BELL, Fla. – On Thursday, Firebird – Phoenix Phyre 2022 festival was forced to shut down when it was served a cease and desist order by Gilchrist County. Attendees were shocked and heartbroken once the news was announced. A number of presenters and attendees were still en route when they received notification that the festival was being shut down.
According to a post on Facebook by Aaron Leitch, the venue had not filed for the proper permitting for the event.
“If you want to be great at something, you have to be willing to suck at it first.”
And let me tell you! – we here at Solomon Springs are on track to be the greatest venue owners of all time! Our first full-scale festival didn’t quite go off as planned – tons of little issues, and lessons we needed to learn, all topped off with the Big One that cut the entire festival short.
Yes there was red-tape and run-around and refusal to answer our questions as we went about establishing the venue – but that’s to be expected. And if Carrie and I had not been entirely inexperienced with this kind of thing, we would have pushed harder and made sure things were truly in order. Hindsight shows me I made assumptions where I shouldn’t have, and I certainly failed to seek advice where I probably should have…
This lesson is on the expensive side – as Carrie and I will be covering any losses Phoenix Festivals takes for having to shorten the length of the event. It is important to us that the Florida Neopagan Communities know we are doing this for them. From the moment we decided to seek land, it was to provide a safe place for the Festivals and Gatherings – free from…. well EXACTLY the kind of crap that just went down. We’re covering it! And we’re not giving up – so long as you guys aren’t giving up on us!
And, I’ve gotta say, I was amazed at the reactions we saw when Carrie and I gave the sad news at a hastily-called town hall meeting. (The hardest speech I’ve EVER given, let me tell you!) Folks, you should have seen it! I watched as the community immediately forgave us, came together, and leapt into action. We hit the vendors (even as said vendors were breaking down) to spend everything we could. The festival auction was held. The organizers of the Main Ritual jumped into action and we held the Ritual that very evening. (One which had every attendee in tears, about our loved ones who have passed and the beauty of rebirth.) And there was even drumming late into the night. After years kept apart, these good people were not going to let ANYTHING stop their joy of being together again.
We love you guys! I know many of you are calling this half-festival a “rehearsal for October” – and that really means a lot to Carrie and I. (And to the board and staff of Phoenix Festivals, I bet!) Frankly, no one could blame the corporation if it decided to seek a venue run with more experience! But, if the Festival and its community are willing to stick with us, know that we are 100% dedicated to you!
It can only get better, right? I think we’ve got the “suck at it first” part down.
Trisha Parker, Treasurer/Secretary of the Phoenix Festivals, Inc. Board of Directors and festival coordinator told TWH, “[Phoenix Festivals, Inc.] PFI is refunding and paying all our obligations. PFI has a promise from Aaron to cover our current festival loss.”
She also pointed out that “PFI has an additional $5k investment in the property.”
As for the future of the event, Parker said, “PFI is concerned about the viability of an uninterrupted fall event.”
Firebird – Phoenix Phyre 2022 was scheduled to run for five days and four nights, March 16 – 20, and featured Grandmother Elsbeth and Byron Ballard as headliners, along with musical headliner, S.J. Tucker.
Ballard told TWH, “What I know is that the county was completely inflexible about the permitting issue and everyone on site was devastated. There were many tears but also expressions of solidarity from participants and other festivals.”
She went on to say, “As for me, since I was a headliner, I only had to break down my merch booth and pack clothes and food. I was out by 3:00 pm and went to Marietta to hang out with James [McKinney] and Niki [Portmann].”
Leitch also quickly dispelled any suggestion that the festival being canceled by local officials was any sort of religious discrimination.
In a separate Facebook post he said:
I know there are many who suspect there is religious discrimination behind the early closing of the Festival. While I will admit my suspicions that, had there been Trump rally signs out front, they MIGHT have looked the other way – there is no evidence whatsoever anyone went out of their way to “shut us down” because we are Pagans.
Even in the permit office, the staff seemed perfectly willing (yeah NOW that it was too late! LOL) to give us info on how to get the paperwork squared away before Autumn Meet. I didn’t note any snide “you people” attitude from them, even if there was an unwillingness to actually do anything to help us save THIS event.
Ultimately, folks, the buck stops right here with yours truly.
Leitch owns the Solomon Springs with his wife, Carrie Mikell Leitch. The couple announced they had acquired the 40-acre property in March 2019, along with their intent to use it for Pagan events, labeling it as the “Florida Pagan Homeland.”
Leitch assured members of the community that all of the permitting issues would be worked out well in advance of Autumn Meet, scheduled for October 12 – 16.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced last Friday that the rocket, for Artemis I had made it to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. This will be the first moon rocket launch in close to 50 years.
The Artemis program is named after Apollo’s twin sister, who was the Goddess of the moon in Greek myth. The first mission that placed astronauts on the moon in the 1960s and 1970s was named the Apollo program. This newest program could be placing astronauts once again on the moon’s surface.
NASA characterizes the program on its website as, “Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come.” Outlining the objectives of the program being, “The primary goals for Artemis I are to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.”
The Orion space capsule has been designed to carry people with eye to the future of being a shuttlecraft that would provide transportation to the moon and back.
The actual launch is set for sometime in early June, with what is known as a “wet launch” beginning on April 3. The term “wet launch” refers to going through every step in the launch process except actually launching the rocket. This allows technicians and researchers to double-check the process and functions to make sure everything is operating properly.
Announcements:
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- Award-winning Pagan musician, Alexian, has released a new single titled, “The Challenge.” In a press release, the song is described as, “a powerful new single that resonates with our times, an anthem for change, calling on us all to cherish the Earth and each other.” The inspiration for the song, “is based on a powerful poem by Elspeth Odbert, Grandmother Elspeth, one of the honored elders in the Pagan community who will turn 92 this year. The poem the song is based on was given to Grandmother Elspeth in a dream almost 20 years ago. When she woke up, she wrote it down and has been sharing the words with the world at gatherings and festivals. The poem was the inspiration for her book Gylantra’s Journey. The song is available for purchase from most music platforms.
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- Cherry Hill Seminary announced that Dr. Candace Kant, Ph.D. has been named as the new Chair of the Theology and Religious History department. Kant earned her Ph.D. in U.S. History and is Professor Emeritus with the College of Southern Nevada. Additionally, she has edited two books: Heart of the Sun: An Anthology in Exaltation of Sekhmet with Anne Key, and Stepping Into Ourselves: An anthology of Writings on Priestesses, also with Anne Key, as well as having developed curriculum centered on Pagan practices and history.
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- Lezlie Kinyon, Ph.D., president of the Society for Ritual Arts, and the editor of Coreopsis: Journal of Myth & Theatre sent out a request for help with funding for the six-week, science fiction, fantasy, and horror writing workshop often referred to as the “Ghost Class” at Clarion University of California San Diego. Kinyon’s daughter was accepted into the Ghost Class for the summer session of 2020 but the course was postponed for the last two summers due to the pandemic until this summer. The number of applicants applying for admission into the Ghost Class number about 1,000 annually, with only 18 students being accepted. To try to make sure all of the students who were accepted into the 2020 program actually can manage to attend, a fundraising effort has been launched by the noted biologist, Mary Thaler. Some of the students accepted for the six-week program are coming from as far away as Kenya and face skyrocketing expenses to travel, on top of the trauma and trials of the past two years of the pandemic.
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- The Temple of Witchcraft has established the David J. Erwin Memorial Scholarship to support both students and teachers by providing twelve full and partial scholarships each year. According to a ToW press release, “In the past, teachers would often forgo their own payment in order to reduce or eliminate financial barriers for their students.” ToW created the memorial scholarship fund to honor Erwin, who was a teaching assistant for their Mystery School, and who passed away last July. ToW remembers Erwin as “a High Priest and Minister in the Temple of Witchcraft. Healing was his passion — personally, as a Reiki teacher and aromatherapist, and professionally, as an emergency services clinician. David was a loving friend and devout supporter of the community, known for his excellent wit and his warm embrace.” Those interested in donating to the scholarship fund can do so via PayPal or the ToW website.
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- Writer, Michael Aurelius, and editor, Julia Benson-Slaughter, announced the release of the second book in a four-book series, The Chronicles of the Covenant: Succubus: Book Two. Aurelius and Benson-Slaughter have collaborated on the series which is described as “… the story of a world very much like ours, where ancient mythology becomes modern-day reality as humans, gods, and demon-kind join forces in the war between order and chaos as they work to prevent the destruction of the Universe for the twelfth time.” The first two books feature Gods that may be familiar to Pagans, as well as Lilith. Both books are available in digital and paper formats on Amazon.
The Romuva group, Kūlgrinda released a song in support of Ukraine earlier this month. The group’s name, Kūlgrinda, references a secret or hidden passageway, often underwater. It can also refer to the path of ordination.
The Romuva in Lithuania has fought to be recognized as a Pagan religion by the state since their formal filing for religious status in 1992. While the Lithuanian Parliament formally rejected their plea in 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the Romuva’s human rights had been violated when the state denied its recognition.
Tarot of the week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Otherkin Tarot, by Siolo Thompson, published by Llewellyn Publications.
Card: Page of Wands
The week ahead is likely to usher in the start of a new cycle that may offer fresh inspiration. There is also an underlying energy of responsibility that allows for maintaining a focus when it comes to productivity.
Conversely, the shirking of responsibility and an inability to stay on task is likely to result in chaotic and frantic energy.
Decks generously provided by Asheville Pagan Supply.
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