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Rebecca Crystal, M.S.W.

has been working in the New Age and Magical movements since 1978. She has been involved in the Bloomington Metaphysical Fellowship, the Elf Lore Family, and the Covenant of the Universalist Pagans. As an ELF Elder, she coordinated the highly successful 1989 Psychic Fairs, and was one of the editors of The Elvin Chronicle. She has led workshops and public rituals for several years, and is a long-time Starwood contributor.

Improvisation Psychic Healing/Teaching Circle

Through explanation, demonstration, and group participation Rebecca will be your "Fairy Goddess-mother" - ask for answers to questions long unanswered, heal old wounds, or learn new psychic skills. Each person within the circle will also be able to "piggy-back" their own healing on that of whoever Rebecca works with, or learn to apply a healing technique. Confidentiality and mutual respect pre-requisites.

Sister/Brother Circle

Meet/Greet Cycle; Toast/Boast Cycle; Gloom/Bloom Cycle; Declare/Repair Cycle. A group therapy, supportive intimate space at large festivals. What does it mean to be a sister? What does in mean to be a brother?


Kenneth Deigh

has over 15 years of experience as a practicing magician and is the creator of Sheya, an ever-evolving path of self-transformation, utilizing shamanic, magickal and mystical techniques. Over the last ten years, he has taught numerous workshops on such topics as Shamanic States of Consciousness, Magickal Movement, Sacred Space, Personal Transformation and Healing. He was the publisher and editor of Mezlim magazine for six years, and makes his living as a healer, teacher and counselor.

Sacred Theatre Pt. I

A look at the long standing relationship between theatre, magick and religion. We will ask the question: "How can we use theatre to make magick?", and examine some of the many tools and techniques used to create and perform Dramatic Ritual, especially those that arise from your own mind and body (i.e. Gesture, Movement, Breath, Active & Passive Astral Vision, Voice and Stillness). Exercises to increase awareness; focus, harmonize and direct energy; and awaken your innate sensitivity to the energies both within and without you.

Sacred Theatre Pt. II

Using the exercises from Part I, we will create a series of improvisations aimed at exploring magickal relationships, taking on "godform", and creating ritual. The goal of both workshops is to put our ideas into action. We will be talking about what we think as little as possible and DOING it as much as possible.


Earth Drum Council

Earth Drum Council is a tribal community dedicated to creating opportunities for people from all walks of life to experience the Spirit of the Drum. Please refer to Jimi & Morwen Two Feathers, the founders and directors, for class descriptions and individual bios. And visit their WWW site at http://www.tiac.net/users/edcnews/index.htm


The Earth Religions Legal Assistance Network (ERLAN)

connects Shamans, Mystics, Witches, Pagans, etc. facing legal problems because of their religions with helpful people, organizations and information. Donations are needed to improve networking, communications and access to pertinent legal information and assistance. Containers for donations will be provided at the Brushwood cafe and other sites at Starwood, and occasionally circulated at concerts. Please give generously.

Donation checks can also be made out to ERAL/Avalon and sent directly to the ERLAN Treasurer: Ainsley Friedberg, c/o Avalon, 9 North Main St., So. Norwalk, CT 06854.

For further information, visit the ERLAN Booth at Starwood or its websites at: http://205.226.66.2/~rowanf/ERAL/eral.html and http://members.aol.com/lcorncalen/helplink.htm

ERLAN Pot-Luck Dinner

ERLAN will be holding a pot-luck dinner in it's encampment in merchant's row at 6:30 PM on Friday. Everyone interested is invited.


HALIM

Halim El-Dabh

is a Kent State University Professor Emeritus of Music and Ethno-Musicology. He has travelled the world on projects by such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute, studying and participating in the music of tribal cultures. He is an experienced drummer and performer on a wide variety of authentic African musical instruments and on keyboard. He is the music composer for Martha Graham's Dance-Drama Clymenestra (performed on Broadway and at New York's Metropolitan Opera House), Nuriev and Maugo Fontayne's The Fallen Angel Lucifer, Nile Festival Music, Ramses the Great Symphony, Lament of the Pharoh, and the music for the laser-light show performed daily at the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt. His latest production, Opera Flies, was part of the 25th Anniversary memorial program for the Kent State Shooting. He is a participant in the WinterStar panel discussion The Self in Transformation, available from ACE.

Crocodiles, Jackels, and Golden Eagles of the River Nile

Halim performs and shares stories with song, dance, rhythms, and collective participation. An experience of the ancient Egyptian ceremonies that made the Gods and Goddesses of the animal world and the environment.


Shawn Eyer

is an Archaeologist, a member of the Ohio Academy of Religion, and the founder of Thiasos Orphikos, a society for the creative exploration of Greek spiritual traditions. He is the editor of it's journal, The Lyre. He holds Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology and Religion, and is now a graduate student in Transpersonal Psychology at John F. Kennedy University. Shawn is a frequent contributor to Green Egg Magazine, and is the author of over 20 books and articles in the field of religion.

Entheogens and Immortality at Eleusis: a Transpersonal Perspective


Many scholars now believe that the Eleusinian Mysteries of the ancient Greeks revolved around the communal partaking of one or more psychedelic compounds. This presentation will provide an overview of the rites and rituals of Eleusis, and the evidence for entheogen use during the initiations. This presentation is drawn from extensive background in classical research, contemporary transpersonal psychology, and active participation in modern initiation and Shamanic exploration.

Greek Mysticism and the Mind/Body Split


How did the concept of psyche make the transition from meaning simply the vitality of living and breathing to the notion of a discorporate consciousness or "soul", separate from the body? Although Descartes (1596-1650) is often blamed for the split, this dualism is actually found in many of the world's religions, including the Orphic mysteries of the ancient Greeks, and played a significant role in the birth of Christianity. This workshop will explore how this dissociation from the body has affected human attitudes toward the environment, sexuality and somatic experienc, and consider some of the ways in which mind/body dualism might be answered in a holistic way by transpersonal psychology.


Philip H. Farber

Philip H. Farber was a co-founder of New York's Thelemic Arts Center, and has been tweaking brains with his workshops for over ten years. His articles on Magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine, Mondo 2000, High Times, Fenris Wolf, Crash Collision, and other publications. His book FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century has become a popular title in stranger bookstores everywhere.

FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century

As we move towards the millenium, science, psychology and technology are converging with ancient traditions in remarkable ways. Author and ritualist Philip H. Farber stands at this temporal crossroads, using techniques drawn from linguistics and cybernetics to isolate the elements of ritual, shedding startling light on the factors that make Magick effective. This experiential workshop will allow you to take home an entirely new and simplified approach to ritual that promises amazing advances in Magick in the coming years, with the potential to transform lives and cultures in the 21st Century.

Hypnosis and Magick

What happens when two controversial branches of "brain change" meet? What exactly is a hypnotic trance, and what makes it useful? This session is an active exploration of trance states and how thay may be used within the context of ritual. Philip H. Farber demonstrates how Magick and hypnosis may be complementary disciplines, and can be used together for an even more powerful experience.

Introduction to Contemporary Magick

Prepare to part the veils of mystery and get down with your Holy Guardian Angel! If you want a practical, hands-on introduction to Ceremonoial Magick, this user-friendly workshop may be your opportunity. Participants will learn a basic banishing ritual, and will gain orientation to the theory and practice of Magick.


Gavin and Yvonne Frost

are internationally-known and well respected elders of the Craft. They have authored several books on Witchcraft, including The Witches' Bible and The Magic Power of Witchcraft. They are among the founders of the 20th Century Craft movement and have appeared on the Donahue Show, PM Magazine, and Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show. They have run the Church and School of Wicca since they founded it in 1968, which has introduced over one million people to the Craft, and have worked with more than forty thousand students in forty-nine countries worldwide. The Church also publishes the magical periodical Survival and have written 22 books and booklets, some of which have been translated into five languages. (Some books available through ACE.)

Heretical Witchcraft 101

Gavin and Yvonne discuss the path of the Church and School of Wicca. Particular emphasis is placed on the book The Witch's Bible and the practices that have made them controversial figures in the Wiccan movement, and on ways in which their thinking has changed over the years. Come to this lecture with all your questions on ritual sex, altered states of consciousness, or any other subject. This is your chance to improve the direction of the largest, most influential, and the most international church of Wicca in the world. Face Gavin and Yvonne with your complaints and challenges. They can change; can you?

Opening Up to Love and Intimacy

This is a sky-clad ritual. Closeness with others can heal. This workshop examines the bars to intimacy that we put up, how we use stereotyping to avoid intimacy, and some techniques to establish intimacy. This knowledge will help all attendees gain that indefinable connection with one another that removes loneliness and literally prolongs life. During the workshop attendees pair off to explore each other's safe space. The technique has proven very successful in encouraging people to open to each other. (No sexual contact is involved.)

Tantra and the Goddess Chakras

Gavin will explore the meaning of each Chakra and its respective Goddess as we activate them. This presentation will include several Chakra meditations. We will explore the (East) Indian colors, sounds, tastes, and imagery of each Chakra and bring it into a western frame of reference.

Illuminating the Chakras with the Gods of the Chakras

The meaning of the Chakras becomes clear only when the Gods and the Goddesses are separated. The Goddess activates, but the God illuminates. Gavin will use guided meditation to illustrate and to give further understanding of each Chakra. The class Tantra and the Goddess Chakra is a prerequisite for this class.


Carlos Jones

is the front-man for the popular group First Light, and a former member of I-Tal, one of the first Cleveland-based Reggae bands. He has been studying and been involved with Rastafarianism for over twenty years, and has just returned from his first visit to Jamaica. In 1994 he founded the Peace Love Unity Syndicate, otherwise known as the PLUS Band.

Rastafarianism

A seminar on Rasta tradition and spirituality, Jamaican history, and how Rasta philosophy figures into modern times. Our learning experience (and the PLUS Band performance Tuesday night) will be a celebration of the July 23rd birthday of His Imperial Majesty Haile Salassie I.

Nyabinghi Drumming

Carlos leads a discussion and an experience of the Rasta ritualistic drumming called 'Nyabinghi', and it's place in forming what we now call Reggae music. Carlos will lead the discussion, and be accompanied by members of the PLUS Band in traditional Nyabinghi drumming and drum chants.


Catherine Cartwright Jones

holds a B.F.A. from U.C.L.A., has 25 years experience as a professional artist and craftsperson, and is a professional illustrator with a special interest in bodypainting and batik. She is an instructor at Kent State University, and has offered her classes and services to the Starwood Community for several years.

Batik Prayer Flags and Banners

Prayer flags are a traditional way of sending prayers to spirits dwelling in sacred areas. Learn the techniques and create a prayer flag or banner in direct batik fashion, using a lightfast and washable dye with no dipping or rewaxing, ready to hang at your campsite or home altar, or fly your prayers with others in the community on the Brushwood Flagpole Array. No experience necessary. Materials fee: $5 for flags, more for banners.


Roy Jones

holds a B.F.A. from the California Institute of Arts, and is an instructor at Kent State University. He has been a professional artist and craftsman for 25 years, and is a talented harpist and drummer. His contributions to the Starwood Festival and other projects at Brushwood over the years have been invaluable.

Ritual Vessels: Primordial Pit-Fired Pottery

Participants in this workshop will choose two bisque fired pots (pre-made) and glaze them to taste. The pots will be pit fired in a bonfire overnight, set, loaded, and supervised by Roy and Catherine Cartwright Jones. At least one unbroken pot of the two is guaranteed, to be retrieved the next morning, or free pots will be issued for subsequent firing. Materials fee: $15.


Richard Kaczynski, PhD

has been a student of Ceremonial Magick and comparative religion since 1976. He holds a PhD in Social Psychology, and has recently completed a biographical book on Aliester Crowley. He is also the founder of the Metaphysical Alternative Group Information Center (MAGIC), a computer bulletin board and research library service. His writing has been featured in Mezlim, Eidolon, and the Golden Dawn Reference Series (Vol. II).

Phonehenge: the Fifth Annual Netter's Forum

Get ready to talk PPP, SLIP and FTP with your friends in COG, OTO and ADF. For our fourth year running, fellow techno-Pagans will get together to share and discuss exciting news from cyberspace, spanning private bulletin board systems to the World-Wide Web. Bring your favorite URL's, software opinions, and the like for what is always an animated discussion.


Bill Kates (Rev. Bleepo Abernathy)

is a certified SubGenius Radio Pagan, raised in the woods of Lower Westchester county, NY by his dog Flapjack and his understanding parents, Edith and Victor. Bill creates "promos", radio spots and comedy theatre pieces for a major market radio station and does sound for films and theatre. He collects horrible music and bad videotapes, and is well known as a field tester of new rodent species.

Exploring Theatrical Extremes

Bill will lead an improvisational workshop incorporating aspects of the Grotowski method: "make-your-own-theatre-in-an-instant-out-of-your-own-brain". An excellent class for the aspiring performance artist, or any wise-ass class clown.

Club Swank

Rev. Ken "Bleepo" Abernathy of the Church of the SubGenius (Praise Bob!), joins an unknown number of SubGenius Ranters & Ravers in a party of Apocalyptic proportions, as the pavilion explodes into mind-warping weirdness and Too Much Fun! A Dobbs Approved Event! Look for Princess Wei „R¾ Doe (Queen of All the U.F.O.s), Lonesome Cowboy Dave, Jesus Devilaqua, Rev. Stymie deBergerac, and more! (Go ahead. Look for them. Ha!)


Jim Klar

- see Cleveland Aikikai


David Korup

is establishing an energizing presence in the eclectic new music world. A percussionist, poet and teacher, David is co-founder of the provocative percussion group Seeds of Time. For more than a decade David has worked with his partner Billy Woods in expanding the boundaries of percussive Music of the Urban Gypsy across America.

Basic Hand Drumming

There are many different drumming languages in the world today. This workshop will focus on the basic techniques of hand drumming that are common to them all, making use of ideas and principles from numerous drumming traditions. All that is required is a drum and a willingness to explore.

The Solitary Drummer

This is a diverse program that incorporates group and solo activities. We will focus on the healing and cleansing values that drumming has to offer. (double session)

WORLDRUM: the DrumFest Experience

A hands-on, multi-cultural drumming experience for the whole family. Parents, bring your children. Here we will explore the magical world of percussion. Instruments will be provided.


Paul Krassner


Marty Laubach

is one of the founders of the Crystal Serpent (a Bloomington ritual Magick group) and the Bloomington CUUPs chapter, and was and elder of the ELF Lore Family from 1985 to 1992 and editor of the Elven Chronicles newsletter. He has co-organized major rituals at past WinterStar Symposiums and ELF Fests. He has practiced and taught Tai Chi since 1976, using William Chen's adoption of Cheng Man-Ch'ing long and short forms. He currently works with Black Moon Publications, and he is working on a Ph.D. in Sociology with a dual focus on the social psychology of religious experiences and the experiences of the working world.

Self Possessed: Exploring Consciousness Through Altered States

This workshop will explore what consciousness is by examining altered states, especially possession trance. We will play with some definitions of consciousness and the self and work up a models of them. Then we will dabble in some theories of the underlying neurological basis of trances, and adjust our model. Finally we will take a moment by moment walk through a Voodoo possession trance, getting in, what its like inside, and coming back. This workshop will be especially good for people who have problems getting into trance, and for those who have trouble putting it all into words. And the best part about it, especially for those skeptics among us, or more seriously, for those who have problems keeping it under control, we can do it all without losing touch with the "real world".

Tai Chi Workshop

Tai Chi Chuan is an exercise, moving meditation, and a martial art form that has been practiced in China since the 11th century. It uses Taoist principles of the soft overcoming the hard, emphasizing yielding and turning an opponent's own strength against themselves.

The Tai Chi workshops will start with a demonstration of William Chen's short form, then provide an opportunity for other practitioners to demonstrate other variations. We will also explore "push hands": an exercise in awareness of the dynamics of balance in the self and in a partner.


Joshua Levine

is a master drummer with the percussion ensemble Seeds of Time (formerly Street Drumming). His primary orientation is to the rhythms and instruments of the Middle East but is experienced in a variety of drums from the Dumbek (and other full-body drums) to frame drums. His music is available on the tape Street Drumming Live at Starwood from ACE.

Introduction to Frame Drums: Tar, Boudron, Reik

This beginning class will help us find a comfortable and effective method for holding our frame drums. We will also learn some of their basic voices, as well as games to improve our dexterity, and rhythms to start us on our way. No previous experience is necessary, but please bring a frame drum.

Creative Drumming Circle

Designed for players who are moderately comfortable with their drum, this class will provide the opportunity to explore creative possibilities in group drumming. From drum meditations to games with time, this is a space for us to experiment and share our thoughts, to trade licks, tricks, rhythms, and smiles.
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