Woolston-Steen logo
Congratulations to the newest Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary Graduates!
Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary, a Wiccan legal degree-granting institution sponsored by the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, is proud to announce the graduating class of 2025.
These students have earned associate degrees:
- Sammy Conde
- Mary Hines
- James M Logue Sr
- Castle Silverstar
- Ryan Whelpley.
These students earned bachelor’s degrees:
- Arielle Jones
- Alan Little
- Kristi Jill McAfee
- Petras Maygar
- Debra Morgan
- Christina Parke
- Mattielee Silverstar
A graduation ceremony was held by Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary on March 28, 2025. The Seminary wrote, “We congratulate the graduates on their outstanding accomplishments and look forward to their continued growth on their spiritual path.”
Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary is dedicated to serving those who seek to learn the Craft of the Wise and minister in the ways of the Old Gods. Woolston-Steen is devoted to bringing traditional, formal magical training, blended with modern-day concepts that support a practitioner ministering in today’s multi-cultural world. Woolston-Steen, with over 100 graduates, is the first state-recognized Wiccan Seminary to grant degrees and certifications in Wiccan Ministry by Washington State’s Higher Education Coordinator Board.
Congratulations on Dedications and Elevations
The Aquarian Tabernacle Church International congratulated its WISE Dedicants and Initiates of 2025! “We celebrate your accomplishments!”
Congratulations on the Restored Rites of Eleusis at the Spring Mysteries Festival
By all accounts, the annual Spring Mysteries festival was extraordinary. Congratulations on another successful year!
Spring Mysteries Festival is dedicated to the revival and celebration of ancient spiritual traditions and performs the Restored Rites of Eleusis. The sacred rituals, once lost to time, are brought to life through an immersive experience during the festival, a vibrant celebration of the ancient Greek Mysteries held in honor of Demeter, Persephone, and the agricultural cycles that define the seasonal rhythms of the Earth.
The Eleusinian Mysteries, which date back over 2,500 years to Ancient Greece, were deeply rooted in themes of life, death, and rebirth. For centuries, they were held in secrecy and exclusivity, open only to initiates who experienced profound spiritual awakening through symbolic rituals, including the myth of Demeter and Persephone. The rites are carefully recreated, blending historical authenticity with modern interpretation.
The festival is held annually in Seattle, Washington.
Here are some pictures of the event for the community to enjoy:
Race Against Hate 2025
Thor Fights Jormungand 1930 Charles E Brock [Public Domain
For the sixth year, Thor’s Oak Kindred has a team walking in the Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate. We invite you to join us or donate to this worthy cause.
Thor’s Oak Kindred is a diverse organization dedicated to the practice of the Ásatrú religion in Chicago. We come together to honor the Norse gods and goddesses, the spirits of the land, and the departed people who inspire us. Since 2016, we have been building and nurturing a face-to-face community of practitioners in Chicago and the greater midwestern region for ritual celebration, group events, and mutual support.
Our members are kindred by choice and have chosen to embrace each other as family. We are proud of our diversity, and we stand against all discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender, orientation, identity, origin, ancestry, age, or ability.
With the poison of white nationalism spreading worldwide and using Ásatrú as a propaganda vehicle, it is no longer enough to issue declarations and denunciations. We must join with other people of positive intent, push back on resurgent hate, and promote productive change.
On June 15 in Evanston, the YWCA hosts the 26th annual event in memory of Ricky Byrdsong, the Northwestern basketball coach murdered by a white supremacist in 1999 while walking in his neighborhood with his young children. On the same day, the shooter wounded six Orthodox Jews. Over the subsequent weekend, he killed a Korean-American graduate student and wounded an African-American minister before taking his own life.
All proceeds are used to further the YWCA’s mission in the areas of racial justice and violence prevention. Their programs assist children in schools and youth organizations to challenge their own prejudices and foster healthy, violence-free relationships among their peers; support teenagers in examining their own relationships and practicing constructive ways to handle conflict and differences; and encourage adults to engage in constructive dialogue, interactive activities, and meaningful action as related to racial justice.
Help make a real difference in the real world. Register today and join us on the walk. If you don’t live in the area, you can donate any amount small or large.
Sign up to join our walking team or donate at this link.
To learn more about Thor’s Oak Kindred, visit their website.
Happening This Weekend
Kithaka Dun
We received the following from the First Polestari of Marion:
We host a Mayday festival every year called Kithaka Dun out at Shelby Forest. Standard adult admission for the weekend is $55, which gets you access to all activities, lodging in the bunkhouses, and 5 meals. Our vendor tables are just $10 extra for a 10×10 space, and a vendor can claim up to 3 spaces. We also ask for an item contributed to our raffle & auction that benefits a local non-profit. This year’s proceeds will go to Friends For All Memphis.
More information and registration is available at their website: First Polestari
Join New Moon in the Valley for a family-friendly Beltane celebration as we honor the waxing sun and the turning of the Wheel of the Year! This joyful community ritual will take place at the UMass Sunwheel and is open to all.
Festivities begin with face painting and garland making, followed by a traditional Maypole dance. Participants are encouraged to bring 25 feet of ribbon for the dance. After the ritual, we’ll gather for a community potluck—please bring a dish to share and label all ingredients. It’s a wonderful chance to meet others, network, and connect with the local Pagan and Earth-centered community.
This is a free public event, though cash donations to help offset costs and support future programming are appreciated. The ritual is rain or shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather. Directions to the Sunwheel can be found here: UMass Sunwheel Directions.
In the spirit of giving back, we’ll be collecting non-perishable food items to donate to the Amherst Survival Center.
Other Events and Happenings
Spirit Northwest: West Coast Pagan conference in Portland, May 1 – 4, 2025.
Spirit Northwest is a transformative and new format gathering for seekers, offering 90 and 120-minute immersive workshops on Paganism, witchcraft, and natural magick.
We heard from many in the occult community that people longed for in-depth workshops and rituals, hands-on learning, and make-and-takes with well-known speakers, ritualists, and practitioners.
Amy Blackthorn is the award-winning author of the best-selling Blackthorn’s Botanicals series.
J. Allen Cross is an accomplished author and folk magician known for his book American Brujeria: Modern Mexican American Folk Magic and The Witch’s Guide to the Paranormal.
Maria Minnis is a tarot reader of 20+ years who teaches people about blending their spirituality with magic, liberation work, and eroticism in their everyday lives.
Your Hosts: Courtney Weber, Kanani Soleil, Hilary Whitmore, and Silent.
More information is available on the Spirit Northwest website.
EBSAT Meeting 5:00 pm PDT to 5:30 pm PDT– Embracing the Divine Feminine: Mesoamerican Mother Goddesses
Zoom meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89030272698?pwd=VUpqKzVIN2hLTjdZY2JKQktuUG9JQT09
or, open the Zoom app and enter the Meeting ID and Passcode:
Meeting ID: 890 3027 2698
Passcode: CCL
IshtarFest
lshtarFest will be held virtually on Zoom from June 6-8, 2025. We will have classes, rituals, cooking demonstrations, musical performances, and other spiritual offerings surrounding Sumerian mythology and culture.
This year’s festival, Building on Herstory, celebrates the legacy of the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, a powerful symbol of transformation, love, war, and sovereignty. As one of the earliest recorded deities, Inanna’s mythos has shaped the stories of divine femininity, resilience, and personal evolution for millennia. We also celebrate her later forms as Ishtar, Astarte, and the planet Venus.
Through this theme, we explore how Inanna’s journey—from her bold descent into the underworld to her triumphant return—continues to inspire modern narratives of empowerment, rebirth, and leadership. We honor the foundation laid by her ancient myth while building upon it, weaving her essence into our contemporary understanding of feminine strength, spirituality, and justice.
Join us as we reclaim, reinterpret, and revive Inanna’s wisdom through art, storytelling, ritual, music, and community gatherings. Together, we build upon herstory, forging new paths while staying rooted in the divine wisdom of the past.
Early bird registration through May 6. Wicked early registration by April 10.
Register Here: https://sites.google.com/view/ishtarfest/home
Vendors wanted for our Vendor
Marketplace: https://sites.google.com/view/ishtarfest/home.
Presenter proposals due April 5: https://forms.gle/2fJC9cnieRUPwGMJA
Questions: ishtarfest@handsofchange.org.
Mystic South is coming back to Atlanta, GA! Join us July 11-13, 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia for 3 days of workshops, rituals, panels, academic PAPERS, and community building. Come for the weekend, or just for the day, and enjoy all the offerings Mystic South has to offer.
Our headliners this year are Pamela Chen, Mawiyah Kai El-Jamah Bomani, and Courtney Weber. They will be joined by over 100 other presenters from around the country who are presenting offerings during our conference weekend. Mystic South will also feature a Friday evening performance by Ginger Doss and Lynda Millard, along with our Saturday evening dance party.
The Mystic South Vendor Hall features over 20 vendors selling their handmade Pagan craft items. The vendor hall is open to the public, so if you’re in the area, stop on by! Our divination room is making a comeback, too! Also, open to the public, come by for a reading from one of our talented community members.
Tickets are on sale now! For more information and to purchase your tickets, head to the Mystic South Website
Do you have news to share with our community?
Announcements? Festivals? Elevations? Events?
We’ll share it with the community!
Let us know at pcn@wildhunt.org
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Nightfall Tarot, created by Amory Abbott, published by REDFeather, Mind, Body Spirit, an imprint of Shiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Card: Eight (8) of Pentacles
The next seven days are apt to have a focus on efforts to tune out the everyday noise in order to continue honing the skills required to become a master at one’s craft. There is likely to be an underlying energy that exalts the efforts of diligence and dedication. Additionally, recognizing that true enjoyment found in one’s work frequently results in it not feeling like work at all, and that it spurs on a greater drive to expand skill sets.
Conversely, there is the potential for feeling lost or lacking in passion for a current project. Allowing a focus on perfection to dominate the perspective to point of not being able to see the forest for the trees is liable to result in frustration and disappointment. Setting reasonable goals and timetables, as well as making sure all the required resources are accessible, will likely be crucial in avoiding the pitfalls of the week.
Goose Teaches Lesson
Much like Mr. Ping, Po’s adoptive father in the Kung Fu Panda series, a real-life goose teaches us a lesson in courage—and possibly how to handle bullies.
This wild goose boldly wandered into the enclosure of a 7-year-old Amur tiger named Vera at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio—and didn’t back down.
Vera stalked the goose for a bit, and the bird led her on a brief chase. But then, it apparently had had enough.
In a surprising turn, the goose began flapping its wings with such ferocity that it startled the tiger, sending her retreating. Visitor-captured footage posted on TikTok shows the unlikely standoff, with the goose holding its ground against the massive predator.
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