Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Damh the Bard, Nature’s Path, Mountain Magic and more

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GLASTONBURY, England — Popular musician Damh the Bard made mainstream headlines last week after delivering a talk at the Occult Conference in Glastonbury. During that talk, Damh discussed a ritual that he once co-led during a weekend camp back in 2005. The Daily Express published the story synopsis with the headline, “Top druid ‘slit people’s throats’ in bizarre Pagan sacrificial death ritual held in U.K.” Writer John Austin writes that Damh said in his talk that the attendees “were left convinced they had died after his mock execution,” which was done when Damh ran his fingernail across their throats. The Wild Hunt contacted with Damh to find out what exactly happened at the conference and what he said in his talk. In an email interview, he told us that the reporter sat quietly, observing the entire conference without asking questions.

News

Witchfest International 2018 cancelled due to financial challenges

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BRIGHTON, U.K. – Organizers of Witchfest International, the largest Pagan conference held in the UK, announced last Saturday that they were cancelling the 2018 event due to financial challenges. The announcement was made by Merlyn, one of the organizers, directly before headliner Professor Ronald Hutton presented at this year’s conference. Merlyn said an unexpected and sharp decrease in attendance was to blame for a lack of funds to finance the conference for 2018, but he added that plans were in the works for the conference to return in 2019. “Final numbers aren’t in yet, but we think our losses are in the thousands [of pounds],” said Merlyn. Witchfest International, run by The Children of Artemis, typically attracts around 3000 attendees and is held in the Brighton Centre in the seaside town of Brighton.

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Great Pagan Roast, CalderaFest, Pagan Pride Day, and more

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ONTARIO — The Great Pagan Roast Series was once again celebrated at this year’s HearthFire Festival  Aug. 17–20. The 2017 honouree was Brian Walsh, a storyteller, teacher, Pagan chaplain for the University of Toronto and member of Céilí Sídhe. Walsh has worked as a hospital spiritual care provider for 11 years and counting. He is mainly known for his impressive list of accomplishments and contributions to the Pagan community, and is also loved for his winning smile and rather large collection of vests. The Great Pagan Roast Series is hosted each year by Crystal Allard and Khaman Mythwood.

Culture

Column: What is Pagan Music?

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TWH – Welcome to the new Pagan music column for the Wild Hunt, I hope you’ll join me in the months to come through the musical underground of the great below, the stunning and oft-listened to heights of the great above and the balance that makes up our daily musical landscape in the great between. Our lives are immeasurably enriched by music, and with the growth of the internet and the bottoming out of technology costs for recording, we’ve never had access to more of it. Pagan music especially would seem to have benefited from the boon of technology. While it’s impossible to know everything that’s happening, one can still spot trends and pick out the talented and truly creative. You’ll never catch me claiming to be an expert on anything related to music, I’m coming at this as a passionate fan.

Culture

Tuatha Dea presents The Green Album

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Due to be released next weekend, The Green Album is a collaborative work containing songs from 14 different Pagan musicians. The project was born in late 2014 and has been spearheaded by Tuatha Dea, a “Celtic, Tribal, Gypsy Rock Band” from Tennessee. Not only is The Green Album a collection of songs expressing an eclectic musical variety, but it also focuses on the preservation and stewardship of our ecosystem. Each song is devoted to the theme and 25 percent of the album’s profits will go to the nonprofit organization Rainforest Trust. “Music is the Universal language.