Pagan Community Notes: Darrin Barnett, Piedmont Pagan Pride, Gaea Goddess Gathering, and more

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Bay Area Pagan community lost one of its beloved members over the weekend. Darrin Barnett was rushed to the hospital Thursday, June 7 for “exacerbated asthma,” as explained by his wife, Kaerla. While this became routine since his heart attack in July 2017 as she goes on, this recent event was not ordinary. Barnett’s heart stopped several times on the way to the hospital and he had suffered damage to his brain. The emergency room doctors reportedly told his wife that, while he could come back from his condition but “the chances are better of him not coming back than they are that he will.”

Column: Paganicon as a Journey through Heathenry, Need, and Healing

March can host blizzards, near-zero temperatures, early blossoming flowers, rainy days, or all of the above. The unpredictable nature of the beginning of spring after a harsh winter is the perfect time to gather with friends at a Pagan festival. Each March since 2011, Paganicon emerges after a difficult Minnesota winter as a celebration of all that is Pagan. While there is a challenge in hosting hundreds of participants, each year’s theme provides a new avenue for community exploration. This year’s theme, Fire and Ice, explored the Norse saga of creation and emphasized a focus on Heathenry.