Tag: pagan

Happy Birthday PNC-MN! Two Years of Reporting

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The Pagan Newswire Collective – Minnesota Bureau is two years old!  The Minnesota bureau first posted Community Notes from TCPagans on July 28th, 2010.

So how have we done?

Here are some of the stats for our first two years. We have had over a quarter million page views, averaging 250/day or 4000 -10,000 a month. Twelve of the last 24 months averaged over 7000 readers. On our best day we had over 28,000 readers stop by. We have written 488 posts, an amazing number in two years! We have tripled direct subscribers to 223, added 1800 twitter subscribers and another 750 who follow our Facebook page for posting notices. All of our posts get a fair reading, especially over time. We learned the power of Facebook when one of our top posts went viral on Facebook and we had over 45,000 visits in just a few days. I have to credit Cara for covering many of those stories which skew our stats upward. She has a long background in finding compelling stories that interest Pagans! As the editorial editor, I am really satisfied that over 25 of our editorial articles and interviews have over 500 views. Our content is used as a resource for other news and religious writers across the internet.

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Fargo/Moorhead Pagan Pride kicks of PP Season August 18th

Fargo/Moorhead hosts a HARVEST FESTIVAL Pagan Pride day. August 18th, 2012 from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm at Gooseberry Mound Park (Main Shelter)

Join us as we celebrate  Autumn Equinox ! All events are outdoors Rain or shine! Please bring your own  lawn chairs, blankets, & acoustic instruments for the drumming circle!
Admission Is: Free will donation (Please bring a Non-perishable food item or cash for the Fargo & Moorhead Food Banks)
EVENTS:   LABYRINTH, CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES, INFORMATION TABLES, DRUMMING CIRCLE, PUBLIC HARVEST RITUAL  )O(  P

FREE WORKSHOPS:
Local Paranormal Research Investigator, Pentacles and other Pagan Symbols, Herbs, Lotions, and Potions, Kitchen Witchery, Druidry And more…

For information:
AzureStar @ jannzei3@gmail.com
Heather @ rubyrosewater@yahoo.com
Or  leave message at: 701-346-0123

Website: http://www.facebook.com/groups/FargoPaganPride/

Dawning of a New Day – Editorial

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My wife,  Judy Olson Linde,  and I  appeared as guests this year at the Heartland Pagan Festival near Kansas City, Mo. I wrote this article for their newsletter, which was also published in their festival guide. It is excerpted below;  The theme of the festival was  “Dawning of a New Day” and I was thinking about what it would take for us, as a Pagan Spiritual community, to achieve that dawn.

Guests at Heartland Pagan Festival 2012 – Judy and Nels Linde at far right
photo: Aaron Smith

The Heartland Theme this year  really attracted us to contribute differently this year, as guests. In recent years most Pagan communities, organizations, festivals, and even small groups have experienced some kind of internal turmoil, and so have we. Our easiest reaction to this is to withdraw to personal isolation. We attribute conflict to, “Just politics, Pagans can’t agree on anything”. We may have just stuck our head up and tried to get involved in a community just in time to get it bit off, so back we go into the safety of isolation. If you persist and stay involved in community work you often see the same destructive processes repeated over and over. Working together to build a community of support, something beyond ourselves, can seem a hopeless task.

Respectful disagreement is a sign of change, and can be a motivator toward moving in new directions. When change can be so beneficial, why does it so often end up being harmful to individuals and communities, instead of an opportunity for growth? Is it an essential truth that Pagans working together is like ‘herding cats’? It doesn’t have to be. Working together doesn’t have anything to do with ‘herding’, and, have you ever seen film of a pride of lions hunt? Differences don’t need to be a source of disruption. Diversity of views in decision-making can be a group’s greatest asset.

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NorDCOG Town Hall Meeting Offers Hope For A Future

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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 →

Local Pagans offer Podcasts

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Several area Pagans are producing podcasts. These are sometimes live with call in options, and sometimes prerecorded. The subject matter is wide, and may be of interest to Pagan listeners. Your best bet is to look these up and bookmark upcoming shows that may be of interest to you!  There are doubtless others out there, but I was able to briefly talk with the host of most of these.

“Edge Mysteries & Beyond” with Joseph A. Amara   – Third Saturday of each month 3-4pm

Join Joseph A. Amara, one of the owners of Magus Books, as he discusses the Mysteries of life and spirituality that serve to bring wonder and meaning into our lives. He will highlight new and popular book titles, as well as answer listener questions and conduct interviews with luminaries in the fields of Magick and Mysticism. Joseph, “The show is pretty open ended. We explore ‘Mystery’ which is a wide field. It is a mix of lectures and will begin some interview shows. People can call, or  ‘chat’  in, during the broadcast. Upcoming topics are Neoplatonism, Gnosticism, and Alchemy”

“Sit a Spell “ with Lisa Lee – Every Wednesday night at 6PM CST

Sit a Spell is broadcast from ‘Heaven and Earth Essentials’ in Sauk Center, MN. The show includes both prerecorded and call in shows. The show appears on some FM radio stations nationally.Learn new spells, find out what the craft is really all about all while getting the latest news and reviews about topics that matter to us. The show blends an eclectic mix of conversation, interviews, and live events with recipes and rituals to empower the divine within. Lisa said the focus of the show is, “Empowering people, building them up. Making them feel strong and loved. Trying to displel all the negative stereotypes out there about ‘witches’. I am all about helping our community and what interests people, and am open to show ideas! ”

Circle Craft Study with Selena Fox – Live on Tuesday nights from 8-9 pm central time.
The show will include instruction, invocation, guided meditation, and a time for discussion & call-ins.
Call in number: (347) 308-8222. Shows also will be available for later listening on-line archives at the Pagans Tonight Radio Network site on Blog Talk Radio.

Other upcoming shows include:

Tuesday, April 10: Renewal with the Green Man
Green Man lore, magic & meditation for personal and planetary well-being.

Tuesday, April 17: Earth Day Ritual & Mother Earth Communion
Celebrate Earth Day with this guided ritual & meditation.

Tuesday, April 24: Celebrating Beltane
Old & new ways of bringing in the May. Creating personal & group Beltane rites.

Tuesday, May 1: Beltane Magic
Guided Beltane inner journey & ritual for creativity & inner growth.

The Great North Pagan Podcast  is a monthly broadcast from the Fargo-Moorehead area. Lion Lord produces episodes with an occaisional special broadcast of rituals or other events. The episodes (audio) and special events (video) are available on Youtube.   Lion Lord,  “Content is recorded and uploaded, but we have plans to offer some live podcasts in the future. We have covered the many shops in the area, covered paranormal phenomena, and Pagan rights. In a recent episode we discussed Paganism in the media and Hollywood. We also cover rituals and rites, and did a special of Pagan caroling. We broadcasted live a Ombolc ritual which is also available online.”

Bridging the Gap  – with Wildflower – First Thursdays each month at 8pm Central 

is an ‘as scheduled ‘ podcast to explore bridging the gap between metaphysics, success, and self-discovery. The show is sometimes live, sometimes recorded. Hosted by Wildflower the show both explores metaphysics and also offers tips for things to take away and apply in your personal life. Wildflower, “Listeners will gain new insights and tools to implement these. I recently interviewed Giorgio A. Tsoukalos of the show Ancient Aliens from the History channel, a very interesting discussion.”

“On the Edge…of Everything” with SchaOn & Cathy – Second Sunday of each month 11am-1pm

Join SchaOn and Cathy – as well as a Special Guest – as they talk about the latest news and updates in Holistic Health care .  SchaOn, “ It is a live show with call ins. We talk with a local guest or have an interview about what is happening in our society that affects people’s health. We make the connection between those things that may negatively impact our health and so also impact our spirituality, practice, and capabilities. Good health also involves caring for the Earth and our bodies, and so we ask the questions and seek answers for ourselves about what is best for both.”

Visit Edgetalk radio for several other offerings that Pagans might find interesting!

Nels Linde