Pagan Community Notes is a series focused on news originating from within the Pagan community. Reinforcing the idea that what happens to and within our organizations, groups, and events is news, and news-worthy. My hope is that more individuals, especially those working within Pagan organizations, get into the habit of sharing their news with the world. So let’s get started!
Pagan Spirit Gathering Announces Location for 2013: Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG), a Midwest Pagan festival that’s been running for more than 30 years, and broke attendance records last year, has announced that their festival will be held on the same lands in Illinois as the previous year, albeit under new ownership.
Solstice Fire at Pagan Spirit Gathering
“We are absolutely thrilled to be holding PSG at Stonehouse Farm,” said Sharon, PSG Manager. “This will be our third PSG at this location, and we are excited to work with the new owners of the property to make this event a success and to grow PSG.” [...] “Our goal for PSG has always been to create a community where like-minded people can meet one another, learn, and develop tools and ideas that they can take home with them to deepen their spirituality in the year to come,” said Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary’s founder and Executive Director. “This year our theme is ‘Connections’ and we hope to incorporate many ways for participants to connect with Community, connect with the Land and connect with the Divine!”
Stonehouse Farm was previously Stone House Park, whose owners had come under fire from locals over noise and complaints about illegal activity. This was the second PSG site to suffer from such complaints, though they never originated from Pagan Spirit Gathering. PNC Minnesota has the full story about the sale at their site. With the site secured for another year, registration is now open!
Cherry Hill Seminary Joins Youtube: Wendy Griffin, Ph.D., Academic Dean of Cherry Hill Seminary, has alerted me to the official launch of their Youtube account for the Pagan seminary. It will, in the words of Dr. Griffin, be used “to show people the caliber of teaching our students receive.” The first video in this new series is a talk by Sabina Magliocco, Ph.D. (who has gotten quite a bit of attention here lately) entitled “Folklore, Culture & Authenticity.”
2012 saw two major accomplishments for the Pagan learning institution: the awarding of its first Master of Divinity in Pagan Pastoral Counseling, and graduate, Sandra Lee Harris having her credentials examined and accepted by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc., the credentials-examining body for the Association of Professional Chaplains. No doubt 2013 hold even more in store for them as they journey towards accreditation and partner with The University of South Carolina for the “Sacred Lands and and Spiritual Landscapes” symposium.
The Pagan Voice Holds Fundraiser: Pagan Living TV, a non-profit media organization that seeks to create a world “where Pagan spirituality and philosophy is an influential voice in mainstream culture,” has launched a new IndieGoGo campaign for their weekly video news program “The Pagan Voice.” Dr. Todd Berntson, Executive Director of The Pagan Voice, said in a press release that the money raised will be used “to fund the purchase of equipment and build-out of our new studio space.”
“Up to this point, we have relied on borrowed equipment that is not well-suited for television production, such as digital cameras, cheap floodlights, and a mix of whatever microphones we have available to us at the time. This has made the production process very challenging and stressful. In order for The Pagan Voice to continue to grow, it is necessary to have the proper equipment.”
They are trying to raise $33,500 in 40 days, an ambitious sum for a newly launched organization and media outlet. Still, you never know, they have certainly raised the bar in production values for Pagan-oriented video programs, so perhaps The Pagan Voice will find the supporters it needs now. Check out the perks, and how they plan to spend the money raised, here.
In Other Community News:
- The New York Pagan podcast has posted the second and third parts in the four-part Pagan Way 40th Anniversary Lectures. The first part, “New York Pagan History: How We Got to Where We Are Today, “ featured Margot Adler, author of “Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America,” and Michael Lloyd, author of “Bull of Heaven: The Mythic Life of Eddie Buczynski and the Rise of the New York Pagan.” The newly posted talks are “Male/Female Polarity in Paganism: Do We Need It?” with Gary Suto and Lady Rhea and “Walking the Talk – Pagan Ethics, Spirituality, and the Environment” featuring Silkie O-Ishi of the Grailwood Coven and Courtney Weber of the Novices of the Old Ways.
- Kenny Klein has published a new book entitled “A Teen’s Eye View of Men’s Spirituality” that “lays out – in simple, easy terms – the history, basic beliefs, and major benefits of a number of world religions. It has a simple, no-nonsense approach that will appeal to those who are seriously seeking a connection to The Divine, a better life, and a better understanding of themselves.”
- You can read the latest about Pagan chaplain and activist Patrick McCollum’s ongoing sojourn in India for the Kumbh Mela gathering at the Patrick McCollum Foundation blog. You can read all of The Wild Hunt’s coverage of Patrick, here.
- So, this week is PantheaCon in San Jose! We’ve already been mentioning some events that will be going on at the largest indoor Pagan convention in North America. This week, starting on Tuesday, we’ll be doing a run of special posts from Wild Hunt staff contributors about what they hope to experience at the event this year. Then it’s off to the event itself! Don’t worry, staff columnist/contributor Heather Greene will be keeping the home fires burning while we
partyreport on the event. In the meantime, check out the PNC-Bay Area’s ongoing series of interviews with Pagans attending the event.
That’s all I have for now, have a great day!
