Hergest's Almanack

Imbolc, 2012

2012-01-29T18:32:00.002-07:00

Happy Imbolc, everyone. The light increases, sneaking up on us from the sunset side. The most bitter cold of winter is hopefully behind us, and the Imbolc chinook, first brought to my attention years ago by a dear initiate, is with us again. And while some, no doubt, will portend this means an early spring, I’m sure we have a number of snowfalls ahead of us.

Not much to report this month. The seemingly never-ending move saga continues, but I’ll spare most of you the details. Things are somewhat on hold until the truckload arrives from Toronto later this week. Many thanks to Tavey for her help during her too-brief return visit to the city.

February Birthdays: Ary, Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Tavey, Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Judi, Rikki, and probably some of my Facebook friends (Beltane babies?). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

February’s Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Feb. 2, 7-9 a.m.: Free Groundhog Day Breakfast at Blue Grass Nursery and Garden Centre (just south of Crossiron Mills). Balzac Billy emerges at 8:10 a.m. http://www.balzacbilly.webs.com
Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca.
Feb. 7, 2:54 p.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Feb. 10, 8:30 p.m.: Vanessa Cardui performs at Waves Coffee, 1019 – 17 Ave. SW.
Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day.
Feb. 17-19: Lupercalia in Edmonton. Info: http://lupercalia-edmonton.com/
Feb. 17-19: COGCOA Winter Mysteries: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca
Feb. 20: Family Day.
Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, in north Calgary, hosted by moi. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Feb. 21, 3:35 p.m.: New Moon. Celtic Tree Month of Nion (Ash) begins.
Feb. 29: Sadie Hawkins’ Day.

Blessings,
Hergest

January, 2012

2011-12-26T18:29:00.002-07:00

Happy Yule, everyone. This newsletter’s going out a little early, as I’m again headed to Toronto, this time to make the big move from the house there.

So 2011 is about to hit the record books. It will be remembered here as a year of social upheaval (the Arab Spring, the Occupy Movement, the Harper Majority, the rise of the NDP and the death of Jack Layton). It was also a time of disasters (some associated with climate change): the Japanese tsunami and nuclear crisis, the arson-related Slave Lake wildfire, flooding on the Prairies, to name a few. On the brighter side, we saw the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and the Canadian tour which followed.

Here’s some of what’s upcoming in 2012:

Lupercalia: Feb. 17-19 in Edmonton. Info: http://lupercalia-edmonton.com/
COGCOA Winter Mysteries: Feb. 17-19. http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca
Spring Mysteries Festival, west of Seattle. Info: http://www.aquariantabernaclechurch.org/spring-mysteries-festival
Gaia Gathering: Canadian National Pagan Conference in Toronto: May 18-21: http://www.gaiagathering.ca
COGCOA Summerfest: dates TBA.
PanFest, Aug. 3-6 on a lake south of Edmonton: http://www.panfest.ca

January Birthdays: Jackie R., Henry K., Gayle, Paulie, Margie F., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

January's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca.
Jan. 9, 12:30 a.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, in south Calgary, hosted by moi. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jan. 23: New Moon. Celtic Tree Month of Luis (Rowan) begins. Chinese New Year of the Dragon.
Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Imbolg Ritual.

Blessings for the New Year,
Hergest

Thought Experiment

2011-12-02T21:09:00.004-07:00

Happy December, everyone.

Congratulations this month to Bev who received her Evergreen First Degree on November 29. And congratulations to Jen, on performing her first initiation; the Craft goes on!

Late last month, Calgary singer-songwriter Vanessa Cardui debuted her first solo album, Thought Experiment, before a near-capacity crowd at Cantos Music Foundation. You may know Cardui as the lead singer of Heroincredible, whose own Indelible came out last year. This project may be thought of a sequel of sorts, as Heroincredible’s Nick Stoll co-produced, and bassist David Sharow also plays on the album. Opening for Cardui were sets by her mother, Linda Faye Gwenhwfar Miller (whose vocal training and phrasing were obvious influences), Sora (a Calgary musical icon whose love of Greek mythology is also evident here), and Karen Sim, a jazz violinist whose humour is very present in her playing.

In Thought Experiment, Cardui compiles an exploration of the many types and moods of love, from falling in love (“Where Poetry Fails”), to a reunion of puppy lovers (“Before She Falls Asleep”), to religious worship (the spoken-word “Reflections of a Goddess Crowned in Light”), to love of mythological proportions (“The Wrath of Achilles” and the powerful “Laius”), to the unspoken distance between a daughter and father (“Father”). The album ends with the rollicking paean to mead, “It All Winds Up in the Glass”, destined to be a cult favourite in the tradition of Heroincredible’s “The Dragon-Slayer”. Cardui is a bright star rising on the local musical scene.

December Birthdays: This month the magic mirror turns to Ziggy, Searia, Holly, Heather Dawn, Diane W., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 1-4: Festival of Crafts at BMO Centre. Info: http://www.festivalofcrafts.ca
Dec. 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 10, 7:36 a.m.: Full (Cold) Moon.
Dec. 14: Mercury Retrograde ends (thank Goddess!).
Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Yule Ritual.
Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, in north Calgary, hosted by moi. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Dec. 21, 10:30 p.m.: Winter Solstice. Celeste.
Dec. 22, 7:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil, led by Rikki, in southwest Calgary. Contact me for directions.
Dec. 24, 11:10 p.m.: New (Milk) Moon. Lunar month of Beth (Birch) begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

Hot Fudge Tuesdae?

2011-11-03T18:42:00.003-06:00

Blessed Samhain, everyone.

As some of you know, we bought a new house this month. Margarian’s dialysis regime currently entails bringing in about a ton of supplies every month (incidentally providing us with an ongoing supply of small boxes suitable for moving books or other small heavy items). My late Dad’s apartment is now too small to support her, so we found a house in a ritzy section of Hawkwood, making me feel a bit like Jed Clampett. Still, we came upon our money the old-fashioned way… we inherited it, and playing on the market difference between Toronto and Calgary is a big help. But we’re still part of the 99%. The hard part of amalgamating three properties will continue for a few months, but whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, eh? Speaking of which…

On November 8, Asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass within 0.85 Lunar Distances of Earth, cutting across the orbit of the Moon to the west of it. Likely nothing will happen, but if I don’t publish next month, you’ll know why… if you’re around to notice. Years ago, in Lucifer’s Hammer, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle likened a comet to a hot fudge sundae smashing into the Earth. Since their fictional doomsday was scheduled for a Tuesday, they called it “Hot Fudge Tuesdae”, and I’ve been using that as shorthand for celestial disaster ever since. Curiously the 8th is a Tuesday… Info: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news171.html

This month, I’ll again be growing a moustache to fight Prostate Cancer. If you’d like to donate, visit http://mobro.co and look for me under my legal name...

Congratulations this month to Heather C. who received her Evergreen (and Blackring) First Degree on October 29. And hearty congratulations to Caroline, on her first initiation, and producing our first Craft grandchild!

November Birthdays: This month the magic mirror turns to Helen L., Christine L., Bernie M., Sue D., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

November Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Nov. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Nov. 6: Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall back!
Nov. 8: Hot Fudge Tuesdae (see above). Rest of month may be cancelled.
Nov. 9: Hekate’s Crossroads Full Moon Ritual. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Nov. 10, 1:16 p.m.: Full (Beaver) Moon.
Nov. 10-13: Taboo: Naughty but Nice Sex Show. Info: http://www.canwestproductions.com/Taboo---Calgary-Home
Nov. 11: Remembrance Day.
Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Nov. 17-20: Art Market Craft Sale at Telus Convention Centre. Info: http://www.artmarketcraftsale.com
Nov. 23: Ember.
Nov. 24: Mercury Retrograde until December 14.
Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m.: Vanessa Cardui Thought Experiment CD Release Party, at Cantos Music Foundation, Second Floor, 134-11 Ave. SE.
Nov. 24, 11:10 p.m.: New (Birth) Moon. Lunar month of Ruis (Elder) begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

Where the West Begins

2011-10-30T14:40:00.001-06:00

Happy October, all.

I recently did the epic solo drive from Toronto to Calgary, and had time to ruminate over many things. Since the distinction between East and West is one of those things that makes us Canadian, I came up with a number of theories of where the West actually begins.

For Torontonians, it’s often said that the world ends north of Steeles Ave., the northernmost major crosstown road in the city. Practically though, my first taste of the West was at Thunder Bay, the railway terminus where prairie grain takes ship to eastern markets. Continuing to drive west, I reached the Arctic/Atlantic watershed, effectively the boundary of Rupertsland, the territory originally granted to the Hudson’s Bay Company, which had much to do with the settlement of the West. Perhaps the East ends there. Onwards, across the Ontario border and into Manitoba, where the Canadian Shield disappears underground at the western boundary of Whiteshell Provincial Park… to the longitudinal centre of Canada, east of Winnipeg. Surely I was in the West now… but there was one more. Just west of Winnipeg there’s a marker designating the Prime Meridian, the line of longitude which is the basis for dividing the Western Provinces into six-mile square townships. Note that Winnipeg is east of this marker; the only rationale for the Blue Bombers to be in the Eastern Football Conference!

While in Winnipeg, I had a chance to survey the remnants of the devastation left by this summer’s flooding. At the Forks, where the Assiniboine meets the Red River, backhoes were still digging out the mud. The riverside path was still mostly underwater, and tree roots were still jammed against bridge abutments. I heard a parting line there, which explains much about Winnipeg: “I’ll see you when the water goes down.”

October Birthdays: Dannielle J., Jo, Kellie, Jennifer-Lynn, Linda, Tasha B., Jane, Dennis, Danielle Mc, and probably some of my Facebook friends. (Busy month!) Also Isaac Bonewits (Oct. 1), Aleister Crowley (Oct. 12), and Selena Fox (Oct. 20). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

Evergreen Events this month (so far):
Sep. 30–Oct. 2: Ritual Leadership Workshop, at Heather Dawn’s.
Oct. 8: Margarian’s Packing Party, at #408.
Oct. 12: The God, with Hergest, at Heather Dawn’s.
Nov. 5: Samhain Ritual.

Other Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Oct. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Oct. 10: Thanksgiving.
Oct. 11, 8:06 p.m.: Full (Hunter’s) Moon.
Oct. 11, 7:00 p.m. Hekate’s Crossroads Full Moon Gathering. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Oct 14-16: Alberta Bound Tattoo and Arts Festivals. Info:
http://hstrial-immaculateconcep.homestead.com/
Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Oct. 23: Shadow.
Oct. 26, 1:56 p.m.: New (Death) Moon. Lunar month of Ngetal (Reed) begins.
Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. sharp: Covenant of Gaia Samhain Ritual.
Oct. 30, 7:00 p.m.: Hekate’s Crossroads Samhain Gathering.

Blessings,
Hergest

September, 2011

2011-08-23T20:59:00.002-06:00

This one's going out early, as I'll be away at monthend, dealing with the Toronto moneypit.

Two special events of interest to the community in September: First, Evergreen and the Witches' Meetup are hosting a Pagan Swap Meet on September 10. Second, Evergreen has also scheduled the Ritual Leadership Workshop for the end of the month as a definite "go". Let us know if you're planning to attend.

September Birthdays: Lee G., Cat B., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Silver Ravenwolf (9/11). Let me know if I've missed yours.

September Events:

Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I've missed anyone and you'd like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Sep. 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 5: Labour Day.
Sep. 10, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Pagan Swap Meet at Jen's.
Sep. 12, 3:27 a.m.: Full (Harvest) Moon.
Sep. 17: International "Playing for Change" Day. Info: http://www.playingforchangeday.org/
Sep. 18, 1:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Sep. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Sep. 23: 3:05 a.m.: Autumnal Equinox. Leave.
Sep. 23, 8:00 p.m.: Take Back the Night Rally and March at Connaught Park. Info: http://tbtn.tumblr.com/
Sep. 24, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Mabon Ritual.
Sep. 27, 5:09 a.m.: New (Sorting) Moon. Lunar month of Gort (Ivy) begins.
Sep. 30-Oct. 2: Ritual Leadership Workshop, at Heather Dawn's.

Blessings,
Hergest

Rocks, Big and Not-So-Big

2011-08-01T12:21:00.002-06:00

Happy Lughnasadh, everyone.

This summer, I’ve begun chasing down glacial erratics in the Calgary area, and posting them on my Facebook page. Most Calgarians know about the “Big Rock” that gave Okotoks (and the local brewery) its name, but it’s only(!) the largest of the Foothills Erratic Train of quartzite boulders that were broken off near Jasper, carried away by the ice sheets, and deposited on southern Alberta. Earth, carried by Water, which was melted by the Fire of the sun, leaving them exposed to Air for thousands of years. Many of these have been rubbed smooth at the corners by shedding bison, and in recent years have been used by rock climbers and logged by geocachers. Protected under provincial legislation, those that lie within the city have been incorporated into community parks. Several lie in a line along Country Hills Boulevard, others on hills or in creek valleys around the city. As a result, aside from such well-known ones as the Nose Hill buffalo rubbing stone and Split Rock in West Nose Creek Park, they become ancient, sacred treasures hidden in an urban landscape, waiting for us to rediscover them.

Margarian started her home dialysis in the middle of July, but is still having some adjustment pains as her medication requirements change. She hopes to see many local pagans soon.

August Birthdays: Cathie M., Anita B., Stephanie M., Moksha, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also H.P. Blavatsky (July 31, 1831). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

August Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Aug. 1: Civic Holiday.
Aug. 3: Mercury Retrograde begins.
Aug. 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Aug. 10, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Aug. 12-14: When Words Collide: A Calgary Readercon, at Best Western Village Park Inn, with guests Rachel Caine, Brian Hades, Robert J. Sawyer, Walter Jon Williams, and Jack Whyte. Info: http://www.whenwordscollide.org/
Aug. 13, 12:57 p.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 14: Marda Gras in the Marda Loop. Info: http://www.mardaloopbrz.ca/
Aug. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Ritual 101 Meeting, presented by Calgary Witches’ Meetup, at Heather Dawn’s. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Aug. 19-27: Globalfest 2011 at Elliston Park. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 23: Flourish.
Aug. 26: Mercury Retrograde ends.
Aug. 28, 9:04 p.m.: New (Harvest) Moon. Lunar month of Muin (Vine) begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

July, 2011

2011-07-03T12:41:00.002-06:00

Happy July, everyone.

We had about 6 people up for sunrise on the 21st. The sky was clear, and the ravens were cawing, the robins were chirping (one sat on a stone in front of us, enjoying the view), and something (reportedly a pheasant) was even trying to crow that morning. Much thanks to those who came!

Margarian finally had her surgery on June 23. She still feels like she’s been kicked in the stomach, but is looking forward to five days of training in mid-July (I’ll need to join her myself for a day or three). Generally, her colour is good and she has more energy, though the surgery has been a bit of a setback in her recovery. Thanks again for all the good wishes. As for me, it looks like my Toronto trip will be postponed until mid-August, by which time she should be settled into her new regimen.

Condolences to Caroline, on the recent loss of her father.

Happy anniversary to Christine and Michael on July 25!

July's Birthdays: Tash L., Leanne, L.S., Jill H., Liz L., Sean, Caroline, Kerri, Jen T, and probably some of my Facebook friends (another busy month!). Also H.P. Blavatsky (July 31, 1831). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

July Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 1: Canada Day
Jul. 1, 2:54 a.m.: New (Father’s) Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
Jul. 2: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jul. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Jul. 8-17: Festival of local god, Ia-hu, marked by sacrifices of cattle and the occasional horse.
Jul. 15, 12:40 a.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.
Jul 15-17: COGCOA Summerfest Campout: “Hallowe’en in July”. Info: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/summerfest.php
Jul. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jul. 21: Simmer.
Jul. 21-24: Calgary Folk Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com/
Jul. 23, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.
Jul. 29 – Aug. 1: PanFest: “Air Moves Us”. Edmonton-based pagan festival, on a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Jul. 30, 12:40 p.m.: New (Nesting) Moon. Lunar month of Coll (Hazel) begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

June, 2011

2011-06-04T12:53:00.003-06:00

Happy June, everyone.

Summer solstice is coming, and early in the morning on Tuesday, June 21 I will be back among the sacred stones in SW Calgary for the sunrise vigil (only 4 more left until the Mayan calendar runs out!) If you’d like to join me, let me know. We’ll repair to Tim Hortons for breakfast before heading off to whatever we do with the rest of the day.

For those of you who have been wondering about Margarian, as of early May her condition had deteriorated to the point that instead of waiting for the peritoneal catheter, her kidney specialist decided to put in a central venous catheter (i.e. a tap from her jugular to her heart) for immediate hemodialysis. She’s been going in for dialysis at the Foothills on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, and will be seeing her specialist at the beginning of June about the peritoneal. In the meantime, she’s been feeling somewhat stronger and more clear-headed, and her appetite is coming back.

As for me, I’m facing the double-nickel in the middle of June, and definitely feeling over-the-hill. At least my father’s estate is finally probated, so that things are beginning to move ahead there.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Rikki and Gavin on June 21!

June's Birthdays: Nicole G, Bev T., Colleen W., Dawn, Joie, Sierra, Michelle B., Mimi, some browned-out HP, and probably some of his Facebook friends. Also Gerald Gardner (Jun. 13, 1884), Starhawk (Jun. 17), Janet Farrar (Jun. 24), Scott Cunningham (Jun. 27), and Stewart Farrar (Jun. 28). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

June Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 31- Jun. 6: Canadian National Environment Week.
Jun. 1, 3:03 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
Jun. 1, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Jun. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jun. 7-9: Mayor’s Environment Expo at City Hall Atrium.
Jun. 10-12: Spirit of the West Druid Gathering. Info: http://www.druidgathering.ca/
Jun. 10-12: Galaxyfest in Vulcan, Alberta, with Special Guest Garrett “Harry Kim” Wang. Info: http://www.vulcantourism.com/
Jun. 15, 2:14 p.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.
Jun. 17-19: Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, with William Shatner, George A. Romero, and too many other big-name guests to mention here. Bring your wallet. Info: http://www.calgaryexpo.com/
Jun. 19: Father’s Day. Be nice to your Craft father!
Jun. 21, 4:45 a.m: Solstice Sunrise Vigil.
Jun. 21, 11:16 a.m.: Summer Solstice.
Jun. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jun. 21: Zenith.
Jun. 25, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Litha Ritual.

Blessings,
Hergest

Sex, Religion, and Politics, oh my!

2011-05-01T15:21:00.003-06:00

Happy Beltane, everyone. This Beltane-tide we seem to have that perfect storm of sex, religion, and politics, the three topics most bound to get any of us into trouble. So here I go…

Hopefully some of you witnessed that once-in-a-generation re-enactment of the sacred marriage (yea, handfasting) of the Divine King to his consort, the embodiment of the land: a.k.a. the Royal Wedding. All right… I admit that the previous generation’s marriages had their problems - both the Prince of Wales’ and Prince Andrew’s marriages wound up in divorce - but the death of Lady Diana seems to have fulfilled the periodic mythic killing of the Divine King (in this case, Queen) for the good of the land. Certainly Diana did much for the Monarchy, and her cachet has been passed on to Prince William, so much so that some would like to see Charles bypassed in the line of succession. That isn’t likely to occur… but Brits didn’t like the previous two King Charleses either (perhaps he’ll change his name to George). Given the long-lived Royals, we may have to wait forty years to see William on the throne. Some of us may not live that long, but the Monarchy still goes on. And in case I missed saying so, congratulations to the new Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge!

Speaking of weddings… Happy anniversary to Selena and Dennis on May 6!

My apologies to my Conservative friends in my reading audience. I love you, but you might want to skip this bit.
Yes, I know the economy is important and that in Alberta voting against the Tories is biting the hand that feeds many of us. But I personally find it impossible to respect a Prime Minister and a party that has treated Parliament and many of the Canadian people with contempt, trying to run a minority government like a dictatorship, strongly believing that the end justifies any means, and responding to any criticism with counterattack. In Calgary at least, Conservative candidates have almost universally avoided any public forums they can’t control, and I can only assume that orders came from the top to do so – stay the course and to hell with the public. Cautionary tale: Benito Mussolini may have made the trains run on time, but he wound up with his dead body being hung in public. Here in more civilized Canada, those of us who disapprove of them can only try to vote the bastards out. End of rant.

Congratulations to Stephanie, who received her Evergreen First Degree on April 16. Mighty blessings to a dear daughter!

May's Birthdays: Danielle A., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Gwyddion Pendderwen (May 21). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

May Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1: Beltane
May 2: Federal Election.
May 3, 12:51 a.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
Apr. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
May 7-8: Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
May 8: World Fair Trade Day. Info: http://www.worldfairtradeday10.org/
May 13-15: Ritual Leadership Workshop. Contact me for details.
May 17, 5:09 a.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
May 20: Bloom.
May 20-23: Gaia Gathering – Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Montreal. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/
May 29: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/

Blessings,
Hergest

After the Tsunami

2011-04-02T15:33:00.006-06:00

Happy April, everyone. They say that April showers bring May flowers, but the unfortunate truth in Calgary is that the “April showers” are frequently snowshowers. At times like this I often quip that “snow is just rain misspelled… demonstrable proof that some folks just shouldn’t do weather magick.” As we enjoy the lengthening days and the warming weather, I’ve been thinking about that Big Green Guy lately. In light of the disasters in Japan last month and the ongoing crisis, Gojira seems an appropriate metaphor, the destructive force of nature coupled with the dangers of nuclear energy. He’s been both villain and hero to the Japanese, but I think imagining him in defeat, whether wandering back into the sea from whence he came, or sprayed into submission by the children of Mosura, may be useful. I hesitate to send fiery energy Japan’s way; they’ve had enough of that already. In the work we do for Japan’s healing, it’s important to be focused rather than scatter the energy generally. Instead, concentrate on specific goals: that the dead will be recovered, that the radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant will be contained, that the area of nuclear contamination be minimized. If you can, give directly to the high-profile aid agencies, like the Canadian Red Cross and Oxfam, for the practical end is important. Many employers have donation-matching programs, so use them if you can.

For those of you who have been asking, Margarian is over the initial shock of discovering she needs dialysis, and has pretty much decided on the peritoneal option, which suits her need for independence (for information, see http://www.kidney.ca/Page.aspx?pid=339 ). The next stop on the journey is an education session for the two of us on April 7. Mar has also obtained a nifty new walker to replace the loaner from the Red Cross, and is very happy with it.

Just a reminder that Evergreen is planning a Ritual Leadership Workshop for the weekend of May 13-15. Let me know if you’re interested in attending.

Congratulations to Danielle J., on the birth of her daughter Violet, on March 9.

April's Birthdays: Amanda B., Sheena Mac, Aislinn, Ayanna, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Margot Adler (April 16). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

April Events: Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Apr. 2: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca

Apr. 3, 8:32 a.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.

Apr. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads “Trivia and Giggles” Meetup. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/

Apr. 15-17: Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo at Stampede Park. Info: http://www.bodysoulspiritexpo.com/

Apr. 16: Alberta Wilderness Association Climb and Run for Wilderness at Calgary Tower. Info: http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/

Apr. 17, 8:44 p.m.: Full (Pink) Moon. Apr. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches

Apr. 21: Bliss.

Apr. 22: Earth Day. Mercury Retrograde ends.

Apr. 23, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Beltane Ritual.

Apr. 29: Sacred Marriage of the Divine King-to-Be and His Consort.

May 1: Beltane

May 2: Federal Election. Please, please, vote! If in doubt, http://federal.votecompass.ca/ can help you see how your views relate to those of the major parties.

May 7-8: Calgary Rock and Lapidary Club Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/

Blessings, Hergest

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

2011-03-03T19:31:00.002-07:00

Happy March, everyone. Well, March, anyway.

The squabbling couple is a staple of comedy shticks, from radio’s “The Bickersons” to Archie and Edith of “All in the Family”, to… name your favourite sitcom. Perhaps among the Norse gods and goddesses, none are more mismatched than the Vanir Sea God Njord, and the Frost Giantess Skadi, who were betrothed on the original blind date, and who subsequently could never reconcile where to live: she hated the sea; he hated the mountains. I’ve been thinking about them this winter, as we at the edge of the fescue grasslands suffer their bickering over what weather to send us. Not to mention suffering from colds, the flu, and Chinook migraines every time the weather changes.

On the bright side, I just saw the Sun come up during my morning commute the other day; unfortunately we’ll lose it again in ten days when we convert to Daylight Savings Time. We just have to keep telling ourselves that the rollercoaster won’t last, and that hope is in sight.

Just a head’s up that Evergreen is planning our Ritual Leadership Workshop for the weekend of May 13-15. This workshop is open to both beginning and experienced Wiccan/Pagan ritualists; minimum experience level required is that you’ve attended at least three group rituals of some sort. Solitaries with solo ritual experience may be admitted with consent of instructor. Focus will be on the creation and leadership of Wiccan rituals for both small and large groups. If you are currently studying with a teacher, their consent is required. Contact me for details.

As many of you know, we finally received an answer to Margarian’s recent medical problems: kidney disease. Her kidneys are down to 15% function, and she’s looking at various forms of dialysis, and hopefully a kidney transplant. This promises to be a big and permanent change in both of our lives, and we’re both pondering and waiting for the next steps in the process. Thanks everyone, for your kind words, hugs, energy, and prayers; they mean a lot to us.

March's Birthdays: Jan R., the “wicked awesome” Tracy P., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

March Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Mar. 2, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at the Unicorn. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Mar. 4, 1:46 p.m.: New Moon. Nion (Ash) lunar month begins, sometimes called Seed Moon.
Mar. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day. Info: http://www.internationalwomensday.com
Mar. 13: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring ahead!
Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Mar. 17: St. Patrick’s Day.
Mar. 19, 12:10 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.
Mar. 19, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Ostara Ritual.
Mar. 20, 5:21 p.m.: Vernal Equinox. Trill.
Mar. 22: World Water Day. Info: http://www.worldwaterday.org
Mar. 26, 8:30 p.m.: Earth Hour. Info: http://www.earthhour.org
Mar. 30: Mercury Retrograde (until Apr. 22).
Mar. 31, 7:00 p.m.: Haiti, Voodoo, and You: A Fundraiser to Benefit Haiti, at Coast Plaza Hotel.

Blessings,
Hergest

Billy, and the Letters "N", "F", and "W"

2011-02-05T13:14:00.005-07:00

Happy Imbolc, everyone.

So Balzac Billy was the odd “groundhog” out this year, predicting a long winter whereas the others were predicting an early spring. With local conditions, you never know…
The weather certainly has been doing a rollercoaster in southern Alberta lately – long deep freeze to Chinook to short deep freeze to Chinook again. And I’m sure we haven’t seen the end of cold or snow yet; we still have a few months to go.

They moved Billy’s “burrow” across the highway from the Balzac Community Hall this year, perhaps partly to capitalize on the proximity of CrossIron Mills, or perhaps because the garden centre may be a bigger venue or have better access. Still, I worry the small-town atmosphere of Billy’s breakfast may be getting too commercialized. I’ll check in on it in a year or two, and report back.

January's news carried a wave of political correctness. First, the reported publication of an edition of Huckleberry Finn where the word "nigger" in relation to the character of Jim was repeatedly deleted, out of modern "sensibilities" and to make the book more accessible to young people. (Admittedly, I read watered-down children's versions of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn when I was a lad, unaware of the controversy.) Then the CRTC demanded that radio stations no longer play unedited versions of Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" because of the use of the word "faggot", resulting in a backlash by a number of stations playing marathons of it.

As I've probably written before, behind this is the larger issue that only the minority that has been a target of a particular slur has the "politically correct" right to use the word, and only among themselves (but tell that to various rap and hip-hop artists). So broadcasters are fearfully using repeated references to "the 'N' word" and (to a lesser extent, since there already is another one) "the 'F' word". I was traumatized as a youth by repeatedly being called a "faggot" by young toughs, simply because I didn't live up to the masculine jock image, so I have no reservation about using it here.

Within Wicca, groups like Reclaiming and Laurie Cabot's "Witches' League for Public Awareness" years ago began the reclaiming of the word "witch" from the green-faced, warty image of the dark feminine. And still, I'm sure many of us have some version of Snow White's Witch Queen or the Wicked Witch of the West in our homes, enjoy Bizarro's witch parodies, or plan to see Wicked. One of my pet peeves, however, is the use of the word "witch" as a euphemism for "bitch" (a particular soap opera of my acquaintance comes to mind). It raises the interesting issue of whether we as witches should play the "political correctness" card and rally that only we as witches have the "right" to use the word. Yet in the name of free speech, I have to say no, because I reserve the right to say "nigger" and "faggot", in the proper context and not as slurs.

February's Birthdays: Ary W., Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Tavey B., Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Judi, Rikki, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

February Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan. 30 – Feb. 5: World Interfaith Harmony Week. Hug a Christian. Or a Muslim. Info: http://worldinterfaithharmonyweek.com/
Feb. 2, 12:18 a.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins. Sometimes called Fasting Moon.
Feb. 2, 7:00-9:00 a.m.: Free Groundhog Day Breakfast at Blue Grass Nursery and Garden Centre, Balzac. Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:07 a.m. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com/
Feb. 2, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at the Unicorn. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Feb. 3: Chinese New Year (Rabbit). Gung Hay Fat Choy, and all that.
Feb. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Feb. 18, 1:36 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Feb 19-21: COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries.
Feb. 21: Family Day

Blessings,
Hergest

End of Year Musings

2010-12-24T09:52:00.002-07:00

This one’s going out a bit early, as I’ll be away from my computer around January 1.

I hope everyone had a happy Yule. Inexplicably, I missed the Dec. 20-21 lunar eclipse. Deep down, I felt the “once in a lifetime opportunity” of a solstice eclipse was a manufactured “event”, since lunar eclipses themselves are a relatively frequent and impressive occurrence (if it’s not too cloudy). That it occurred on the solstice was an astronomical curiosity, but not worth unusual media attention. Esoterically, I think that the darkening of the full moon at the end of the solar year (rather than at its beginning) may be a positive sign. I know it’s been a rough year for several of us (myself included), and think this means that any darkness we’ve gone through in the past year may be behind us now.

As usual, I was out on the hill on the morning of December 22 with a small but stalwart band welcoming the return of the Sun. The clouds on the horizon obscured actual sunrise, although little beads of the Sun’s disk managed to punch through as it rose.

I’m again lamenting the political correctness of the Christmas season and the widespread use of the word “Holiday”, though I note that a couple of advertisers have gone back to using the word “Christmas”. The Salvation Army found itself under fire on two fronts this year: In Toronto, mall retailers silenced the bells at the Sally Ann kettles because they were driving the staff crazy. The Sally Ann here in Calgary refused to take donations of Harry Potter or Twilight toys, deeming them “anti-Christian”… is it any surprise they found themselves receiving lower than normal donations this year? Margarian, whose maternal grandmother was in the Sally Ann, found herself in an awkward position over which way to lean.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Henry K., Gayle, Paulie, Margie F., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

2011 Highlights (dates approximate):
Feb 19-21: COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries.
Apr. 21-24: ATC 26th Spring Mysteries Festival, somewhere west of Seattle.
May 19-23: Gaia Gathering, the 6th Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Montreal.
May 20-23: Gathering for Life on Earth, an hour east of Vancouver.
Jul. 29-Aug. 1: PanFest, at a lake in central Alberta.Aug. 27-Sep. 2: BC Witchcamp.

January's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 3, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at the Unicorn. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Jan. 4, 2:03 a.m.: New Moon. Beth (Birch) lunar month begins.
Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jan. 19: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Imbolc Ritual.

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous “Twenty Eleven”!
Hergest

Two Thousand or Twenty?

2010-12-03T20:51:00.003-07:00

Happy December, everyone.

Well, the first big snowfall and deep freeze has come, and while temperatures here have normalized somewhat (for the moment, at least) we’re unofficially into winter for the duration.

Since the Winter Solstice falls shortly after sundown on December 21, I’ll be leading the Solstice Sunrise vigil up in Strathcona at 8:00 a.m. on the 22nd. Sunrise is at 8:35, so be prepared for a wait in the cold. We’ll retire to Timmy’s at 17th Ave and 37th St SW (C-Train construction allowing) afterwards to warm up.

And with the new calendar year upon us, my ongoing media test continues: how many syllables (and seconds) does it take before the media and advertisers drop the “two thousand and…” and simply call it “twenty eleven?”. “Nineteen ninety-seven” had six syllables, “two thousand and eleven” (which is even now being used) has seven. Despite the optics of “twenty ten”, the media and advertisers, those makers of popular culture, still wouldn’t change. Love it or hate it, at least the CBC has started using “twenty oh” for the years just past. My personal hope is that the full name of 2011 will prove to be such a mouthful (and “eleven” particularly awkward) that “twenty eleven” will find more acceptance.

December's Birthdays: Jessica, Searia, Andrea P., Ziggy, Azrael, Heather Dawn, Dianne W., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 1: World AIDS Day. Info: http://www.worldaidsday.org/
Dec. 2-5: Festival of Crafts at BMO/Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary/
Dec. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 5, 10:36 a.m.: New Moon. Ruis (Elder) lunar month begins.
Dec. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup at Ceili’s.
Dec. 13: Geminid Meteor Shower.
Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Yule Ritual.
Dec. 21, 1:13 a.m.: Full (Cold) Moon. Lunar Eclipse.
Dec. 21, 4:38 p.m.: Winter Solstice.
Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Dec. 22, 8:00 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil in Strathcona. Coffee at Tim Hortons to follow. RSVP for details.
Dec. 25: “Holiday Day”.

Blessings,
Hergest

Of beards and books...

2010-11-01T21:05:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year, all.

I’ve been meaning for the last few months to find sufficient reason to shave off my goatee, which I’ve had since the mid-nineties. Honouring my late father is a good one, as I have his chin (such as it is); Samhain being the new year is another. Then I found out that November is also “Mo”vember, where men are growing moustaches to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer research. Since a bunch of guys in my office are doing it, and my uncle in BC has been dealing with prostate cancer, I decided to shave the goatee, grow a ‘stache in November, and (likely at Mar’s insistence) grow the beard back in December. Shameless plug: Please donate to Prostate Cancer Canada through "Movember" at http://ca.movember.com/ ... e-mail me at evergreentrad@hotmail.com if you'd like donate directly through my Movember page, and I'll give you the exact URL and out myself to you in the process. Such a deal!

In the meantime, Margarian will be participating in National Novel Writing Month during November; a little less intense than the Three-Day Novel Writing Contest on Labour Day weekend. The goal is to write and post 50,000 words in 30 days, an average of a mere 1,667 words per day. Margarian was a “winner” two years ago (i.e. she made the goal) but had to drop out last year because of her illness. Good luck to those of you who attempt it! Info at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Condolences this month to Heather Dawn, on the loss of her beloved Jewel.

November's Birthdays: Helen L., Christine L., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

November Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Nov. 5, 10:52 p.m.: New Moon. Ngetal (Reed) lunar month begins.
Nov. 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Nov. 7: Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall back!
Nov. 11: Remembrance Day.
Nov. 11-14: Taboo – The Naughty but Nice Show at the Big Four Building. Info: http://www.taboosexshow.com/
Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Nov. 18-21: Calgary Art Market at Calgary Convention Centre. Info: http://www.artmarketcraftsale.com/
Nov. 19: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I opens.
Nov. 20, 11:00 a.m.: Wagner’s Das Rheingold (English subtitles) at Chinook, Westhills, and Crowfoot. The original Ring Cycle begins!
Nov. 21, 10:27 a.m.: Full (Beaver) Moon.
Nov. 29, 6:00 p.m.: Wagner’s Das Rheingold at Westhills.

Blessings,
Hergest

Passages

2010-10-02T14:58:00.001-06:00

Happy October, all.

As some of you know, I have both happy and sad news to report:

The sad news is the passing of Catherine S., also known as Celtic Rowena and Magickeltia, on September 16, after a recurrence of her battle with cancer. Catherine was an accomplished artist, had participated in the Pagan and Witches Meetups, and had sung with EnChantress at Women in Spirituality and COGCOA. She received her Evergreen First Degree in January of this year. Her Requiem was held on September 26 before friends, family, and Craft family. Thanks to Heather Dawn, Caroline, and Gayle for their support during Catherine’s last days, and to all those who participated in the Requiem. Catherine will be missed, and remembered.

The happy news is the wedding and handfasting of Brenda G. to her beloved Carl on September 18. It was an outdoor, evening ceremony under less-than-ideal weather conditions before her friends and family, but everything went well. Thanks to Michelle, Sean, Erin, and Unitarian Lay Chaplain Maryanna Kovar for their valuable participation and assistance. Congratulations to all!

I spent a couple of weeks in Toronto last month, continuing the slow process of staging the house for sale, though I left the heavy lifting to the professionals this time around. We/they managed to fill a 5’ x 8’ x 10’ truck with junk from the basement (with an estimated ½ truck to go), and cleared out most of the attic, moving its contents into two bedrooms on the second floor. I would perhaps have managed to clear out even more, but the land line developed severe static and cut out, leaving me without it for about three days. Luckily my cel phone had coverage in Toronto, though I’m not looking forward to my next bill.

October's Birthdays: Danni, Christine S., Jo, Kellie, Jennifer Lynn, Linda, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

October Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Oct. 2: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Oct. 6, 7:00 p.m.: Crossroads Meetup Trivia Night at the Unicorn. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS
Oct. 7, 12:44 p.m.: New Moon. Gort (Ivy) lunar month begins.
Oct. 11: Thanksgiving.
Oct. 15-17: Con-Version, with guests from ST: TNG, and HeroIncredible! Info: http://www.con-version.org
Oct. 15-17: Alberta Bound Tattoo & Arts Festival. Info: http://www.calgarytattoos.com/calgary/index.html
Oct. 18: Calgary Civic Election. Get out and vote!
Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi , in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Oct. 22, 7:37 a.m.: Full (Hunter’s) Moon.
Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Samhain Ritual
Oct. 31, 2:30 p.m.: The Music of Harry Potter at the CPO. Info: http://tickets.cpo-live.com/default.asp?SearchMonth=10/28/2010&MV=10/31/2010&sel=x
Nov. 7: Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall back!

Blessings,
Hergest

Forever Autumn

2010-08-24T20:24:00.003-06:00

Happy (nearly) September, all.

This one’s going out early, as I’m about to go largely offline for the next couple of weeks. Details next month… or not. One last chance for stragglers out there to say if you still want to receive this by e-mail… though if I really like you, I’ll still forgive your not responding.

I have a love/hate relationship with September. My inner child remembers the sense of wonder at the new school year, with empty notebooks, sharp pencils and new clothes, of new beginnings and old acquaintances grown a bit taller. There’s still the promise of Indian Summer, and the turning of the leaves. And yet, there’s the sense that summer is over, of cold and turbulent weather, of green grass turning brown and premonitions of death and decay. Those of us who commute in the mornings may note the faint return of Orion to the morning skies, as the nights grow a bit longer. His return is a bit premature, though, as the return to Standard Time is yet to come.

I note with sadness the passing of Isaac Bonewits, definitely one of the American pioneers in the neo-pagan movement, on August 12. I was just reading his Real Magic, and of his thoughts about the afterlife at that time that paralleled my own. Many of you have seen his “Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame” (ABCDEF), which is not only an excellent asset for newcomers, but the basis of a good ethical code for any group. You can read his official obit at http://neopagan.net/blog/

September's Birthdays: Lee G., Carla M., Tiger Lily, Cat B., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

September's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Sep. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 5: Gay Pride Parade and Street Festival. Info: http://www.pridecalgary.ca/
Sep. 7: Labour Day: Where did summer go?
Sep. 8, 4:30 a.m.: New Moon. Muin (Vine) lunar month begins.
Sep. 12: Mercury Retrograde ends.
Sep. 17-19: Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo at the Big Four Building. Info: http://bodysoulspiritexpo.com/
Sep. 18, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Mabon Ritual
Sep. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi , in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Sep. 22, 9:09 p.m.: Autumnal Equinox.
Sep. 23, 3:17 a.m.: Full (Harvest) Moon. Shine on…
Sep. 23, 8:00 p.m. sharp: Women Take Back the Night March starting at Connaught Park. Info: http://tbtn.tumblr.com/

Blessings,
Hergest

Of MIA Pagans, and Viking Ribstones

2010-07-31T13:40:00.004-06:00

Happy Lammas, everyone.

Ping! Marco? CQ, CQ? Halloooooooo? I’ve been thinking about the state of the Calgary pagan community again lately.

Perhaps it’s just my perception, but it seems the community has been in a pagan recession for the last couple of years, perhaps due to the closing of the Witchery and losing Mimi’s wonderful capacity for networking. I’m sure the economic downturn has had something to do with it too, as people may be spending more time working and cutting down on their social lives. Also social networking platforms have been changing in the last few years; MSN Groups is defunct, and Yahoo! Groups seems to be increasingly inactive as people move their social networks to Facebook. And several people and groups that were very active a few short years ago have either dried up or gone underground. My “whatever happened to?” list is getting longer.

Ribstones:

As my Facebook friends know, I spent part of the July 1 weekend touring east central Alberta, the area I’m nominally responsible for at work but have never really seen. At the upper extreme of this area is the town of Viking, about 108 km southeast of Edmonton. Some 15 km southeast of Viking, or about 75 km directly east of Camrose on highways 26 and 615, is an ancient native cairn just downhill from a transmission tower. Two of the stones, of white quartzite, have been carved to resemble the spine and ribs of bison, and contain round depressions called “cupules”. Of nine sites in Alberta that contained ribstones, these two are the only ones still in their original location, the rest having been moved, at least some to museums. According to the information sign, the Cree believe this marks the dwelling place of the spirit protector of the bison. They left offerings of tobacco, beads, and meat until the late 1800’s, and the tradition is continued by some combination of natives, pagans, and New Agers. When I was there, there were offerings of tobacco, sweetgrass, cloth, ribbons, and even a painting of a bison on stone. If you visit, please give the site your respect.

August's Birthdays: Cathie M., Moksha, Raine, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

August Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 30 – Aug. 2 PanFest XI on a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Jul. 30 – Aug. 7: Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.com/
Aug. 2: Civic Holiday. Alberta “Heritage Day” events on Prince’s Island.
Aug. 2-8: Calgary International Blues Festival at Shaw Millennium Park. Info: http://www.calgarybluesfest.com/
Aug. 4: Crossroads Meetup in Edworthy Park. Info: http://www.meetup.com/CALGARY-CROSSROADS/
Aug. 7, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.
Aug. 8: Marda Gras Street Festival in Marda Loop. Info: http://www.mardaloopbrz.ca/
Aug. 9, 9:08 p.m.: New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi , in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Aug. 20-28: Globalfest. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 20-Sep. 12: Mercury Retrograde.
Aug. 24, 11:05 a.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Sep. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 7: Labour Day: Where did the summer go?

Blessings,
Hergest

Festival Season

2010-06-30T20:02:00.001-06:00

Happy July, all.

Festival season is upon us, with the Folk Festival, Fringe Festival, and Blues Festival coming up this month, as well as PanFest. Oh, yeah, and that cowboy thing. You never know where a pent or a Thor’s Hammer might turn up.

Calgary Pagan Pride Day is looking for an organizer, someone to take the ball and run with it. It may be getting too late this year to organize the full event but the “picnic in the park” model may still be do-able. Either contact Morgan at cppd@shaw.ca, or myself, if you’re actively interested. You can also join the “Calgary Pagan Pride Day” group on Facebook, or the Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarypaganprideday/

Congratulations to Vanessa Cardui, David Sharow, and Nicholas Stoll, a.k.a. “Heroincredible”, on their release of their first CD, Indelible, and to all the members of the pagan and sf fan communities that made it possible. Their hilarious song and video, “The Dragon-Slayer”, is bound to become an instant classic in filk circles! (“Filk”, from the people who know the pre-internet definition of “blog”!)

A fond farewell to Jessica C., who’s left Little India in Cowtown to move back to Montreal. Brightest blessings on your travels… perhaps I’ll see you at Gaia Gathering next May!

July's Birthdays: Tash L., Maracena, Sean, Caroline, Kerri, Jen T., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours. Also: Helena P. Blavatsky (Jul. 31, 1831)

July's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 1: Canada Day.
Jul. 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jul. 9-18: “I Hate Stampede” Week… a Festivus for the rest of us.
Jul. 11, 1:40 p.m.: New Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
Jul. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jul 22-25: Calgary Folk Festival on Prince’s Island. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com/
Jul. 25, 7:37 a.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.
Jul. 30 – Aug. 2: PanFest XI on a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Jul. 30 – Aug. 7: Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.com
Aug. 2: Civic Holiday. Alberta “Heritage Day” events on Prince’s Island.
Aug. 2-8: Calgary International Blues Festival at Shaw Millennium Park. Info: http://www.calgarybluesfest.com/
Aug. 7, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.

Blessings,
Hergest

June, 2010

2010-05-30T15:07:00.001-06:00

As I write this, it’s May 29, and in Calgary, there are two inches of wet snow on the ground, not untypical for the weekend after the traditional May long weekend planting orgy.

I’ve long thought that the local mythology shouldn’t be a case of the two battling deities each ruling one half of the year, but instead carrying on an ongoing battle year ‘round. Horus and Set, Njord and Skadi, the Oak and Holly Kings, the Snow Queen and the Summer Queen, the North Wind and the West Wind, Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythur ap Greidawl... take your pick. To quote one of my favourite TV series, they sit on a hillside somewhere near Red Deer, and the dark one turns to the light one and says, “Do you know how much I want to kill you right now?”

(Why Red Deer, non-Albertans may ask? Because when driving between Calgary and Edmonton, it seems the weather always changes dramatically about there.)

Rain, snow, or hopefully sun, the Summer Solstice is coming, and I’ll be leading a solstice sunrise vigil in Strathcona again in the early hours of June 21. If you’d like to join me, let me know. Breakfast at Timmie’s to follow.

If you haven’t done so already, it might be a good idea to send some energy to BP’s efforts in the Gulf of Mexico to shut down that haemorrhaging well, and prevent the ecological disaster from getting any worse.

June's Birthdays: Nicole G., Bev T. Colleen W, Dawn L., Joie, Sierra, Michelle B, Mimi, himself, and probably some of his Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours. Also: Allisandro di Cagliostro (June 2, 1743), William Butler Yeats (June 13, 1865), Gerald B. Gardner (June 13, 1884), Starhawk (June 17), Janet Farrar (June 24), Stewart Farrar (June 26), and Scott Cunningham (June 27, 1956). Busy month!

June Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 30, 10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/
May 30- Jun. 5: Canadian National Environment Week. Info:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/sce-cew/default.asp?lang=En
Jun. 2: Clean Air Day. Info: http://www.cleanairday.com
Jun. 2, 7:04 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
Jun. 5: World Environment Day.
Jun. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jun. 11-13: VulCon 17/GalaxyFest in Vulcan with guest Tim Russ (“Tuvok” from ST:Voyager). Info:
http://www.vulcantourism.com/vulcon17-spock-days-galaxyfest-2010.html
Jun. 12: COGCOA Litha Ritual
Jun. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jun. 20: Father’s Day.
Jun. 21: National Aboriginal Day (hey, what about us European aboriginals?)
Jun. 21, 4:45 a.m. Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Contact me for details.
Jun. 21, 5:28 a.m. Summer Solstice.
Jun. 21-27: Calgary Jazz Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryjazz.com/
Jun. 25-27: COGCOA Summerfest Campout; “Pirates of the Kananaskis”. Info: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/summerfest.php
Jun. 26, 5:30 a.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.

Blessings,
Hergest

Beltane, 2010

2010-05-01T13:14:00.001-06:00

Happy Beltane, everyone!

A bit of disappointing news: Richard James of Toronto reports that Gaia Gathering, the Canadian National Pagan Conference planned for Guelph, is cancelled for this year. Possibly due to the economic downturn, there were no registrations outside of Ontario as of eight weeks before the event, and therefore it could hardly classify as a “national conference”. The board will be meeting to re-group, and are open for bids for 2011. So far, Montreal has already submitted a bid. Info at http://www.gaiagathering.ca/

Locally, the Covenant of Gaia is taking registrations for their “Summerfest” campout, June 25-27, 2010. I understand they’re doing a “pirate” theme this year. (The posted “Pele’s Melee” was last year.) Info at http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/summerfest.php

The Circle of the Whispering Earth, a School of Shamanic Practice, is accepting students for June, 2010 for its year-long program. Tuition is $1040. More info at http://www.divinesource.ca/Circle%20of%20Whispering%20Earth.html

For those of you who are wondering, Margarian’s health continues to slowly improve. We discovered that she’s strong enough to drive the Mazda now, which means she can drive herself to doctor’s appointments, instead of relying on taxis or her long-suffering husband. She uses a cane to walk, and a scooter or wheelchair for longer excursions. She still can’t do stairs.

May's Birthdays: Lily I., Vy G., Danielle A., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours. Also: Gwyddion Pendderwen (May 21, 1946).

May's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1-2: 50th Annual Calgary Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Area, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca
May 1, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Beltane Ritual
May 8: World Fair Trade Day. Info: http://www.worldfairtradeday10.org/
May 8, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
May 9: Mother’s Day.
May 11: Mercury Retrograde ends.
May 13, 7:04 p.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
May 18, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
May 27, 5:07 p.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 30, 10:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/

Blessings,
Hergest

April, 2010

2010-04-03T13:12:00.000-06:00

Happy April, everyone.

Just the calendar this month; I’ll e-mail you separately if something comes up.

April's Birthdays: Amanda B., Sheena Mac, Aislinn, Ayanna, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours. Also: Margot Adler (Apr. 16).

April's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Apr. 3, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Apr. 14, 6:29 a.m.: New Moon. Saille (Willow) lunar month begins.
Apr. 16-18: Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo at the Big Four Building, Stampede Park. Info: http://www.bodysoulspiritexpo.com/
Apr. 17: Climb and Run for Wilderness at Calgary Tower. Info: http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/news.asp
Apr. 17: Mercury Retrograde (to May 11)
Apr. 18, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.: Earth Day events at Calgary Zoo.
Apr. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Apr. 22: Earth Day. Green Calgary‘s Earth Day Birthday and Fundraiser at Uptown Theatres. Info: http://www.greencalgary.org
Apr. 24-25: Calgary Comic Expo at BMO Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.calgaryexpo.com/
Apr. 28, 6:18 a.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.
May 1-2: 50th Annual Calgary Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Area, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca
May 1, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Beltane Ritual
May 6: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC

Blessings,
Hergest

I Grok Avatar (some spoilers)

2010-03-02T21:00:00.005-07:00

Happy March, everyone.

James Cameron’s Avatar seems poised to walk off with the Best Picture Oscar® this weekend, together with a number of technical awards. The basic story is a familiar one; the “outsider” everyman who “goes native” and becomes a saviour to his adopted people. The story has been likened to Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves, and the movie’s production company, “Dune Entertainment”, suggests the epic Frank Herbert novel as well. Avatar is mythmaking wrapped up in pretty coloured lights seen through /r/o/s/e/-/c/o/l/o/u/r/e/d/ 3D glasses, and perhaps it’s not surprising that for some, the experience is too much. Patrons are reported as being depressed upon returning to the real world, wishing they could stay on Pandora. One viewer found the experience so intense that it reputedly caused a fatal heart attack.

Cameron’s Pandora is a pagan paradise/Garden of Eden, the Na’vi face-to-face with forces that would cause its Fall. To paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke, any sufficiently-developed biology is indistinguishable from magic, and Cameron manipulates us into the magic/nature is good, technology is bad debate. We’ve seen this before in Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards, wherein a “good” wizard named Avatar (!) battles resurrected technology from his ancient past (our present). There, as here, it ultimately becomes a battle of technology vs. technology.

Still, the concept of living in balance with an immanent deity (here called Eywa) has attracted many to an invented religion. The “I see you” tag-line of the Na’vi is the same concept as “I grok you” in Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land (which, by the way, gave birth to the real-life Church of All Worlds of Oberon and Morning Glory G’Zell). As of March 2, Eywa’s largest group on Facebook has about 2700 fans. While the movie may inspire a fledgling religion, much as the real-life Jedi “religion” sprang from Star Wars, it must be remembered that these are fundamentally fictional; their limited canon can only be a stepping-off point to other religions.

Condolences this month to Sean and Michelle, who lost Sean’s father to cancer last week.

March's Birthdays: Karen H, Jan R., the "wicked awesome" Tracy P., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

March Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Mar. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Mar. 6: Sarah Palin visits Calgary.
Mar. 6, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day.
Mar. 13, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Ostara Ritual
Mar. 15, 3:01 p.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.
Mar. 14: Daylight Savings Time begins.
Mar. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Mar. 20, 11:32 a.m.: Vernal Equinox.
Mar. 22: World Water Day. Celebrate your gratitude – details on Facebook.
Mar. 28, 8:30 p.m. Earth Hour. Spend an hour in the dark with friends, and enjoy the Moon. Info: http://www.earthhour.org/
Mar. 29, 8:25 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.

Blessings,
Hergest

My Father Passes

2010-01-30T16:34:00.001-07:00

Happy Imbolc, everyone.

Congratulations this month to Catherine S., who received her Evergreen First Degree on January 3. Mighty blessings!

As some of you know, my father died on January 8. Although he became unresponsive a couple of days earlier, he’d been there before (albeit under the influence of medications), so I couldn’t be sure the end was near. Dad was at heart always a private person, so when he slipped away in the wee hours of that Friday morning, it was somehow appropriate that no one was with him. The hospice woke me about the time my clock radio would have gone off, so I took my normal ablutions, notified my office, and headed to the hospice to say goodbye, gather up his things, and wait for the funeral home to pick up the body.

Towards the end, he’d complained about a door being open behind him. Perhaps he sensed the nearness of the Gate, but ironically he was wheeled out through a very real door adjacent to, and behind, his room. He didn’t want a formal memorial, so I notified his brothers and my immediate family, and wrote a brief obit, accompanied by a 30-year-old picture of him. Margarian and I attended the cremation the following Tuesday (I pushed the button), picked up the urn the next day, and watched as it was interred in the niche at the cemetery. I’d a notion to do a weekend open house at the apartment, but its purpose was unclear, and I wasn’t sure who the audience would or should be… so it didn’t happen. Now it’s down to the practicalities, although Margarian’s continuing illness means I won’t be letting go of the apartment soon. Thanks again for your expressions of sympathy on his passing.

February's Birthdays: Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Tavey B, Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Rikki, and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Sybil Leek (Feb. 22). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

February Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Feb. 2, 7:00 a.m. Groundhog Day Pancake Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall (take the Balzac exit, turn left, cross the railroad tracks, and there you are). Balzac Billy prognosticates at sunrise. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m. on: Calgary Kinky Pagan Mardi Gras Potluck at James and Samantha’s. Still a family-friendly event. Info: zara 1204 @ gmail dot com
Feb. 6, 7:00 p.m.: The Fates: Songs, Story, and Myth, at Knox Presbyterian Church, 3704 - 37 Street SW, with Vanessa Cardui, Linda Faye Miller, and Sora. Tickets: $12.00 through PayPal.
Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 12-14: COGCOA Winter Mysteries
Feb. 13, 7:51 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Feb. 28, 9:38 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.

Blessings,
Hergest

January, 2010

2009-12-30T13:46:00.001-07:00

The calendar turns again (and already has, if you have one of the published ones that starts at the solstice). To quote John Lennon, "another year over, and a new one just begun". A time for nostalgia for the year and decade just past, and anticipation for the future. I wish you all health and happiness in the months ahead!

Here are some events and festivals you might want to mark on your calendar, or not... Note that some dates are tentative, as promotion has not yet formally begun.

The Calgary Witches’ Meetup will be having a special meetup on Thursday, January 7, to welcome Helen P., a Witch from Australia, who’s expressed an interest in meeting some of the local people. It will be at the Humpty’s at Macleod Trail and Bannister Road, by the Greengate Garden Centre, starting at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome.

COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries runs this year on the long weekend of Feb. 12-14, on a Russian Mythology theme. Email: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church is running its 25th Spring Mysteries Festival, a reconstruction of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece, somewhere west of Seattle from April 1-4. Info: http://www.aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival

Gaia Gathering, the sixth Canadian National Pagan Conference, runs May 21-24 (Victoria Day weekend) at the University of Guelph, Ontario. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/

PanFest runs July 30-August 1 on a lake in central Alberta. Info when available at http://www.panfest.ca/

The Gathering for Life on Earth runs July 30-August 2 on a mountain lake an hour north of Vancouver. Theme: “The Enchanted Forest”. Info: http://www.gatheringforlife.org/

BC Witchcamp should be running from August 28-September 3 for a full-week immersion in the Reclaiming Tradition. Info: http://www.bcwitchcamp.ca/

Con-Version 26, the Calgary SF convention, is scheduled for the weekend of October 15-17. Info: http://www.con-version.org/

The coveted No-Prizes this month, for catching the monthly typo, go to Anne W. and Bernie M. They receive free copies of my forthcoming book, when and if I ever write it...

Thanks to Kary Lee and Bill G. for joining me on December 21 for sunrise. The Sun God was hiding his face, but His presence was still felt.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Angela R., Henry K., Gayle, Paulie, Margie F., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Sir James Frazer (Jan. 1, 1854), Dorothy Clutterbuck-Fordham (Jan. 19, 1880), Robbie Burns (Jan. 25, 1759), and Z. Budapest (Jan. 30). Let me know if I’ve missed yours.

January Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 31, 12:13 p.m.: Full (Long Night’s) Moon.
Jan. 2: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m: Calgary Witches’ Special Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. See above.
Jan. 15, 12:11 a.m.: New Moon. Beth (Birch) lunar month begins. (Solar eclipse).
Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Jan. 29, 11:18 p.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Imbolg Ritual.
Feb. 2, Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com/

Blessings,
Hergest

By Any Other Name...

2009-12-01T20:23:00.002-07:00

Happy December, everyone.

Just a reminder that in honour of the Winter Solstice, I’ll be leading the solstice sunrise vigil on Monday morning, Dec. 21, on the hill in SW Calgary. Only five more solstices before the “End of the World” vigil at Winter Solstice 2012… collect them all!

I was taken to task this month for rejecting the renaming of the “Roundup Centre” to the “BMO Centre” in my calendar. With apologies to employees of the Bank of Montreal, I wasn’t singling out your employer specifically. It just exemplifies a couple of the things that bother me about our current society.

First is the seeming need for corporations to completely erase any previous associations someone may have with a building. Skydome in Toronto was a perfectly good name; even “Air Canada Skydome” is acceptable to me. But “Air Canada Centre” is just an office building. Even the Olympic association with Calgary’s Saddledome disappeared when the now-defunct Canadian Airlines took it over. Now sponsored by Pengrowth, it keeps the Saddledome name but with a different prenom. The Roundup Centre is a recent building, but its name was appropriate to the Stampede Ground location. Again, even “BMO Roundup Centre” would be somewhat acceptable to me, but “BMO Centre” should be that building across from the Devonian Gardens downtown.

Second is the internetization (or perhaps stock tickerization) of businesses and institutions, i.e. replacing names with acronyms. The Royal Bank becomes RBC, Bank of Montreal becomes BMO, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce becomes CIBC. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, long known as SAIT, has to append a redundant “Polytechnic” after its acronym so it can be found in a Google search. Even YYC, once confined to the designation of the airport, is beginning to be used as a shorthand for the city itself.

I can appreciate that for many entertainment and sporting events/venues, lack of public donations and government funding is forcing them to rely on corporate sponsorship, but the way branding is being handled seems to deprive the branded of any character or humanity. It’s the old adage, “money talks”. But money also smells, and in the business of corporate sponsorship and branding, it’s really starting to stink.

December's Birthdays: Jessica, Searia, Andrea P., Ziggy, Azrael, Heather Dawn, Dianne W., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 1: World AIDS Day.
Dec. 2, 12:30 a.m.: Full (Cold) Moon.
Dec. 3: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Dec. 3-9: Parliament of World Religions, Melbourne, Australia. No, Jack Van Impe, they’re not electing the Antichrist… http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/
Dec. 5, 6:00 p.m.: Yule Community Potluck. Info: zara 1204 (at) gmail (dot) com
Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Yule Ritual.
Dec. 13: Geminid meteor shower.
Dec. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Dec. 16, 5:02 a.m.: New Moon. Ruis (Elder) lunar month begins.
Dec. 21, 8:00 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Contact me for location, or RSVP.
Dec. 21, 10:47 a.m. Winter Solstice.
Dec. 25: Holiday Day, a.k.a. "The Day That Must Not Be Named".
Dec. 31, 12:13 p.m.: Full (Long Night’s) Moon. (Blue Moon).

Have a happy Yule, and a prosperous 2010!
Hergest

November, 2009

2009-10-31T13:54:00.000-06:00

Happy Samhain, everyone.

The annual run to secular “Holiday Day” (Dec. 25) is gearing up. Both large Calgary handicraft fairs are running on subsequent weekends later this month, and while they both feature party food, kitsch, and expensive gifts, there are usually a few booths of interest to the discriminating pagan. The Taboo Sex Show is also happening mid-month… for some odd reason pagans are also attracted to this one!

Budding and experienced writers on my mailing list might be interested in National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo) going on throughout November. For a “mere” average output of 1,667 (unedited) words per day, you can qualify for a nifty certificate and other goodies if your output reaches 50,000 words by month-end. A bit easier to tackle, I think, than the three-day novel-writing marathon on the Labour Day weekend.

Tour Alert: Noted author Dr. Brendan Myers, Ph.D. and hedge-witch and blogger Juniper Cox are making their Calgary stop on their “Magical Philosophical Raggle Taggle Great Canadian Road Trip” at Tipperary’s Pub near U of C from 6-10 p.m. MST on Tuesday, November 3.

November's Birthdays: Helen L., Christine L., Molly S., and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

November Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Nov. 1, 12:00 a.m. National Novel Writing Month begins. Go! Info: http://www.nanowrimo.org
Nov. 1, 2:00 a.m.: Return to Standard Time. Fall back!
Nov. 2, 12:14 p.m.: Full (Beaver) Moon.
Nov. 3, 6:00 p.m.: “Looking for the Magic in Calgary” with Brendan Myers and Juniper Cox at Tipperary’s Pub, 2002 – 16 Ave NW.
Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m.: Institute for Contemporary Shamanic Studies presents a free open house with Barbara Butterfly Dreamer at Scarboro Community Hall, 1727 - 14 Ave SW. http://www.icss.org
Nov. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Nov. 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Nov. 11: Remembrance Day.
Nov. 12-15: Taboo, the Naughty but Nice Sex Show at the BMO Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.taboosexshow.com
Nov. 16, 12:14 p.m.: New Moon. Ngetal (Reed) lunar month begins.
Nov. 17: Leonids Meteor Shower peaks.
Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches’ Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Nov. 19-22: Calgary Art Market Arts and Crafts Sale at the Convention Centre. Info: http://www.artmarketcraftsale.com/
Nov. 26-29: Festival of Crafts at the BMO Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary/

Blessings,
Hergest

Hallowe'en or Samhain?

2009-10-03T16:00:00.001-06:00

Happy October, everyone.

Fall is here, a chill is in the air, and Orion is making his brief appearance in the morning sky. Slasher flicks hit the movie theatres, and teenage girls await the next appearance of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. The young dress as zombies, or vampires, or witches and wizards, or Death himself in one of his many guises (Darth Vader, Jason, Freddy, Chucky, Jigsaw, and so forth). Some do it to embrace their dark side, others to deny Death by laughing in his face. Hallowe’en has become a commercial holiday season second only to Christmas, and it’s fun to openly wear our witchy “drag” for a weekend or two.

Normally I tend to postpone Samhain celebrations until after Hallowe’en weekend. Somehow between the kids trick-or-treating and the adults going to costume parties, it’s normally best to postpone the sombre, more personal aspects of Samhain until the popular (dare I say “secular”?) celebration is past. But when Samhain falls on a Saturday, as it does this year, it seems appropriate to celebrate on the night itself. Unfortunately it means that people sometimes have to choose, or to split the difference. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut used to say.

October's Birthdays: Danni, Jo, Kellie, Jennifer-Lynn, Linda, Jane, Dennis, and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

October Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Oct. 1: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Oct. 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Oct. 4, 12:10 a.m.: Full (Harvest) Moon.
Oct 9-31: Scream Fest at Canada Olympic Park. Info: http://www.screamfest.ca
Oct. 12: Thanksgiving.
Oct. 17, 6:00 p.m. on: Calgary Pagan Community Potluck: Ethnic Night. Info: zara1204 (at) gmail (dot) com
Oct. 17, 11:33 p.m.: New Moon. Gort (Ivy) lunar month begins..
Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Oct. 23-30: CJSW Funding Drive. Info: http://www.cjsw.com
Oct. 24: International Day of Climate Action. Info: http://www.350.org
Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Samhain Ritual.
Oct. 31: Samhain.
Nov. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Nov. 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron.

Blessings,
Hergest

September, 2009

2009-08-30T14:14:00.003-06:00

Hi, everyone. Hard to believe September is already upon us; weather or climate (take your pick) gave us a shorter than usual summer, and I for one feel a little robbed as a result. Of course, I've had other concerns that further kept me from enjoying what summer there was... Hopefully we'll have a few more warm days ahead before fall really closes in on us.

Calgary Pagan Pride Day normally happens in September, but, as often happens with many of us, the organizer reports that she’s “had a few more things tossed at me than I was expecting and CPPD has completely been bumped from my list”. If anything, it will be a laid-back event in a Calgary park; keep an eye on http://calgaryppd.com/ or their Facebook group for updates.

I’m posting this from Toronto, where I’m in the middle of a two-week vacation of sorts. As some of you know, a stomach bug a couple of weeks ago caused Margarian to become dehydrated and malnourished (including low blood sodium), leading her to a stay in a Toronto hospital for a few days. She left hospital still sufficiently weak that she was unable to trust herself living alone in the house, so we decided that I fly out here sooner than I had planned, in order to assist her. If she’s still not self-sufficient by Labour Day, she’ll be flying back when I do.

For my part, between visiting my Dad at the hospice, and dealing with a short hospitalization of my mother this month, plus dealing with a reorganization and office move at work, plus making contact with my long-estranged brother, among other things, I found myself so intolerably stressed that most of my vacation so far has consisted of sleep, hanging out on the computer, and driving Mar around. Hopefully I’ll be coming back re-energized to tackle the ongoing issues.

Thanks go out this month to Karen, for sitting the cats on short notice. You are all in my thoughts, especially some of you whom I haven’t heard from in awhile. May those of you who are suffering find healing in the month ahead.

Congratulations to Brenda, on her recent engagement!

September's Birthdays: Lee G., Tiger Lily, and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

September Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Sep. 3, 10:03 a.m.: Full (Corn) Moon.
Sep. 3: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Sep. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 6, 12:00 p.m.: Calgary Gay Pride Parade. Info: http://www.pridecalgary.ca
Sep. 7: Labour Day.
Sep. 15, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Sep. 18, 12:44 p.m.: New Moon. Muin (Vine) lunar month begins.
Sep. 18-20: Body, Soul, & Spirit Expo at Big Four Building. Info: http://bodysoulspiritexpo.com/
Sep. 22, 3:19 p.m., Autumnal Equinox.
Sep. 26, 7:30 p.m. sharp: COGCOA Mabon ritual.

Blessings,
Hergest

Thoughts on Nose Creek

2009-08-01T13:20:00.001-06:00

Happy Lughnasadh, everyone.

Of special interest this month is a presentation of "The Fifth Tarot", a five-element Tarot set, at Fort Calgary on the 20th. This will be their only Calgary stop, so y'all come out! Details in the calendar below.

I've lately been enjoying driving around some of the range roads between here and Crossfield, part of a personal deep-ecology/photography project of the Nose Creek watershed. I think many Calgarians are simply so happy to get out of Calgary that they take off along the major highways to the mountains, or Drumheller, or the lakes, and ignore the micro-landscape close to home. Nose Creek seems now to be little more than a drainage ditch, yet it runs through a broad valley (remnants of glacial runoff) that makes a natural travel corridor through the north half of Calgary (and, to my mind, the boundary between the Fescue Grassland and the Aspen Parkland biozones). It's essentially the eastern boundary locally of the Bow River Sub-basin, as (aside from storm drains) nothing of significance runs into it from the east within Calgary. Everything east of there flows into the Red Deer River instead.

Those of you in north Calgary are probably familiar with West Nose Creek, a.k.a. Beddington Creek, which joins Nose Creek underneath a small railway bridge north of Beddington Trail beside the Deerfoot. West of the confluence park, it passes through a couple of golf courses and a number of communities, before heading out of town. I used to enjoy the drive into and out of Calgary along Symon's Valley Road; the valley abounds with scenic outcrops and hoodoos, but was discovered by developers a few years ago, and now urban sprawl and construction extends out to Symon's Valley Ranch, which has all but lost its country charm. I worry that the sprawl will continue to extend northwards, further ruining the beautiful little valley.

August's Birthdays: Romper, Bomper, Stomper, Boo... my magic mirror shows me: Cathie M., Anita B., Gin C., Raine, and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

August Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 31 – Aug. 3: PanFest in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Aug. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Aug. 2, 2:00 p.m.: Serpent and Owl Clann Lughnasadh Celebration in a south Calgary park. Info: serpent_and_owl (at) shaw (dot) ca or http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/event.php?eid=95425552363
Aug. 3: Civic Holiday (Heritage Day).
Aug. 3-9: Calgary International Blues Festival. Info: http://www.calgarybluesfest.com/
Aug. 5, 6:55 p.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 6: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul. Info: http://www.meetup.com/The-Eclectic-Circle-TEC
Aug. 9: "Marda Gras" Street Festival in Marda Loop, 33rd Ave and 20th St. SW. Info: http://www.mardaloopbrz.ca/index.php
Aug. 14-29: Globalfest Fireworks and Multi-Cultural Festival at Elliston Park. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca
Aug. 14-16: Alberta Bound Tattoo and Arts Festival, at the BMO Stampede Round-up Centre. Info: http://www.albertaboundproductions.com
Aug. 18, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches
Aug. 20, 4:02 a.m.: New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 20, 7:00 p.m. "Tarot for Today". Presentation on "The Fifth Tarot", (a five-element set) and book signing at Fort Calgary, 750-9 Ave SE. Info: http://theeclecticcircle.com/Flyers.html
Aug. 20-23: Con-Version 25 Fantasy/SF/Genre Convention at Metropolitan Centre, with guests Terry Brooks, Tanya Huff, and Robert J. Sawyer. Info: http://www.con-version.org

Blessings,
Hergest

Weeks to Months

2009-07-04T12:12:00.002-06:00

Happy July, everyone.

Well, almost no sooner had I returned alone from the necessary three-week trip to Toronto in May, than I learned that my father is now terminally ill with inoperable lung cancer. For all practical purposes, I’m the only family he has here. We’ve never been particularly close; he’s typical of the "absent father" so often mentioned by the Men’s Movement, emotionally reserved and independent to the point of being distant. Still, his condition has caused us to reconnect somewhat, even though he holds his emotions close to his chest. He’s been in hospital for over two weeks as I write this, and the palliative care team have been focusing on pain management with the goal of getting him into a hospice soon. Both of us have been on our own emotional roller coasters, and I can’t be sure that he isn’t still in some form of denial. The doctors have given him a prognosis of "weeks to months", and are trying to bump him up the waitlist for cataract surgery, in order to improve his quality of life for the time he has left.

Brendan Myers’ A Pagan Testament is a collection of stories, poems, texts, and teachings gathered through his own research, and from an extensive folklore survey conducted among pagans in 2006-7. For a movement that often prides itself on being "not a religion of the book", there are nevertheless texts and sayings which subsets within the pagan movement value, and attitudes that many pagans hold in common. They vary from aboriginal teachings to tales of Innana, to Demeter and Persephone, to the Morrigan, to the Norns of Norse mythology. They cover witch-lore from the Malleus Malificarum and Leland’s Aradia, to the poetry of Burns, Kipling, Keats, and Wordsworth, to British Traditional Books of Shadows. They include quotes from Heinlein and Tolkien, and even from a 1999 movie. Myers’ book covers all these and more, notably a collection of 170 pagan chants (without music, alas), some of which have undergone folk process before reaching their contributors (in other words, not the way I’d edit or contribute them). Of particular interest is Myers’ commentary on these selections, and what they indicate about their underlying pagan concepts. The book is not the ultimate collection of pagan texts, but it’s certainly a good start, and belongs on the bookshelf of anyone interested in the literary heritage of the Craft. It may even be useful to educate those belonging to "religions of the book" about what pagans believe.

July's Birthdays: Tash L., Leanne, Maracena, Sean, Caroline, Kerri, Jen T., and probably some of my other Facebook friends. Sorry if I’ve missed yours.

Thanks to those of you who came out for the solstice sunrise on the 20th. And congratulations (again) to Rikki and Gavin on their handfasting on June 21!

July Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 1: Canada Day
Jul. 2: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jul. 3-12: Local agricultural fair, athletic competition, and pre-harvest festival.
Jul. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jul. 7, 3:21 a.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.
Jul. 18: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.
Jul. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, at Votier’s Flats. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Jul. 21, 8:35 a.m.: New Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
Jul. 23-26: Calgary Folk Festival on Prince’s Island. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com
Jul. 31 – Aug. 3: PanFest in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.ca/
Aug. 3: Civic Holiday (Heritage Day).
Aug. 3-9: Calgary International Blues Festival. Info: http://www.calgarybluesfest.com/

Blessings,
Hergest
　

Highway 69 Revisited

2009-05-30T21:02:00.001-06:00

Happy June, everyone.

Summer Solstice is coming, and once again Evergreen will be hosting a sunrise vigil on Saturday, June 20 at 4:45 a.m. in Strathcona. Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll send you the directions if necessary.

The Covenant of Gaia is holding their annual Summerfest campout, Pelé’s Melee, in Kananaskis on the weekend of June 26-28. (Honouring the volcano goddess and/or the football god, perhaps?) Summerfest pricing is $25/night/site, plus $12/adult (12 & over). Day-trippers get away with $20/day. Details will be up on the http://cogcoa.ab.ca website soon, and registration forms will available by the end of the week. You can hold a spot now just by dropping a line to president (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca. All the major volunteer roles have been filled, and they're still looking for workshop volunteers. If you have a special talent, skill, craft, or expertise that you'd like to share in a one-hour workshop, please give them a shout.

One of the downsides of getting older, and my recent Toronto trip only drew further attention to it, is an increasing sense of loss. I fondly remember when the road to the Kananaskis was a slow, twisty gravel road with high bridges and breathtaking views, and watched with a sense of disappointment as the new highway construction slashed its way across the wilderness. The Trans-Canada from Calgary to Vancouver remains an epic trip, but the stretch from Kamloops to Hope, following the well-settled Thompson and Fraser River valleys, was shortcutted over 20 years ago by the Coquihalla, a sterile divided highway featuring brutal climbs and drops along its length.
The TransCanada to Winnipeg had, until recently, two bottlenecks in the four-lane, in western and eastern Saskatchewan. Both of these have now been divided, but at the price of moving the highway from the main drag of several towns to a bypass on the outskirts. Doubtless this has damaged the tourist trade in these towns; in Moosomin, only the wonderful Red Barn Restaurant has managed to move a little closer to the new alignment. The divided highway continues beyond Winnipeg to approximately Kenora, where again the highway (now called 17) now bypasses the picturesque city on Lake of the Woods. Beyond that, the passage is so far too narrow to divide, often running three undivided lanes to accommodate passing zones. Aside from the odd divided stretch around Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury, it’s mostly two- lane until Parry Sound, at the foot of Georgian Bay, where it route 69 becomes the 400, running four-lane divided all the way to Toronto.
South of Sudbury, Hwy 69 is paralleled by Hwy 400 construction. The primal rock of the Precambrian Shield is being blasted away, turned into highway fill, a brutal rape that will again bypass the mom-and-pop motels, gas stations, and “trading posts”, giving way to Quality Inns and Golden Griddles. As a traveller, I can’t help but wonder about that this is doing to wildlife habitat and corridors. 69 is already segmented south of Parry Sound; soon it will be like the legendary Route 66 in the states, only a shadow of its former self. Even now, the existing route though northern Ontario is a graveyard of closed motels and former gas stations. I’m sure that truckers love the four-lane for moving goods across country, but recreational driving, the last gasp of the car culture of the Fifties and Sixties, is suffering. Like William Least Heat Moon in his Blue Highways, we may have to forego the Interstate that the TransCanada is becoming, and go to the secondary highways in order to find ourselves.

June’s Birthdays: Nicole G, Bev T, Colleen W, Dawn, Joie, Sierra, Michelle B, Mimi, some old HP... and probably some of his other Facebook friends.

June's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

June 2-4: Mayor’s Environment Expo at City Hall Atrium.
June 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
June 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron and Mead Tasting. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
June 7, 12:12 p.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.
June 12-14: VulCon 16: Spock Days/GalaxyFest in Vulcan. Fun for young and old (Spock)! Info: http://www.vulcantourism.com/vulcon-galaxyfest.html
June 12-14: Spirit of the West Druid Gathering. Too late to register; maybe next year. Info: http://www.druidgathering.ca/index.php
June 13, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Litha Ritual.
June 16, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
June 20, 4:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Only eight left until the end of the world as we know it in Dec. 2012... collect them all!
June 20, 11:46 p.m.: Summer Solstice
June 22, 1:35 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
June 26-28: COGCOA Summerfest campout, “Pele’s Melee”, in Kananaskis.

Blessings,
Hergest

May, 2009

2009-05-03T10:22:00.001-06:00

Happy Beltane, everyone.

Margarian is now sufficiently recovered from her recent illness that we’ll be driving to Toronto this month to continue dealing with the house there. I’ll be away the last three weeks of May, returning at the beginning of June, but Margarian plans to spend the summer. Big thanks in advance to Karen, for offering to take care of the Klingons. Additional assistance would also be welcome, as three weeks is a long time for anyone, particularly the cats.

Things are gearing up as the weather improves. The May long weekend brings with it two out-of-town events of possible interest. Gaia Gathering, the Canadian National Pagan Conference, is running at UBC in Vancouver, bringing together a who’s who of Canadian paganism. (For those of us who can’t make it, there’s always next year in Guelph...) Meanwhile in Winnipeg, Keycon, their annual sf convention, features Katherine Kurtz (author of the Deryni series, a fantasy world steeped in ceremonial magic), and Kelley Armstrong, author of the “Women of the Otherworld” series. Coincidentally, I’ve been catching up on the Deryni books over the last few months. Also coincidentally, Margarian and I will be passing through Winnipeg just before Keycon, so there’s a slight chance we may drop in. Locally, the Calgary Lilac Festival, touted as Calgary’s best outdoor festival, runs for several blocks on 4th St. SW on May 31.

A special farewell to Sheena M. this month, a Blackring niece and HPS who is off to new adventures in Ottawa. Love and blessings on your journey!

May’s Birthdays: Lily. Anyone else?

May's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1: Beltane. Hooray, hooray the first of May...
May 2-3: Calgary Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 2, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Beltane Ritual, led by Serpent and Owl Clann.
May 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
May 8, 10:01 p.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 10: Mothers’ Day
May 15-19: Gaia Gathering, the Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Vancouver, with Kerr Cuhulain. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/index.php/home
May 15-17: Keycon 26, Winnipeg Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, featuring Katherine Kurtz, Kelley Armstrong, Ed the Sock, and Liana K. Info: http://www.keycon.org/
May 19, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
May 24, 6:11 a.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
May 31, 10:00 – 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival on 4th St. SW. Info: http://www.lilacfestival.net/lilacfestival/

Blessings,
Hergest

April, 2009

2009-04-04T13:55:00.002-06:00

Happy April, everyone. Not much to report this month, so here's the monthly calendar.

Congratulations to Danni on her upcoming marriage!

April’s Birthdays: Sheena M., Aislinn, Ayanna, and probably a few others.

April Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Apr. 4, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Apr. 9, 8:56 a.m.: Full (Pink) Moon.
Apr. 9-12: ATC Spring Mysteries Festival, west of Seattle.
Info: http://aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival
Apr. 15: Witches’ Tea. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/thegypsyway/
Apr. 18: Climb and Run for Wilderness at Calgary Tower. Info: http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/
Apr. 21, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Apr. 22: Earth Day.
Apr. 24, 9:23 p.m.: New Moon. Saille (Willow) lunar month begins.
Apr. 25, 9:00 a.m. Clean Calgary Association Annual Rain Barrel Sale. Info:
http://cleancalgary.org/index.php/events/single/clean_calgary_associations_annual_rain_barrel_sale1/
May 2, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Beltane Ritual
May 2-3: Calgary Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena, 1940-6 Ave. NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritNSoul. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/

Blessings,
Hergest

March, 2009

2009-03-07T12:39:00.003-07:00

Happy March, everyone.

The latest chapter in the Witchery saga ended February 28, as their new location had to close its doors because of increased rents. Bright blessings to Mimi, Steve and staff on their new endeavours; you know we haven’t heard the last of them.

A pagan-friendly friend of mine is looking for homes for two seven-month old kittens as they’re moving early next week to a no-pets building. Let me know a.s.a.p. if you’re interested in adopting.

Evergreen will be offering a Ritual Leadership Workshop the weekend of April 3 to 5. This is an intense weekend of lecture, discussion, and hands'-on ritual creation, suitable for anyone considering designing ritual on a scale from small groups to large public events. This workshop is required for Evergreen's First Degree students; a second go-round for Second Degree students is also highly recommended, and participants from other teaching circles/Traditions are welcome (with consent of HPS/HP as applicable.) Hours are 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. on Sunday. Cost is $12.00 and includes extensive reference materials. Let me know if you're interested, and/or contact me for further information.

March’s Birthdays: Karen H., Jan R., Brenda G., Luiz M., Tracy P., and probably a few others.

March Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Mar. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Mar. 7, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day.
Mar. 8: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring ahead, but it’s still winter...
Mar. 10, 7:00 p. m. Pagan Pub Night, hosted by Calgary Pagan Network. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/Calgary_Pagan_Network/
Mar. 10, 8:38 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.
Mar. 14, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Ostara Ritual
Mar. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in north Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Mar. 20, 5:44 p.m. Vernal Equinox.
Mar. 25: Witches Tea, hosted by The Gypsy Way. Info: http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/thegypsyway/
Mar. 26, 10:06 a.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.
Mar. 26, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Mar. 28, 8:30 p.m.: Earth Hour. Info: http://www.earthhour.org/
Apr. 3-5: Evergreen Ritual Leadership Workshop.

Blessings,
Hergest

Imagine

2009-02-01T20:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Imbolc, all!

Thanks to Lady Mysteel and Sue D. for their words of support this month.

Imbolc is probably the least understood, and often the least-attended, of the Sabbats, perhaps because so many people seem to be ill this time of year. Or maybe it has something to do with the Super Bowl... Frequently we take the occasion to celebrate the goddess Brigid, or focus on its Candlemas aspect. I sometimes like to think of it as a time for celebrating ourselves as pagans, and the connections between us.

It was actually coming out of a community-building session at the Witchery a couple of years back, that I decided to expand the circulation this little blog to include people from some of the other groups in Calgary, even if we didn’t know one another all that well. I’d rather consider myself optimistic than naive, but I think that if we can get to know one another as people, at some point we will be able to look beyond our differences in practice, philosophy, and in some cases, history, and come together as a true pagan community.

To quote John Lennon, “you may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one...” In addition to Mimi’s past hosting of Pagan Paths, Frank of Calgary Heathens and Morgan of the Pagan Pride Project of Calgary have in their own ways been trying to foster better communication and understanding among the various groups and solitaries in this city. The Covenant of Gaia Church of Alberta expanded their mandate a few years back to become welcoming to all pagans, not just Wiccans. Dawn and Samantha of the Calgary Community Potlucks (which seem to be on hiatus lately) have been doing their bit as well. And I’m sure there have been others I’ve forgotten to mention. I hope that one of these years, we’ll be able to put our various differences aside enough to host the Canadian National Pagan Conference here, as the Calgary community has much to offer. A necessary first step is to plan and support the next Calgary Pagan Pride Day, and I recommend that everyone interested attend the AGM scheduled for February 22 at Central Memorial Library. See this month’s calendar listings.

February’s Birthdays: Ary, Mandy C., Margarian, Lana W., Selena, Megan, Bryn, Morgan, Sandra, Rikki, and probably a few others. Busy month, nine months after “getting-busy” month...

February's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Feb. 2: Imbolc. 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Free Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall (west of Hwy 2). Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:11 a.m. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Feb. 7, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 9, 7:49 a.m.: Full (Snow) Moon.
Feb 13-15: COGCOA Winter Mysteries. $65/person all-inclusive.
Feb. 14, 1:00 p.m.: Pair O’ Normals: Paranormal Valentine at Rose & Crown Pub. $35.00/person. Info: http://www.meetup.com/THE-PAIR-O-NORMALS/
Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://www.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Feb. 22, 1:00 p.m.: Pagan Pride Project of Calgary Society General Meeting at Central Memorial Library 1221 – 2 Street SW. Everyone welcome! Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarypaganprideday
Feb. 24, 6:35 p.m.: New Moon. Nion (Ash) lunar month begins.
Feb. 26, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93

Blessings,
Hergest

January, 2009

2009-01-02T22:07:00.002-07:00

Happy 2009, all!

In December, the “time of the Crone” between Samhain and Yule took on special relevance for me. Last April, I wrote of the passing of Margarian’s mother, whom I called “K”. K’s house in Toronto has been vacant, its roof in need of repair, and vermin activity has been detected. So, at the request of the neighbours and much soul-searching (and you may have read my obscure grumblings in Facebook ), I flew to Toronto alone at the end of November for the first phase of dealing with the house. Margarian was still too low-stamina for the trip, and frankly the job required drastic measures.

The house was largely filled with clutter. K never threw anything out, and she was an avid collector of books, coins, stamps, owl and butterfly knick-knacks, postcards.... you get the idea. She lived for Christmas, and would purchase items by mail-order all year to give to the people at her small church (especially the children). She had a lot of wrapping paper, and Christmas cards both unused and received.

So I spent about 12 days (with professional help) boxing up books, sorting, and culling. We filled a large dumpster with clutter and old furniture, and filled up about 100 boxes for further sorting. So it’s well under way, but no doubt we’ll have to make a couple of more trips out there in the New Year.

Upcoming Festivals etc. that you might be interested in:

COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries runs this year on the long weekend of Feb. 15-17. Fee of $60.00 includes heated accommodation and meals. Info: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/winter.php Registration deadline is January 31.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church is running its 24th Spring Mysteries Festival, a reconstruction of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece, somewhere west of Seattle April 9-12. Registration is US $165+ for adults if received by February 1, higher thereafter. Info: http://www.aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival

Gaia Gathering, the fifth Canadian National Pagan Conference, runs May 15-19 (Victoria Day weekend) at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca
or http://gaiagathering.blogspot.com

Panfest X, “Alberta’s premiere pagan festival”, runs on the August long weekend, July 31-Aug. 3, in central Alberta. Info at http://www.panfest.org

Con-Version 25, Calgary's science fiction and fantasy convention, is also scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 21-23. Info: http://www.csffs.org/

Candles this month to Heather Dawn, on the recent passing of her father.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Angela R., Henry, Sheena E., Gayle, Paulie, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

January Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jan.1, 2:00 p.m.: COGCOA New Year’s Levee at Mike and Ann’s. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 1?: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jan. 10, 8:27 p.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/Calgary-Witches/
Jan. 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Jan. 24: 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Imbolc Ritual
Jan. 25, 11:55 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 2: Imbolc. Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Hall. Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:11 a.m.

Blessings,
Hergest

December, 2008

2008-11-28T23:52:00.004-07:00

Happy December, everyone.

The days continue to shorten, although the pace of their change is beginning to slow, as it plods it way to the Winter Solstice. The Sun will soon be at the southernmost point in its rising, and come the Solstice, will begin its northward journey again. The darkest time will nearly be over, even though winter proper will be only beginning. Those bright planets in the southwest after sunset are Venus and Jupiter, soon to be joined by the Maiden Moon.

Once again, we’ll be leading a Solstice Sunrise vigil on a magical hillside on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 21. Dress appropriately for the weather; we’ll be out there awhile. Survivors will warm up at Tim Horton’s afterwards. Let us know if you’re interested, and we’ll provide directions.

Margarian spent November tackling the National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo, with a novel about our favourite boy wizard. And she made the 50,000-word goal with two and a half days to go! Congratulations, hon!

December's Birthdays: Searia, Jessica, Dianne E., Heather Dawn, Stephanie M., Diane W., and probably some of my Facebook friends.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Dec. 1: World AIDS Day
Dec. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Dec. 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 12, 9:37 a.m.: Full (Cold) Moon.
Dec. 13: 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Yule Ritual
Dec. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Dec. 21, 5:04 a.m.: Winter Solstice
Dec. 21, 7:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil in Strathcona.
Dec. 25(?), 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Dec. 27, 5:22 a.m.: New Moon. Beth (Birch) lunar month begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

If you build it...

2008-11-02T17:29:00.003-07:00

Happy pagan new year, everyone!

As many of you know, I host the Calgary Witches Meetup (http://witches.meetup.com/calgary-witches), which continues to be a contact point for solitaries and new members of the community. And while two other Witches Meetups have sprung up recently (SpiritNSoul's The Eclectic Circle and Lady Mysteel's Calgary Celtic/Pagan/Witch Learning Circle) I’ve been led to believe that these focus more on teaching than as a social forum. There are other social groups out there (notably the Druid Meetup and fringe meetups on metaphysics, ghost hunting, etc.), but I’ve recently become aware that there’s still a need for pagan social networking groups, and one or more open working circles. Years ago, the Covenant of Gaia ran semi-open monthly esbats, but eventually that ran out of steam; they continue to run Sabbats, but the Esbats are a niche that’s sorely missed. Some people are dissatisfied with a purely social group such as Calgary Witches has been; this is understandable. But since I’m already the co-leader of Evergreen, one of the teaching groups in town, I don’t want "Calgary Witches" to be perceived as a “front group” for it – which it is not. To this end, I’ve gone out of my way to distribute my Calgary Pagan Resource Guide at the Meetups, to let people know what else is out there. Between my responsibilities to the meetup and to Evergreen, my plate is full, so I’m hoping that the younger generation of witches will move to fill in the gaps. In short, if you see that there’s a need that isn’t being filled, and you think you’ll be able to fill it, go for it! To quote Bill Kinsella, "if you build it, they will come".

Well, another election, another minority government. And another Liberal leadership convention. Ironically, it was Stéphane Dion’s environmental platform that convinced me to make the leap and join the Liberal Party. (If I was younger and more idealistic, I’d go Green, but I’m getting older, and am more of a pragmatist these days.) Now I’m hoping for Michael Ignatieff or Bob Rae to take the Liberal mantle; the Liberals need a strong leader to counteract Harper, and to rebuild the party. I don’t believe half of the conciliatory remarks Harper made on election night, but here’s hoping that he won’t continue his arrogant, my-way-or-the-highway style of governance that ground the last Parliament to an impasse.

Congratulations to Lee G., on receiving his Blackring Second Degree on August 23.

November's Birthdays: Samantha F., Helen L., Molly S., Christine L., Bryn’s baby boy, and probably some of my Facebook friends. And apologies to Michael, for missing his, last month.

November Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Nov. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Nov. 2: Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall back!
Nov. 6: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Nov. 11: Remembrance Day.
Nov. 12, 11:17 p.m.: Full (Beaver) Moon.
Nov. 14-16: Taboo Sex Show at the Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.canwestshows.com/sexshow/
Nov. 20-23: Calgary Art Market Art and Craft Sale. Info: http://www.artmarketcraftsale.com/
Nov. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Nov. 27, 9:55 a.m.: New Moon. Ngetal (Reed) lunar month begins.
Nov. 27, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Nov. 27-30: Festival of Crafts at the Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary.html

Blessings,
Hergest

Remember Florida! Go Vote!

2008-09-28T13:18:00.001-06:00

Happy October, everyone.

Just another reminder that the Evergreen introductory classes begin on October 15. If you’re interested and haven’t been in touch with us, there’s still time to sign up.

Both the U.S. and Canada are now in the midst of federal elections, and this week the U.S. economic sky seems to be in danger of falling. As I’ve written before, it’s tough to be anything but Conservative in Alberta, and even the Conservatives frequently don’t bother to vote because they’re supposedly a shoo-in anyway. For those of you who believe your vote doesn’t count, look back to Florida in the 2000 campaign, and see how close they came to not having Dubya in the White House these past eight years....

Herewith is my somewhat naive, simplistic, biased, idealist-turned-pessimist guide to the four major parties in Western Canada:

Vote Conservative if you’re happy with the status quo, think that the free enterprise system will take care of everyone so that governments won’t have to, that what’s good for business is good for Canada, that Stephen Harper is a strong leader cum sensitive New Age guy, and that Stéphane Dion is a dweeb.

Vote Liberal if you think that government has to take responsibility for social programs, that the responsibility for the environment must be reasonably balanced with the economy, that a pit bull in a fuzzy sweater is still a pit bull, and that you can tell that Harper is telling a really big lie whenever he stands up and buttons his jacket.

Vote NDP if you’re heavily in favour of giving the power to the Little Guy, believe strongly in social justice programs, belong to a union, and think that corporations are inherently evil. And if you think that Harper is a Republican, Dion is a dweeb, and Layton is the new sheriff in town.

Vote Green if you think that the environment has to come first, no matter what. And if you think Elizabeth May is hot.

But don’t take my word for it. Check out http://www.conservative.ca, http://www.liberal.ca, http://www.ndp.ca, or http://www.greenparty.ca . Then get out there and vote on October 14!

October's Birthdays: Jennifer-Lynn, Linda L., Jane, Dennis, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

October Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Oct. 2: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Oct. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Oct. 13: Thanksgiving
Oct. 14: Federal Election. You know what to do…
Oct. 14, 2:02 a.m.: Full (Hunter’s) Moon.
Oct. 15: Evergreen Introductory Class: Introduction
Oct. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by me, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Oct. 22: Evergreen Introductory Class: Confidentiality
Oct. 23, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Samhain Ritual.
Oct. 28, 5:14 p.m.: New Moon. Gort (Ivy) lunar month begins.
Oct. 29: Evergreen Introductory Class: Tools and Circle Casting
Oct. 30-Nov. 2: World Fantasy Convention at the Hyatt Regency. Info: http://www.worldfantasy2008.org
Oct. 31: Samhain

Blessings,
Hergest

A couple of updates....

2008-09-03T21:52:00.003-06:00

The word on Calgary Pagan Pride Day is that it is a no-go this year. There is still the pathway cleanup at Eau Claire on September 13, but hopefully CPPD will be back next year.

Brendan Myers will be doing two workshops for the Covenant of Gaia: one on Pagan Folk Proverbs and Wisdom Teachings, on Friday, Sept. 19, which is open to COGCOA members and their invited guests, and one on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Church of Calgary, on Ethics in Celtic and European Mythology. Information is on the COGCOA website at http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/ And of course, there is the brunch on Sunday sponsored by Awen Grove, as previously posted.

Blessings,
Hergest

September, 2008

2008-08-31T16:19:00.001-06:00

Happy September, everyone.

First, the news… Evergreen Introductory classes are slated to begin Wednesday, October 15 for four weeks, plus the fifth on Monday, November 10. If you’ve been interested in beginning our classes, mark your calendars.

Rather than a formal event, Calgary Pagan Pride Day is happening as a picnic on Sept. 20, and they’re also doing a pathway cleanup at Eau Claire on the 13th. The 13th is also the annual “Women’s Take Back the Night March”, perhaps more relevant lately in the face of all the gang violence in the city.

Details are a little sparse, but Druid author Brendan (Cathbad) Myers will be in Calgary the weekend of Sep. 19-21 for two workshops with the Covenant of Gaia, and a brunch on Sep. 21 hosted by Awen Grove. See links below for further information.

For those of you who have been wondering, Margarian is still slowly recovering from her illness of last winter. She’s recently had blood tests to try to determine why her stamina is still so low, and we’re currently waiting on the results. In the meantime, she still hasn’t made the trip to Toronto to deal with her late mother’s house, and my summer vacation has been on hold as a result.

I can feel in autumn coming in my weekly morning commute; the sun just rising, the mountains painted pink in sunrise glow, with occasional fresh dustings of snow. Morning sun on the skyscrapers gives the downtown a mythic quality, belying the stress and Mammon-worship that goes on there. The mornings are cooler, the leaves a little paler, and the birds, which have been flying in pairs and family groups, are beginning to gather for migration.

No book review this month; I’ve been enjoying The Bull of Minos by Leonard Cottrell. It’s a 1955 account of the discoveries at Troy and Mycenae by Heinrich Schliemann, and at Knossos, Crete by Sir Arthur Evans. (Both Schliemann and Evans were real characters, which adds to the story). I’ve also begun reading Wicca 333: Advanced Topics in Wiccan Belief by Kaatryn MacMorgan. A little preachy, but food for thought. For recreation, I’ve also been re-reading Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s Illuminatus! trilogy, the cult classic conspiracy-theory spoof from the 1970’s.

September's Birthdays: Lee G., Frank S., Carla M., Cathryn B., Mordwyn, Mysteel, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

September Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Aug. 30, 1:58 p.m. New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 30 – Sept. 1: Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival. Info: http://www.calgarytattoos.com
Sep. 1: Labour Day.
Sep. 4: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Sept. 5: Calgary Pagan Book Club discusses Farrar & Farrar’s Witches Bible. Facebook: Calgary Pagan Book Club.
Sep. 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 13, 12:00 noon: Calgary Pagan Pride Day Pathway Cleanup at Eau Claire. Facebook: Pagan Pride Pathway Cleanup
Sep. 13, 7:30 p.m.: Women’s Take Back the Night March, starting at Central Memorial Park. Info: http://calgarycasa.com/programs/take-back-the-night-2006
Sep. 15, 3:13 a.m.: Full (Harvest) Moon.
Sep. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yhos, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Sep. 19-21: Workshops with author Brendan (Cathbad) Myers, sponsored by the Covenant of Gaia. Info: see Sept. 6, or visit http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca
Sep. 20: Calgary Pagan Pride Day Picnic, at Fish Creek Park.
Sep. 20, 3:00 p.m.: Haunted Pub Tour, at Cat & Fiddle Pub. Facebook: Calgary Haunted Pub Tour.
Sep. 20, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Mabon Ritual.
Sep. 21, 10:00 a.m. Sunday Brunch with Brendan (Cathbad) Myers at Kilkenny’s Irish Pub in Brentwood (500, 3630 Brentwood Road NW), hosted by Awen Grove. Info: http://awencanada.com/
Sep. 22, 9:44 a.m.: Autumnal Equinox.
Sep. 25, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup – Autumn Equinox Ritual, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Sep. 29, 2:12 a.m.: New Moon. Muin (Vine) lunar month begins.

Blessings,
Hergest

August, 2008

2008-08-02T13:13:00.003-06:00

Happy Lughnasadh, everyone. I’ll spare you the monthly blurb this month. The weather’s beautiful for a change, and we should be out enjoying it. Already the days have begun to visibly shorten, and the back-to-school sales are already happening. Carpe Diem!

This just in: The annual Gathering for Life on Earth, the Vancouver area pagan festival scheduled for the August long weekend, had to be cancelled following the rockslide along the Sea to Sky Highway earlier this week. Reports are that alternate events may be happening in Vancouver. Info: http://www.gatheringforlife.org/

August's Birthdays: Cathie M., Cat T., Raine, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

August's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Aug. 1-4: PanFest in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.net/
Aug 1-10: Calgary Fringe Festival, in Inglewood. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.ca/
Aug. 1, 4:13 a.m.: New Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
Aug. 2-4: Canmore Folk Festival. Info: http://www.canmorefolkfestival.com/
Aug. 3, 10:30 a.m.: The Unitarian Church of Calgary Lammas celebration, at 1703 – 1 Street NW. Bring something from your garden for blessing; potluck to follow.
Aug. 3, 2:00 p.m.: Serpent & Owl Clann Open Lughnasadh Celebration. Info: serpent_and_owl at shaw dot ca
Aug. 4: Heritage Day.
Aug. 6-11: Shambhala Music Festival, Salmo River Ranch, B.C. Info: http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/
Aug. 7: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Aug 11-28: Globalfest Fireworks and Multicultural Festival. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 15-17: Con-Version XXII at Calgary Radisson Hotel. Info: http://www.con-version.org/
Aug. 16, 3:16 p.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 19, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Aug 23-29: BC Witchcamp at Evans Lake, B.C. Info: http://www/bcwitchcamp.ca
Aug.28, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Aug. 30 – Sept. 1: Calgary Tattoo and Arts Festival. Info: http://www.calgarytattoos.com/
Sept. 5: Calgary Pagan Book Club discusses Farrar & Farrar’s Witches Bible. Facebook: Calgary Pagan Book Club.

Blessings,
Hergest

The Mountains of Faerie

2008-07-05T12:43:00.001-06:00

Happy July, everyone.

We had a decent turnout for the solstice sunrise on June 20. The sky was clear, but across the eastern horizon lay a bank of gray cloud. As we watched, accompanied by hares and the ever-present crows, a rosy glow spread across the cloudscape, as it the Sun was preparing to rise in front of them (could that even be possible?). The glow faded to a point, and a golden-silver lining appeared at the tops of the clouds, until the Sun finally made its appearance.

Watching this brought back memories from my childhood. On my first airplane flight just before my second birthday, I’m told that I pointed at the cloud tops, wanting to walk on them. In my youth in Regina, I often sat on the porch of our west-facing house, noticing what appeared to be mountains on the horizon, fancying them to be shadows cast all the way from western Alberta.

Watching the sunrise that morning brought to mind Tolkien’s vision of the lost West, sundered from the Earth and only accessible by the “straight path”… and of the veil that, according to Celtic myth, separates our world from the land of Faerie. And I think of the musical “Brigadoon”, calling on similar mythology, with a town lost in the mists. I think, then, that these are the "Mountains of Faerie", a landscape that is sometimes part of our spiritual world, if only we have the wherewithal to look for and appreciate it.

July's Birthdays: Tash L., Leanne C., Sean, Caroline, Jen T., and probably some of my Facebook friends. And happy anniversary to Christine and Michael!

July Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jul. 1: Canada Day.
Jul. 2, 8:19 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
Jul. 3: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jul. 4-12: Big Drunken Calgary Party, a.k.a. the Stampede.
Jul. 15, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Jul. 18, 1:59 a.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.
Jul. 19: COGCOA Lammas Ritual.
Jul. 24-27: Calgary Folk Music Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com
Jul. 24, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Aug. 1-4: PanFest in central Alberta. Info: http://www.panfest.net/
Aug. 23-29: BC Witchcamp at Evans Lake, B.C. Info: http://www.bcwitchcamp.ca

Blessings,
Hergest

When disaster strikes...

2008-06-03T21:16:00.000-06:00

Happy June, everyone.

Usually when disaster strikes around the world, I make a special contribution to Oxfam Canada or the Canadian Red Cross. So it was frustrating to me when the cyclone struck Myanmar/Burma a few weeks back, and the junta was refusing, then confiscating, aid from outside. Even now, I’m not sure whether aid through official channels is reaching the victims. Latest reports say that they are being driven off of their land. However, the International Burmese Monks Organization, in partnership with the global web movement Avaaz.org, has been able to distribute over $550,000 in aid (with another $1.5 million on the way) through Burmese monasteries and unofficial channels. It may not be a Canadian charity, but may be the most effective way for some of us to help. For more information, visit http://www.avaaz.org/en/burma_aid_report/15.php?cl=91073145

On the other hand, I’ve really been having mixed feelings about the earthquake disasters in China. China is an economic powerhouse, so much so that one can hardly buy a product these days without seeing “Made in China” on it (if only in the fine print). Given China’s horrendous human rights record, unchecked environmental damage, and the situation in Tibet, it’s easy to be unsympathetic. It might almost be argued that the recent disasters may be driving China to the brink of sudden revolutionary change, and a little “tough love” may be in order. One thing about making monthly contributions to international aid organizations: at least you can still help the victims, even though you have moral qualms.

You may have also heard that the Wolong Panda Sanctuary, home to 30% of the world’s endangered pandas, also suffered from the recent quake. The Friends of World Heritage Fund is donating 100% of the proceeds received by June 27 towards recovery of several world heritage sites damaged by the quake, including the panda sanctuary. Donations are being matched by both Expedia, Inc. and the UN Foundation. For more info, go to: http://www.friendsofworldheritage.org/

Solstice is coming, and with it, our semi-annual Solstice Sunrise Vigil. We’re doing it on Friday, June 20 at 4:30 a.m., which is the morning of the Summer Solstice… and given that New Agers have also discovered this special site, there’s a chance we may have to share it with them. If you’re interested in attending, let me know, and I’ll forward the directions.

June's Birthdays: Dawn L., Joie, Sierra, Michelle B, Mimi, some old HP, and probably some of his Facebook friends.

June Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Jun. 1-7: Canadian Environment Week (despite John Baird). Info: http://www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=09B7E8E7-1
Jun. 1, 10:30 a.m. Spiritual Teachings of Earth-Centred Traditions, at Unitarian Church of Calgary, 1703 – 1 St. NW.
Jun. 3-5: Mayor’s Environment Expo at the Municipal Building Atrium (9 am – 3 pm)
Jun. 3, 1:23 p.m.: New Moon. Uath (Oak) lunar month begins.
Jun. 5: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Jun. 7: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jun. 14: COGCOA Litha Ritual.
Jun. 17, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by moi, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Jun. 18, 11:30 a.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.
Jun. 20, 4:30 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Contact me for details.
Jun. 20, 5:59 p.m.: Summer Solstice.
Jun. 20-22: COGCOA Summerfest Campout in SherWitch Forest. Robin Hood meets the Oak and Holly Kings!
Jun. 26, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Jul. 1: Canada Day

Blessings,
Hergest

Fire Child

2008-05-16T15:56:00.001-06:00

Happy Beltane, everyone! At least the snow has finally melted, so that frolicking in the outdoors isn’t as intimidating as it was a few days ago!

It seems my comment a couple of months back on the Witchery’s departure from the Calgary pagan scene was (thankfully) premature. As some of you know, they’ve relocated to the old Bushido Tattoo space in 1112 – 4 St. SW (conveniently close to downtown), and plan to re-open on May 15. Welcome back!

This month’s read is Fire Child: The Life and Magic of Maxine Sanders “Witch Queen” (Mandrake of Oxford, 2008. ISBN 978-1-869928-97-1). Maxine has only been familiar to me as the striking young blonde with Alex Sanders in photos of their rituals taken during the 1970’s. As she has never considered herself a writer, her autobiography is a welcome break to her long silence.
The child of a spiritualist socialite and an abusive ex-boxer, she developed an interest in the Mysteries at an early age. Her book is a reflection upon her spiritual history, including her experiences with Indonesian, Egyptian, and “Angelic” practices, ceremonial magic, and the glory years of the Alexandrians. It also portrays her long relationship with, and ultimate estrangement from, Alex Sanders. She characterizes him as “a saint and a showman”, whose generosity was as great as his need to be in the public eye. Maxine, however, preferred her family and her privacy.
While much is mentioned of their workings, Maxine’s frustration and disillusion with some fellow Witches at all levels ultimately led to her retirement. It’s a fascinating portrait of a woman who was close to the centre of modern Traditional Craft in its early days, and reveals that much of its abuses today have long been with us.

Candles this month to M. Willow, Bryn, Sherri O, Linda L, and to everyone else who needs them.

May's Birthdays: Lily, Danielle A., and probably some of my Facebook friends.

May Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1: Just say NO to Plastic Bags Day.
May 1: The Eclectic Circle (TEC), led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
May 3-4: Calgary Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena, 1940 – 6 Ave NW. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
May 3, 8:00 p.m.: Ghost Walk at Queen’s Park Cemetery, hosted by Spira Canada.
May 5, 6:18 a.m.: New Moon. Saille (Willow) lunar month begins.
May 10, 6:00 p.m. Calgary Community Potluck: Manje-Mo (Creole/Caribbean). Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
May 11: Mother’s Day.
May 15: The Witchery re-opens at 1112 – 4 St. SW.
May 16-19: 4th Canadian National Pagan Conference at the University of Ottawa. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca
May 19, 8:11 p.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 20, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
May 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
May 25, 12:00 noon: Calgary Pagan Pride Day meeting at Co-op Midtown Market.
May 25, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Calgary Lilac Festival. Info: http://www.4streetcalgary.com/lilacfestival/

Blessings,
Hergest

A Death at Ostara

2008-04-11T15:28:00.003-06:00

Happy April, everyone.

As some of you know, Margarian lost her mother “K” on March 16. Death never comes at a convenient time, and so it was in this case. Mar herself had been ill with the flu and pneumonia for the previous six weeks, and was just beginning to recover when we received the news. We learned on Sunday the 9th that K. was "hanging by a thread" and "in the hands of God", so we took the red-eye that night to Toronto and went straight to the hospital.

In retrospect, Margarian was glad that we arrived that morning, as it was probably the last time K. had any awareness that someone was there. K's kidneys failed on the 11th, and she managed to survive until the evening of the 16th. During that time, we paid her several visits, made what preparations we could, and waited for the phone call to come.

Over several days, we followed K’s transition from someone alive in a hospital room, to seeing her shortly after she passed, to seeing the body in its fibreboard casket at the funeral home. On a Wednesday morning, we joined the closed casket in the chapel at the crematorium. While we waited, we studied the memorial urns in their glass niches in the walls. Then the screen at the back of the chapel retracted to reveal a utilitarian furnace room, the casket was rolled in, and the door to the oven - the womb of Fire - rolled open. My stomach dropped; it hit me that K’s physical existence was about to be annihilated – a more final departure than burying it in the Earth. The casket was moved into the oven, and the door closed. Margarian took a deep breath, turned the switch, and we heard the whoosh of the gas igniting.

The whole experience was a balance of meeting the needs of K’s supporters from her own church, with Margarian’s own needs during this period. It was a return visit to the religion and church in which Mar had been raised, and she was able to write the eulogy in that mindset. The memorial service was held on the 20th, and the little church was filled with friends and family. Mar’s uncle, a Zen Buddhist, was able to make the trip up from the States, and delivered his own perspective on K’s life.

We remained in Toronto over the Easter weekend, missing out on any Ostara observances. We took care of some Estate business on the Tuesday, and flew back the following day. The process is still only beginning for us, more threads to add to the warp and woof of the tapestry of life.

*****
In happier news, congratulations to Judi and Lee on their handfasting at the Spring Mysteries Festival on Ostara weekend.

Hugs to those who need them…. You know who you are…

April’s Birthdays: Anyone?

Evergreen Events:
Apr. 3: Evergreen Introductory Class: Introduction
Apr. 10: Evergreen Introductory Class: Confidentiality
Apr. 17: Evergreen Introductory Class: Tools and Circle Casting
Apr. 24: Evergreen Introductory Class: Wheel of the Year
Apr. 28: Evergreen Introductory Class: The Elements

Other Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. Next deadline: Apr. 25.

Apr. 3: The Eclectic Circle, led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Apr. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Apr. 5, 9:55 p.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.
Apr. 15, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Apr. 19: Alberta Wilderness Association Expo and Climb/Run for Wilderness at the Calgary Tower. Info: http://www.climbforwilderness.ca/
Apr. 20, 4:25 a.m. Full (Pink) Moon
Apr. 22: Earth Day.
Apr. 24, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Apr. 26, 9:00 a.m. Clean Calgary Association Annual Rain Barrel Sale. Info: http://cleancalgary.org
Apr. 26, 2:00 p.m. COGCOA AGM.
Apr. 26, 7:30 p.m. sharp. COGCOA Beltane Ritual.

Blessings,
Hergest

March, 2008

2008-03-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

Happy March, everyone.

February has been a difficult month for some of us, accompanied by some of the cruellest winter weather in some years. Margarian has been down ill with the flu and pneumonia for the last several weeks, and had to curtail many of her regular activities. I’ve had a touch of it myself, but luckily with no lost time (so far, anyway).

For those of you who have been waiting, Evergreen will be doing another series of five introductory classes, beginning the last week of March. Exact dates should be announced this week. For further information on Evergreen, visit our website at http://evergreenwicca.tripod.com

March 3 is, of course, the provincial election. If you’re eligible to vote, please do. To quote Robert A. Heinlein, “There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for...but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.” This one could be anybody’s ball game.

Two events have dropped off the calendar this month. The Calgary Pagan Night Out ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/ ) has been suffering from lack of attendance, and is going on hiatus for awhile. Also, Mimi has announced that the Witchery, Calgary’s premier pagan store and unofficial “pagan central”, will be closing at the end of the month. As a result, the monthly “Pagan Paths” event has been discontinued. Mimi will continue to operate the Witchery as an online business at http://www.thewitcheryonline.com/
and the phone number will stay unchanged. Many thanks to her for eight wonderful (though occasionally turbulent) years. Her charming store (and self) will be missed.

March's Birthdays: Kytti, and probably some of my Facebook friends. (That’s all?)

March Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. Next deadline: Mar. 28.

Mar. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Mar. 3: Alberta Provincial Election. Git out there and vote!
Mar. 5, 12:00 noon: Convergence Coffee Meet – Witches Tea, hosted by Michel and Trenine. Info: delpheos (at) yahoo (dot) com
Mar. 6: The Eclectic Circle (TEC), led by SpiritnSoul, Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1558/
Mar. 7, 10:14 a.m.: New Moon. Nion (Ash) lunar month begins.
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day.
Mar. 8, 6:00 p.m. Calgary Community Potluck: Martisor (Eastern European) theme (but hold the perogies!). Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
Mar. 9: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring ahead!
Mar. 15, 7:30 p.m. sharp. COGCOA Ostara Ritual.
Mar. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Mar. 19, 11:48 p.m.: Vernal Equinox. Sun enters Aries.
Mar. 21, 12:40 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon.
Mar. 26 (approx): Evergreen Introductory Class: Introduction
Mar. 27, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Apr. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron

Blessings,
Hergest

Miss Toronto Tourism

2008-02-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Imbolc, everyone. This just in… Canada’s three groundhogs – Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam, Ontario’s Wiarton Willie, and our own Balzac Billy – unanimously agree that there will be an early spring (Welcome news after the last week or so!). However, Punxsutawney Phil is calling for a long winter Stateside.

On a more serious note, some of you have heard about the latest Canadian pagan cause célèbre. Stephanie Conover, the reigning Miss Canada Plus, had been asked to be a judge at the Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant, but her invitation was withdrawn two weeks ago, when it was discovered that she practises Reiki and uses the Tarot. She also admits to being Wiccan. Quoted in the Toronto Star, pageant director Karen Murray explained, “We need a Judge who has an upright reputation and we would be proud to introduce to the audience. Tarot Card reading and Reiki are the occult and not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by Witches, Spiritists and Mediums to consult the dark world….We hope that Stephanie Conover will turn from these belief systems and will repent from her practice of them.”
According to spokespeople from the City of Toronto and the Tourism Toronto, the pageant is independent and not associated with either. According to its website, http://www.misstorontotourism.com, the winner of the pageant is used to fundraise for various charities, and one of the qualifying factors is that the contestants (and by extension, the judges) must be “of good character”. What that means is obviously up to the organizers, and in this case, it excludes practising Tarot and Reiki. Then again, according to the Facebook group, “I support Stephanie Conover”, recent reports indicate that two pageant directors are also directors of Man and Woman Union, a lobby opposing same-sex marriage in Canada. (Pots and kettles…)
In reaction, several Facebook groups have sprung up, and there has been lively discussion in various e-groups. The Toronto pagan community has mobilized, and will be picketing the pageant Saturday night.
There is no doubt that this will be another crucible for pagan rights in Canada, much like the Sam Wagar case in British Columbia several years ago. I fully support the efforts to have Ms. Conover re-instated, on moral if not legal terms. And it is an opportunity to promote the reputation of paganism in Canada against conservative prejudice. Still, I’m trying to be a bit more pragmatic about all this, wondering if this is all a tempest in a teapot. If one can presume to judge from the website, the pageant is a small-potatoes affair, a private organization with its own rules. Here it’s a case of an invitation being withdrawn, and not an employment contract. The issue might be even more high-profile if a contestant was refused because of her religion, but a judge? It does put the case on interesting legal ground.
If the pageant was worried about their reputation before, it may have shot itself in the foot now. 16 of the 18 sponsors have pulled out, and one really wonders about the pageant’s future viability. Perhaps they would have been better off not to announce those bits of Ms. Conover’s bio, and saved themselves the embarrassment.
(From articles in the National Post, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun, and Facebook )

February's Birthdays: Ary, Mandy C., Margarian, Selena, Megan, Sandra M., Bryn, Rikki, Sheri F., Gwyn, and probably some of my Facebook friends. (Whew! There’s gotta be something about that “Merry Month of May”!)

February Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. Next deadline: Feb. 24.

Feb 2: Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Centre. Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:10 a.m. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com
Feb. 2: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Feb. 6, 8:44 p.m.: New Moon. Luis (Rowan) lunar month begins.
Feb. 9, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Pagan Potluck: Vasant Panchami (Hindu) Celebration. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks
Feb. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Feb. 14, 7:00 p.m. Pagan Paths at the Witchery.
Feb. 15-17: COGCOA Winter Mysteries
Feb. 18: Family Day
Feb. 19, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Feb. 20, 8:30 p.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Feb. 28, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Feb. 29: Leap Day

Blessings,
Hergest

Looking ahead, looking back

2008-01-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 2008, everyone. Here’s wishing health and happiness to all of you in the months ahead! Here are some events you might want to mark on your calendar, or not…

Since some of you asked, COGCOA’s Winter Mysteries runs this year on the long weekend of Feb. 15-17. Fee of $65.00 includes heated accommodation and meals. Since their website is under construction at press time, information may be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/cogcoa_public Registration deadline is January 26.

The Aquarian Tabernacle Church is running its 23rd Spring Mysteries Festival, a reconstruction of the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece, somewhere west of Seattle March 20-23. Registration is US $165+ for adults if received by January 13, higher thereafter. Info: http://www.aquatabch.org/spring-mysteries-festival

Gaia Gathering, the fourth Canadian National Pagan Conference, runs May 16-19 (Victoria Day weekend) at the University of Ottawa. This year’s theme is “Trade Winds and Portages: New Routes in Canadian Paganism”. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/

Panfest usually runs on the August long weekend in central Alberta. Info when available at http://www.panfest.org

Fans of science fiction and fantasy may also want to start thinking about the World Fantasy Convention that takes place at the Hyatt on Samhain weekend, Oct. 30–Nov. 2. Theme is “Mystery in Fantasy and Horror”. Attending memberships are $125.00 until April 30. Info: http://www.worldfantasy2008.org

Con-Version 24 is also scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 15-17; memberships are $40.00 effective January 1. Info: http://www.csffs.org/

The month of January takes its name from the Roman god Janus, the god of doorways. He has two faces, allowing him to look both forwards and back, and as such, is an appropriate god for the coming of the new calendar year. Another is Chronos, the Greek god of Time (not be confused with Zeus’s father, the Titan Cronus, who had an unfortunate encounter with a sickle). In his modern incarnation as the hourglass- or sickle-wielding “Father Time”, Chronos presides over the rites of New Year’s Eve, to be replaced by the bouncing baby New Year. Of course, this depiction is closely related to the death and rebirth of the Sun God at the Winter Solstice. It’s no wonder that the first baby of the New Year is thoroughly showered with gifts; the Old Gods are not so forgotten by the masses, after all.

One of my personal traditions at this time of year, in the wake of Yule, is to update my new address book, carrying forward the names and addresses of those who have come into my life in the past year, and of people who are still important to me. I leave behind the names of those who have dropped out of touch or moved away, and should they re-enter my life, they may be added again. No doubt I’ve been added (and alas, dropped) from a few address books in return, but such is life.

January's Birthdays: Jackie R., Angela R., Henry, Gayle, Paulie, my long-lost brother Rick, and probably some of my Facebook friends.

January's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. Next deadline: Jan. 25.

Jan. 5: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Jan. 8, 4:37 a.m.: New Moon. Beth (Birch) lunar month begins.
Jan. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Jan. 15, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Jan. 17, 7:00 p.m. Pagan Paths at the Witchery.
Jan. 22, 6:35 a.m.: Full (Wolf) Moon.
Jan. 24, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Jan. 26: COGCOA Imbolg Ritual, led by Evergreen and EnChantress.
Jan. 26: Registration deadline for COGCOA Winter Mysteries.
Feb 2: Groundhog Day Breakfast at Balzac Community Centre. Balzac Billy prognosticates at 8:10 a.m. Info: http://www.balzacbilly.com

Blessings,
Hergest

Cause for Hope

2007-12-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Happy December, everyone.

‘Tis the season… to express my appreciation and love for all of you who receive this newsletter. If I don’t connect with you otherwise this month, have a happy Yule!

As some of you know, Margarian and I have been regularly leading a semi-annual Solstice Sunrise Vigil on a very special hillside in SW Calgary, and we're doing it again on Saturday, Dec. 22, meeting at 7:45 a.m. Dress very warmly, as it can be windy, and we may be out there for an hour or so. (Less, if it’s really inclement). If you're interested in attending, contact me for location.

The Very Rev. Bill Phipps is the former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, and now the retired minister of Scarboro United Church in Calgary. We’ve met a number of times through inter-faith events, and I consider him a rarity in this city, a man I truly admire. His new book, Cause for Hope: Humanity at the Crossroads, may be his personal credo. The book looks at the prevailing narrative of our society, the patriarchal “Old Story” of unbalanced power, entitlement, corruption, fear, and greed (the list goes on) and how it is destroying the Earth and humanity. He outlines the emerging of a “New Story” characterized by wonder, respect, co-operation, humility, empowerment, interdependence… I think you can fill in the blanks. Cause for Hope is perhaps not so much about specific causes or steps we can take (although that certainly can be inferred) than it is about our own attitudes, and the ways we relate to each other and to the planet. It is a strong statement for hope in often frustrating times. The book’s appendices include the Earth Charter (see http://www.earthcharter.org/); Raffi’s visionary “Covenant for Honouring Children” (http://www.raffinews.com/child_honouring/covenant_principles) ; and excerpts from Rev. Phipps’ 1997 “Is Jesus God?” interview with the Ottawa Citizen that raised conservative eyebrows.

December's Birthdays: Jessica C., Searia, Azrael, Heather Dawn, and probably some of my other Facebook friends.

December Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me. Next deadline: Dec. 28.

Nov. 29–Dec. 2: Festival of Crafts at the Roundup Centre. Info: http://ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary.html
Dec. 1: World AIDS Day.
Dec. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Dec. 8: COGCOA Yule Ritual.
Dec. 10, 10:40 a.m.: New Moon. Ruis (Elder) lunar month begins.
Dec. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Dec. 15, 6:00 p.m.: Community Yule Potluck. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks
Dec. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in south Calgary. Proceeds to, and non-perishable donations accepted for, the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Dec. 21, 11:08 p.m.: Winter Solstice. Sun enters Capricorn.
Dec. 22, 7:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise Vigil. Contact me for location.
Dec. 23, 6:16 p.m.: Full (Cold) Moon.
Dec. 27, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93

Blessings,
Hergest

Under Occupation

2007-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Samhain, everyone.

One pagan year comes to a close, another begins. And what a time it is… [Curmudgeon alert: As usual, the opinions expressed herein are my own, and are not an official "party line" for Evergreen. I just find myself personally frustrated living where and when I do, and I'm sure a number of local pagans must feel the same way.]

After the last municipal election, I found myself under right-wing occupation by all three levels of government. My new alderman is a Conservative stalwart, who trounced the well-meaning but unfortunately ineffective female incumbent; her shyness was apparently interpreted as aloofness. After her defeat, I wrote, “politics is blood sport, best left to liars and thieves, and no place for good people.”

Provincially, Ed Stelmach chose a “compromise” with the new oil and gas royalty regime that has both the oil companies, who wanted the status quo, and his rural base, who wanted even higher royalties, angry at him personally if not at the Conservatives as a whole. I don’t need a crystal ball to predict that if he loses more than a few seats in the next election, he isn’t long for the premier’s office (he may not be, anyway). I would love for the Liberals (or perhaps the NDP) to finally break the one-party system in Alberta, but my cowan alter ego foresees even rougher times ahead under a change of government.

As for the Feds, the Liberals are still hurting from the damage done to the party under the Chrétien regime, and from the ineffectiveness of Paul Martin. Stéphane Dion could do much for the greening of Canada, but the Liberal Party is still in too much disrepair to put up an effective fight against that fascist Machiavellian, Stephen Harper (c'mon, that's "fair comment", isn't it?). But hey, the economy’s good and the dollar’s strong, so no worries, eh?

As some of you may know, Evergreen is offering its Ritual Leadership Workshop on the weekend of Nov. 23-25. This is an intense weekend of lecture, discussion, and hands'-on ritual creation, suitable for anyone considering designing ritual on a scale from small groups to large public events. This workshop is required for Evergreen's First Degree students; a second go-round for Second Degree students is also highly recommended, and participants from other teaching circles/Traditions are welcome (with consent of HPS/HP as applicable.) Hours are 7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Cost is $12.00 and includes extensive reference materials. Let me know if you're interested, and/or contact me for further information.

November's Birthdays: Helen L., Christine L., and probably some of my Facebook friends. Also Israel Regardie (Nov. 17, 1907) and Oberon Zell (Nov. 30).

November's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Nov. 3: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Nov. 4: Daylight Savings Time ends. Fall back!
Nov. 9, 4:03 p.m.: New Moon. Ngetal (Reed) lunar month begins.
Nov. 9-11: Taboo Sex Show at the Roundup Centre. Info: http://www.canwestshows.com/sexshow/
Nov. 10, 6:00 p.m.: Diá de los Muertos Potluck. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks
Nov. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Nov. 15-18: Calgary Art Market Art and Craft Sale. Info: http://www.artmarketcraftsale.com/
Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Nov. 17, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Nov. 17, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Nov. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Nov. 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Nov. 23-25: Evergreen Ritual Leadership Workshop
Nov. 24, 7:30 a.m.: Full (Beaver) Moon.
Nov. 29–Dec. 2: Festival of Crafts at the Roundup Centre. Info: http://ourbesttoyou.ca/calgary.html

Blessings,
Hergest

October, 2007

2007-10-07T14:06:00.000-06:00

Happy October, everyone. It’s amazing how quickly summer turns into autumn, and how carefree summer weekends turn into times of harvesting and putting the garden to bed.

Margarian and I attended Pagan Pride Day at the Westgate Community Hall on Sept. 22. Perhaps Mabon is an unfortunate time to be holding this event, as there were only five groups/businesses with tables. The Body, Soul, and Spirit Expo the same weekend also took its toll. Still, attendance seemed to be up this year, thanks partially to better advertising, and Morgan and her team are to be congratulated on another successful effort. Morgan will be stepping down this year, and plans are afoot to create a not-for-profit to run it in the future.

Maybe it’s the season, but I’ve begun watching some of the ghost-hunting shows on cable, partly out of morbid fascination, partly due to curiosity. The Celebrity Paranormal Project, on Slice, features D-list celebrities equipped with high-tech equipment checking out abandoned prisons, hospitals, etc. in search of the resident spirits. It’s obvious that they’re experiencing something, but the question is how much of it is real paranormal phenomena, and how much is their own fear of wandering around creepy places in the dark while the producers mess with their minds (at least by telling ghost stories to them, at most by pulling Blair Witch-style pranks). The night usually ends with a séance/channelling session that has produced mixed results.
Ghost Trackers, on YTV, features teenagers doing the same thing, although it’s set up as a competition based on results and use of equipment, judged by other teens with some experience in the “game”. However, the competitive environment doesn’t prevent them from having real experiences.

October's Birthdays: Dannielle J., Linda L., Jane M., and Dennis T. Also: Isaac Bonewits (Oct. 1), Aleister Crowley (Oct. 12, 1875), Nicholas Culpepper (Oct. 18, 1616), and Selena Fox (Oct. 20).

October's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Oct. 6: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Oct. 10, 11:01 p.m.: New Moon. Gort (Ivy) lunar month begins.
Oct. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Oct. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322
Oct. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Oct. 20, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Oct. 23, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Oct. 25, 10:52 p.m.: Full (Hunter’s) Moon.
Oct. 27, 6:00 p.m.: Temple of Alexandria Witches’ Ball. Info: http://www.witchvox.com/vn/vn_detail/dt_ev.html?a=caab&id=45649
Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Samhain Ritual.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

September, 2007

2007-09-05T19:38:00.000-06:00

Happy September, everyone. Highlights this month include the women's "Take Back the Night" march on Sept. 15, and Calgary Pagan Pride Day, at a new location in SW Calgary, on the 22nd.

One of my favourite science fiction novels has always been Frank Herbert's Dune, which, upon a background of interstellar politics, trade, religion, a multi-generational breeding program, and plenty of sand, is the tale of the hero's journey taken by Paul Atreides, later known as Muad'Dib. Herbert followed Dune with five sequels before his death in 1986.

Prominent in the Dune universe is a women's religious order, the Bene Gesserit, who through their initiatory ordeal, gain access to the memories of their female ancestors, and are able to share these amongst themselves. The fourth and fifth novels, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune, are all theirs, as the Bene Gesserit find themselves the last hope against enemies seen and unseen. If truth be told, there's not a lot of action in these two books, but Herbert used them as a platform for ruminations on religion and power in general. The books are so densely packed with ideas that it's easy to take off on reflections about the real world. There's certainly enough material here to source a thesis in Religious Studies, and food for thought for religious elders of any stripe.

While Herbert's series ended with an unsatisfying cliffhanger, his son Brian discovered notes for "Dune 7" in two neglected safety deposit boxes. Together with Kevin Anderson, the younger Herbert has been immersing himself in the universe for the last several years, completing two prequel trilogies before tackling Hunters of Dune (recently out in paperback) and the forthcoming Sandworms of Dune, which will complete Frank Herbert's original vision.

Congratulations to Leanne and Chad, on their recent wedding! The things you find out through Facebook...

On a more sombre note, Bob G., the organizer of the Lethbridge Pagan Meetup Group, passed away at his home on August 6. I met Bob once several years ago, and we had corresponded about contributing to a Lethbridge Pagan Pride Day, but unfortunately it was not to be. The group will continue on without him, but I know he willl be missed in the Lethbridge community.

September's Birthdays: Lee G., Frank S., and nobody famous I would mention. Go ask Llewellyn.

September's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Sep. 1: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info (at) cogcoa (dot) ab (dot) ca
Sep. 11, 6:44 a.m.: New Moon. Muin (Vine) lunar month begins.
Sep. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Sep. 15, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Sep. 15, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Sep. 15, 7:30 p.m.: 25th Annual "Take Back the Night" March, starting at Central Memorial Park. Info: http://calgarycasa.com/programs/take-back-the-night-2006
Sep. 15, 7:30 p.m.: COGCOA Mabon Ritual.
Sep. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info:
http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Sep. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Sep. 22, 11 - 4 p.m.: Calgary Pagan Pride Day at Westgate Community Hall. Info:
http://fly.to/calgarypaganpride
Sep. 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Community Potluck. "Ethnic Night". Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
Sep. 23, 3:51 a.m.: Autumnal Equinox. Sun enters Libra.
Sep. 25, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. Info: http://druid.meetup.com/93
Sep. 26, 1:45 p.m.: Full (Harvest) Moon.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

The Deathly Hallows

2007-08-01T21:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Lughnasadh, everyone.

On July 20, I attended the "Harry Potter Street Festival" on Stephen Avenue, by the McNally Robinson. Thousands of fans filled the mall, which had been transformed into Diagon Alley for the occasion, complete with booths for "Divination Classes" (Tarot reading), maskmaking, and a magical Infirmary. Costumed characters (notably Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Lockhart, Tonks, and Trelawney) roamed the mall posing for pictures, acrobats performed, and the Medicine River Wildlife Centre even brought a live horned owl. Plenty of younger folk appeared in school uniforms (including a trio of teenage Sytherin girls in short-short skirts), and one young woman wore a t-shirt that read,"Trust Snape". There was even a lightsaber-wielding Jedi, one colourfully-robed guy carrying a sign reading, "I don't even like Harry Potter", and one of the Con-Version organizers passing out handbills. At one point, about three young people arrived carrying crude cardboard signs reading "Trust God, not Potter", but as similar signs with sillier messages later appeared, I discounted the incident. As the "witching hour" approached, two long lineups formed on either side of the mall, as people began patiently waiting for their copies of the book. Mine arrived the next morning, and I finished reading it the following Wednesday. So, with hopefully a minimum of spoilers, my brief review:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the darkest and most intense book of the series, for the advent of Harry's seventeenth birthday brings with it his true coming of age as a wizard. With Voldemort's return to power nearly complete, Harry, Ron, and Hermione find themselves on the run, hunted, and alone. Sworn to secrecy, they are forced to make difficult decisions without any guidance. Their friendship is tested to the limits, and a serious price is paid for every action they take. As they struggle to complete the errand that Dumbledore entrusted to them, the wizarding world prepares for war, and Harry and Voldemort move towards their final confrontation.

The series has come a long way from Philosopher's Stone, which an acquaintance once referred to as a "happy book". Hallows might be too intense for younger readers, and contains (he winked) "scenes of nudity, sexuality, and coarse language". The breadth of Rowling's storytelling is finally revealed, as seemingly minor incidents from previous books now take on critical significance. Faithful readers of the series will be rewarded for their re-reads; the rest of us will be tempted to start again from the beginning. If there is any weakness in Hallows, it's that the comic relief, which often gives the series its charm, here seems sometimes forced and intrusive. Or perhaps, it's just inherent in the "Potterverse". The pressing questions are answered (although at a cost to the pacing), and most of the loose ends are tied up. While a return to the world of Hogwarts may be possible, it will never truly be the same. Harry's saga has been a "hero's journey" in the mythological sense, and the series will live as a classic in fantasy literature.

August's Birthdays: Charles Godfrey Leland (Aug. 15, 1824), H.P. Lovecraft (Aug. 10, 1890), and Raymond Buckland (Aug. 31).

August's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Aug. 3-6: Panfest VIII at a lake in central Alberta. Info: http://panfest.org
Aug. 4: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca
Aug. 4, 7:00 p.m. Celtic Witchcraft vs. Wicca course (13 weeks), sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
Aug. 7: EnChantress Practice. Info: http://www.myspace.com/enchantresscalgary
Aug. 10-19: Calgary Fringe Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfringe.ca/
Aug. 11?: Calgary Community Potluck. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
Aug. 12, 5:03 p.m.: New Moon. Coll (Hazel) lunar month begins.
Aug. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Aug. 13-25: GlobalFest 2007. Info: http://www.globalfest.ca/
Aug. 16, 7:00 p.m.: Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
Aug. 17-19: Con-Version 23 at Radisson Hotel Calgary Airport, 2120 - 16 Ave. NE. Info: http://www.con-version.org
Aug. 18, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 18, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
Aug. 21, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Aug. 21, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, with host SpiritNSoul, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Aug 25-31: BC Witchcamp near Squamish, BC. Info: http://www.bcwitchcamp.ca
Aug. 28, 4:35 a.m.: Full (Sturgeon) Moon.
Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m.: EnChantress Practice.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

July, 2007

2007-07-01T22:24:00.000-06:00

Happy July, everyone!

June started out on a bummer, with first my hard drive going critical (the new one is still far from 100%, and I still haven't reloaded MS Office), then with my Mazda reaching the realm of escalating repair costs while-u-wait... so I was without a car for over a week while I waited for parts from California. It's official; I now own a beater.

This month's summer read is Madame Zee, by Alberta-born author Pearl Luke. During the late 1920's and early 1930's, Edward Arthur Wilson, a.k.a. the Brother, XII, was the leader of the Aquarian Foundation, a cult with roots in Theosophy that operated a colony on Vancouver Island. As the Foundation began to crumble due to Wilson's love of sex, money, and power, he appointed his mistress second-in-command. This was Mabel Edith Rowbotham, a.k.a. Madame Zee. To date, biographers have not been kind in their treatment of Zee, calling her either "a complete sadist" or "an adventuress". Luke has taken a more sympathetic view, creating a fictionalized biography. The novel begins with a childhood tragedy that awakens young Mabel's psychic gifts, and sparks a lifelong quest to understand them. While the author admits that the most difficult part of the writing was the depiction of what life must have been like in the colony, I think she pulls it off well. It's an easily-accessible perspective on part of the early occult history of Canada.

On the Second Degree bookshelf is Between the Worlds: Readings in Contemporary Neopaganism, edited by Canadian pagan scholar Sian Reid. I believe it's intended to be a textbook for Religious Studies purposes, and while most of the articles have appeared elsewhere, I certainly recommend it for those wanting advanced reading in the Craft. It contains articles by some of the early voices (Valiente, Starhawk, Fox, Adler, and Christ); an introduction to nature or earth religions; an overview of contemporary neopaganism and witchcraft (including articles by Graham Harvey, Tanya Luhrmann, and others); and articles on feminist spirituality and goddess worship (by Ronald Hutton, Lucie DuFresne, Cynthia Eller and others). The individual articles are as varied as the writers' personal styles, but Reid ties it all together with insightful introductions to each section, as well as "questions for critical thought" for each article. Of particular interest to me were Lori Beaman's article on "Wicked Witches of the West: Exploring [Canadian] Court Treatments of Wicca as a Religion", and Reid's own "Witch Wars: Factors Contributing to Conflict in Canadian Witchcraft Communities".

My thought for the month: It's one of the tenets of the Craft that each and every one of us contains the Divine spark within us. But... none of us are perfect, and, as with a votive candle, the dark and murky glass of our own weaknesses may hide our spark from others. Worse yet, the Divine spark in others is doubly-veiled to us, because in the way, we have both their dark glass, and our own. "Witch wars" often start when we stop seeing that spark in the other, and see only the reflection of our own darkness. The hard work is to try and clean our own glass to the point where that of the others begins to shine through.

July's birthdays: Madame H. P. Blavatsky (Aug. 31, 1831).

July's Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only. All times MDT. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

July 13: Pagan Night Out. Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
July 14, 6:04 a.m.: New Moon. Tinne (Holly) lunar month begins.
July 14, 2:00 p.m.: Calgary Community Potluck and Deck Wrecking Party. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarycommunitypotlucks/
July 17, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
July 17, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
July 19, 7:00 p.m. Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
July 21, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
July 21, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
July 21: COGCOA Lammas Ritual. Info: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca
July 26-29: Calgary Folk Music Festival. Info: http://www.calgaryfolkfest.com
July 29, 6:48 p.m.: Full (Buck) Moon.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

Gaia Gathering 2007

2007-06-03T19:38:00.000-06:00

Happy June, everyone!

As I mentioned in May, Margarian and I attended the third Canadian National Pagan Conference in Winnipeg on the May long weekend. Attendance was about 100, including six that I know of from Calgary. Guest of Honour Tim Ward presented two slide shows based on his book, Savage Breast, attended a number of the panels, was very visible and was obviously enjoying himself immensely.
In addition to the slideshows, we attended presentations by pagan scholars, participated in the “Pagan Tavern Cackle Choir” (which sang at the Sunday night concert), attended panels on Our Rights as Pagans, Death and Dying in a Pagan Context, and “Why Churches?”, as well as led a discussion on the Art of Teaching Paganism. I enjoyed reconnecting with Castalia, the musician and Alexandrian High Priestess who passed through Calgary last summer, and who was the third member of our panel. Next year’s Gaia Gathering is in Ottawa, and I’m hoping to attend.

Midsummer is coming, and with it, I’ll be leading a sunrise vigil on a certain hillside in southwest Calgary on Friday, June 22. (Evergreen has had a continuing presence there for the solstices since the early ‘90s.) Although the Summer Solstice is actually shortly after noon on June 21, this will be the first sunrise after the Solstice. If you’re interested in attending, e-mail me.

Calgary Pagan Pride Day 2007 is tentatively scheduled for September 23, but it needs your support! Morgan is the sole co-ordinator this year, and doing it on her own cognizance (i.e. not on behalf of any particular group). I was the only other person to attend the recent information session; admittedly it was on a pleasant weekend afternoon, but it was disappointing nevertheless. There’s a distinct possibility that unless more interest is shown from the community within the next three weeks, CPPD as such may not happen. She’s not specifically looking for other organizers (although help with distributing flyers would be welcome), but rather expressions of interest in participating. For information and discussion, please join or visit the yahoo group at : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarypaganprideday/

Birthdays this month: Raine, Dawn, Sierra, Wendy A., Michelle B, Mimi, and some old HP. Also (from Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook): Alessandro di Cagliostro, (June 2, 1743), Gerald B. Gardner (June 13, 1884), Janet Farrar (June 24), Stewart Farrar (June 26, 1916), and Scott Cunningham (June 27, 1956). Esteemed company, truly!

June Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

June 2, 7:30 p.m: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info at cogcoa.ab.ca
June 3-9: National Environment Week
June 5-7. 9:00 a.m. –3:00 p.m.: Mayor’s Environment Expo at City Hall Atrium.
June 6: Clean Air Day. Info: http://www.cleanairday.com/
June 13, 6:00 p.m. Temple of Alexandria Society AGM. Info: http://www.templeofalexandria.com
June 13: Pagan Night Out. Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
June 14, 9:13 p.m.: New Moon. Duir (Oak) lunar month begins.
June 16, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
June 16, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes.
June 19, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
June 19, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by “some old HP”, who will be accepting condolences of the day in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
June 21, 12:06 p.m. Summer Solstice. Sun enters Cancer.
June 21, 7:00 p.m. Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
June 22, 4:45 a.m.: Solstice Sunrise vigil. Contact me for details.
June 22-24: COGCOA Summerfest campout in the Kananaskis. Info: http://www.cogcoa.ab.ca/events/summerfest.php
June 30, 7:49 p.m.: Full (Strawberry) Moon.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

Savage Breast

2007-05-01T18:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Beltane, everyone!

One last reminder on the Women in Spirituality Gala Event at 7:00 p.m. on May 9 at Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Avenue SW (just up the hill from 17 Ave. and 14 St.). EnChantress, a pagan chant group which includes a number of Evergreens and friends, will be performing on behalf of Wicca. The annual event includes performances and displays featuring the Divine Feminine as viewed in a number of religions.

May (actually, June 3) is your last chance to see “Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World”, at the Glenbow Museum. I was personally a little disappointed with the exhibit, which seemed a little spare, and focused more on Egypt than the Classical cultures, They did have an impressive statue of Sekhmet, though. Perhaps I was just anticipating more than they delivered. If I recall, the artifacts were all authentic, which is more than I can say for the reconstruction of the tomb of Tutankhamun which appeared here a few years ago.

Margarian and I will be attending Gaia Gathering, the third Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Winnipeg on the May long weekend. We’re scheduled to appear on a panel on Teaching the Craft, based in part on our Second Degree workshop. After the conference, Margarian is planning to go from there to Toronto for her annual summer trip. The only possible hitch is that she was called for jury duty here, but she’s been told that she may be exempt because of her plane ticket.

Guest of Honor at Gaia Gathering is author Tim Ward, so in preparation, I’ve recently read his Savage Breast: One Man’s Search for the Goddess. This is the fourth book in his series of spiritual journeys, this time covering a number of Goddess sites in Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. The book can be read on a number of levels. 1) One man’s journey through goddess iconography to connect with his own internal feminine. 2) A reiteration of the theories of Marija Gimbutas, Robert Graves, Riane Eisler, and others of the flourishing of ancient Goddess-centred cultures prior to the rise of the Patriarchy. (Paganism’s own “Legend of the Fall”). 3) The story of Ward’s sometimes turbulent romance with his partner, Teresa (herself named after a goddess). 4) A pagan travelogue of the eastern Mediterranean. In part, the book provides answers to the question, “what do men want in a ‘Goddess religion’ anyway?” Sometimes frustratingly naïve, sometimes uncomfortably revealing, it’s definitely a book to make you think.

Birthdays this month: Gwyddion Pendderwen, Pagan bard (May 21), Morning Glory Zell, Church of All Worlds (May 27). Anyone local?

May Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

May 1, 4:09 a.m.: Full (Flower) Moon.
May 1: EnChantress Rehearsal. Info: http://www.myspace.com/enchantresscalgary
May 1: COGCOA “Meet the God” Night.
May 3: Calgary Pagan Meet (Yahoo), hosted by Lugh. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calgarypaganmeetup/
May 5-6: Calgary Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 5, 7:30 p.m: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info at cogcoa dot ab dot ca
May 8: EnChantress Rehearsal
May 9, 7:00 sharp: Women In Spirituality Gala Event at Scarboro United Church, 134 Scarboro Avenue SW
May 13: Pagan Night Out. Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
May 16, 1:27 p.m.: New Moon. Uath (Hawthorn) lunar month begins.
May 17, 7:00 p.m. Pagan Paths, at the Witchery. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_witchery/
May 18-21: Gaia Gathering, 3rd Annual Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Winnipeg. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/
May 19, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
May 19, 6:00 p.m.: Einherjar Community Potluck (public Asatru celebration). Info: zara1204 at gmail dot com
May 19, 7:00 p.m.: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
May 22, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
May 22, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
May 26 or 27: Calgary Pagan Pride Day Open House #2, location TBA. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calgarypaganprideday
May 31, 7:04 p.m.: Full (Milk) Moon. Blue Moon!

Bright blessings,
Hergest

April, 2007

2007-04-03T22:23:00.000-06:00

March was a very difficult month, both for some of us in the Evergreen family and in the lives of those close to us. In particular, my thoughts go out to Searia and Henry, to Andrea, to Caroline and to Linda, as well as to Mimi. If there’s anything Margarian and I can do, let us know. Special thanks to Heather Dawn, Caroline, and Spirit for being there when needed. Here’s hoping that April brings healing and fresh beginnings. Love and light to you all.

As I mentioned last month, one of my recent reads (thanks, Kate!) was Chas Clifton’s Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America (AltaMira Press, 2006). It’s a thin volume, covering mainly the period between the early Sixties and 1980, but I think it’s a worthy addition to the body of pagan scholarship.
Perhaps one of the things that really struck me was Clifton’s three definitions of “nature religion”: 1) “Cosmic Nature” – the philosophy of “as above, so below” that drives magic and divination; 2) “Gaian Nature” – the philosophy that as we are part of natural world, we should live in harmony with it; and 3) “Embodied Nature” – the primal, body-centred, erotic aspects of paganism.
Sometimes pagans play “witchier than thou” games with each other, saying that only one or another of these is ”really important”. Clifton’s perspective supports the notion that all of these perspectives are valid.

The women’s chant group, EnChantress, is gearing up for their appearance at the Women in Spirituality Gala Event at Scarboro United Church on May 9. This is an annual multi-faith event remembering the Divine Feminine and the spiritual mothers in a number of faiths. More information to come.

I also note the sudden passing of Wolf Lazaurus on March 16. I met Wolf on a number of occasions, beginning at the ill-fated Alberta Pagan Association meeting in Red Deer in 2000. In his own way, he tried to serve the Calgary pagan community, and won the affection of more than a few people in the process. Still, it seems to me that he wanted fame and fortune so badly that he took shortcuts, and these sometimes led him down dark paths into questionable company. In the end, perhaps he pushed his luck once too often. Love him or hate him, we must remember that his story is not yet over; the last chapter will not be written until those responsible for his death are put to justice.

Birthdays this month: Margot Adler (Apr. 16), Ed Fitch (Apr. 29). Anyone else?

Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Apr. 1: Hay-on-Wye Independence Day. Settle down with a good used book. Long live the people of Hay!
Apr. 1, 7:30 p.m: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info@cogcoa.ab.ca
Apr. 2, 11:15 a.m.: Full (Pink) Moon.
Apr. 3: EnChantress Rehearsal. Info: http://www.myspace.com/enchantresscalgary
Apr. 3: COGCOA “Meet the God” Night.
Apr. 5: Calgary Pagan Meet, hosted by Lugh. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calgarypaganmeetup/
Apr. 5-8: Spring Mysteries Festival XXII near Nordland, WA. Info: http://www.aquatabch.org
Apr. 7: Pagan Pathways Conference in Edmonton. Lady Susan Alabaster will be the keynote speaker.
Apr. 10: EnChantress Rehearsal
Apr. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Apr 17: EnChantress Rehearsal
Apr. 17, 5:36 a.m.: New Moon. Saille (Willow) lunar month begins.
Apr. 17, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Apr. 17, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in south Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Apr. 21: Alberta Wilderness Association Climb and Run for Wilderness at the Calgary Tower. Registration: http://climbforwilderness.ca
Apr. 21, 3:00 p.m.: Blood Proud – for pagan women, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
Apr. 21, 7:00 p.m: Terra Firma – for pagan men, sponsored by Pucchotha Tribes. Info: 293-8339
Apr. 22, 10:30 a.m.: Earth Day Multigenerational Service at Unitarian Church of Calgary, 1703 – 1 Street NW.
Apr. 22, 12:00 – 5:00 p.m: Earth Day Events at Telus World of Science, 701 -11 Street S.W. Info: http://www.calgaryscience.ca
Apr. 23: An Evening with Al Gore, at Jack Singer Hall. Tickets at Ticketmaster.
Apr. 24: EnChantress Rehearsal

Upcoming:
May 5-6: Calgary Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at West Hillhurst Arena. Info: http://www.crlc.ca/
May 9, 7:00 sharp: Women In Spirituality Gala Event at Scarboro United Church.
May 18-21: Gaia Gathering, 3rd Annual Canadian National Pagan Conference, in Winnipeg. Info: http://www.gaiagathering.ca/
To June 3: Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World, at the Glenbow Museum.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

Earth in the Balance

2007-02-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

On February 2, I drove up to Balzac through poor visibility and blowing snow to see Balzac Billy. About 250 people crowded the community hall, to a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, ham (hog) and the trimmings, to the stylings of a country music band and the presence of just about every media outlet in Calgary. Billy appeared at sunrise, emerged from his huge burrow in the parking lot, and descended to the cheers of the onlookers, before not seeing his shadow. A fun time was had by all!

Of course, the event was overshadowed (there’s that word again) by the Intenational Panel on Climate Change issuing their report that day, and suddenly the media and the Federal Conservative Party awoke from their respective slumbers. Still, particularly in Alberta, the land of rednecks and Big Oil, we’re seeing the backlash; the denial or the underlying fear that it’s already too late, so “let’s do the warm fuzzies -- the things we can get away with -- rather than risk our careers and do what needs to be done”. And perhaps the needed changes are so drastic, the negotiated Kyoto timeline so rigid, and the impact of Canada so small, that the necessary actions CAN’T be taken. But all any of us can do is try.

I’ve recently read Al Gore’s prequel to “An Inconvenient Truth”, his 1992 book, “Earth in the Balance”. On one level it’s a bit of a timewarp (the “President Bush” he refers to is H.W., not Dubya), being written at a time when the Cold War was behind us, and 9/11 far in the future. But Gore ends the book with a “Global Marshall Plan”, a Green manifesto that is largely as relevant today as it was when the book was written. He mentions steps that should be taken both on the global scale and domestically; while the global steps may require some tweaking in a post-9/11 world, his domestic steps are mostly as applicable to Canada as they are to the U.S. Time and space prevent a full listing here, but some of these steps include (wording mostly Gore’s):
The stabilizing of world population.
The rapid creation and development of environmentally appropriate technology, and sharing this technology with the developing world.
A new global eco-nomics – a comprehensive change in the “rules of the road” by which we measure the impact of our decisions on the environment [e.g. reducing corporate income and Gross Domestic Product by depletion against traditionally “renewable” resources such as forests and water].
Negotiation and approval of a new generation of international agreements necessary to make the plan a success. [This anticipates Kyoto, and unfortunately we know how that’s playing out.]
The establishment of a cooperative plan for educating the world’s citizens about our global environment.
The establishment, particularly in the developing world, of the social and political conditions most conducive to the emergence of sustainable societies. [More difficult post-9/11 – see Afghanistan and Iraq.]

Birthdays this month: Laurie Cabot (Mar. 6), Edgar Cayce (Mar. 18), and Joseph Campbell (Mar. 26).

Calgary Events:
Note these events are listed for information purposes only; no endorsement is necessarily implied. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this listing, please contact me.

Mar. 1: Calgary Pagan Meet, hosted by Lugh. Info: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calgarypaganmeetup/
Mar. 2, 4:17 p.m.: Full (Worm) Moon. Lunar eclipse.
Mar. 3, 4:00 p.m.: Calgary Magickal Meetup at Illuminata Books. Info: http://magickal.meetup.com/407
Mar. 3, 7:30 p.m: COGCOA Coffee Cauldron. Info: info@cogcoa.ab.ca
Mar. 8: International Women’s Day.
Mar. 8, 8:00 p.m.: Canadian journalist Gwynne Dyer speaks on “The Climate Wars” at MacEwan Hall. Tickets $15.00 at Ticketmaster.
Mar. 11: Daylight Savings Time begins. Spring ahead!
Mar. 11: 12:00 noon: Calgary Rally for Kyoto at Harry Hays Building, 4 Ave & 1st St. SE. Info: http://www.canadiansforkyoto.com/
Mar. 13: Pagan Night Out. Info:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalgaryPaganNightOut/
Mar. 13, 8:00 p.m. Spira Open Coffee Moot at the Joshua Tree, 805 Edmonton Trail NE. Info: http://www.spiracanada.com
Mar. 16. 7:30 p.m.: “Mysteries of Mithraism” w/ Dr. Ayse Tuzlak (assistant professor of Western Religions at the U of C) at Knox United Church, 506 – 4 Street SW, admission $10.00. Info: http://www.knoxunited.ab.ca/files/Knox%20Centre%20Brochure%20Winter%202007.pdf
Mar. 17: St. Patrick’s Day.
Mar. 17, 7:30 p.m. COGCOA Ostara Ritual.
Mar. 18, 8:43 p.m.: New Moon. Fearn (Alder) lunar month begins.
Mar. 20, 6:00 p.m.: Calgary Druid Meetup, hosted by Athelia. http://druid.meetup.com/93
Mar. 20, 6:07 p.m. Vernal Equinox. Sun enters Aries.
Mar. 20, 7:00 p.m.: Calgary Witches Meetup, hosted by yours truly, in north Calgary. Info: http://witches.meetup.com/1322/
Apr. 1: Daylight Savings Time doesn’t begin again. Spring back if necessary.

Upcoming:
April 22: Earth Day.
April 23: An Evening with Al Gore, at Jack Singer Hall. Tickets at Ticketmaster.
To June, 2007: Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World, at the Glenbow Museum.

Bright blessings,
Hergest

Enigma: The Series

2007-02-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Although it sometimes seems like there’s not terribly much on Vision TV (http://www.visiontv.ca) of relevance to pagans, I’ve been happily surprised with a series called “Enigma”, running on Wednesdays (and repeated on other nights). Past offerings have included profiles of Jack Parsons, a rocket pioneer and early science fiction fan who was a member of the O.T.O. and associate of L. Ron Hubbard; of modern-day table-tippers (one group conjuring up the spirit of a totally-invented character); and of Jeff McBride, a stage magician who, finding himself headlining his own show in Las Vegas in his 20’s, began a spiritual quest, incorporated deeper materials into his act, and now runs a Mystery School. Upcoming episodes cover the Fox sisters - a pair of 19th Century spiritualists (one of whom in later years confessed to being a fraud), and a three-part series on Freemasonry. Definitely recommended for anyone looking into the bigger picture of our spirituality.

iPod Aztec

2006-12-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about the “iPod Aztec”? This is a natural formation (part of a river valley actually) in southeastern Alberta that’s the local equivalent of the famous “Face on Mars”. It bears a remarkable resemblance to a human in left profile with a sloping forehead, wearing a feathered headdress, and bearing distinctive features of eye, nose, and lips, even extending down to neck and shoulder. The “iPod” designation is from a private roadway and wellsite that ends right where his ear should be, looking for all the world like an iPod. I prefer to think of him as Napi, a.k.a. “Old Man”, the creator-trickster god of the plains, forever facing west, towards the mountains. Maybe he slept there one night, leaving the impression of his face in the land.

The “Aztec” was the subject of a piece on CBC Radio’s “As it Happens” at the end of October, thus his current notoriety. He was discovered by one of many devotees of Google Earth, something which (as a result of this piece), has become one of my “guilty pleasures” lately. He may also be viewed from the Maps search under Google. The coordinates, if you want to “Google” him for yourself, are 50 00 38.20 N, 110 06 48.32 W

Being in the oil industry, I was able to identify the actual well, but I know that anyone trying to get close to it these days will face a locked gate and a “No Trespassing” sign, since an oil company is engaging in active operations there.

The Wicker Man (2006)

2006-11-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Neil LaBute’s remake of The Wicker Man is down to the second-run theatres in Calgary, having lasted less than a month in the big houses. It is, as I expected, a disappointment, and begs the question as to why anyone would want to remake a cult classic in the first place.
I recently saw a clip of an interview with Alice Cooper on Space, and he pointed out that for horror to work, it needs to be blended with either comedy or with romance. As mentioned in my earlier comments on the trailer, the humorous joy of paganism is gone; the remake goes with the romance angle between Edward Malus (= malice, and in a Nostradamian anagram, Salem) and Willow Woodward (get it?). Spoilers to follow, so if you really want to see this flick (or have never seen the original), you might want to skip the rest of this article.

Following the apparent death of a mother and child in a fiery car crash, Malus is plagued by waking dreams because of his inability to rescue them. Trigger the letter from ex-girlfriend Willow (Kate Beahan), whose daughter Rowan has gone missing. So, off work and popping pills, Malus takes the ferry up Puget Sound and hitches a ride on a supply plane to Summersisle (note the added “s”).
The island here is a literal and metaphorical bee colony, run by “Queen Bee” Sister Summersisle (Ellen Burstyn). The Sisters are in control, the true Workers, while the men are mute Drones, labourers used primarily for reproduction. Hexagon motifs abound, from the tables in the meeting house to the paths cut in the grass. Moreover, both the top of the maypole and the head of the wicker man suggest beehives.
There are a couple of bits of injected humour if you look carefully (the best is Sgt. Howie’s face on a “Missing” poster in the police station). But in the end, Nicolas Cage walks the stations of Howie’s cross in grim confusion rather than religious outrage, revisiting scenes from the original in a film that for me lacked suspense.
LaBute’s Summersisle is without music, and only the masked parade towards the end hints at the playfulness of the original. While Howie played the virgin king-surrogate, here Malus is chosen because he’s an outsider with blood connection to Rowan (no surprise here that he’s her father), but philosophically it’s still a stretch.
The good cast (Cage, Burstyn, Beahan, LeeLee Sobieski, Diane Delano, et. al.) are largely wasted here, while Calgary’s Joyce and Jacqueline Robbins are particularly creepy as a set of blind twins.
Although the original Wicker Man might encourage some to explore the positive, creative sides of paganism (the ending notwithstanding), the remake is passionless, misogynistic, and without joy. I’ll take mine with cheese.

(Note: The original Wicker Man is now available in DVD, but beware that this is the 88-minute American cut and not the full 102-minute version. It does, however, include a 30-minute "making of" documentary, along with trailers and British TV and radio spots. I can only hope that the original version will also make the leap to DVD, because my VHS tape isn't going to last forever.)

Panfest 2006

2006-09-14T21:08:00.000-06:00

On the August long weekend, Heather Dawn, Jen, Catherine, and I attended PanFest. It was a lovely but wild site, with skunks roaming the woods, bats flickering in the night (I encountered both), swimmer’s itch in the lake, and gawking non-pagans on it. Just over 100 people attended, mostly from the Edmonton area, sharing bunk-bed space in heated eight-person cabins.

Although the weather was somewhat ugly on Friday night, things warmed up and dried out enough to make Panfest’s vaunted clothing-optional an option. There was a small labyrinth laid out in tape on the grass. Aphrodite’s temple was rousingly dedicated. The resident gurus held court, the newbies gushed. Edmonton’s Raven’s Call, a musical duo, performed.

Response to the weekend was generally positive, but I do have a few kvetches. Programming suffered from Pagan Standard Time, the lack of session leaders from other areas, and the non-appearance of essential personnel. There was children’s programming, but as so often happens, some parents confused that with childcare. The demonstration rituals were short on content, consisting mainly of circle castings, a spiral dance, and perhaps cakes and ale. Still, that may be a useful tip for our appearances at Pagan Pride Days to come. The kitchen had the benefit of the management of a professional chef, so the meals (if somewhat limited in variety) were nutritious, good-tasting, and vegan-friendly. I do take full responsibility for the muffins on Monday morning, and promise never to do that again.

The Call of the Rockies

2006-07-31T19:19:00.000-06:00

When I can, I try to take advantage of the warm weather to spend some time in the country generally west of Calgary. From my office window, the mountains stand like silent sentinels, always there (if not visible), but always changing, and their attraction is almost physical. I like to think of them as some of the spirits of this place, part of the spiritual landscape of Calgary. To the casual observer, they form an undifferentiated wall, though a couple, like the pyramidal Mount Glasgow (after a battleship), and the black silhouette of Devil’s Head (a.k.a. Devil’s Thumb), are easily identifiable. Changing lighting and weather conditions from morning to morning will bring out their 3D quality, concealing some and revealing others. Alas, due to some combination of heat, humidity, and cloudiness, they’ve been hiding behind the veil lately, but they will return. Two useful resources I’ve come across to identify them are Dave Birrell’s Peakfinder website at http://www.peakfinder.com, and Birrell’s book (with art by Ron Ellis), Calgary’s Mountain Panorama, available at MapTown.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-07-02T14:52:00.000-06:00

I went to see “An Inconvenient Truth” Saturday night. The film is probably the most significant documentary since Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11”. Al Gore has finally stepped aside from his wooden Vice-Presidential image to speak out on an issue he’s passionate about. He’s America’s answer to David Suzuki, travelling around his country (and indeed, around the world) raising consciousness of the reality of climate change. Using a combination of satellite photographs, then-and-now photographs of glaciers, and graphs based on the latest scientific research into historical climates, he effectively demonstrates the correlations among CO2 levels, global temperatures, ice-cap activity, and ocean temperatures. The influence of human population growth and industrial activity, particularly in the last century, is undeniable, and he attacks the right-wing media for denying the consensus of the scientific community. (And it goes on… Sunday’s Calgary Herald, part of that “impartial” CanWest Global syndicate, ran an article that continues to spread the conception that there’s doubt in the scientific community.) Gore uses computer animation to show the effects on major coastal areas in the U.S, the Netherlands, China, and Bangladesh of the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and/ or the Greenland Ice Sheet. He even manages to throw in a couple of animated clips (humorous and not-so), one of which came from Matt Groening's “Futurama”! Visit http://www.climatecrisis.net/ for more information, and especially check out the e-card section under “Downloads”. And remember that the Bow Glacier, the source of the Bow River, is similarly retreating, as are the Columbia Icefields. Tell your friends; it’s a must-see for anyone concerned with the environment, or anyone who expects to be living 50 years from now… your children, for example.

Elizabeth - May 4, 2006

2006-05-06T11:18:00.000-06:00

As a couple of you already know, our tabby Elizabeth passed into the Summerland this morning.
A former stray, she was perhaps eight, perhaps older. When we got her in late 2002, she was paranoid and post-traumatic, but soon came to trust us (me in particular), and had lately been taking on the characteristics of a normal, healthy cat, even engaging in play. She had a way of dozing on my lap with her neck resting on my wrist, and would frequently knead my belly prior to settling in, draping her tail around my other wrist. By comparison to our Manx, Maggie (whom we call "Trouble"), Elizabeth was "Sweetie" or "Princess" or "Baby". She was a good cat, but still shy among strangers.
Her illness came relatively suddenly; only the last couple of days had she not been herself, having a few "accidents", and becoming more distant. Last night it was obvious that she was ill, more limp and reclusive in demeanor, even hiding under the recliner with the "leave me alone, I want to die" attitude of the truly ill.
So we took her down to the vet hospital, where the vet confirmed that she was dehydrated, her temperature was down, and that she needed to stay the night for tests. They called in the middle of the night, the vet staying past her normal shift, to tell us that her liver was failing, and that only expensive, aggressive, and torturous treatment could save her. So we opted to do the honourable thing, and decided to terminate her life.
Having been through this a few years ago with Sybil, it was perhaps slightly less difficult for me than it was for Margarian. When the time came, we petted her one last time as the vet gave the injection. She turned her head away from us, rested her head on her paw, and went to sleep.
Farewell dear friend; we'll meet again on the other side of the veil.

Houston, April 2006

2006-05-06T11:17:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned last month, I spent a week in Houston on business. It was quite a change from the dry, early spring climate of high-elevation Calgary to the humid, near-sea level, summerlike temperatures of coastal Texas. I was told it was a good time to come, as the summers there can be very hot.
I started off with taking the tour of the Johnson Space Center (http://www.spacecenter.org/), having to pass through two layers of security checks before I could visit the old Mission Control. NASA’s been run out of the new Mission Control since 1996, but the old centre has been kept as a historical site. The old consoles are still there, with their dial phones and non-interactive computer screens linked to a giant mainframe in the basement. I didn’t realize that the techs there had to rely on slide rules and paper to supplement the readouts they were getting from the spacecraft at the time. The tour also visited a training facility for shuttle and International Space Station missions, held within a huge building. We also paused at a grove of oak trees to commemorate the fallen seventeen astronauts of Apollo I, Challenger, and Columbia.
The centrepiece, though, was the interpretive centre, featuring a number of science-centre type displays, a full-size mock-up of the shuttle flight deck and crew deck, and a museum featuring the actual "Faith 7" Mercury capsule of Gordon Cooper, and the Apollo 17 Command Module. The highlight had to be the vault containing several Moon rocks, including a slice of basalt that you could actually touch (so I did).
I also visited "The Magick Cauldron", a major pagan store there (http://www.magickcauldron.com), and a hard-to-find but funky restaurant, the Last Concert Café (http://www.lastconcert.com/); unfortunately the Pagan Meetup scheduled for there didn’t go.
At the Houston Museum of Natural Science, I visited the "Body Worlds 3" exhibit (http://www.hmns.org/exhibits/special_exhibits/bodyworlds.asp). The anatomical dissections and arrangements were artistically (if not respectfully) done, and sometimes it was easy to forget that these were once real people. The isolation of blood vessels seemed exceptionally fragile, and made me wonder about the practicalities of transporting the exhibits. Some of my correspondents have complained about the show being "preachy", particularly about the effects of smoking. Except for one volunteer ranting about the causes of obesity, I didn’t find it that way. The audio tour was quick to point out, though, that the black specks in the lungs in several of the exhibits were due to smoking. I have a DVD of the exhibit, if anyone’s interested.
For the artistically-inclined, Houston also has the Menil Collection (http://www.menil.org/) , featuring works by Dali, Warhol, Max Ernst, and others, a wonderful collection of surrealist memorabilia, and some wonderful antiquities, including some lovely northwest coast Indian art, and even some Cycladic crones. The Rothko Chapel (http://www.rothkochapel.org/) is an eight-sided interfaith chapel showcasing 14 all-black paintings by American abstract expressionist Mark Rothko. The austere atmosphere makes it a suitable place for grief work, and a "broken" obelisk outside is dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King. Nearby is the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum (http://www.menil.org/byzantine.html) housing the only collection of intact Byzantine frescoes in the Western Hemisphere. The Menil Foundation rescued the frescoes from the thieves who stole it from the original chapel in Cyprus to keep the collection together. While located in Houston, the frescoes are still the property of the Church of Cyprus.
Did I mention that I went to Houston on business? Needless to say, I returned to Calgary both mentally and physically exhausted, but it was well worth it.

January 17

2006-01-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

I'm back... the awful thing about the internet is that you have to play with multiple identities and passwords, and for once I lost track.

Been busy with reclaiming the covenstead since I got back from Toronto at the end of December. Margarian is also on her way back, and should be here this weekend. I'm currently down with a touch of the flu, while Calgary basks in a Chinook.

The space we're renting for classes has given us a rent increase to $20/night (seems like everything is going up drastically this year, except my paycheque), which makes me wonder how long we can continue renting there... perhaps it's a good thing that the High Priestesses (wonderful women all) have been helping out with ground zero.

October 10

2005-10-10T16:25:00.000-06:00

Finally got a chance to see the Fantastic Four movie this weekend; interesting that it never came to my attention that each of the four embody aspects (both good and bad) of the four classical Elements: Reed Richards (Air), Johnny Storm (Fire), Sue Storm (Water), and Ben Grimm (Earth). Curiously, the revised origin of Doctor Doom also brings in the Chinese element of Metal.

Interviewed another potential student today (thanks, Heather Dawn); doing Movie Night for class tonight, though turnout is expected to be low.