Updated 7/12/99. This is the FINAL speaker update, no more speakers or workshops will be added to this years festival.
Rev. John “Fox” Adelmann is the elected Archdruid of Ar nDraíocht Féin, North America’s largest Neopagan Druidic organization. John has been involved with nature religion for many years, including living on a Native American reservation. His Neopagan training began with Circle of the Sacred Grove in Columbus, OH. In 1993 he founded Shining Lakes Grove, ADF in Ann Arbor, MI. Under Fox’s leadership the Grove has become one of ADF’s largest and most successful congregations.
Druidry Ancient and Modern
No bit of Pagan history is more shrouded in mystery and misinformation than the Druids. This introductory workshop presents the facts about the Druids - the priest/esses and mages of the ancient Celts - and about the modern groups that use their name. Were women Druids? Did Druids build Stonehenge? What about human sacrifice?
The Sacred Land
Traditional Paganism is always connected directly to the land on which it is worked. Ancestors, land-spirits, even the Gods and Goddesses are integral with the local landscape. Fox describes the work he has done in building a land-based system in his home Grove, and gives practical advice and techniques for those interested in rooting their Paganism in the reality of the Earth.
Seasons of the Hearth
The Wheel of the Year can be more than a round of seasonal rituals - it can offer Pagan families a way to connect their religion with their home and daily lives. Fox describes handicrafts and family religious activities that can deepen family connection with the cycles of the year.
Oxun Olukari' Al'aye is an initiate priestess of Oshun of both Brazilian Condomble and Afro-Cuban santeria, as well as an initiate of Palo Mayombe. She brings to her present practice a diverse background: clinical and Jungian psychology, Shamanic trance and healing work. She has, for the past 15 years, traveled to many countries lecturing and learning, including extensive study while living in Brazil. She is a practitioner of ecstatic dance, a poet and lyricist, Akpetebi' de Orunmila (Maid of Orunmila), a practitioner and student of Awo (the ancient Yoruba science of divination).
Daughter of Oshun, the river, Mother of Mirrors, through silence and through sound, stillness and movement, introspection and celebration, is the reflection through which the beautiful reveals itself. Ecstacy is a love affair with the divine. Maferefun Orisha.
Introduction to the Santeria Pantheon
A discussion of basic principles and information about the practices and traditions of Ifa' and Orisha worship as expressed through Yoruba, Afro-Cuban Santeria, and Afro-Brazilian Candomble. We will explore qualities and attributes of various Orisha (forces in nature as faces of Deities), and ways in which the Aleyo (non-initiated worshipper) can respectfully and productively work with the Orisha traditions. We will also explore steps involved in entry, minor through major initiations, and differences between Egun/Ancestor, Palo Egun, and Orisha work. Hand-outs and bibliographies will be available.
Trance-Formations
The term "trance" can refer to various states of altered perception including: hypnotic state (externally or self-induced reduction of perception, or "psychic numbing"), consensus reality (societal and group mind programming), and the spiritual "possession state" and expansive ecstacy. Many schools of psychotherapy and lines of spiritual tradition work with trance for personal and collective benefit. We will examine productive and non-productive, voluntary and involuntary trance states, focusing on those resulting from the spiritual invocation of ecstacy. Learn to recognize and utilize these altered states of consciousness through such techniques as meditation, creation of sound, "trance-channeling", ecstatic dance, "automatic writing", and the art of invocation delicately paired with the "prepared" mind/body. How do we avoid unwanted trance states, and initiate desired ones? How do we productively share these gifts, and safely return and ground in a healthy, integrated manner? Discover what works for, with and through you.
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Maimu Alber has her roots in Finno-Ugric ancestral paganism and follows the recovery path. She is a Scion in the Church of All Worlds and currently co-coordinates Crooked River Nest in Uhrichsville, Ohio. She has been active in 12-Step recovery for over 16 years and devotes much time to providing recovery resources to the Pagan community via Pagan Paths 12 Step Recovery (http://starweaver.net/pp12sr), an educational and networking support website and e-mail discussion list for Pagans in all 12 Step programs. Combining her M.A. in English and her creative talents with pagan spirituality and recovery, she transforms mainstream recovery tools into magickal workings for healing, sharing these with others who travel the recovery path. Death-Rebirth Meditation for Renewal
Participants will journey through guided meditation into darkness and decay at the center of the Earth and then from Gaia’s womb into light and life as we are reborn into recovery. The meditation takes about 30-45 minutes. It is a powerful method for stress reduction and an aid in psychological movement through the 12 Step process. While this workshop is geared for addictions recovery, it is open to everyone who desires its benefits.
Recovery Rituals, Spells and Magick
Participants will learn several magickal workings for staying abstinent, gaining self-esteem, improving body image, dealing with anger, divining for denial, gaining self-confidence, and for other recovery issues, which can be used alone or in larger group ritual. While this workshop is geared for addictions recovery, it is open to everyone who desires its benefits.
Twelve Step / Sober Support
This is an opportunity for those of us who are in recovery to connect with others, make new friends, and plan further meetings during the event. We can establish times and places to take a break from the general festival atmosphere and share safe space, conversation, and good company. We’ll gather at the Healer’s Row Campfire.
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Freeman Allan is the co-founder of JBL Devotional Statues. For over 21 years, his Sacred Source catalog has brought tens of thousands of Goddesses and Gods to the Pagan hearts and altars of North America. Along with his partner Joyce Lynn, he has been teaching about Reclaiming for the past 15 years. According to Freeman, “Ancient deity icons inflame peoples’ souls toward seeking deeper meaning, intensity and expectations from life. These old archetypes, after all, are shape-seeds that contain the stored knowledge, as well as wisdom, of our ancestors across hundreds of millenia. Just to contemplate them is to experience reality in a different, more whole, way.”
Herstory of the Goddess
This investigation of the matrifocal genesis of civilization will create a mandala of over forty multicultural Goddess images. We will discuss their correspondences, and meditate on the wisdom we have lost during 5000 years of patriarchy. Come prepared to meet the Acheulian Goddess, who may date as early as 800,000 BCE! Bring your own Goddess images to add to the mandala.
Dancing with the Green Man Across Time and Space
An exploration of the human deity experience from its Neolithic origins, looking closely at the year-king, warrior and shaman achetypes. Fertility images in the Hindu, Near East and Norse/Celtic traditions are extensively explored and interrelated, and numerous alternative models for masculine process and identity will be suggested. Men: please come prepared to reveal the magic of your inner being.
The Cauldron
Starting with the Bird Goddess and Egg-Vision model of Creation myths, we will investigate the origin and significance of this primordial Pagan symbol. Sacred Source is proud to be the re-creator of the famed Gundestrup Cauldron, a preimmenant and long-lost example of this sacred ritual instrument. Please come prepared to hear a new version of the Holy Grail legend, to learn a bit more about Celtic deities, and to share your own wisdom about the cauldron’s meaning and purpose.
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Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF) is the nation's largest Pagan Druidic Fellowship, devoted to public worship and in-depth training. It attempts to revive the best aspects of the Paleopagan faiths of our forebears within a modern, scientific, artistic, ecological and holistic context.
Burning Down The House: A Ritual of Sacrifice
Gather at the Temple on the Hill for a Druidic rite to honor and worship the Gods and Goddesses, the Mighty Dead, and the Noble Spirits of the Land. Through the week, the Druids and Pagans of Ar nDraiocht Fein have prepared a simple Shrine-House. >From that House we will call the Gods, and into that house we will give offerings of food, flowers, incense, and mead, as well as gifts of art and our personal prayers. In a rite of music and dance we will offer the Shrine-House into the sacred fire, to send our worship to the Spirits. As the Shrine vanishes in flames, we will draw down the blessing of the Gods and Spirits on ourselves and our folk. Led by Archdruid Fox of ADF, and other ADF ritualists.
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The Association for Consciousness Exploration was conceived and created by members of the Chameleon Club, an eclectic extended-partying group floundered in 1978 in the northeast Ohio area. “Dedicated to the Expansion of the Frontiers of your Consideration”, ACE provides programs that celebrate diversity in the fields of consciousness, spirituality, and discovery such as the Starwood Festival and the WinterStar Symposium. To quote their Flounder, C.C. Rosencomet,”Their motto is Change!, their spirit in undaunted, their energy is phenomenal, and their number is far from legion.” There are many other groups like the Chameleon Club, but they all reside in parallel universes.
“So It’s Your First Starwood...”
Chameleons and ACE organizers Sean, Liafal, and Jeff Rosenbaum present an informal orientation for first time attenders to Starwood (or festivals in general). Topics to be discussed may include site orientation, etiquette, how to tell the staff from even lower primates, the history of Starwood, and your incessant and unwelcome questions. Just kidding. No, really.
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Isaac Bonewits has been a Druid priest for over 26 years,and a Wiccan priest for 16 years. He is one of North America's best known authorities on Neo-Paganism, Druidism, Witchcraft and the Occult. He holds the only accredited degree ever given in Magic (U.C.Berkeley) and is author of the classic intro textbook Real Magic, and lead singer in a band by the same name. He's the founder of Ar nDraiocht Fein: A Druid Fellowship (ADF). (Book & tapes available from ACE)
Antagonists in the Grove: Dealing With Religious Jerks
Based on K. Haugk's groundbreaking book ("Antagonists in the Church") and thirty years of observing small group dynamics in our volatile community. Why "Witch Wars" and "Pagan Politics" get so nasty, distinguishing healthy from unhealthy conflict, identifying Antagonist personalities and preventing them from destroying our groups.
Stalking the Wild Druid
Ar nDraiocht Fein, Keltria, the Order of Bards Ovates and druids, the Celtic Traditionalist Order of Druids, the Order of the White Oak, IMBAS, Aisling, and other Druidical and Celtic Reconstructionist organizations are flourishing now, alongside an ever-increasing number of "solitary" Druids. Who's Who and What's What? And what about all those so-called "Fam-Trad" Druids? In this presentation, Isaac will discuss the wide variety of modern Druids and fellow travelers, with something to amuse nearly everyone.
Inventing Your Own Tarot for Fun and Prophet
Why be stuck with the images other people think are spiritually or magically important? With a little thought and meditation, almost anyone can create a Tarot or Neotarot divination deck. In this workshop, Isaac will show and discuss various decks that have been created in the past, including his own, and will start participants on the process of creating their own.
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Jim Barleycorn Brewster has been an avid instrumental musician since his first trumpet lesson nearly 25 years ago. He is a long-time member of the Pagan community and an environmental activist. Today, he plays strings, percussion and simple flutes with Green Crown and Kiva.
Play That Funky Feadog: Improvisational Pennywhistle Using basic scales and modes as a framework, we will explore the expressive potential of the pennywhistle (AKA tin whistle or feadog). Techniques include breath control, phrasing, ornaments, half-tones, slurs, and "special effects". Also: how to fit in with rhythms, chants and other musings; and perhaps most importantly, how to be judicious.
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Tyger Brightfield, BBA, JD, is a recovering but still practicing civil rights lawyer and CPA that now makes a Real living as a computer geek in Washington, DC. She has been practicing magic in her own style (mostly chaotic) for most of her life, but recently was allowed to join the William Blake Oasis and is now a I degree in the OTO as well as a Usui Reiki master and Karuna Reiki master. She is the originator of the Seven-Element system of Chaos magic as well as a general changemaker, heretic and troublemaker with other magical systems.
Crystal Magic: Attuning and Empowering Your Favorite Stones
Using tantric breathwork and personal symbols to empower and awaken gems and crystals. Grids of empowered crystals are then demonstrated in several formations and structures, with suggested uses. Class is encouraged to bring stones and crystals for charging and use.
Calling Dragons: The Use of Mythological Animals in Meditation and Magic
A discussion of the more popular mythological animals in folklore (dragons, griffins, unicorns and others) with suggested uses in magic and self-empowerment/meditation work. Included is the placement of mythological animals in the sephira of the Tree of Life, with descriptions. A full-scale Dragon-calling ritual involving all of the class that chooses to participate concludes the classwork..
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David Jay Brown holds a master’s degree in psychobiology from New York University. He is the author of a science-fiction novel, Brainchild, and co-author of two volumes of interviews with some of the most fascinating people on the planet: Mavericks of the Mind, and Voices from the Edge. His new science fiction novel Virus: The Alien Strain will be published this summer by New Falcon Publications. His work has been translated into Japanese, Dutch, German, Spanish, Italian, and Czechoslovakian. David currently writes for publications all over the globe. He is presently working on a book about the unexplained powers of animals with British biologist Rupert Sheldrake called Pets and Premonitions, and maintains an award-winning Web site: www.levity.com/mavericks
Curing Stupidity and Acheiving Immortality
A discussion of two fields of cutting-edge nutritional research: “smart drugs”, or cognitive enhancers, which are drugs and nutrients that can improve memory and enhance concentration, and longevity enhancers which can improve physical performance, and even reverse the aging process. We will also consider speculations on the future of life extension research.
Mavericks of the Mind, or Amazing B.S. (Belief Systems) I Have Encountered
David shares what he has learned from having interviewed some of the most extraordinary people on the planet for his books Mavericks of the Mind and Voices from the Edge. David will summarize their ideas, compare their answers to the same questions (such as what they think happens to consciousness after death), and share some interesting anecdotes.
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Ric Campbell is a Shamanic healer, herbalist, and a Certified Massage Therapist, with over 20 years of experience. He has extensive training in Shiatsu and other bodywork systems. He has led numerous workshops on his Shamanic path.
Inner Healing Massage Workshop
Learn how the physical and the emotional can be worked together to get in touch with past traumas and abuse in order to become a conscious person in control of one’s own future. This workshop combines modern massage with Shamanic energy work in a system of touch, thought and love.
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Neil Chastain is a multi-faceted percussionist and composer from Cleveland, OH with a degree in percussion performance from the University of Michigan, and over 18 years of experience. He composes and performs regularly for dance, and has performed with Alvin Ailey dance Theatre, Pilobolus Dance, Belly-Dance Ates Altiok, and the University of Michigan Dance Faculty. Neil combines African, Middle-Eastern, and Jazz rhythms into a unique performance and teaching style on Dumbek, Djembe, Frame Drum (Tar), and many other percussion instruments. Neil currently teaches for the Cleveland School of the Arts, and performs with Roberto Ocasio’s Latin Jazz Project and S.A.F.M.O.D.
Clavé Rhythms
Join SAFMOD percussionist Neil Chastain in a workshop that will explore the root rhythms of Afro-Cuban Music based on son and rumba clavé. Various hand and stick techniques utilized in the world of Latin percussion will also be a focus. Bring a drum, sticks or both and share in this great tradition that enables drummers of all levels to improve their time, feel and ensemble skills.
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The Church of All Worlds was founded in 1962. Their membership has included many of the movers and shakers in the worldwide Pagan community. Inspired by Robert Heinlein’s novel Stranger in a Strange Land, it celebrates diversity, freedom of expression and life-style, and a spiritual unity with the Earth. CAW’s publication, Green Egg, has won many awards and has published over 100 issues. Leaders present at Starwood this year include Oberon Zell, Anodea Judith, Ronn Walks with Fire, and Starwhite. (Tapes on CAW’s history and other subjects by CAW members available from ACE)
Drinking Deeply/ Sharing Water
A Church of All Worlds water-sharing ceremony (held in the pool) adapted from Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, this moving communion ceremony affirms our kinship in the Great Circle of Life. “Water shared is life shared” with “all that Groks” which, of course, is God/dess. Experience this unity through the ritualized sharing of water as the essence of life. You must be able to swim and to tread water.
C.A.W. Clergy Confab
How has the Church of All Worlds managed to stay together all these years to become the oldest continuous Neo-Pagan organization? What does CAW have to offer YOU? How do you progress through its Nine Circles? Open discussion with members of the Priesthood on the “hot seat” for questions and answers. Literature available.
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Cleveland Aikikai is a school of Aikido affiliated with Shihan Mitsugi Saotome’s Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Founded 18 years ago and currently based in Cleveland Hts., Ohio, its members and students are dedicated to preserving and advancing the art, and they train actively 7 days a week.
We are pleased to welcome Chameleon and ACE organizer Jim Klar as a representative of Cleveland Aikikai. A second degree Black Belt, Jim has studied the Japanese martial art of Aikido for ten years, including two years in Japan, and taught for six. He currently teaches at Cleveland Aikikai and Oberlin College. See Jim Klar for his full bio.
Aikido Workshop
Aikido is a late 20th century Japanese martial art created by Morihei Ueshiba (who died in 1969). Aikido emphasizes self defense through harmony with the attacker’s movement, using their aggressive intentions against them to bring any conflict to a non-violent conclusion. It is an ideal martial art for men, women and children of all ages and physical abilities. This workshop is designed to serve as an introduction to Aikido, including a demonstration of advanced practice along with participatory exercises to demonstrate the art’s principles.
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Larry Cornett, known for his Calendar of Events, is an environmental engineer, an initiated Witch, and a founding member of A.C.E. (and the Chameleon Club), the Earth Religions Assistance Association (ERAA), the Earth Religions Assistance List (ERAL), Gaia Rising, and VisionWeavers Coven. He is an initiate of the Reformed Druids of North America, a Scion with the Church of All Worlds, and founder of their Triskelion Nest. He has been an activist since his days at Perdue University in the 60’s, and worked for the Vietnam Moratorium Committee. He has a BS in Physics and an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and works as an environmental and natural landscaping consultant, with over 23 years of professional experience in risk assessment, monitoring, and developing regulations and procedures for the control and clean-up of radioactive and other toxic waste pollution.
Earth Religion Rights Networking
This participatory workshop will cover how to deal with religious discrimination, and those organizations, resources, and tactics that can help. Beginning with a brief summary of the pertinent issues, resources, and tactics, participants will be given a limited amount of time to cover who they are, what they have actually done to help people with legal problems associated with their religion, the results of such efforts, and lessons they’ve learned. We will concentrate on those topics where there is the most experience, expertise and interest. Sign-up sheets will be circulated to forward to a variety of Earth Religion Rights organizations, and donations will be accepted for National networking. Participants are encouraged to circulate brochures and pertinent information.
Earth Religion Rights Networking Pot-Luck Lunch
Everyone is welcome, right after the workshop at the same location. You need not go to workshop to attend the pot-luck. Please bring a dish and literature to share.
Working With Nature Spirits
Each plant, animal, rock, and other entity has a spirit (consciousness resonance matrix). These spirits can join together, in a hive-mind, as a spirit of an area. Nature spirits include real biological intelligences, are psychically powerful, and are much less abstract and controllable than the Elementals that many magical people who perform all of their rituals indoors are familiar with. They can be extremely powerful allies. This is a hands-on workshop in which practical techniques for contacting nature spirits, finding power spots, and working with Nature Spirits in magical workings will be taught.
Earth Healing Magic
This is a workshop on magical techniques for healing the Earth, to help restore damage done by man and by catastrophic events, and to help provide protection of sacred land. We will cover some basics on the nature of magic and Earth healing, and poll those present to determine what level of experience participants have in magic in general and Earth-healing in particular. We will discuss constructive activities, such as tree-planting rituals and directing our energies against threats to the health of the Earth, and invite attendees to share their experiences and those magical techniques or chants that we have found to be effective for healing the environment.
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Ian Corrigan is a Chameleon, ACE organizer, and has been a teacher, writer, singer and ritualist in the Pagan movement for 25 years. Ian is a former Archdruid and Director of ADF, and is presently it’s national Preceptor. A founding member and Elder of Stone Creed Grove, ADF’s oldest congregation, he is author of four books on Celtic Paganism: The Portal Book, The Book of the Dragon, Grammary, and Druidheachd: Rites and Symbols of Druidry. One of the finest bards of the modern Pagan movement, Ian has been writing and performing songs of the British Isles and Neo-Paganism for over 20 years, and his music and poetry have delighted audiences at A.C.E. events and Pagan festivals across the U.S.A. and Canada. (Music tapes, lecture tapes and books by Ian are available from ACE.)
Rooted Deep, Crowned High: The Sacred Celtic Cosmos
An explanation of the symbols and ideas that make up the religious and magical world-view of Celtic Paganism. Including: The Triads of the Worlds; The Four Directions in Celtic Lore; The Gods, the Dead and the Sidhe; the Nine Elements, Celtic Magical Laws.
Celtic Vision Journeying
Ian leads guided meditations to attune the spirit to the realities of the Celtic Sacred Cosmos. Three short trances will include attunements to the Waters Under Earth and the Fire of the Heavens, and a vision-mandala of the whole Celtic cosmos. Bring chairs or cushions to be comfortable sitting or lying for trance.
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Cougar (Michael Reddy, PhD) was raised Catholic, and spent seven years practicing Zen Buddhism, before finding his home in North American Shamanism. Since 1986, he has learned from and worked closely with teachers from several traditions, including Objibway, Mic Mac, Lakota, and others. His medicine is his own, however, and should not be mistaken for ethnic Native American. His book on gossip developed while serving on the grievance committee of Pebble Hill Church, a large, ambitious interfaith community. He has facilitated "open-Heart" circles for ten years, blending his musical abilities with techniques from different teachers to create a powerful and engaging "safe space" for ritual and healing. Cougar's doctorate is in linguistics from the University of Chicago, and he served six years as an Assistant Professor at Columbia University.
Loose Talk: Towards a Communal Ethics of Gossip
One characteristic of vital, growing communities is - lots of talk. But (as the rumour mill contest shows) sometimes it can get pretty crazy. And the truth is, sometimes "loose talk" can wound, or literally tear our communities apart. This workshop - moving from folk wisdom, through experiences with tribal cultures, to some notions implicit in the institutions of our modern world - develops a clear picture of how damaging kinds of gossip (as opposed to fun kinds) arise, and how we can work to avoid them. There are real issues here; for it is also true that people do bad things at times. Thus to literally never speak negatively of other persons can become a form of denial every bit as toxic as malicious gossip. How do we "stay positive" without falling into denial? How do we "bear honest witness" without damaging those of whom we speak?
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Phyllis Curott has been an attorney and Wiccan priestess for almost 20 years, and is the author of the recently published and highly praised Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess. She holds a B.A. in philosophy from Brown University and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law. She is President Emerita of the Covenant of the Goddess (the oldest and largest international Wiccan organization), a member of the United Nations' NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and was a keynote speaker at the Parliament of the World's Religions (a centennial Interfaith gathering of 7,000 religious leaders held in 1993). H.Ps. Curott continues to practice law in NYC, and as a religious rights activist has won the rights for Wiccan clergy to perform legal marriages in New York and perform a public Goddess ritual in Chicago. She has just been honored by Jane Magazine, along with Hilary Clinton, as one of the Ten Gutsiest Women of 1998, and has appeared on The Roseanne Show, The View, Hard Copy, Extra, The O'Reilly Factor, and The Today Show (Weekend).
Out of the Broom Closet and Into the Fire?
(The Right Wing Has Just Attacked - Are You Prepared?)
The Neo-Pagan community is out of the broom closet! Despite a history of brutal persecution, Wiccans and contemporary Pagans are increasingly visible in the media, publishing, popular entertainment, news reports, university life, and mainstream awareness. But this increasing presence, and newfound acceptance, has placed us on the radar screen of the right wing. And in their gunsights. Teenage Witches are expelled from school, Christian fundamentalists harrass Pagans in the military and threaten the life of an outspoken Wiccan activist and author, key right wing politicians pledge to make the practice of Witchcraft illegal, and neo-fascist groups quote the Malleus Malifacarum and call for Witch-hunts. And George W. Bush Jr., the Repulican party’s front-runner for President, declares that the Old Religion is not a “true” religion, entitled to the protection of the First Amendment.
Whether you are already active or ready to step forward, this workshop will help us achieve a new level of political awareness and effectiveness. Learn how to make a difference, the historical background and legal realities of the issues, how to deal with the media, where to offer and/or obtain support, and share contacts and resources. Explore how to transform conflicts into opportunities in the struggle to secure our right to practice our religion in peace and freedom, and how to avoid wasting our energy on “witch-wars” and internal politics. Finally, we will seek to focus our conclusions into practical, organized and sustained efforts that reflect our most sacred values.
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Rebecca Crystal, M.S.W., has been working in the New Age, Feminist 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.
The Healing Circle
In spite of the wonderful energy we will have collected by the end of the Starwood Festival, many of us may feel a bit bruised from all the roads we’ve travelled and mountains we’ve climbed on our adventures through the many Realms. All you folk of healing and those needing the same, join in this final-day ritual of positive energy and good-will. Help us build a Cone of Power to heal all those at the festival and bless the land in thanks.
Psychic Therapy in the Round (2 slots)
Come to the Healing in the Round provided through humour and psychic therapy. Rebecca will teach, preach and reach out to touch you to get rid of old wounds, gain new skills or visit old lives. Come fly the friendly skies of your Karma!
Hyperspace Kabbie Driving Lessons
If you’ve never felt/seen/heard anything psychic, you will today. Rebecca takes you through Psychic 101 with humour and hands-on details. Feel! See! Hear! Those offended by the irreverant need not apply. (Training wheels provided.)
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Kenneth Deigh has over 15 years experience as a practicing Magus. As founder of the Sheya System of Magick, editor of Mezlim Magazine, and a practicing Shamanic healer, Kenneth is in the forefront of the Modern Magickal revival.
Post Tribal Shamanism
The modern shamanic practitioner has resources far beyond that of a tribal Shaman, and at the same time, much less substantial than the tribal Shaman. This workshop will explore these resources, as well as the similarities and differences between the shamanic arts as practiced in pre-technological societies and in our modern western world. We will also put some of these techniques to use, through some basic exercises in “consciously altering consciousness” and creating the shamanic body.
Djenaba (A.K.A. D.J.Reese) has been an advocate of healthy living and spiritual experience for over 19 years, practicing the techniques and skills she promotes. She is a an Advanced Personal Trainer, Sports Nutrition Consultant, Fitness Counselor, Advanced Aerobics Instructor, and Yoga Instructor, certified by the American Aerobic Association International/International Association of Sports Medicine, and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.
Conscious Stretching
Stretch, breathe, and go beyond perceptual limits as you learn basic techniques of body alignment, bio-mechanics, and muscular balance. Release tension and maximize your physical potential for joy while increasing health. Stretch your body, lengthen your muscles, and extend your life.
Aerobic Invocation
Explore aerobic exercise as a ritual process. Breathe, focus, and invoke your own unique movements in an experience of spontaneity and freedom. Learn techniques to transform consciousness as a preparation to life-extending dance. No experience necessary. Be prepared to move your body and enjoy.
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Earth Rhythm, founded by Alex & Joy Wedmedyk, offers experiential workshops, special events, and annual gatherings that promote the unity of all things. Earth Rhythm empowers others to awaken the healer within and to carry the message of oneness into their personal life walk.
Images of Sacred Power
This is a day long intensive workshop designed to connect participants with an alter-ego identity and to release it into reality through ritual theatre. We will use the body as a canvas seeking to connect with our inner spirit through Sacred Ritual. Participants will be painted and adorned, whether artist, lover, dreamer or warrior. Each will experience the transformative effects of this extraordinary workshop through chanting, drumming, body embellishment, painting and dance. What to bring: your favorite musical instruments, blanket, costume, incense, ritual objects, candles, etc., to enhance the effect of the journey. Brushes, paints, and some embellishments will be provided. Please bring any extra brushes, body paints and embellishments that you can.
In this 3 part workshop special guest Natasha Von (find her bio under her name) and Joy & Alex Wedmedyk will work with a small group of up to 30 people, to reawaken dormant subconscious imagery and weave it into a completed artwork/performance piece with music. Each participant will be mapped in symbols and dazzling colors, designed to express the spiritual metamorphosis that will occur in the Sacred Ritual. Workshop cost: $35.00 to include cost of materials.
Pt. I The Meditation and Introduction
Participants will be guided by Joy and Natasha into an Inner World, assisted by drumming, to find a their inner sacred place where they will seek to contact their spirit ally. After the meditation they will through drawings and imagery interpret their visions. Participants will then later work in pairs assiting each other to complete a transcendent full body painting.
Pt. II Rhythm and Dance
Simple but dynamic dance and drum techniques will be practiced to lead the group to an expression of thie spirit ally for use in the Ritual. The drumbeats will open all to the song and the dance that will merge each to his own spirit.
Pt. III Body Art
Beginning with a series of drawings, Natasha and her assistants will guide the painting and visual expressions of the imagined entities. This workshop may be documented in photos; portrait photos of the participants and workshop will be available at a small additional cost. No unauthorized photography allowed due to the distraction to the workshop’s focus. Custom body art and portraits may be commissioned upon special request.
Dances of Spirit: A Sacred Ritual
We will use 7 Universal elements as movements in this ritual to guide participants through their transformative experience. We will reach out in Dance to merge the Human with the Divine. Drumming and ecstatic dance lead by Earth Rhythm’s ensemble will help induce a trance-like state in which the drama will unfold. The ritual portion will be performed by those participating in the Images of Sacred Power workshop under the direction of Earth Rhythm; attendance at this ritual shall be free and open to everyone.
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Elie (pronounced Ay-Lee, also known as Eliesheva) holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and has studied extensively at the Departments of Middle Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University. She is a Kibbutz member from Israel, where strong and active interest in Earth-connected spirituality has long been and still is at the root of Kibbutz land reclamation. She is a member of the Machane Am Ha Aretz (People of the Land) Primitive Hebrew Assembly, a Peaceful Warrior Path in a Hebrew Earth Spirituality tradition that reconnects to the Shekina, the feminine aspect of the Hebrew Divinity. In the past 20 years she has travelled extensively in Mid-Eastern and other countries, where she has experienced pre-technological societies first hand and lectured and written numerous articles.
Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Hebrews
This workshop dispells the commonly held (and preached) notion that Pagan practice was an anomally in Ancient Israel. Elie will examine the character of the Gods and Goddesses of the ancient Hebrews and compare them to those of the surrounding Pagan Middle East of that time.
Introducing Amcha: Israeli Nature/Earth Spirituality
An examination of Israeli Nature Spirituality, it’s historical roots and current practice, and the Israelis’ mystical connection to the Earth. This is compared and contrasted with several related practices of Judeao-Paganism in the U.S.A.
Individual VS. Group: Building Community in the Modern U.S.A.
An interactive discussion group on what happens in contemporary American culture when New Age and/or Pagan or other groups attempt to create communities. Challenges and opportunities are addressed. Limit 20.
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Bill Elston is a thirty-year student of Druidism and a nine-year member of Ar nDraiocht Fein. He has taught Tarot, Oghams, Pyromancy and Irish Mythology for fifteen years, and is a third-degree Reiki practitioner, a student of Aroma, Gemstone, and light/color therapy, and a founder of Shamanic Lightwave Transformation (an alternative wellness resource center). His personal system of Ogham based healing and divination has developed over the past 12 years from the study and application of ancient Irish myth and legend.
Healing Potential of the Celtic Oghams
The Oghams are a system of symbolism and memory used by ancient Celtic poets and seers, commonly called “the tree alphabet”. Through the study of the trees, shrubs, herbs, gemstones, and the spiritual messages of the animals and birds of Irish myth associated with the Oghams, a viable system of healing emerges. The emphasis of this workshop will be on the proper use of the medicinal aspects of the Oghams. Each participant will receive notes listing proper usage of the plants, the healing attributes of the gemstones, and a brief description of the energies of the dieties, animals and birds assigned to each of the Oghams.
Pyromancy
Fire-Gazing, or Pyromancy, may be one of the oldest forms of divination practiced by mankind. This workshop will focus on the construction and ignition of a sacred fire, where to look into a fire to receive images, and on the interpretation of the images and the safe construction and usage of “special effects” pyrotechnique devices. Participants will receive notes listing the possible interpretation of various images, sketches of methods and a listing of common woods for constructing fires for specific uses. Each participant will also receive two special effects packets for their own use. safety will be constantly emphasized during the workshop.
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Ron Epstein is a solo practitioner licensed to practice Law in the State of New York and in Federal District Court. He graduated SUNY at Buffalo Law School in 1982 with a Juris Doctor and a certificate in State and Local Government Law. A former administrative law judge, with experience in civil practice, criminal law and civil RICO matters, Ron has lectured in the areas of Workers Compensation law, the use of surveillance in insurance investigations, and insurance fraud.
Power Plants: Man and the Law
Throughout history there has existed a class of plants that have had a special relationship to man. These plants and their immediate products were known to have sometimes subtle, sometimes radical effects on the mind and the body. In most ancient times, access to these plants were regulated by medicine men and women who had hundreds of years of experience distilled into their teaching. As society developed and the “organized religions” took a foothold, the economic, religious, social and political forces relating to the use of certain plant-derived materials became more complex. The Law replaced the Shaman as the arbiter of the plant world’s benefits for mankind.
This will be a two part seminar on the history of the penal and regulatory aspects of man’s relationship to the plant world. The two seminars will be kept as independent as possible.
Part I: The War
This seminar will focus on the Penal aspects of the regulation of contraband drugs. “The war on drugs” will be reviewed in historical perspective. This will be followed by an in-depth review of the New York State Penal codes as well as an overview of the Federal Mandatory Sentencing Guidelines. We will finish with an update on the status of efforts to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York State and a review of a radically different perspective: the legal basis for the Amsterdam model.
Part II: A Potpourri of Regulation
This seminar will entail a potpourri of related topics. An overview of the regulatory structure of the FDA; the process for FDA approval of new drugs, Federal legislation deregulating herbal remedies, and state efforts to re-regulate certain herbal substances. In a related but different vein, the seminar will finish up with an update of the Medical Marijuana Movement and the Industrial Hemp Movement.
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Shawn Eyer is an author, scholar, artist, and the founder of Thiasos Orphikos, a society for the creative exploration of Greek spiritual traditions. He holds Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology and Religion, and is currently a master's degree candidate in Transpersonal Psychology at John F. Kennedy University in California. Shawn was the editor of The Lyre: Greek Spiritual Traditions, and has been a contributor to Green Egg Magazine, The Quest, Alexandria: The Journal for the Western Cosmological Traditions, Diipetes Quarterly and The Beacon.
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, as well as other possibilities.
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? While Descartes (1596-1650) takes the rap for the split, this dualism is actually found in most 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 experience, and consider some of the ways in which mind/body dualism might be answered in a holistic way by transpersonal psychology.
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Philip H. Farber is the author of FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century, a manual of neurological exploration. His articles on magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine, Mondo 2000, High Times, Paradigm Shift, and other unique publications and web sites. Phil is also a hypnotherapist, co-host of America Online’s “Ceremonial Magick Chat,” and a co-founder of New York’s Thelemic Arts Center.
Magick for Potheads
Cannabis has played a role in ritual traditions worldwide for thousands of years. What are the limitations and advantages of ceremonial herbalization for the modern practitioner? Explore theories of cannabis as a divinatory tool, a ritual activator, and a “plant teacher.” Bring enough of your short term memory to appreciate these unique and challenging ideas. Some snacks would be nice, too.
Hypnosis for Megalomaniacs
Ever want to start your own religion or mass movement? Whether you’re a full-tilt guru wannabe or a former follower with the will to know how your mind was warped, you’ll agree that this workshop is the ONE TRUE WAY. Learn the hypnotic secrets of the televangelists! Perform miracles that will amaze your friends and entrance your followers! Learn to sling total absurdity in a way that will have them reaching for their checkbooks!
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Diccon Frankborn, a member of Haven Community and the Church of All Worlds, has been a practicing Wiccan since 1982. He has been a member of the American Society of Dowsers since 1992 and a singer and composer since 1963. In the past he has done workbooks on the Graeco-Roman Pantheon and on the magickal properties of Crystals, Minerals and Gemstones. He holds a B.S. in Zoology and an M.S. in Sociology from George Washington University.
Basic Pendulum Dowsing
After an explanation of the principles of dowsing and some theoretical background, participants will make a dowsing pendulum of their own. (Materials supplied.) Practical work will follow, including use of the pendulum for self-examination and an experiment in the location of a known (but hidden) object. Bibliography and suggested contacts will be provided. Limit 20.
A Ritual in Song
The group will carry out a Craft ritual by joining in songs rather than by speaking or chanting as is usual. Procedure will include circle erection, history, meditation, generation of healing energies, blessing, and circle closure. Song texts will be provided. Limit 24.
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Laurence Galian is an Initiated Wiccan Priest of the Welsh Tradition and holds the title of Seanachie from the Temple of Danaan. Laurence has traveled the world on mystical pilgrimages to Mexico, Ireland, Bulgaria, Malta, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. He is an initiated dervish of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order from Istanbul, Turkey, and is Senior Dance Accompanist in the Hofstra University Dept. of Drama & Dance. He is the author of Beyond Duality: the Art of Transcendence, and his new book, The Sun at Midnight: The Revealed Mysteries of the Ahle-Bait Sufis. He is also a professional pianist and composer, listed in the 1999 “International Who’s Who In Music” (Cambridge, England).
The Left Hand Path: East and West, Then and Now
Initiation begins with denial and rejection of the herd-mentality. The cultural and social values of the masses, whether propounded by conventional religions or by mass media, are recognized as obstacles to individual spiritual development. Human society values predictability, stability, or stasis above all things. The Initiate, by contrast, seeks continuous, positive self-evolution. Learn how Prometheus, Hermes and Athena, embodied these qualities and how you can find these qualities within yourSelf.
The Alphabet of Desire
Learn a potent (and fun) form of chaos sexual magick that is derived from the writings of Austin Osman Spare. Participants will create an “alphabet” of sexual terminology, which the chaos magician can use in private life to spell out hir desires. (This class involves no sexual activity, but it is still adults only.)
Dhikrullah - The Dervish Ceremony of Love
Amidst tall minarets, the splendid mosques, beautiful and intracately woven prayer carpets, strong tea, and Turkish coffee served in tiny cups - the most fascinating and intriguing things in all of Istanbul are the Dervishes whose Dhikrullah ceremony uses sacred movements, dance, chants and prayers to bring the participants into a state of ecstasy and Divine Reality.
The Shadow Knows
An exploration of the hidden aspects of the Gods and Goddesses. We will discuss how ignorance or denial of the Shadow can create havoc with our magickal and personal lives. Honoring the sacred dark side is essential to spiritual development and magickal success.
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Stephen Gaskin is a well-known teacher and counter-culture personality, the author of several books including Haight-Ashbury Flashbacks, Mind at Play, Cannabis Spirituality, and This Season's People, and a founder of The Farm Community: the largest and most successful hippie community in the world, created by a caravan of 400 hippies in 50 school-busses (and about 40 other vehicles), travelling across country from Haight-Ashbury. Stephen is also a founder of The Rocinante Health Center Project and Plenty International, an overseas relief and development company that helped rebuild 1200 houses and put in 27 kilometers of waterpipe in Guatemala, set up clinics in Lesotho and Mexico, and many other projects around the world including the Jefferson Award winning South Bronx Ambulance Project in New York City.
Stephen for President in 2000
The question of this campaign is more than pot (though that's one of the issues which motivated me to campaign). It is the question of free speech. The Supreme Court decision of 1888, that a corporation is a person, coupled with the decision of 1978 that money is the protected free speech of that coroporate person, has put our electoral system up for sale to the highest bidder. Our response must show that mere money cannot squelch the voice of millions of people speaking truth. We must become creative in being heard. This is my Platform:
- Plank 1. Universal Health Care: Everyone gets taken care of while we argue about the money.
- Plank 2. Campaign Finance Reform: The Airwaves belong to the people. The networks will give up enough time for the people to run their elections, free.
- Plank 3. Decriminalize Marijuana: Give Amnesty to all simple Marijuana prisoners who are not involved with guns or hard drugs.
- Plank 4. Let's Educate the Kids Now: We can argue about the money later.
- Plank 5. A Corporation is NOT a Person.
The Power of Community
Community is one of the steps between the individual and what we call the public, or society. As long as we can be treated by the government like a rag-tag gang of unorganized individuals, they can keep us from growing power of our own. The community I live in strengthens me and I strengthen it. Being without some kind of community is like hitch-hiking on the freeway.
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Jason Gazda first learned to play didgeridoo at The Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado. Since then he has made it his life’s work to get everyone playing and making didgeridoos, and has taught at medical seminars, collegiate alternative healing classes, pagan and music festivals, and to the inquisitive passerby. His didgeridoo instruction and production company “Rhythm Army” has received widespread acclaim for its unique, quality products and its business philosophies and practices.
Rhythm Army Didgeridoo Intensive
The didgeridoo is a sacred Australian wind instrument said to be 20,000 years old. Easy to learn but never mastered, it provides both healing and entertainment benefits. This highly interactive workshop will teach basic to intermediate (circular breathing) didgeridoo skills and techniques, with some one on one instruction. Topics include Aboriginal lore, didge massage, trance induction and whale song meditations. We’ll only have a short supply of didges on hand, so if you don’t have your own please come early. Some experimental didgeridoos will be on display and for play. Come and discover the ease of playing and the simplicity behind the complex vibrations of the didgeridoo.
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John Wisdom Gonce III, co-author of The Necronomicon Files, has had a life-long fascination with religion, supernormal phemonena and the occult. As an ordained minister in a Charismatic/Pentacostal denomination, he served as assistant pastor to a small mission church for several years. Now, as a Neo-Pagan and a practicing occultist, he occasionally provides exit-counselling for members of destructive cults. He is also an expert on medieval and renaissance arms, armor, and martial arts.
Daniel Harms is the author of the Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, a guide to the Cthulthu Mythos of H.P.Lovecraft and other authors which has won an Origins Special Achievement Award. He is also co-author of The Necronomicon Files. His interests include horror and science fiction literature, magic in modern society, game design, mythology, oneirocritica and theriology. He currently lives in Buffalo, where he is studying anthropology.
Magick and the Necronomicon
John and Daniel provide this deconstruction of the leading Necronomicon forgeries sold in bookstores today. From the standpoint of a practicing occultist, he evaluates the spells, historical backround and (dis)information of these “pulp fiction” grimoires, with special emphasis on their use by destructive cults. The occult knowledge of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft and its influences on the Necronomicon hoax will also be covered.
B-Movie Metaphysics
The impact of movies and other entertainment media on Magick has never been greater: From neo-pagan groups inspired by Hollywood epics, to chaos magicians who use fantasy computer and role playing games as sources for Lovecraftian Magick, to the “horror movie extravaganza” rituals of Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian OTO. John and Daniel will guide you through the shadowy world of media-inspired occultism in this multi-media workshop.
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Denise Grudt holds a degree in teaching from Eastern Michigan University, with a minor in science. She has been presenting animal programs since 1983, travelling to schools from Texas to NY. A practicing eclectic Wiccan since 1989, she combines science with magick to help people explore their "wild side". Denise has presented Pagan programs at Diana's Grove in Missouri, Convocation in Ann Arbor, several Druid events (via Fox), C.U.U.P.s functions, and held her own "Animal Magick Weekends" for families (researched by Starhawk's co-writer Ann Hill for their Pagan Family book).
Animals and the Environment
This program explores the problems facing the earth, and the things we caring Pagans can do to help. We will discuss poaching, pollution, the pet industry, and habitat loss. Focus will be on the inter-connectedness of all things and the "domino effect" that humans have caused, in their drive to dominate. 8-10 live, domestic-raised, exotic animals will be introduced, to put a face on the dilemma. Gentle and respectful interaction with the animals will follow.
Animal Magick
This program relates the magickal aspects of our animal friends. Many people feel drawn to a certain animal, or have journeyed to find their power animals. We will explore the folklore, and mystical lessons to be learned from these creatures. This session may also include a guided meditation to find our animal spirit guides. This workshop will also include quality time with frog, turtle, snake, lizard, gator, parrot, and hedgehog.
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Laurel Hopwood is an environmental activist who works as a fulltime volunteer with the Sierra Club dealing with environmental injustices. She has great passion to help the Earth’s creatures achieve wellness. She tries to initiate change through public education by writing, speaking, and doing media appearances about environmental issues.
Dr. Michael W. Fox, Senior Scholar of Bioethics of the Humane Society of the United States, has authored over 40 books. He is profiled in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. As a veterinarian, he feels special communion with animals’ joy and pain. His message helps to promote a greater sense of nurturing and compassion in an inhumane world.
Opening Pandora’s Box: Genetically Engineered Food
Totally new life forms are being synthetically made by genetically splicing different species together. They are then owned and controlled by huge corporations. There is widespread thought that life belongs to the Earth, rather than to for-profit companies. The longterm affects on the Earth and her creatures are unknown. There is no way to recall these introductions into the biosphere; instead, new traits will spread through all the generations to come. At this time, 2/3 of all processed food contains genetically manipulated material. Since food labels do not indicate this, there is no freedom to choose. Come learn about what is happening with this radical technology and what you can do about it.
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Jason Isla (Walking Bear) is a second generation pagan brought up in, and by, the community. He is a high priest of traditional Craft, a Native pipe carrier, sweat lodge water pourer, and Discordian at heart; drumming and dancing around the festival fires for thirteen years. A member of Brushwood Staff since the first year, he has spent the past several building and facilitating the nightly fires through the season and the bonfires for CraftWise, Sirius Rising and Starwood.
JR Prospal is a Chameleon Club member, A.C.E. organizer, and professional graphic designer who is responsible for many of the Starwood and WinterStar mailers. As the webmaster and designer of www.rosencomet.com, he is known as webchameleon1. JR is a Red Suspender WoodBuster, building and facilitating the Bonfire and the nightly fires at Starwood and other festivals.
Sacred Fire, Sacred Space
Since the dawn of 'clan' and 'tribe', man has gathered around the fire as a means of survival and a celebration of life. This workshop will serve as a forum to discuss the sacred fire, beginning with the roots of ritual performance of drum, song and dance around them. The focus will be the modern phenomenon of the festival bonfire; the mechanics and dynamics that go into the interplay between the fire, the drummers, dancers, fire-tenders and other participants. Please bring your opinions and perspectives to contribute to the discussion.
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Catherine Cartwright Jones holds a BFA from UCLA, and has worked 30 years as a teacher, author, artist, craftsperson, and 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 many years.
The History and Magical Traditions of Henna
A discussion of the 4000 year history of Henna, it’s origins in Goddess cults in the Eastern Mediterranean, it’s use in Moroccan sex magic, Tantra, and healing rituals in other paths, and it’s importance as a social tradition from medieval Spain to Tibet, from Africa to Bengal.
The Patterns and Techniqes of Henna
Henna painting is a traditional women’s ritual art used to temporarily tatoo hands and feet for beautification and ritual blessing. Patterns traditionally used to honor Kali and Ganesh, to insure fertility and avert the Evil Eye will be shown, including unusual patterns from Medieval Persia. The techniques to make henna a vivid color with intricate patterns and finest detail will be shown, including henna techniques from Yemen, West Africa, and Persian technique of making red henna turn jet black. Henna is supplied to all workshop participants to apply to themselves. Henna and kits are available for purchase.
Salt-Worked and Batik Silk: A Hands-On Workshop
Participants will learn how to make beautiful silk scarves, wraps and altar cloths using salt and batik techniques. Materials fee: $5. and up, depending on the size of the silk.
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Anodea Judith is a Priestess of the Church of All Worlds, founder of its magical training program, a therapist in private practice, and gives workshops coast to coast. She is author of three books on the chakras, Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System, The Sevenfold Journey: Reclaiming Mind, Body, and Spirit Through the Chakras, and Eastern Body, Western Mind. (Books and tapes available from ACE)
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge
This initiatory workshop/ritual takes participants on a journey across the Rainbow Bridge, the mythical connection between mortals and the Gods, by moving through the seven chakras, as Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sound, Light and Thought. Combines ritual, movement, drumming, chanting, play, mind, body, and spirit.
Nude Partner Yoga
Come stretch your bootie, hang your patootie, and contort with your cutie. What's good for the Bod is good for the God and what's in the bodice comes from the Goddess. Using the balance of another's body to stretch your own we will learn yoga poses designed for dynamic duos. Wear something stretchy or nothing at all. Bring a partner or find one there. Open to all levels of experience, but do be prepared to laugh, move and bend.
A Bouquet of Lovers: Open Relationships in a Pagan Tribal Context
See Oberon Zell for description.
Richard Kaczynski, Ph.D. has been a student of mysticism and non-mainstream religions for over 20 years, and has made this his specialty as an academician, statistician and researcher. He recently co-edited a collection of Aleister Crowley’s essays, The Revival of Magick, and has provided editorial support for books like Magick, The Aleister Crowley Desk Reference and Eight Lectures on Yoga. He has contributed to numerous mazagines (Mezlim, Eidolon, Different Worlds, MECAA Proceedings) and books (The Golden Dawn Reference Series and People of the Earth). He operates southwest Michigan’s official Ordo Templi Orientis body, and was the founder of the nonprofit group MAGIC, which operated a pagan/occult BBS for many years. His current writing projects include Crowley on Drugs (co-edited with Hymenaeus Beta), Kosher Kabbalah for Magicians, The Collected Letters of Aleister Crowley, and a biography of Aleister Crowley. He also plays keyboards with the progressive rock groups “House of Usher” and “Page”.
Magick in the Next Millenium
Many traditions agree that, in the past century, mankind has entered a new stage of spiritual evolution. Whether it’s called the Revival of Witchcraft, the Aeon of Horus, Age of Aquarius, or New Age, there is wide concensus that the rules of the game have recently changed. Yet, in the absence of a rule book, most people continue using the rituals and formulae of the old ways. As we stand on the brink of Y2K, this talk will examine trends of the past century and identify ways in which magical practice will be different in the next millenium.
The Revival of Magick
The title comes from a collection of essays by Aleister Crowley which I co-edited with Hymenaeus Beta, head of the Ordo Templi Orientis (published by Falcon Press, 1998). It’s a great compilation because it shows Crowley’s more “humane” side, one which is rarely appreciated. Much of what people read by AC is for serious students, not the general public. Imagine the wrong impression one would have of Catholicism if all one had were the priestly requirements: learn Latin, be celibate, attend Mass daily, etc.) Thus, this talk is geared to discussing the principles of Thelemic philosophy as summed up in phrases like “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law” from Aleister Crowley’s The Book of the Law. Attendees will understand how these principles can be applied to any lifestyle, regardless of whether or not you are a student of “Magick.”
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Jim Klar is a Chameleon, an ACE organizer, and a representative of Cleveland Aikikai. A second degree Black Belt, Jim has studied the Japanese martial art of Aikido for nine years, including two years in Japan, and taught for five. He currently teaches at Cleveland Aikikai and Oberlin College.
Aikido Workshop: see Cleveland Aikikai
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Kenny Klein is a musician and lecturer, who has played progressive myth-oriented folk music at venues including Pagan festivals, renaissance festivals and concert houses for over fifteen years. Kenny plays guitar and fiddle, and sings original and traditional songs of myth, farce, love, and the strangeness of life. His music can be found on some of the earliest recordings of Neo-Pagan music, and he has performed at festivals across the country.
Fairie Lore and Myth in British Folk Music
Join Kenny for a discussion of the myths of fairies and mythic creatures as they are seen in the traditional folk music of Britain and Ireland. Songs will be performed, and strange and insightful comments made in a discussion atmosphere.
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Lansana Kouyate is a traditional drummer, dancer, and storyteller (or Griot) of the Kouyate clan from Guinea, West Africa, where his family has served the descendants of the Great Emperor Soundiata of Mali for thousands of years. He has toured internationally in Cote D’Ivoire with Symbo of Africa, in Guinea with the Ballet Africain, in Holland with Fatala, and was part of Peter Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival. His style blends traditional and modern elements of African music, producing seemingly effortless improvisations that recall the ancient melodies of his homeland. He will also be performing with the African dance band Djoliba.
Traditional Rhythms of Guinea
“My name means musician”, Kouyate says. “My music is more than my heritage, it is my life, my soul.” Lansana Kouyate and others from the band Djoliba perform traditional West African rhythms such as Yeke Yeke and Soutoucou which reach beyond music, expressing and upholding the ancient values of African culture.
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Donald Michael Kraig has taught and practiced the Western Magickal Tradition for over twenty years. He is a Tantric initiate, a Kabalah scholar, and a researcher in the field of Ceremonial Magick. Donald hold a B.A. in Philosophy from UCLA where he also studied Music, and has performed on keyboards with rock bands, even opening for such acts as Elton John and Great White. He is a certified Tarot Master and a Grandmaster with the American Tarot Association, and both teaches and works professionally in multi-media, animation and web design. Widely recognized for his historical perspectives on Occult organizations like the Golden Dawn, Donald is a former editor of the Llewellyn New Times and Fate Magazine, and author of the classic ritual textbook Modern Magick and his latest book, Modern Sex Magick.
The Real Practical Kabalah
This lecture is not just some philosophy or talk, but practical techniques on how to use the kabalah to achieve your goals. Practical information and specific methods and rituals will be given. The talk will focus on using the 4-fold division of the Kabalistic Tree of Life, known as The Four Worlds, to supercharge everything from rituals to the simplest of visualizations. This will be combined with information on how to use, for practical purposes, the Tarot on the Tree. The result will enable you to move from seeing the Kabalah as mere theory or philosophical construct to powerful tool for recreating your environment and your self.
Kabalistic Sex Magick
In this workshop, people will learn about the history of Kabalistic sex magick, from the Temples in Jerusalem to modern times, and how it evolved. Then, practical techniques of working with energy very similar to this energy will be demonstrated and practiced (no sexual touching is involved). By becoming familiar with the energy, participants will be able to relate this to the energies raised during erotic stimulation and apply this to their own magick and rituals.
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Lyrus Landholder has studied and practiced many paths of Magick for over twenty years, from Wicca to Thelema, Tantra to Kabbalah. He is an Elder and past High Priest of the Circle of the Sacred Grove (Church of Pantheist Wicca), and a founding member of the Chameleon Club. He is a fine cellist, composer and arranger, with a B.A. in Music. Lyrus was trained in Yoga at the Light of Yoga Society in Cleveland, and has been practicing Yoga for 22 years. He has been presenting Morning Attunements at Starwood and WinterStar for over ten years.
Basic Yoga
Lyrus will lead us in an easy morning session of Yoga, demonstrating basic stretches, breathing exercises and meditation. Great flexibility is not required, only the willingness to push and pull the body in a few new directions. The emphasis is on gentleness! You may wish to bring a small mat, a towel, or a blanket to put on the ground.
“So You Wanna Move to the Country...”
This class is for every Pagan who has ever made this claim, even to him/herself. It will look at the practicalities of such a move, and what it means to one’s lifestyle. This includes making a living, the responsibility of a house, animals, gardening, everything that goes into making a country place happen. This is based on Lyrus & Nema’s 8 years homesteading in Hocking County.
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Marty Laubach is one of the founders of the Crystal Serpent (a Bloomington ritual Magick group) and the Bloomington CUUPs chapter. He was an elder of the ELF Lore Family from 1985 to 1992 and editor of the Elven Chronicles newsletter, and 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 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.
NeoPagan Possession Trance
This workshop will present some preliminary results of a study of possession trance as practiced in the NeoPagan community. We will discuss how people experience possession and how it is socially constructed, then dabble in theories such as the underlying neurological basis of trances. 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 and those who have concerns about keeping it under control, we can do it all without losing touch with the "real world".
Exploring Consciousness: "The Method of Science, the Aim of Religion"
The NeoPagan movement bases our spirituality on our own experience, rejecting book-based religious and scientific dogma. But we are a product of the modern world, and we want our claims of spiritual experiences to be authentic. We also want to be taken seriously in the world, and we sure don't want to be dismissed for following spiritual fads like the New Agers. So we wrap ourselves in the legitimacy of science as "explorers." How do we make that work? How can we use science to authenticate our experience? Where does science end and religion begin?
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.
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Joshua Levin's nine year exploration into the worlds of percussion have included study, teaching, performance, ritual, and sacred circles in regions as diverse as Honduras, Mongolia, Nepal, and the United States. With his partner, Deborah Nervig, Joshua practices the arts of percussion and dance as vehicles for understanding and enhancing relationships with self and other. A member of the eclectic recording and performance group Seeds of Time, Joshua utilizes his unique technical style on frame drum and darbouka to explore the dynamics of space, time, and consciousness. Joshua received his M.A. in applied cultural anthropology from the University of Colorado, and is currently completing his doctoral work there.
Deborah Nervig has just returned from Nepal where she studied Buddhist Tantric Dance and Nepali Folk Dance. These ancient Eastern traditions naturally compliment an already eclectic dance and movement background that includes Modern, Jazz, and Middle-Eastern dance, as well as Shao-Lin Kung Fu. Her experience as a Certified Massage Therapist provides her with added insight and knowledge into the mechanics of the body. Deborah's art focuses on expression, centering, and increasing self-awareness through movement. She has been performing for the past 14 years and has most recently explored the relationships between dance and music with percussionist and partner, Joshua Levin.
Middle Eastern Drumming and Dance Workshop
Drummers will learn to compose and play rhythms for a Middle Eastern dance routine, while dancers develop the skills and steps to define, express, and magnify the groove. Emphasis will be on the relationship between the drummers and the dancers (because that's where the juice is!). We will rock our particular corner of the Universe. We will feel our bodies shimmy, shutter, and shout. We invite you to join us in the same spirit that makes the bees buzz and the honey sweeten. Anyone who can clap can come and clap to the rhythm, but if your going to play a drum, you need to already know how to hit it. All happy feets are invited to partake in the festivities.
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Lia Fail consists of: singer/songwriter Felim Collins, a keyboard player and guitarist from County Clare, Ireland; Karen Morgan, an accomplished singer/songwriter and guitar player; Sean Cagey, a singer/songwriter and Lia Fail’s lead guitarist; Tracey Kinney on vocals, bass, and bodhrain; Sybil Cagey on vocals; Dan Colbert on djembe; Pat Custy from County Clare, Ireland, on tin whistle, flute, and digeridoo; and Nikki Nicholas from Galway, Ireland on fiddle, bodhrain and djembes.
Celtic Music Workshop
The Celtic Music Workshop will include the traditional Irish sounds of the flute and fiddle, and will illustrate the various ways in which these tunes can be backed: with guitar, keyboards, bodhrain (Irish Drum), and djembes. At the workshop, participants will hear what techniques make tunes distinctly Irish, and how backing rhythm and music adds to the tunes themselves. The workshop will also cover different techniques of bodhrain playing, as well as songs sung both in English and in Irish.
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Liafal is a Chameleon, an ACE organizer, and a founder and Senior Druid of Stone Creed Grove, ADF. She is a professional educator and a Priestess of the Traditional Craft, National Members’ Advocate for ADF, a past officer of the Ohio local Covenant of the Goddess, and has been a major motivating force behind the Starwood Festival Kids Programming for many years.
Opening Circle
As we join our energies together, we invite the spirits to protect and guide us during Starwood. Join hundreds of people as we spiral dance to raise the power to envelope the festival in blessing.
Closing Circle
We thank those who have aided us during the festival and ask for protection as we return home.
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Mishlen Linden has been studying and was initiated into Tibetan Buddhism at the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, IN, run by Tulku Thubten Jigme Norbu, elder brother to His Holiness the Dali Lama. She is now in preparation for the Kalachakra Initiation, which will be given by H.H. the Dali Lama at the center, later this summer. A talented drummer and dancer, Mishlen wrote most of the drum pieces for the Inner Traditions Release Festival and Ritual Drumming (available through ACE), co-performed with Louis Martinié. A student of Thelemic Magick for over 20 years, she has been the archivist for Black Moon Publishing for 12 years, and is author of the Thelemic monograph Typhonian Teretomas. She is also a talented graphic artist and sculptor.
Buddhism For Beginners This workshop consists of an overall view of Tibetan Buddhism today: the Buddhas, gods, methods of offering, how to make a Buddhist altar and why. We will also cover mantras as evocations, fire pujas, and a practical method for entering the astral temples.
Tibetan Buddhism and Stellar Magick
The stars play a central role in the foundation of Tibetan mysticism. This workshop discusses the Kalachakra-the Wheel of Time, the continuity of consciousness, the stellar forces and their function in time travel.
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Louis Martinié is an Elder and Bokor (magickan) in service to the New Orleans VooDoo Spiritual Temple, and drums with the Mambo Muslima, Cabal Tambour Dan-i, and for the ritual shows of the VooDoo Museum. He has written Waters of Return:Aeonic VooDoo, the text for the New Orleans VooDoo Tarot, and is the editor for Black Moon Publishing and Moonweb. Louis has been associated with the anarchistic grouping of ritual magicians known as Bate Cabal. (The tape Festival and Ritual Drumming co-performed by with Mishlen Linden, is available through ACE.)
Insect Loa Session: New Orleans Voodoo
The session will prepare for the Insect Loa Ritual. The Insect Loa are spirits comparable to animal, tree, or earth spirits. They are a sentient, living presence in the Invisible World of the loa. They are capable of entering our Visible World through the use of ritualists bodies. The Insect Loa are commonly used to communicate with the newly dead.
The aims of the ritual, both magickal and mystical, will be discussed in this session,: Magickal - a technique will be taught to call the Insect Loa and to prepare one’s body to accept and dismiss them. Mystical - uses of the Insect Loa in creating a more stable base for the participants’ migratory personality will be given. Approximately 10 Voodoosants who will accept the Insect Loa at the ritual will be chosen by disposition and lot. An Order of Service used at the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple will be described in esoteric and exoteric detail. Drum rhythms of Cabal Tambour will be taught in the last 30 min.
Insect Loa Rites: New Orleans Voodoo
The ritual will invite the nation of Insect Loa (spirits) to enter approximately 10 Voodoosants. Possession by these loa is of value in that it usually provides a trace memory of a wonderfully alien consciousness against which one’s humaness can be measured. It can also widen the perceived horizion of possible experiences. This is a consciousness much more alien than that encountered in God/dess possession. An Order of Service of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple and the drum protocols of Cabal Tambour will be in place during the rite. Attendance at the Insect Loa Rites Session is a prerequisite for participation. (The Insect Loa rites will next be celebrated 4 days after Starwood in Vienna at a Magickal Seminar by Louis Martinie’.)
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Paul Maurice has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and practitioner of Paganism and magic. He is a founder and Senior Druid of Stone Creed and World Tree Groves, ADF, and serves as a director and Chief Liturgist of ADF. He is a Norse Pagan, and has worked with Viking runic and trance traditions.
Journey to the Hall of the Gods
In polytheistic Paganism we seek to create intimate, personal relationships with specific Gods, a relationship sometimes called ‘patronage’. This workshop is a set of three guided meditations that allow participants to spirit journey to their spiritual center, prepare themselves, and go forth to the Hall of the Gods and open to the voice and presence of their Patron Deity. This work will benefit all, especially those working on ADF’s Dedicant Program.
The Viking Universe: The Basics of Norse Paganism A survey of Norse cosmology and the religion and magic of the ‘Viking’ peoples. Topics will include the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard, the Nine Worlds and the World Tree, Norse Magic & the Runes.
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Paul Massey see Saphyre for workshop description
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Kirk McLaren’s foundation in the study in the mysteries began with Qabalahist and Jazz musician Dr. Fred Katz of Southern California in the mid seventies. Kirk first began teaching Tarot in Spokane, Washington at Yhantra Book store in 1980 and has been teaching seminars for Circles, Gatherings and Conventions ever since. He completed his course work in Visual Arts through the “McLaren Studio Academy”. Kirk has combined jewelry design and the study of the Tarot to produce a Three Dimensional Tarot System completed in 1993. This approach is based on the images of the Major Arcana in small sculpture that may be tossed like small stones, then read as they fall.
Introduction to the Tarot Casters
This is an introduction to the Tarot Casters; a system biased on the images of the Major Arcana in small sculpture that may be tossed like small stones, then read as they fall. This new approach to the Tarot frees the reader from the old layouts and enables the intuitive muscles to work in new ways. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, you may find this a great Joy.
Amulet Making Workshop
This workshop provides all that is needed to produce a carving for a lost wax casting. Within six weeks of the workshop the participant will receive their very own piece of jewelry that they made themselves. Lab Fees: $25 for a bronze Amulet, $35 for a Silver Amulet. (Molds may be made of your master carving for an additional $25.)
The Tarot: an Intensive Seminar
This is a two part workshop that is a little over two hours for each part. The workshop includes hand out notes for each participant to keep at the end of the class. Part One covers the Minor Arcana and how it is based on the Qubalistic “Tree of Life”. Each card is discussed to help understand the foundation on which the Major Arcana is built. (Aprox. 2 hours, 15 minutes.) Part Two covers the Major Arcana: it’s basic concepts, interpretations for reading and how it relates to the development of a Magical way of Life. Time permitting, an introduction to the Tarot Casters will be provided. Aprox. 2 hours.
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Priestess Miriam is the Mombo (Mother/Priestess) of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple. The Temple is located next to Congo Square and the its rituals are directly connected to the rituals performed on Congo Square by Marie Laveau and Doctor John. Mombo Miriam has been in numerous documentries and articles; her photo was recently in the New York Times as part of an article on Voodoo in New Orleans. Miriam carries on the work of her husband Belizean herbalist and VooDoo Priest Oswan Chamani, touching the souls of all peoples regardless of race or belief.
Ritual Flags
The ritual flags act as beacons to call the loa (Spirits). The ritual flags and their use in the ceremonies at the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple will be discussed. A portion of the Temple’s battery of ritual flags will be presented.
New Orleans Voodoo: Flags of the Loa
The ritual will be based upon the Order of Service of the New Orleans Voodoo Spiritual Temple where Miriam is the Mombo. The flags will be presented during the ritual and accorded honor and respect as sacred instruments. Louis Martinie’ will lead the drumming according to the protocols of Cabal Tambour; a Drum Societe. Drummers and other participants are asked to arrive 45 minutes before the ceremony for instruction and cleansing.
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Patricia Monaghan, PhD is one of the pioneers of the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She is the author of several books including the classic encyclopedia, The New Book of Goddesses and Heroines, now in print for over 20 years, winner of the Best Visionary Non-Fiction Award at the International New Age Trade Show. She has just completed two new books: The Goddess Path: Myths, Invocations and Rituals, and The Goddess Companion: Daily Meditations to the Goddess, and her encyclopedia of meditation (Meditation: The Complete Basic Guide) will be out this fall. She teaches interdisciplinary studies at DePaul University in Chicago (Many of her books and the tape The Way of the Goddess are available from ACE)
Artemis: Goddess of Girlhood
Between the ages of 7-11, girls are most vibrantly themselves. Yet, within a few years, they lose most of their self-esteem. All women have endured this loss of self and the grief and anger that goes with it. But we also carry within us a memory of that vibrant being we once were-and the ability to access her again. Ancient rituals of Artemis, Goddess of wilderness and wildness, give clues to how to bring back the strength of the girl within.
The Maenads: Women of Ecstacy
For 200 years in ancient Greece, there was a secret religion of women who followed the God of Ecstacy, Dionysos. Then, mysteriously, the religion of the maenads disappeared -- or, perhaps, went underground. What were these women doing on the mountaintops together? Was it connected with shamanic practices? What vestiges of maenad beliefs and practices survived their disappearance?
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Aaron Moss is a hedge witch and shamanic herbalist from Wales, UK. He has studied Botany, Mushrooms and Herbalism and has led walks in Western Mass with various educational groups since 1987.
Plant Spirit Medicine
Come celebrate the Magic and Mystery of the Green World as you learn about Plant Spirit Medicine. Using the tools of visualization and attunement we will listen to our own bodies and create a relationship with the devic realms. Moisten and green your sense of self with the flora of woodlands, pond and fields. Open your awareness and feel the essential energy, wisdom and healing of the plants.
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Nema has been practicing and writing about Magick for twenty-five years, with articles in The Cincinnati Journal of Ceremonial Magick, Aeon Magazine, Starfire, and other publications. From her experiences with Thelemic Magick, she developed Maat Magick and it’s aim of transforming the human race. She is an Elder (former HPS) of the Circle of the Sacred Grove, Church of Pantheist Wicca, an initiate of Adi Nath Tantra. She is the author of Maat Magick: a Guide to Self-Initiation, and is currently working on a book about Mysticism entitled Wings of Rapture: the Way of Mystery.
God Hunger
Like the instincts of hunger, thirst, sex and self-defense, humans seem to have an instinct for transcendence, a lust for divinity. Even the most “results-oriented” Mage will find, through steady practice, an Intelligence immeasurable and sublime. This workshop discusses the stages, signs and symptoms in the development of the way of Mystery, and presents techniques for beginning its journey. Nema draws the information for this workshop from her new manuscript, Wings of Rapture: the Way of Mystery, as yet unpublished.
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Deborah Nervig
See bio and workshop description under Joshua Levin.
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Diana L. Paxson is known as the author of many novels of historical and metaphysical fantasy, such as The White Raven, the Westria Series, the Wodan's Children Trilogy, and Hallowed Isle: The Book of the Sword (the first volume of her new Arthurian tetrology). In Pagan circles she is equally well-known as a priestess and leader, founder of the Fellowship of the Spiral Path, whose Board she is once more chairing. She has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess and is the Steerswoman of the Ring of Troth (an international Asatru organization) and editor of its journal, IDUNNA. One of Paxson's major contributions has been the recovery of the practice of Oracular Seidh, the shamanic divination of the north. She is also a Runemistress, and is currently working on a book on the subject for Llewellyn.
Hail Holy Earth: a Procession to Honor the EarthGoddess
Call her Erda or Nerthus or Gaia, the goddess of the ground we walk on has been honored all over the world. In the North, her image was placed in a cart and carried around the fields to bless them and bring peace and good fortune. Today, we'll carry her around Brushwood. Join the parade and bring the Goddess to Starwood with drumming and song. Bring drums, flowers, and colored scarves to wave. After the procession the image will be set up beside the pond so that all can honor Her during the festival.
Bidding the Goddess Goodbye
In the old days, when the Earth Goddess had blessed the fields her image was returned to her island shrine. Join us in bidding goodbye to the Goddess as we prepare to say farewell to the festival.
Turning on to Trancework: Theory and Practice
The ability to shift between different states of consciousness is as basic a human trait as making music, but as in music, some will find it easier than others. Both the "trance slut" and the "cement head" can benefit from understanding the types and levels of trance and learning the disciplines for moving from one state to another. In this workshop (drawing on twenty years of experience in shamanic journeying, oracle work, and god-possession), beginning and intermediate participants will learn basic techniques, while those who are more experienced will learn exercises and methods for teaching others.
Green Men and Green Religion
For our ancestors, the world was populated by "Wights" or spirits, from the household brownie to the elf in the forest. We can enrich our lives by working with them today. In this workshop we'll learn ways to contact the wights, care and feeding, anecdotes and folklore. (Diana L. Paxson has lived with a household brownie for 10 years, and depends on the help of the wights to manage her garden.)
Oracular Seidh
In the Viking age, the Voelva, or seeress, travelled from one farmstead to another to perform seidh, the oracular tradition of the North. Today, Asatru seidhkonaas "see" for the people at pagan festivals in a rite that includes invocation, pathworking, trance, and divination. All are invited to participate and ask questions.
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Dana L. Piper has been doing massage professionally for 18 years. He has extensive training in Applied Kinesiology, Sport Massage, Myofascial Release, and Shiatsu. He has been Director of Sport Massage for AMTA-MI for 3 yrs. and is currently on the National Team. He has been teaching this workshop for nearly 10 yrs.(including PSG) and, thus far, has had as many as 80 people in his class at one time. Lots of fun and laughs.
Partnered Therapeutic Massage
Learn effective therapeutic techniques WITH appropriate body mechanics that would allow you to be effective and not hurt/strain yourself while giving a full hour massage. Bring a partner to exchange with and a mat/blanket to lay on. Clothing optional. Oil provided. NON-SEXUAL.
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JR Prospal see Isla for bio and workshop description.
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Ronn Walks With Fire ("Pele Ahi" in Hawaiian) has been a student and practitioner of Hawaiian and Micronesian Spirituality for over thirteen years. He lived on the islands of Palau in Micronesia in 1976 and 1977 where he studied native rituals. Prior to that he lived in Nigeria and studied Hausa spirituality. He is a Priest in the Church of All Worlds and Priest of Spirit Weavers Church (a legally recognized Pagan church based in Toledo, Ohio). Ronn has experience in mediating conflicts locally, nationally and internationally. He has translated a number of rituals from other parts of the world, created new rituals by melding Micronesian spirituality into Neo-Pagan holiday celebrations and has performed as Priest in many large rituals across the nation.
Conflict Within Community: Channeling Conflict Into Positive Outcomes
One of the recurrent quandaries within the Pagan community is the periodic "witch war". While these wars are not limited to witches, the term is used to describe the discord. In our electronic age, the time from a smoldering disagreement to an all out forest fire is very short. This forum will be participatory in nature with a panel discussion including leaders from several different paths within Paganism. Scenarios will be described including methods of response by leaders to bring a quick end to the strife. Panel members include Isaac Bonewits, Oberon Zell, Anodea Judith, Amy Z., Conrad Bishop and Ronn Walks With Fire.
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Violette Rose is a self-employed artist working in glass, ceramics, fiber and wood, specializing in painting traditional and original celtic designs. She is also a musician with Green Crown, playing fiddle and acoustic bass, again crossing the line between the traditional forms and an original modern style.
Celtic Art for Beginners
Basic fundamentals in the construction of Celtic knotwork, spiral, and key patterns, with the emphasis on creating your own original designs. Please bring pencils, markers, and a hard writing/drawing surface. Paper and some materials are provided.
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Joseph Rothenberg, R.N. is a Registered Nurse, an Ohio licensed professional counselor, and a bio-feedback technician. He holds degrees in Psychology and Political Science from Case Western Reserve University. A Co-Director and founder of ACE (and the Chameleon Club), Joseph has studied and presented workshops for over 17 years. (The panel discussion The Self in Transformation, with Joseph Rothenberg, is available from ACE.)
Interface: Hands-On Experience With Electronic Meditation Devices
A variety of light/sound and electrical stimulation devices will be available to examine and use. A brief explanation of this technology will be offered, followed by a discussion on artificially induced altered states of consciousness as a tool for art and communication.
Starwood Faerie Community Meeting
An open house for the gay community at Starwood; this is as much a social event as a goal-oriented one, with an opportunity for new people to meet one another and old friends to get together. The topic for discussion will be networking, and generating new programming of interest to the Starwood Faerie Community. If we can come out of this discussion with a method for communicating interests in speakers, workshops, and programs we will have met our goal.
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Saphyre is a talented singer and drummer from Boulder, Colorado. He holds a dual degree in Psychology and Sociology, and has recorded on 15 CDs, including Grace by Flowers of Aphrodite. He has been co-teaching with The Ecstatic Choir at Naropa Institute for three years, and is co-founder of two dance companies. He’s know at Starwood as a member of Seeds of Time, and the new percussion group Infinitia.
African Drumming
This is a workshop for drummers with at least some prior experience. We will be concentrating on West African rhythms, using both traditional and some original and unique pieces, and we’ll study both solo and integrated styles. Please bring Djembes, Djun-Djuns, Ashikos, and bells and shakers.
Paul Massey has been singing since birth, to the delight and dismay of those around him. His extensive vocal ensemble experience includes performances in the cathedrals of England, a tour of China, and international competition in Spain. As a solo artist, Paul has expressed his creativity as writer, recording artist, and producer. “Music is my most precious gift. Sharing it with you is my greatest ecstasy.” Currently, Paul lives and sings in the Hawai’ian wilderness.
Acapella Improvisation
Using voice, melodies, harmonies, and vocal & body percussion, Saphyre and Paul Massey will lead us in constructing a vocal orchestra. Using African and Indian chant as a departure point, we will create new vocal music together. All levels of vocal background are welcome; all that’s required is an open heart and a willingness to experiment.
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Kristopher Setchfield is a spirited didjeridu player, teacher and student with a keen interest in its healing abilities. His primary focus is on the rhythmic and trancing aspects of the instrument, but is well versed in the vocal and almost percussive styles of the Aborigine tradition. He incorporates deep meditation, aura work and chakra cleansing into Didjeridu Vibrational Therapy.
Introduction to the Didjeridu (limit 20)
Australian Aboriginals trace the history of the didjeridu back over 30,000 years to the Dreamtime, the primordial time of the ancestors who created this reality. Our world was literally “sounded” into existence. Today this amazing instrument is in use around the world by people of all ages for its wonderful resonant sound, which can act as a catalyst to great grounding and healing. Come learn how to produce the basic drone, simple rhythms, vocalizations, and overtones that will allow you to incorporate the magic of the didjeridu into your life. You will receive your own beginner’s didgeridu and guide. ($25 fee for PVC didj, $40 for bamboo)
Didjeridu Trance Circle
Join us as we journey nto ourselves and each other in a guided didjeridu circle of slow trance rhythms. Dancers, onlookers, and anyone with an interest in listening is encouraged to come.
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Chas Smith holds a Master’s Degree in Music from Cleveland State University, where his class Roots of Rock and Soul is the largest-attendance class offered (over 200 each quarter). His studies focus on composition, ethnomusic and electro-acoustics, and he has also given a lecture series for the Cleveland Clinic advocating alternative ideas in music therapy. He directs and plays keyboards for Einstein’s Secret Orchestra, and has programmed ESO Swamp Radio at WCSB 89.3 FM in Cleveland since 1987.
Finding Your Voice in the Cosmic Fugue
Chas Smith hosts this workshop that answers the questions: “How do you know what and when to play”? Bring your instruments -didjeridos, birimbaus, mbiras, flutes, fiddles, and any sustaining or soft percussion instruments - for a workshop on improvisation and lead/solo taking within a band or multiple performer environments. These concepts translate well to other magickal arts, whether dance or drum circles, or life. Tapping into and joining the fugue that permeates us and all the reaches of the cosmos is the focus of this exploration. Some understanding of key (for pitched instruments) is required to participate, but that’s about it. Having fun when working in musical collaboration with others is the real lesson here.
Sonic Paths to the Stars
A guided meditation seminar: Float far away and radiate into this audio trance meditation workshop guided by ESO flight commander Chas and his modular electro-acoustic sonitron (analog synthesis hyperdrive only - no digital). No prerequisites... just an open mind and your will and intent to journey beyond beyond. Inspired by SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence): Same goals - Different path. See ya’ on the other side.
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Rev. Ivan Stang co-sub-founded The SubGenius Foundation in 1980, and has authored 4 books about The Church of the SubGenius and fringe beliefs, including The Book of the SubGenius, Revelation X, and High Weirdness by Mail. Since 1985 he has produced the syndicated “Hour of Slack” radio show, and has preached the word of J.R. “Bob” Dobbs at hundreds of stage shows. Recent projects include a role playing SubGenius game with Steve Jackson Games, and a new documentary video, “X-Day 1998” (a follow-up to the award winning SubGenius video, “ARISE!”). The Church of the SubGenius carved out a niche for itself on the Internet, where Stang now resides (http://www.subgenius.com).
The End of the World Drill III
At midnight on Friday the Puffer Dome will become your personal Escape Saucer as Rev. Stang and ESO lead you through their new “END OF THE WORLD DRILL III”. If you missed the Merry Pranksters and their Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests, this Test Launching of everyone’s home-made spaceships, brains included, will make up for it. We will drag the ’60s kicking and screaming into the New Millenium, even if it kills ‘em. (NOTE: This event will be cancelled if Stang and ESO are Ruptured on XX-Day, July 5 1999, as predicted by “Bob”.)
The Y-ZERO-K Bug: How to Rid Your Home of This Pest
The Y2K bug won’t have to throw us into the dark ages -- the Y0K bug already did that long ago. Stang and participants will discuss the serious repercussions of both logic-disrupting bugs, and suggest ways to exploit the public’s fear of the unknown as the century draws to a close.
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Jay Stevens is a novelist, historian, and journalist with a special interest in states of consciousness. He is the author of Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream and co-author of Drumming at the Edge of Magic and Planet Drum, with Grateful Dead percussionist Micky Hart. He lives most of the year on a farm in Vermont, where he writes and continues the alchemical family tradition of making maple syrup. At present he is finishing a companion volume to Storming Heaven called Burning Down the House.
Consciousness Wars and the Mutating Bodies of Modernity
Starting with the psychedelic movement of the late Sixties, Stevens will show how Nixon’s “war on drugs” unexpectedly launched the neuroscience revolution which has lately culminated in a whole medicine shelf of State-approved psychotropics (prozac, zoloft, etc.) and the desire to define, legislate and medicate us into an approved “normal” bodystate.
Rhythm Mystery, Rhythm Mastery
We are multidimensional rhythm machines at play in a universe of rhythms. Drawing from quantum physics, biology, cultural studies, as well as from the various consciousness traditions of the East and Shamanism, Stevens will illuminate the various rhythm domains that we are embedded within each and every second of our days. Under the metaphor of rhythm, science sits down with magic. One can explore these rhythmscapes using chaos mathematics or chronobiology, or with a drum! -- a rhythm tool almost anyone can use.
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Felicia Swayne (Kala Devi) is a 3rd degree initiate and High Priestess in the West Coast Eclectic Wiccan tradition, who teaches metaphysical and Kabalistic classes for initiates and non-initiates, and has a Tantric Healing practice for men, women and couples. An initiate into a Tantric order and a Certified Tantric Healer, she is a practicioner of Tai Chi, hatha yoga, Middle-Eastern dance and other movement-oriented techniques. She is currentlly writing a book which honors and provides rituals for the ten Tantric goddesses (mahavidyas).
Tree of Life Pathworking - An Experiential Workshop
Participants in this workshop will use movement, vocalization, visualization and previously-secret techniques to learn associations for each of the Tree of Life’s ten sefirot and how to manifest the Four Worlds all on an intuitive, body-aware level. The techniques in this workshop will lead participants into the use of divine energy to manifest desires (magick) and self-transformation/self-actualization.
Balancing the Elements Within Us
Using movement, guided visualization, breathwork and vocalization, participants will learn to open and balance their energy centers (chakras). These practices will help you clear years of physical and emotional “baggage” and allow you to more easily receive and transmit divine energy.
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Patricia Telesco (known as Trish or Mom) is a native of Western New York and the author of over 30 metaphysical books including the best-selling Goddess in My Pocket, Victorian Grimoire, 365 Goddess, Spinning Spells: Weaving Wonders, and The Little Book of Love Magic. Just under two years ago Trish quit her job as an administrative assistant to work full time on writing and serving the community through lectures, readings, workshops and doing public interviews. A practicing witch for 15 year (hoping to get it right), Trish considers herself a folk magician (or “militant kitchen witch”), whose main philosophy is K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple and Sublime). Trish maintains a strong internet presence on her home webpage: www.pce.net/ptelesco and on a Yahoo club set up for Q&A: www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/folkmagicwithtrishtelesco.
Advanced Wicca: The Adept Path
What does it mean to be a magical adept? Wicca has grown up a lot in the last decade and many people are ready to move forward but don’t really know where to begin advancing their arts. This lecture will discuss the meaning of adepthood and the way to begin working toward that goal using historical arcetypes as guides. It will also review some more advanced magical methods. This class is best suited to people who have at least 2 years practical experience in the craft.
Urban Shamanism
The shaman is a gatekeeper between the worlds. For those who live in urban environments this is even more true -- trying to balance the mundane with spiritual in the concrete jungle! This lecture talks about the tennants of core shamanism, why they’re important today, and how to use these ideas practically and effectively no matter where you may live, work, or play.
Kitchen Witch’s Corner
Based on the popular book Kitchen Witches Cookbook, this lecture shows how you can feed the body, nourish your mind, and satisfy your spirit from the same platter. If you “are what you eat”, why not consume some positive magic? Better still, the ideals of a Kitchen Witch are not limited to just the kitchen: it’s an entire philosophy that embraces the home as a sacred space in which magic has free reign.
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Jimi Two Feathers is the co-founder of Earth Drum Council. In addition to his producing and musical pursuits with EDC, he is a skilled teacher, facilitator, and public speaker, and has been working for many years as an anti-racism networker and community educator. He is also an active member of the Concord Citizen’s Y2K group in Concord, Mass, and a long-time community organizer and practitioner of survival skills, as well as a self-taught computer technician.
Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?: Y2K, Pagans, and Community Organizing
Many of us feel that "our community" is the people we come here to see, the "extended family" that gathers periodically at festivals, celebrations, and rituals. We often feel like outsiders in our towns and neighborhoods, conscious that our lifestyles are outside the mainstream. But when Y2K comes around (regardless of whether its impact is small or large), the relevant "community" will be the people who live near us, our local townsfolk or immediate neighborhood. Why is neighborhood organizing an important part of responding to Y2K, and what do we, as Pagans, have to contribute to Y2K neighborhood organizing efforts? How can we apply the lessons we've learned about community at gatherings like this to our home environments?
(This workshop will include some basic information about the scope and potential impact of the Y2K problem as currently understood, and some information about personal preparedness, but it will focus on community-building and neighborhood organizing. This is not a workshop about making your computer Y2K compliant. Participants are encouraged to bring information about Y2K initiatives in your own neighborhoods, if any.)
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Morwen Two Feathers is a rhythm evangelist, teacher, musician, writer, and management consultant who has been drumming for ten years, and facilitating rituals and leading organizations and groups for over fifteen years. She is co-founder of Earth Drum Council, and has been exploring the connections between rhythm, consciousness, and healing for a long time. For the past three years, Morwen has taught a course at Tufts University entitled “Universal Heartbeat: World Culture and Community Drumming.”
Polyrhythmic Road to Ecstasy: Workshop
Throughout the world, religious and spiritual practices include polyrhythmic drumming and dancing as a means for entering trance and accessing the ecstatic realm. In this workshop, we will explore one of the fundamental and most common polyrhythmic relationships, 2/3, and its expression in 4 over 6 rhythms. The first part of the workshop will include: 1. some talking about the effects of polyrhythm on consciousness and the body, and the relationship of ecstasy to magic; 2. exercises to experience the 2 over 3 relationship in the body; 3. transferring the polyrhythmic body knowledge we have acquired to percussion and/or dance techniques.
Polyrhythmic Road to Ecstasy: Ritual
In the ritual we will raise energy and travel between the worlds with an intention of healing and transformation. Both drummers and dancers are desired as participants. No previous experience with drumming or dance is necessary to participate in this workshop, but experienced and skilled drummers and dancers are also welcome. If you have drums and/or percussion instruments of any type, please bring them. (You must attend the workshop to be in the ritual.)
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Natasha Von is a painter, photographer and artistic visionary who has worked extensively with performance art and theater. She will guide the group through concept and choreography to the lush and dynamic visual stage magic that she is known for: transforming the players into gods, goddesses and spirits from another realm. Natasha’s work may be seen in the book Return of the Tribal, Inner Traditions, and at her website, www.nt3.clevernet/natasha. She has exhibited internationally and has been featured on an HBO Special. Her work hangs in several international collections and museums.
See Earth Rhythm for Natasha’s offerings.
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Tim Wallace is from the way out west of Cleveland. He is well known in the Northeast Ohio folk circuit for his humorous original songs, having performed in countless venues for over thirty years, dating back to the coffeehouse era of the mid-sixties. He is the host of a couple open mike nights and a Saturday morning radio show, and serves as artistic director of The Mountain Rose Concert Series.
Jug Band Basics
Learn to play jugs, kazoos, washboards, tubs, jinglesticks and other zero skill instruments. We’ll form an orchestra and rehearse a couple of tunes to perform on Thursday night’s Bardic Stage. Bring anything that might be construed as an instrument and we’ll jam!
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Daniella BlueStar WaterHawk has gained much insight to the mysteries of the world on her walk through this Spiritual and physical journey. Blending her studies in many varied philosophies, disciplines and university degrees, she has created her own eclectic Spiritual Path. She is in partnership with Don WaterHawk who has blessed her in teaching her his artform, weaving her own creativity into the work. She sits in the Ohana Circle of Changlings.
Don “Two Eagles” WaterHawk, Tsalagi-Mesquakie & German by heritage, is a Red Feather Brother of the Wolf-Clan and a Spiritual Walker. An artist, craftsman, photographer, Carver of the Pipe, Council facilitaor and Sharer, Don sits on the Ohana Circle of Changlings.
The Tsalagi Dance of Life
This is a workshop centered around the Seven Directional Ancient Medicine Dance from the Tsalagi (Cherokee) People. The movement is much like Tai Chi, and uses the seven directions and the lessons of the Eagle and the Owl. Don will be aided by Daniella Bluestar in teaching this workshop. This dance shows how to share energies with the seven directions for the healing of all things in the universe. Not strenuous at all. Wear loose clothing or come skyclad, and bring water to drink if it is hot. The Dance of Love will be taught to couples during the same workshop. (Please do not come to this class under the influence.)
Talking Council
This is a workshop on sacred speaking and how to use it in all aspects of our daily life. The Talking Council is a form of communication widely use by our ancestors throughout the world, through which we learn to communicate from the heart without the interference that we have in modern-day communication. We will talk about the Circle itself, how to faciliate Talking Council, the use of talking sticks and bowls, answering feathers, and the ego and anger rock. Talking council is meant for individuals, partners and groups. Bring something to sit on, to drink, your voice and your ears. This workshop is not suitable for very young children.
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Alex Wedmedyk, G.S. is a craftsman, jewelry designer, drummaker, and drummer. He is a member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge and a co-founder of Earth Rhythm, offering experiential workshops, special events, and annual gatherings that promote the unity of all things. Earth Rhythm empowers others to awaken the healer within and to carry the message of oneness into their personal life walk.
You and Your Drum: Finding and Caring for the RIGHT Drum This workshop is for anyone who has or is considering obtaining a personal drum. Alex will share helpful hints on how to select the drum that’s right for you. They will give instructions on preventative maintenance and “first aid” measures you can take to keep your drum in good shape, and some tips on the care and repair of sick drums.
Afrikan Drum Making Workshop
(5 hrs. 1st day, 4 hrs. 2nd. Ashiko: $195 Small, $225 Large Djembe: $325 Small, $350 Large)
This two day workshop begins with a ceremony to remind us of our connection to our Source and to honor the gifts from the Earth that will become our drums. Then you will craft your own Ashiko or Djembe drum to completed form. This includes choosing your own natural wood drum shell, selection of fabric and hide, complete assembly, and a lesson in making “diamonds” to keep the drum head tight and tuned. All drums will come with a heavy fabric belt strap to wear when playing. Class limited to ten.
Joy Wedmedyk is a minister, drummaker, visionary and artist in ritual ceremonies of the Heart. Joy is a member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, a co-founder of Earth Rhythm, and has taught throughout the Midwest. With storytelling, meditation, group sharing and ceremony she creates a safe and sacred space in her workshops, giving each participant the opportunity to connect to their own personal mythology and their own source of healing.
Sacred Prayer Bowls (double slot) Through guided imagery we will journey to the womb of the Mother. There we will discover what we need to let die, what is alive, and what we need to create and bring to life. Prayer bowls will be created to nurture any or all aspects of our personal discoveries. Gourd bowls, art supplies and decorative items will be supplied. Bring any objects that have personal meaning to you. Fee: $20.00. Max. 20 participants.
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WhiteDeer is a Wisconsin-based professional percussionist who’s music has been a welcome part of such groups as Todd Alan & the Quest, the Bog People, and the Bardo Brothers. He is a long-time Pagan and a teacher in matters musical and magickal throughout the U.S. He presently plays with Green Crown.
Elements of Sound Magic
Magic and music have been interconnected throughout history. Ancient peoples approached the unique acoustic properties of woods, metals, skin, stone, and more, with awareness of the subtle influence of sound on consciousness. We will compare ancient Chinese elemental theory with alchemical, numerological, and modern theories of sound magic. This will be experiential as well as theoretical, so bring a comfy seat!
Bargaining with the Gods
“An eye for an eye, a gift for a gift, a threat for a threat.” An almost universal (though rarely discussed) agent of religion and spirituality, an oath has been one of the most powerful magical workings one can undertake. We will discuss sacred and secular vows, the use of threats in magic, the ancient Irish concept of the geas, and the price of failure to keep one’s word.
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Billy Woods is a Drum Instructor from Boulder, Colorado, and has been drumming for over 35 years. He is a Taoist and a teacher of Qi Gung (an internal meditational exercise form) and has been an ethnic percussionist performing and recording New Music for Dance for the past 16 years. He is part of the percussion performance ensemble Infinitia. (His former band, Seeds of Time, can be heard on the tapes Street Drumming Live at Starwood and Seeds of Time Live at Starwood, available from ACE.
Chi Kung Exercises Pt. I & II
The practice of Chi Kung, developed in China over a period of centuries, increases the level of internal vitality through the use of the breath, slow movement forms which are often based on movements in nature or of animals, and visualization patterns related to the oriental system of energy meridians in the body. This particular form, the Tao Tan Pai or Taoist Elixir Style, is based in the teachings of Grand Master Share K Lew of San Diego, Ca., who studied for 14 yrs. as a resident monk at the Wong Lung Guan (Yellow Dragon) Temple in Canton, China. He has been teaching since coming to America in 1949.
Part I will involve the beginning set of Nui Gung, a shortpower set of five relatively easy movements along with quiet seated meditation, to maintain good health and increase vitality. Part II will utilize the Shen exercises which help develop Chi energy, improve visual focus, and promote self-healing. Part I is a pre-requisite for Part II.
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Young Park holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College, and a Master's Degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She has studied with such dancers as Dana Reitz, Ann Carlson, Urban Bush Women, Doug Varone and Company, and contact improvisers Ann Cooper Albright and Andrew Hardwood. She has attended dance intensives at New School for Dance Development in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and in New York City at the NYU Tosch Dance School. She has been practicing contact improv for 8 years, and has studied African dance.
Contact Improvisation
Contact is a form of movement that involves sharing of weight, balance, and body. Techniques developed involve knowing how to fall, roll, lift, and find your inner body balance. It is holding a conversation with another being through body movement. It deals with issues of body image, safe physical contact, and opening channels to higher body awareness. Participants should wear comfortable clothes. There will be a short discussion at the end of the workshop to share individual experiences.
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Oberon Zell-Ravenheart co-founded the Church of All Worlds in 1962, which upon incorporation in 1968 became the first Neo-Pagan church to obtain full Federal recognition in the U.S. First to apply the terms "Pagan" and "Neo-Pagan" to the newly-emerging nature Religions of the 1960's, and through his publication of the award-winning Green Egg Magazine, Oberon was instrumental in the coalescence of the Neo-Pagan movement. In 1970 he formulated and published the thealogy of deep ecology known as The Gaia Thesis. With his soulmate Morning Glory, he founded the Ecosophical Research Association whose projects have included raising Unicorns, chasing Mermaids, visiting ancient sacred sites and exploring the underworld. Now in a 5-person group marriage, Oberon is currently working on a book to be titled The Gospel of Gaea.
TheaGenesis and the Millennial Gaia
The story of Gaia as a living, conscious planet and Goddess. "The Millennial Gaia" is Oberon's latest and finest sculpture, and the culmination in artistic expression of his 1970 vision of Gaia which resulted in his "TheaGenesis" writings-his precursor of the Gaia Thesis: that all life on Earth comprises the body of a single living being-Mother Earth (Gaia) Herself. This new sculpture and other images of the Earth Mother from various cultures will be passed around. From biology to thealogy; from ancient civilizations to projections, visions and prophecies for the future.
Create Your Own Goddess
Oberon's most popular workshop. Working with special air-drying clay (provided by festival), you will learn the proportions and techniques for sculpting an original paleolithic Matrika in the authentic style of the famous so-called Stone Age "Venuses." You will come away with a wonderful votive figurine for your own altar, and learn how to make more for friends and coveners. Confuse the hades out of future archaeologists!
A Bouquet of Lovers: Open Relationships in a Pagan Tribal Context
Oberon and Morning Glory have had a successful open marriage for over 25 years, and have been in group marriages for over half of that time (currently in a group of five). They coined the term "polyamorous" to describe such relationships. Oberon and Anodea Judith team up to present a special workshop for individuals, couples and more, seeking to explore the possibilities of polyamory and Love Without Limits. Those who have read Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961 version) or Donald Kingsbury's Courtship Rite (1982) will have appropriate background.