Tag: Sacred Harvest Festival

Pagan Sweats – News? No, an Interview!

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Jim Esralian, and Karen have been leading Sweat Lodge ceremonies at Sacred Harvest Festival (SHF) for many years. He is so unassuming many don’t know his connection to this ceremony. I interviewed him at SHF.  He first off declared proudly he was Armenian, “A conquered people as well”.

Traditional Sweat Lodge

You have a pretty deep connection to Native American traditions?

Back home I live in central Michigan, near the Saginaw Chippewa reservation. In addition I have become friends with folks from Turtle Mountain reservation, and other places, that have brought traditions from that area, to Michigan. They are actually mixed traditions themselves. They are combinations of Metis, Cree, Ojibwe, Ashinabe, and Lakota. A lot of the medicine that was passed down was already fairly multi-national. Turtle Mountain is in North Dakota, in an area where several tribes border each other and their cultures inter-mingled. People came from that area bring with them what is called the ‘Thirsty Dance’, very similar to a “Sun Dance”. They also brought some of the Lodge traditions, as well as some of the songs. Continue reading →

Celia, on the Road at Sacred Harvest Festival – Interview

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Celia Farran, singer, songwriter, actress, and storyteller who dishes up the most delicious concoction of the silly and the sacred, performed  at Sacred Harvest Festival on Tuesday, August ninth . I got a chance to talk to her the next day.


What have you been up to since you last appeared at Sacred Harvest Festival?

I have been working really hard, really hard. I have been consistently putting out Cd’s

Do you have your own studio?

I have my own studio now. The first CD I did on my own equipment was ‘Alabaster in Blue‘, which the song ‘Symbol‘ is on. I’ve done everything else myself since. I do the recording and then have someone else mix and master it. My most recent CD, ‘Carry Me Home‘ , I did all the recording, engineering, and the mixing, and the mastering. The learning curve is steep, a whole other hat to wear. Continue reading →

Festival Fashion

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You may not think of the grass at a festival as a high fashion runway, but Pagans do have style and there are fashion trends spotted at festivals. The #1 trend at Sacred Harvest Festival this year was hair ornamentation.  Complex braids, bright flowers, feathers and head scarves all replaced the trend from former years of having very natural, flowing hair.  Also, tie dye is out, tribal and Oriental patterns are in.

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The best thing about Sacred Harvest Festival was…

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Short Takes

As Sacred Harvest Festival went along I jotted down random thoughts about the festival and what was happening around me.

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…it’s one of The Mysteries

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When Pagans talk about The Mysteries, we are describing an experience that, by it’s nature, can’t be described.  These aren’t secret things, Mysteries could be talked about in great detail and yet you would never understand them unless you were there.  All kinds of things happen during Mysteries that set you up for The Moment.  Some word or action or sight or smell suddenly sends a profound shock through your soul that continues to resonate long after the incense has cleared.

I’m just back from Sacred Harvest Festival and I can tell you, this festival was one of The Mysteries.  I didn’t realize it until today at the last morning meeting.

I had had a perfectly delightful festival experience, perfect weather, good friends, lots of food.  Yet I experienced that shock to my soul that signaled I was taking part in a Mystery all 9 days long and didn’t realize it until this morning.  All these little moments – a conversation, the rustle of the oak leaves, a compassionate glance from Crystal Blanton, campfire smoke, sunrise the color of Star Foster’s hair, drums beating, holding  my husband’s hand as we head to a ritual, laughing at a huge knit penis – were steps along the road to Eleusis.

A wristband to enter the festival or an ear of corn reaped in silence?

I could write all about those moments, you’ll read about some of what happened at the festival over the next few days, but unless you were there you won’t understand The Mystery I experienced.  Likewise, I can fill you in on the morning meeting, my “ear of corn reaped in silence” moment – but your soul won’t vibrate when you hear about it.  I can show you a grimy, tattered wristband that I wore all 9 days, but your eyes won’t tear up in humble gratitude like my are.

At the morning meeting we honored a young man and gave him a spear.  We thanked the Harmony Tribe board members, past and present.  We auctioned off the green penis.  Listened to a few songs.  Found out that we honored a Hindu Goddess on the same night as millions of Hindus were also honoring her.  Received a personal message from another Goddess.  Held back tears, laughed, hugged.  And then realized we were all leaving this place and these people.

Yes, I will see many of the people who attended SHF over the course of the year.  I’ve seen them before and I’ve attended SHF many times before.  I’ll be back to Harmony Park (where the festival is held) again.  But I will never again be in that place with those people.

But I will carry that glimpse of The Mystery with me always.