Community experience at Raven’s Knoll documented in new book

EGANVILLE, Ont. — The staff and a group of regular visitors of the Pagan owned and operated campground and festival site, Raven’s Knoll, have announced the launch of a book titled Rites of Raven’s Knoll. The book is a collection of essays, poetry, ritual scripts, song lyrics and tributes to a place that has successfully earned itself a devoted and enthusiastic collection of volunteers and visitors since it opened its gates in 2009. Raven’s Knoll, or “The Knoll” as it is affectionately referred to, is located on 100 acres of forested land along the Bonnechere River in southern Ontario, 143 kilometers (89 miles) west of Ottawa. It features a campground, a group activity building called The Rookery, trailers and a cabin for rent, a large fire pit, laundry facilities, showers and many opportunities to explore nature.

Dragon Ritual Drummers winter solstice event cancelled last minute

ST. CATHERINES, Ont. — A Canadian Pagan group says their Winter Solstice celebration was cancelled for being “too overtly Pagan.” The Dragon Ritual Drummers, a musical troupe headed by Witchdoctor Utu, planned to host a solstice ritual and concert at the Niagara Cannabis Club, but says the club canceled the event just hours before it was to start. The Winter Solstice Witches Mass and Concert is an annual Ontario event, during which the Dragon Ritual Drummers usually perform. This year the group decided to host it themselves, and they picked the town of St.

Pagan hero awards at Canada’s PaganFest

BARRIE, Ont. – Organizers of PaganFest, an annual event established in 2008, announced the winners of the Canadian Pagan Hero Awards last weekend. PaganFest, along with S.E.E.D Fest and Muse Fest, are organized by the registered non-profit organization Canadian Pagan Spiritualists.  The three festivals are hosted on seven acres of land owned by festival host and sponsor Earth and Sky Connection, a metaphysical medicine retail store. For this years event, organizer Tamare White-Wolf decided to hold the awards as a way to fight back against the negativity that she has been witnessing. In an email exchange with The Wild Hunt, White-Wolf described her inspiration.

Pagan Community Notes: ConVocation, Polytheist Death Guild, Pagan Consent Culture and more!

Over this past weekend, Pagans, Heathens and Polytheists from around the country met in Detroit, Michigan for ConVocation. Held annually since 1995, the conference was reportedly once again a huge success. ConVocation is run by the Michigan-based Magical Education Council (MEC), who also sponsors a June Pagan picnic and the “Beyond the Veil” event in October. Along with its usual merchants room, art show, drum circle and guest speakers, the 2016 event included a number of unique workshops and talks. For example, author and publisher Taylor Ellwood “co-facilitated the Pagan leadership workshop with Annika Mongan and Shauna Aura Knight.”

Pagan Community Notes: Dragon Ritual Drummers, Pagan Freedom Day Movement, Rev. Patrick McCollum and more

It was announced this week that Dragon Ritual Drummer founder and elder Flint has lost is battle with cancer.  Flint was diagnosed July 2014. The doctor’s gave him only two months to live, but he fought hard, even performing with the band. Utu Witchdoctor posted on the group’s Facebook page, “Brother Flint was one of our founding members, a force to be reckoned with, a soul that touched so many, one of the best there ever was. Our man Flint was the grounding force in our troupe, kept all us youngins’ in place, he was our father, our brother, our best friend.”