Entertainment Descriptions follow workshop listings

Wavy Gravy

Mirth First
The Magic of Good Humor at the Gates of Hell and beyond. Humor in ritual, politics, and service with a smile.

Space Eating in the Real World
A hands-on "group-grope" in creative imagination, and the Evoking of the Loose Wig!



Phyllis Curott

Divine Magic, Practical Magic
Part I: Walking Our Talk
Infusing Magical Practices with Grounded Spirituality

Part II: Ecstasy, Empowerment and Activism
A two-part workshop devoted to deconstructing the influence of patriarchal orthodoxy on contemporary magic, rediscovering spiritual laws and revitalizing magical practices as a source of social, political and spiritual transformation.



Rev. Ivan Stang

As Real As It Gets
If it did not make you sick, overweight, or otherwise unhealthy, would you like to be able to EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AFFORD, OF ANYTHING YOU LIKE, JUST FOR THE SHEER PLEASURE OF IT?? That is one of the questions with which Rev. Stang will come to grips in "A Theological Comparison Between J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and Homer Simpson, Bodhissatva (and other mythic "Sacred Airheads" of the Collective Trademark Unconscious) (or, The Sin of Gluttony versus the Virtue of Slack -- What's the Difference?" The audience may want to participate in this discussion of the pros and the conmen of consumption. Rev. Stang will also unveil his new medical breakthrough, The Diverter (TM). It is recommended that the audience plan to eat BEFORE this demonstration.



Priestess Miriam

Speaking On The Original Temple Of Consciousness
The work we do takes place in what is known as the Outer Temples, but the Inner Temples are where our truest connection to the Ancestors resides. The original Temple of Consciousness, the first of the Inner Temples, is Sleep. We can achieve balance in ourselves through establishing balance between the Inner and Outer Temples. (This class will also provide an introduction to the Saturday night ritual.)

A Ceremony for Ogun, Erzulie, and Simbi
Of all the Orishas of the Voudon pantheon, Ogun, Erzulie, and Simbi are known to work the order of time, as the veil of life showers compassion over the universe. Through the grace of the Orishas, we strike a balance of the emotions we experience, as they grant us the boon of their compassion



Louis Martiné

A Banda for the Barons
The Banda is a drum rhythm upon which the Barons can "walk" or be called. The Barons are the dead whose names can be remembered. The Banda rhythm will be taught and the drummers will be invited to participate in an individual ritual to the Barons useful in evoking the internal passion necessary to effectively play a Banda. Linda Clemons, a teacher and practitioner of ritual dance, will then dance the Baron to each of the drummers.



Nema

Cyberlodge: World Magick on the Internet
This workshop introduces and provides an overview to the participants of the use of the Internet in the pursuits of Magick, including actual rituals that take place in Cyberspace. It will cover the Horus-Maat Lodge website, elist, and coordinated international new-moon Elevenstar rites as examples, plus a new e-publishing venture by a member entitled Ye Olde Goat's Shoppe.



Lyrus Landholder

Talk the talk...
Everybody needs to communicate in order to make themselves understood. Whether it's with employer or employee, lover, student or teacher, parent, or the person at the complaint window, effective communication can make life much easier. This workshop will concentrate on one-to-one communication. It will look at such topics as male and female languages, verbal self defense, and the fine art of questioning.

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.



Marty Laubach

Altered States of Consciousness: at the Boundary Between Magic, Religion, and Science
Magic, religion, and science have been fighting over altered states since the middle of the first millennium before the current era. Magic interprets them as communications with spirits, religion interprets them either as communication with God or demons, and science interprets them either as delusions or fraud. We will touch on that history, then examine altered states as intrusions into the stream of consciousness, how people construct them, and what we do with them. We'll 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/or trouble putting it all into words.

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. This workshop will start with a demonstration of William Chen's short form; then we will explore "push hands": an exercise in awareness of the dynamics of balance in the self and in a partner.



Linda Clemons

Dancing the Serpent
This trance dancing workshop, working as a meditation through movement, will present warm-ups, serpent movements, and a body prayer designed to awaken the Serpent Energy and work it up the body's chakras. Calling on aspects of Middle Eastern and other dance forms, it will offer techniques to maintain and focus the energy.



Ian Corrigan & Liafal

The Re-Enchantment of the World: a Practical Magical Working
In the modern world of featureless, mechanized cities, we undertake a working meant to thin the veil between our common world and the Realm of Spirits. Combining hand-craft, ritual and trance we will construct talismans designed to thin the veil wherever they are placed. We will then join in a magical rite to charge and hallow the talismans.

Part I: Making the Tine - a handicraft session to make the talisman, with simple meditation.

Part II: Hallowing the Tine - a full rite of magical work and trance. Attendance at Friday's session is a prerequisite to this working.

Taking it Home: Practical Paganism in Daily Life
So, you've been to the festival, attended rites and circles, perhaps felt the magic of the Gods, or the blessing of fellowship. Now what? This talk presents methods for making Pagan magic a part of your daily life. Ian will discuss the home shrine, controlling consciousness, personal relations with the God/desses and Spirits, and other topics. Bring your questions.



Catherine Cartwright Jones

The Patterns and Techniques of Henna
This hands-on workshop addresses patterns traditionally used to honor Kali and Asherah, to assure fertility and avert the Evil Eye, including unusual patterns from Medieval Persia. Techniques to make henna a vivid color with intricate patterns will be shown, some from Yemen, West Africa, and a Persian technique to make red henna turn jet black. Henna is supplied for participants to apply themselves. (Henna and kits are available for purchase.)

The Face of the Goddess
Women's facial tattoo, harquus and cosmetic patterns come from 1700 BCE to 1900, from North Africa, Arabia, Persia and India. These beautiful tribal patterns have been used since early Goddess worship in the Eastern Mediterranean to insure fertility, enhance sexuality, and avert the Evil Eye. Pattern books and cosmetics will be available for purchase, or bring your own waterproof eyeliner and hand mirror!



Bruce Fields

The Twelve-Step Program as a Shamanic Journey
Twelve years ago, Bruce entered a twelve step program and underwent what he later learned was a shamanic transformation. His approach to doing the steps, he saw, was facillitating a core change in his relationship to the material world and to himself. In his workshop, he will interpret the steps shamanically and then have the participants share experiences, ask questions, tell stories and more.



Joseph Rothenberg

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.





WinterStar Entertainment


Video: Neo-Pagan Rituals: The Flags of the Loa and the Starwood Bonfire Lighting Rituals

This film includes footage from Flags of the Loa, a ritual performed by members of the New Orleans VooDoo Spiritual Temple, based on their Order of Service and under the direction of Priestess Mombo Miriam. The flags are honored as sacred instruments used to call and praise the Loas (spirits). Louis Martinié leads the drumming according to the protocols of Cabal Tambour; a Drum Societe. It also includes rare footage of the Starwood Festival Bonfire Lighting Ceremony, the last of the previous millenium, and one of the grandest group rituals in the Magical community of the Americas.

This video was taken at Starwood 1999 under the direction of Marty Laubach for his class on Religion and Society. It was an attempt to place the participating students in the rituals, without showing the faces of those who did not wish them shown. It has been edited to apply it to other classes on religion, and subtitles, and a brief narration have been added. Though still a work in progress, Marty hopes to show that such projects can be done without compromising integrity, and he welcomes input from our community before its completion. At some points, Marty's live commentary will accompany the film.

RoguesCross

Is a five-piece original folk-rock ensemble playing the field from trance to dance, ballad to rhumba. Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, RoguesCross prides itself on songs which reach through the spectrum of human emotions against a backdrop of rich, acoustic tone and melodic harmony. 12-string guitars, mandolins, fiddles, acoustic bass and tunba form the canvas against which Bree Chapman's haunting and powerful voice weaves tales of ancient lore, unrequited love, friendship and war. See them at the Friday night concert and in the Folk Music Cabin, and visit them online at: .



Einstein's Secret Orchestra
Is a Cleveland-based Psychedelic Cosmic-Blues Space-Band, with music of multiple influences reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. ESO has become the number one back-up band for Rev. Ivan Stang and the Church of the SubGenius on their respective radio shows and tapes. Members include Chas Smith on keyboards and Theremin, Michele George on electric violin, Lonesome Cowboy Dave DeLuca on guitar, and Bob Mosic on drums.

The ESO Experience in right-brain communication breakdown is accessable to the WinterStar community at the Space-Jam Cabin, with our own Ron Slabe.



Ron Slabe
Has been a seeker of unusual sounds for over twenty years. Using electronics and found objects, he weaves diverse influences into a dense sonic web designed to invoke a variety of emotional states. His work has been featured at the Cleveland Performance Art Festival and at Cleveland Public Theatre, the Psychedelicatessen, and small and large venues around Northeast Ohio. A Chameleon and ACE organizer, Ron has performed regularly at ACE events since 1986 beginning with the MusicStar Festival, and has been the primary performer and mastermind of the Starwood Island Multi-Media Show for the last seven years, with his performance group Pyrosonic. Objects in close proximity to him display a curious tendency to burst into flame.Tapes of his music are available from ACE.

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