By now, I’m sure many of you have seen
Dodie Graham McKay’s lovely tribute to Margarian in “The Wild Hunt” blog. Since there’s been little else for me to write about
this month, here’s a slightly edited version of my pagan biography
of Mar that became part of that article:
Margarian Bridger, writer, adult educator, and Wiccan priestess, died suddenly
from heart failure on August 6, 2016.
Margarian was born in 1957 in Regina, Saskatchewan;
grew up in Toronto, Ontario; and lived in Calgary, Alberta since 1980. She
graduated from University of Toronto, Victoria College, in 1979 with a B.Sc. in
Geology.
Active in science fiction fandom in
Toronto and Calgary, she was influenced by the works of Marion Zimmer Bradley
and Katherine Kurtz, among others.
Margarian began studying witchcraft in 1991 as an early member of the Calgary-based
Covenant of Gaia Church of Alberta (COGCOA), and was initiated in 1992 into the
Black Ring lineage of Branwen Stonecipher.
She received her Black Ring Third Degree in May, 1998, founding
Evergreen Tradition together with her husband, Stephen Hergest. Their article, “Pagan Deism: Three Views”,
appeared in The Pomegranate, Issue 1,
February, 1997, and contributed to the discussion of the concept of Deity in
Wicca.
In January, 1992, Margarian founded and edited
HexAPA, an amateur press association
modelled on the APAs of science fiction fandom, which ran for 28 issues to
Spring, 1997. She led rituals and taught workshops in ritual leadership in
Calgary, Red Deer, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa. She served on the board of COGCOA during the
1990s and early 2000s, and also on the Calgary Inter-Faith Community Action
Association board in the early 2000s. She was briefly a Solitary Elder in the
Covenant of the Goddess. Since 2002, she
was focused on developing Evergreen Tradition as a balance of Traditional and
progressive witchcraft.
Margarian fell ill in 2008, and was
diagnosed in 2011 with kidney failure. She was hospitalized
in August, 2012, moving into a nursing home in 2013.
M. Macha NightMare called her “a shining
light in the Calgary Craft community”. Deeply
mourned by her Craft family, a semi-public pagan Requiem will be held for
Margarian Bridger on Friday, September 16 at 7:30 pm.
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. All times
Mountain Daylight Time.
Aug 27,
1:00 pm: Calgary Heathen Meet & Greet. Info: Calgary Heathens on Facebook.
Aug 27,
4:00 pm: Psychics, Henna and Fashion Show Fundraiser. Info: Gaia Gathering on
Facebook.
Aug 30,
7:04 am: Mercury Retrograde to Sep. 22.
Sep 1,
3:04 am: New Moon. Coll/Hazel lunar
month begins.
Sep 4,
7:00 pm: Paranormal Pub Night at Rose
and Crown, sponsored by Ghost Hunt Alberta.
Sep 4,
11:30 pm: Rocky Horror Picture Show at
Globe Cinema.
Sep
5: Labour Day.
Sep 10,
10:00 am: New Age Market at
Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Hall.
Sep 14,
7:15 pm: Calgary Witches' Meetup. Info
on Facebook.
Sep 16,
1:07 pm: Full (Harvest) Moon.
Sep 16,
7:30 pm: Pagan Requiem for Margarian Bridger.
Sep 17,
7:30 pm sharp: COGCOA Mabon Community Ritual.
Sep 18, 7:00
pm: Paranormal Pub Night at Cat ‘n’
Fiddle Pub, sponsored by Ghost Hunt Alberta.
Sep 21,
11:31 pm: Mercury Retrograde ends.
Sep 22,
8:21 am: Autumnal Equinox. Fall begins.
Sep 24,
1:00 pm: Heathen Meet and Greet. Info: Calgary Heathens on Facebook.
Sep 30, 6:13
pm: New Moon. Muin/Vine lunar month begins.
