Speakers & Workshops

Check back here again as we get closer to festival time for updates and additions.

Saturday Night Ceremony: Journey to the Center of the Worlds

¡r nDraÌocht FÈin presents a ceremony using trance, music and poetry to create an image of the sacred cosmos and allow us to dance within it. Time will be given to share sacred songs, poetry and performance from different spiritual paths.

Wavy Gravy, the magical Court Jester of the Counter Culture, still quests to make "doing good" fashionable in the 90's. In the words of Ram Dass, "This wise clown of compassion is a genuine mahatma of the Cosmic Giggle." He has an uncanny ability to connect with people, and he has combined clowning and service into fine art. Founding father of the still-thriving Hog Farm Commune, one of the stars of the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, Merry Prankster, he's master of ceremonies everywhere - including Woodstock I and II, where he ended up running the medical tent. He went to Children's Hospital every day for seven years, cheering up terminally ill children.
Now Wavy organizes FUNdraisers for the visionary SEVA foundation, which is dedicated to ending preventable blindness and other good works. He is founder and director of Camp Winnarainbow, author of Something Good For A Change, and mastermind of the "Nobody for President" campaign. Comic satirist Paul Krassner calls Wavy Gravy "the illegitimate son of Harpo Marx and Mother Teresa".

Clowning & Compassion: Toward the Fun

"If you don't have a sense of humor, it just isn't funny anymore" The healing tonic of humor inspires us to lighten up to the ridiculous, magical side of life and share our best with others. Explore street shamanism, clowning as a cover, humor and politics, laughter as the valve on the pressure cooker, and evoking the full scope of our creative imaginations.

Paul Krassner is a founder of the Yippies and an original Merry Prankster, and is known as a journalist, a Zen satirist, and the man who guided Groucho Marx on his first acid trip. As the publisher of the legendary magazine The Realist, Paul has been called the Father of the Underground Press (though he immediately demanded a blood test), and is one of the best minds of his generation to be destroyed by madness! In response to the F.B.I.'s classification of him as a "raving, unconfined nut", George Carlin said, "The F.B.I. was right. This man is dangerous... and funny... and necessary."

Tales of the Dead and Other Musical Misadventures

Wavy Gravy (AKA Hugh Romney) has worked and played with some of the greatest performers in the music business, from B.B. King (who gave him his name) to Bob Dylan, from Babatunde Olatunji to the cast of Woodstock. Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead called him "A saint in a clown suit." Paul Krassner started playing the violin when he was three. At the age of six, he became the youngest concert artist ever to perform at Carnegie Hall, warping him forever. He ended up hanging out with musicians like Country Joe McDonald and John Lennon.
Together, Wavy and Paul share their fantastic tales and musical adventures, from the Acid Tests with Ken Kesey and the Pranksters to the infamous Grateful Dead concert at the Great Pyramids of Egypt, and beyond!

Religion and Humor

"Although I decided to be born," says Paul Krassner, "I was circumcized against my will." So it was only natural that Paul should go on to develop his own Zen Bastard path of spirituality, including a feminist analysis of the Muslim version of Paradise. Not to mention that time he claims to have snorted cocaine with the Pope!

Diana L. Paxson is a consecrated Priestess of the Fellowship of the Spiral Path and an Elder of the Covenant of the Goddess and the Ring of Troth, whose journal, IDUNNA, she is now editing. Diana is the author of numerous mythic short stories and novels featuring the Old Religion, most recently The Lord of Horses, and is working on an Arthurian novel to be titled Hallowed Isle.

Singing for the Gods

Northern Shamanism

Oracular Seidh

A divinatory ritual reconstructed from Old Norse traditional practice as described in the sagas. In the Viking age, the Voelva, or seeress, travelled from one farmstead to another. People gathered for prophecy and divination. Diana L. Paxson is responsible for the revival of this practice today. She has trained a group of seers in California who perform seidh (rhymes with "bathe") at Pagan festivals, and has given training workshops in various parts of the U.S. and Europe. The rite features invocation, pathworking, trance and divination. All are invited to participate.

Olvardil Prydwyn is a talented recording artist and performer of Pagan music, skilled in a variety of traditional instruments including voice, harp, cittern, guitar, lute, mandolin and flutes. He holds an M.A. in Celtic Studies from the University of Edinburgh, and is working on his PhD in Celtic Languages and Literature at Harvard University.

Ars Poetica Pagana: Walking the Bardic Path

Between warriors and butterflies, it is often overlooked that the arts of the Pagan singer/songwriter/musician comprise in and of themselves a valid and essential magical path. In this workshop, we will discuss some of the highways and byways of "The Bardic Way", including the concept of performance as an act of magic, and explore some of the ways in which legacies of past Paganisms can be used responsibly to inspire the creation of a contemporary Pagan minstrelsy and mythology.

Magickal Balladry and the Psychedelic Experience

In the early 1960s, Timothy Leary, along with Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert, produced an ambitious adaptation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead which was meant to serve as a guidebook for the psychedelic explorer of consciousness. At the time, Leary said that this was to be only the first of several such adaptations, which would include Alice in Wonderland and Dante's Inferno.
Another useful provider of tips, warnings, and road-signs for the psychedelic voyager is the body of Magickal balladry and folktale passed down in the oral traditions of Europe. This workshop will explore this side of the continuing modern applicability of the ancient tales and ballads.

Halim El-Dabh is a Professor Emeritus of African Ethno-Musicology from Kent State University. He has travelled the world on projects by such organizations as the Smithsonian Institute, studying and participating in the music of tribal cultures. Originally from Egypt, Halim is an experienced drummer and performer on a wide variety of authentic African musical instruments and on keyboard. He has composed music for the sound/light show for the Great Pyramid of Egypt and for several operas around the world, and was a pioneer in electronic music.

Mandingo Jam

This improvisational call & response musical experience will combine traditional African elements, expanding into creative composition using percussion, chant, and whatever instruments become available from the WinterStar participants and performers. Halim's talents and formal training in African dance, drumming, and song combined with his playful and joyous approach to sharing music and spirit will make this a very special experience for us all.

Ian Corrigan is one of the finest bards of the modern Pagan movement. He has been 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. His extensive Magical scholarship, his talents on guitar, drum and penny-whistle, and his deep, rich vocals are an unmatched blend in the music of the ongoing Bardic tradition.

"As I Rode Out...": Songs of the Spirits

Drawing on the English and Irish ballad traditions as well as modern Pagan lore, Ian sings songs of wonder. These songs focus on the presence of the God/desses, the power of the Faerie folk, the binding and loosing of spells, and what happens when humans and Spirits meet. Ian performs the songs and discusses the symbolism and lore behind them.

Ken "Bleepo" 'Bill Kates' Abernathy is a certified SubGenius Radio Pagan, raised in the woods of Lower Westchester county, NY by his dog Flapjack and his understanding parents, Edith and Victor. Bill creates "promos", radio spots and comedy theatre pieces for major market radio, and does sound for films and theatre. He is a contributing writer for High Times Magazine and appears on the air with High Times Radio. He collects horrible music and bad videotapes, and is well known as a field tester of new rodent species.

Exploring Theatrical Extremes

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

Club Swank

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

Madonna Moonhawk has traveled the spiritual paths of the Goddess, Native American (Lakota traditions), and the Sufi Order for over twenty years. Moonhawk has an established private massotherapy practice in Akron, Oh. A Licensed Massotherapist, her work incorporates the healing techniques of Reflexology, Shiatsu, Deep Muscle Therapy (Swedish), Reiki II, Aromatherapy, and Sound Vibrational Healing. She is curently pursuing a degree in Occupational Therapy Assistantship.

The Dances of Universal Peace

Once known as "Sufi Dances", the Dances of Universal Peace are vibrant chants and movements honoring many of the world's spiritual traditions. These simple circle dances and walks are part of a timeless tradition of sacred dance and spiritual practice given new form by the American mystic and Sufi teacher Samuel L. Lewis. They create an atmosphere of joy, gratitude, and peace within ourselves and in harmony with others, inviting us to remember our divine inheritance and more fully embody the Divine Reality.

Sound Vibrational Healing

During this workshop, Madonna will demonstrate the use of voice, bells, and drums to produce various tones for vibrational healing. Chakras and channels are opened by this universal healing technique, using hands, centering, voice, and energy awareness.

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.

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.

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.

Trances, Drones, and Citizens of the Cosmos

Imagine the essential event of creation, the Big Bang, as a musical moment: a Big Ring, continually reverberating through space, expanding it, transforming it, giving it life.... and as a part of that space, we become ever more aware that we, our mental and spiritual selves, are a by-product of that sound, that music. If we speak the language of music and join our awareness to that ever complex and expanding note, the doors open to understanding true personal and universal power.
No musical background (if that's possible) is required for this lecture/performance, just open ears, minds and hearts. We will utilize sonic and sub-sonic electro-acoustic instruments, including Therimin. "We are electromagnetic waves. We go on... and on... and on..."

Donna Boswell MM, MLT holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music, and has sung with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, the Blossom Festival Chorus, the Annapolis Opera, and in a special appearance for the consecration of the Bishop of the State of Wyoming. A long time Chameleon, and organizer of Healers Row and First Aid for the Starwood Festival, Donna led the Chameleon Madrigals in it's early years. She has studied Soul Travel with Evan Pritchard, Magic with Ian Corrigan, was initiated by Isaac Bonewits, and is an initiate of the Chet Cabal.

Myth, Magic and Music

Many myths of the Ancients were preserved for us through classical music. As soon as the early Christian Church relaxed its hold on music, the late Medieval composers turned to mythology for their themes. From Claudio Monteverdis Orfeo in the 1500s through to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in the mid 1900s, music has invoked deities and celebrated the tales of our ancestors. This workshop is a brief survey of some of the invocations, myths and magic of the classical style of music with an emphasis on the continuing allure of the Orpheus Myth.

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 Workshops, 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 ownpersonal mythology and their own source of healing.

Rhythmical Journey

In this beginning workshop we will be expressing ourselves and experimenting with rhythm through musical instruments, our voices, and our bodies. Bring any instruments you like.

Diana McFadden has been interested in community living and cooperation for most of her life, and has visited several intentional communities over the years. She is concerned about the perils of competition in society, and its damaging effects on communities and individuals. Diana has a B.A. in Political Science, and currently makes her living as a professional musician with Green Crown.

Working Well Together

An open discussion designed to help understand, and with understanding to prevent and/or overcome, the dynamics of conflict, competition, and discord which so often plague groups and organizations in the 'Pagan' community - with the result that more energy is spent in sectarian infighting than in working the good magic which is so sorely needed.

PERFORMANCE

Einstein's Secret Orchestra is a Cleveland-based Psychedelic Cosmic-Blues Space-Band, with music of multiple influences reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. The ESO Experience in right-brain communication break-down is now accessable to the starwood community... spend the Night in the Swamp! Members include Chas Smith on keyboards and Theremin, Michele George on electric violin, Lonesome Cowboy Dave DeLuca on guitar, and Bob Mosic on drums.

Green Crown weaves an eclectic range of influences into an acoustic tapestry all their own, with a strong Celtic and Neo-Pagan base. Inspired by a deep reverence for the Earth, as well as for the legacies of the ancestors, traditional and original material is joined seemlessly in expression of a vision which is at once ancient as the forests, and fresh as this morning's dream. The core members are Vocalist/Harpist Olvardil Prydwyn, who also plays guitar, lute, cittern, mandolin and wind instruments, and Cellist Diana McFadden, also a player of guitar, cittern and mandolin. They are joined by Jim Barleycorn Brewster (percussion, whistles, mandolin, fiddle & guitar).

The Firesign Clones is an impromptu radio theatre group which attempts to recreate the performances of 60s-70s comedy theatre stars Firesign Theatre. Composed of Chameleon Club members and friends, with a good dose of SubGeniuses, they will present the classic radio-play parody "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye".