Pagan Community Notes: Sacred Harvest Festival, Tarot of Bones, Rev. Dave Sassman, and more.

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. Our 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!

On Jan. 2, Harmony Tribe announced that it has found a new location for its popular Sacred Harvest Festival. As we reported last August, the festival was forced to move from Harmony Park, which it had called home for 17 years, due to zoning restrictions. At the time, organizers still hadn’t found a new location for the beloved festival.

While Friday’s announcement did not give the name of the new location, it did say, “Plans are being finalized for the upper Midwest’s largest Pagan festival to land at a developing site about 90 minutes North of the Twin Cities Metro area.” Harmony Tribe is calling this year’s event a “rebirth” and promises that there will be plenty of camping and no noise restrictions at the new site. The dates are set for Aug. 3-9, 2015.

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Author and artist Lupa Greenwolf has announced the production of a new divination set titled “Tarot of Bones.” Greenwolf writes on her newly launched website, “Divination with cast or fire-cracked bones is an ancient art, stretching back thousands of years into our history; its younger cousin, the tarot, enjoys greater popularity than ever.The Tarot of Bones is an ambitious project combining the nature-inspired symbolism of animal bones with the tarot’s well-loved archetypes to create an unparalleled divination set for the 21st century”

Greenwolf has just begun creating the concept art for the new deck and will be updating her progress on her new blog. She believes that the deck will be finished by spring. When it is, Greenwolf has promised the The Wild Hunt an exclusive interview to discuss the nature and spirit behind the deck, as well as the journey of creating it.

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Rev. Dave Sassman was recently selected to be a board member of Indy Vet House, Inc. This charitable organization raises funds for the Indianapolis-based Veterans House, “a home away from home for veterans receiving extended medical care.” Although Sassman said that the decision “had been in the works for while,” it has just become official.

In his own announcement, Sassman enthusiastically proclaimed, “a Pagan on the Board of Directors.” When asked about the position, Sassman told The Wild Hunt, “It is important for Pagans to get involved in their local (mundane) communities to shine a positive light on our faith and help to change the negative impression we as a community have experienced in the past.” Sassman is an openly Pagan, Air Force Veteran and a member of Circle Sanctuary’s Military Ministry.

In Other News:

• Cherry Hill Seminary begins its “Growing Season” of new classes in just a few short weeks. Registration is open for all master’s classes, beginning Jan. 24, and 4-week insight classes, beginning in February.
• The Conference on Current Pagan Studies is also preparing for its upcoming event. The annual conference is scheduled for Jan. 24-25 in Claremont, California. This year’s theme is “Fecundity and Richness of the Dark” and the keynote speaker include Orion Foxwood and Vivianne Crowley.
• As is typical at the beginning of January, “practitioners of La Regla Lucumi, Ifa, and traditions referred to as Santeria” make predictions for the coming year. Lilith Dorsey at Voodoo Universe gives a short explanation of this year’s predictions and a link to the full reading. While her post is geared toward people practicing these religions, her site always remains a good place to go for outsiders curious about the traditions.
• The Huffington Post’s religion section posted an article titled, “New Year’s Inspiration For A Just And Peaceful 2015,” which included 48 blessings from a variety of people worldwide. Included in that group, at number 39, was Rev. Selena Fox.
• For its December podcast, Thelema NOW! interviewed Brian Butler, Los Angeles-based artist and occultist. Butler is known, in part, for his performance of Aleister Crowley’s The Bartzabel Working in 2012. The 38-minute interview is available both online or for download.

Noot Seear at The Bartzebel Working

• On the Earth Spirit Voices blog, Andras Corban-Arthen has published a report and commentary on his experiences being involved with the 2014 People’s Climate March and the “Religions for the Earth Conference, held at Union Theological Seminary.” Both events occurred in New York during the fall equinox weekend, and both had similar goals of raising the volume on climate change conversations.
• Finally, January 4 marked Doreen Valiente’s birthday.

That is it for now! Have a great day.

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