CalderaFest will be returning in 2017. The festival was a landmark event bringing together Pagan musicians from around the globe for four days of fun. Organizer David Banach said, “I decided to do CalderaFest again mostly because the first one was simply pure magic.” The 2016 festival was held in Lafayette, Georgia over May’s long Memorial Day weekend. Most attendees agreed that, despite the problems, CalderaFest was a unique and powerful experience .
Acknowledging that the various problems, Banach said, “I see them as opportunities to make the next one better.” He added that organizers will be making changes both big and small. “We are cutting back on the scale of things. Having 30 acts play on the stage in 3 days was a logistical challenge. Unfortunately, some set times and sound quality suffered […] We are going to reduce the number of vendors a bit and modify the vendor area so it is a more pleasing area for all. […] The stage is going to be slightly relocated. We will turn it almost 90 degrees to keep it out of the direct sun and to face it toward the vendors. We are also looking into a canopy for the front to provide shade for the audience.” As for complaints about the heat, dirt and dust, he said, “We can’t control them, really we are taking steps to reduce their influence.”
One step to reducing that influence and perhaps the biggest event change is the scheduled date. The 2017 festival will be held in early October rather than late May. Banach said, “I was honestly concerned for the safety of some people. I, myself blacked out on Saturday.” Moving the date to autumn will eliminate the heat problem, as October is one of the most popular camping times in Georgia due to its mild temperatures.
Originally, the fest was moved to Labor Day weekend in late August. Banach explained, “We very quickly realized that was an error and we needed to correct it. First, the heat problem would be there, possibly worse. Second and mostly was its clash with Dragon*Con in Atlanta. I must have received 70 or 80 messages in 2 days myself about this.” The festival is now scheduled for Oct 5-9, 2017 at Cherokee Farms in Lafayette, GA.
* * *
Michigan Pagan Scholarship
The Michigan Pagan Scholarship Fund (MPSF) awarded its annual scholarship to Pete Ryland Shoda, III. Shoda is a graduate of the West Michigan Aviation Academy, and will be continuing his studies at Grand Rapids Community College and Northwestern Colleges. Shoda plans to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Operations.
Shoda’s essay, which is posted in full on the scholarship’s website, is titled, “What Being Pagan Means to Me.” It reads in part, “Being Pagan means that I have a lot to live up to. The God’s [sic] and Goddesses are watching me, Mother Nature is watching me, and the wind is listening to me, carrying my spells, chants and requests to the Universe. Always helping, always taking care to leave a small mark, always being a good person to others, taking care of the Earth, giving back when I can. These are some of the things that being Pagan means to me.”
The Michigan Pagan Scholarship Fund was created after the Tempest Smith Foundation closed its doors in 2014. In response, five organizations, including the Universal Society of Ancient Ministries, Magical Education Council, Pagan Pride Detroit, Witches of Michigan and Witches Ball, decided that the foundation’s scholarship program was vital to their community. The group came together to pick up the project and, since 2014, have been annually awarding the $500 scholarship to winners.
All recipients must be high school seniors, residents of Michigan and Pagan (or a child of Pagan parents). Fund Chairman Gordon Ireland said, “The Michigan Pagan Scholarship purpose is to recognize and encourage young Pagans. Only one scholarships is awarded each year, winners must demonstrate evidence of leadership, and engage in community service.”
* * *
The Troth announced the election of its new Steersman (President) and High Rede (Board of Directors). As noted in a press release, “Robert Lusch Schreiwer took his oath of office as Steersman at Trothmoot at Fort Flagler, WA, on Saturday, June 11.” Schreiwer is founder of the Urglaawe and is a Ziewer (godsman) of Distelfink Sippschaft, located in Pennsylvania. He has been serving The Troth as its Associate Steer under former Steersman Steve Abell.
The new Associate Steer is Lagaria “Gari” Farmer, who has been serving the Troth since 2006 as a Steward from Tennessee and has been serving on the High Rede since 2013. Both she, Lisa Morgenstern and John T. Mainer were all reelected to the High Rede for the coming term. Morgenstern is the Southern California Steward and a member of Hrafn Skjoldr Kindred. Mainer is the western Canada and Military Steward, and serves as Freyr of the Heathen Freehold. Mainer will also be the organization’s new communication officer.
New faces on the Rede include Joanna Spinks and Mikki Fraser. Spinks is the Assistant High Steward of western Pennsylvania, and the founder and leader of The Hearth Of Yggdrasil. Mikki is a godhi (godsman) and co-founder of Vargulf Kindred based in northern Nevada. Other Rede members, who were not up for election, include: Officer Liaison Amanda Leigh-Hawkins, Tanya Peterson, Hrafn Skald, ande Brian K. Jenkins.
We will be bringing you more about the Troth under its new management this week.
* * *
Raymond Buckland created a stir last week after weighing in on the hexing debate. In a public Facebook post, he wrote, “So very sorry to see so many people who call themselves ‘witches’ talking about hexing people. Just undoing all the work that we pioneers worked so hard to do.WITCHES DO NOT HEX PEOPLE; DO NOT DO NEGATIVE MAGIC – period! Send out love. Find a POSITIVE way to change someone, if you really feel that necessary. (I wouldn’t mind betting that these people haven’t got the power to hex the skin off a rice-pudding anyway!) In love and light — Ray Buckland.”
Almost immediately, Buckland’s post went “viral,” garnering both support and backlash. It was shared 611 times on Facebook alone and earned passionate commentary across social media. Only four hours after making that statement, Buckland followed up with this: “We all walk on different paths and must all be accountable for ourselves. I can only speak for what I have learned and what I teach. In the early days of the Craft in the U.S. a number of us worked long and hard to try to get rid of the misconceptions of witchcraft; the belief that witches worked evil magic and cast curses/hexes on others. To me it is a shame to see all that work being undermined in many ways. But I have spoken my piece. Perhaps it’s good that it has started a discussion?”
In Other News:
- Everglades Moon Local Council (EMLC), the Florida chapter of Covenant of the Goddess, is hosting a vigil for the victims of the Orlando attacks. In a Facebook event page, EMLC coordinators write, “Join the Witches and Wiccans of Everglades Moon Local Council as we hold space for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. We ask that people of all faiths join us to remember the victims and send loving, healing energies to their families and friends, and for our nation as a whole. We invite you to participate no matter where you are.” Participants can join them from anywhere in the world. It will begin at 9 pm ET.
- Pagan filmmaker and Wild Hunt writer Dodie Graham McKay has announced pre-production of a new 15-minute documentary project titled, “Starry Skies.” The film will feature amateur astronomer, Pagan author and teacher Kerr Cuhulain and highlight what the night sky looked like and what it meant in world without artificial light. With the help of Cuhulain, Starry Skies “will offer viewers an earthy version of [the Overview Effect], challenging us to restore our spiritual connection to our land and environment, by looking to the stars, and seeing them again for the profound markers of space and time that they are.” Graham McKay has received a grant from BravoFactual and hopes to begin production in August.
- Other news out of Canada, Gaia Gathering has announced the location for its 2017 conference. It will be held at the Clarion Hotel in Calgary from May 19-22. The theme is “Rhythm and Flow.” Gaia Gathering is an biannual Canadian Pagan conference that moves from city to city and is held over the long Victoria Day weekend.
- Immanion Press / Megalithica Books has announced a call for submissions for its new anthology titled Trans Pagan: Life at the Intersection of Faith and Gender. As noted on the website, “The vision for this anthology is to include a combination of academic and personally inspired pieces that explore the experience of transgender lives within a Pagan context.” The anthology editor is Deirdre Hebert, a transgender Pagan “whose writing career ranges from technical writing to radio news copy. She is the host of PaganFM – one of the longest-running Pagan podcasts and radio programs.” The submissions are due Sept 1.
- The Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall is already thinking about October. The museum will be hosting a conference on Oct 15 titled “A Day of Talks on Halloween Past & Present.” The event will be held at The Wellington Hotel in Boscastle and will celebrate the “2016 exhibition Glitter & Gravedust exhibition. Speakers include: Ronald Hutton, Judith Noble, Louise Fenton, Tommy Kuusela, Bekki Shining Bearheart, Dorothy L. Abrams and Mogg Morgan. Tickets are already on sale.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.
THANK YOU RAYMOND BUCKLAND, for saying what I said here about hexing! The best way to deal with evil people is to send them positive energy, because you know what? They then GO AWAY!!!
Just for clarification. I am the asst. High steward, and a founder and leader of The Hearth Of Yggdrasil.
Thank you. Correction has been made within the article.
I am one of 3 founders/leaders. Sorry for the confusion. And thank you so much for including me. This is such a large honour.
Congrats to Robert. He is a great person and a real asset to the Heathen community.
I get what Buckland is saying; he and others did do a lot of work to make Witches, Wiccans, and Pagans as well as Witchcraft more palatable to the masses, and at the time it was important work. At the time it was necessary work, as everything that grew from those early days needed the safety in which to grow and flourish. And I get that it’s hard to understand that no longer needing that safety isn’t, actually, an undoing.
When adolescents grow into young adults and out of the need for the protection of their parents, it isn’t an undoing, it isn’t going backwards–it’s going forwards.
We’ve grown past the need for incubation. I won’t say Paganism and all its branches are young adults quite yet–there’s still a lot about Paganism that is adolescent–but we’re getting there. That means, like teenagers do, we’re pushing boundaries to see how far we can push them. This is a necessary part of development, one that is just as valid and necessary as the incubation period that precedes it.
Buckland is having a hard time letting go of his baby; I get it. I understand. Too bad. Like all babies, we grow up.
Buckland’s criticism was ridiculous, especially given what he’s published. Pretending to have ownership of the word witch/Witch is so 1973. It was also sad that once again, sexism reared it’s ugly head with his words. Then the cascade of finger-wagging lip-pursers evoked in me laughter and eye rolls. But on a more serious note, it’s also sad that attempts to control women via respectability politics were so blatant. Normalizing witchcraft and making it rated G or PG might be important to the hex critics, but clearly it wasn’t important to all witches.
As for those sputtering, “But but but but what about that other important thing, or THIS miscarriage of justice, or the time that criminal did that thing??” Yeah – what about all of that? Why didn’t the sputterers organize some magical action? Frankly, I think a lot of them were peeved that THEY weren’t getting any clicks or attention, so whines like Buckland’s gave them a chance to opine and attention seek. But what really matters is that so many witches came together, did their thing about the Brock Turner case, and then let it go.
I’ve known Mikki Fraser when he lived in Iceland and he’s a pretty nice, and dedicated guy, wish him good luck within the Troth !