in pastels then and did a series on the Enochian workings on the Earth Tablet. I did some automatic drawings about these experiences. It was like this floodgate opened, I couldn’t stop just churning out these pictures. It was almost like an exorcism. This started about thirteen years ago when I really started. It was such a shock when I would get one of these pastels framed, it was so expensive. I switched to oil so when I got one done I could just pound a nail in the wall and hang it up. I transferred my pastel technique to oil and then worked from there.

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Magus Books and Herbs Customer Appreciation Day held Sept 17th 2011

The pagan community turned out in droves to the Magus Books event held to celebrate and thank them for their loyal support over the last 19 years. Free BBQ’ed vittles were served to all customers and passersby and the day was packed with fun. Tarot cards were read, astrology charts deciphered, auras photographed, soothing massages thoroughly enjoyed and … not to be forgotten, fabulous door prizes proliferated the day!

Magus Books and Herbs thanks all of their customers for their support and also thanks the following for their discussion groups and contributions that made it such a fabulous day for all:

  • Alex and Matt for presenting the “TC Solitary Practitioner Tea Time”
  • Bobby Sullivan for the aura photography and aura photography discussion
  • Alferian for the Wander lore workshop
  • Babette Sicard/Mugwort Maggie for the talk on “What Works as a Small Business Owner”
  • The Standing Stones for the discussion comparing “Living the Wheel of the Year … Then and Now”.

A special Thanks and Appreciation goes out to our local artisan vendors who donated items for door prizes! Babs of Mugwort Maggies Apothecary, Ardus of Crescent Moon, Pauline Kabe of Squirrely Girly, Alan Olson, Cathy from The Edge newspaper, Alferian Gwydion MacLir, Marie Booth of Meadowlake Arts, Liz Johnson – herbalist, Mela Amara – shiatsu practitioner, Laurel Redd of Opinicus Soaps, The Standing Stones who catered the event and all others who contributed to our fun day!

Standing Stones outside the Magus Store Front

Nels Linde