SHF 2007

” Divine Possession “

Aug 6-12th, 2007

10 Years of Building Community

We are celebrating ten years of struggle and joy, of learning and service. Sprouted from a few friends arranging a community weekend camping to a nationally known festival of over 400. With 97 minors last year, we are THE family based tribal gathering of pagans in the Midwest.

Join us this year to explore a challenging and introspective theme, “Divine Possession.”

Joy Wedmedyk

Joy Wedmedyk
(Olorisha Omi Lasa)
Priestess, Regla de Ocha

Joy Wedmedyk (Olorisha Omi Lasa) is an initiated priestess in Regla de Ocha, an Ifa tradition known as Santeria. For over 35 years she has studied symbolism, divination and shamanism, and has learned from and is indebted to the spirits and ancestors of the planet, her elders and the indigenous people of the Americas, Cuba and Africa. While in Africa, she was recognized as a Kontoumble Gatekeeper (Shaman) by the Dagara people of Burkina Fasa.

Joy and her husband Alex are co-founders of Earth Rhythm, a company dedicated to bringing drums and drumming to the community. Over the past 17 years they have taught hundreds of people how to craft and play their own drums. (See http://www.earthrhythm.com for more information)

Her newly formed company, “Holy Waters,” is a venue for her artistic creations and is dedicated to crafting products that bless, heal and create change. Her line currently includes jewelry, bath salts, powders and protection pieces.

Joy is an accomplished psychic medium and diviner. Her ability to connect to the ancestors opens the way for healing in this world and in the world of the spirits. Her path as a Priestess, medium and diviner is centered on bringing to her clients a framework that can open the way in their life to prosperity and abundance on all levels. Joy will be available for a limited number of private consultations during the festival.

Joy is engaging and personable presenter. She shares her own personal experiences in an easy and relaxed manner. Joys’ workshops give each participant an opportunity to experience and learn from the cosmology, mythology and wisdom of the indigenous people of the earth. You can find out more about Joy at her Web site: http://www.omilasa.com
 

Evelie Delfino Såles Posch

Evelie Delfino Såles Posch,
Shaman, Healer, Oracle

Evelie Delfino Såles Posch is a Babaylan, priestess, oracle, shaman, enChantress, and healer in the Philippine indigenous shamanistic/animistic practices. She is the founder of Mahal an ethnofusion musical group & BEAM: Babaylan Emerging: Apprenticeship and Mentoring Program. She performs and facilates rituals and magical workshops blending her blood tradition with Reclaiming and other earth-based spiritualities.

Evelie is also Reclaiming’s Spiral Dance Chorus and Band Director. Specifically her expertise is in aiding `healing through sound` and `journeying through sound and ritual` .

She practices Philippine healing which is a blend of psychic, meridian, chakra, and reiki principles. She is also trained in acspecting and shamanic trance. She brings the rich lore of native Philippine witch culture, from her relations` years of oral tradition storytelling.

She teaches Women’s Spirituality Masters classes at New College, SF and was referred by Starhawk of the Bay Area Reclaiming Community. In daily life she practices many modalities which are adapted for the circumstances here in the US.

Evelie will bring indigenous instruments of trance. Bronze gongs; kulintang (COO-lin-tahng) and agong (AH-gohng)…. the original “heavy metal.” She says;
    “Witches in the Philippines are mostly healers and ritualists and music plays a most important part in getting into trance and for healing and is part of daily life in some tribes. I have been going back to the Philippines the last 23 years for my independent research and to immerse myself in tribal/indigenous culture which survives today.

I call upon the spirit of the ancient times and ancestors. “

Kapayapaan/Peace and Pinagpala Na!/Blessed Be,
Evelie

Lisa “Spiral” Besnett
Guerilla Priestess

Lisa “Spiral” Besnett is active in the Twin Cities Pagan Community for over 25 years, Spiral is a generalist, a ritualist, and a teacher. This fall she hopes to have her business Spiral Pathways: support and coaching toward a more spiritually oriented life, up and running.

She is a trained High Priestess in Blue Star and 1734, co-founder of Twi-Tradition. She also has a good deal of experience working within many other more open styles including work with Reclaiming, COG and WiCCoM. She believes that every path has its strengths and weaknesses and that what works well for one person may not be right for another.

Spiral is also a CMT, third-degree Reiki practitioner, a kitchen witch – from herbs to festival cooking, and has been given the title Guerilla Priestess as she will hand out a homework assignment on the Craft to any one.

She has spent much of her research in the past 5 years looking at teaching styles and for ways to effectively train invocation and evocation in a larger community setting. “It seems with the shift into the Aquarian age the barriers between the worlds are thinning and access is easier than it was even 25 years ago when I first started working in this community.”

Lisa will aid our festivants in improving their invocation and evocation skills, developing a relationship with the Divine, and offer a week long Small Group Intensive.

Penny Goody, Spirit Dancer

Penny Goody

Penny is an established board member of the Church and School of Wicca, offering seminars, “play shops” and videos through the School.

She received her Doctorate of Divinity degree in 1990.

A fixture at many festivals, doing children’s programming and encouraging dance and bonfire magick. A member of the Sacred Dance Guild since 1968, she is the state chapter representative for this international organization.

Born of Amish parents, Penny grew up learning and living the path of “Hexerie” and folk magic.

Steven Posch

Steven Posch
Storyteller, Ritualist, and

Semiticist

Poet, master ritualist, and storyteller Steven Posch was raised by white-tailed deer in the hardwood forests of western Pennsylvania. To this he attributes his whippy, lean build and fine rack. Blooded to the Horned One in adolescence, he has been his priest and devoted friend ever since. Steven’s passion for the elder Ones and their Ways is driven by his far-ranging scholarship; his writings have appeared widely in the Pagan media, both in print and on-line. His first CD compilation of original stories, Radio Paganistan: Folktales of the Urban Witches appeared in 2004; his book Lost Gods of the Witches: The Repolytheization of the Craft is currently in preparation.

A naturalized Paganistani since 1979, Steven (alias Tsemakh ben Kna’an, Johnny Deer and Hoof Daddy) aspires to be the first witch of modern times burned at the stake by other witches. More about Steven can be found on the Web at http://www.stevenposch.com.

Celia

Red-headed Renaissance woman,Celia is a singer-songwriter, musician, actress, storyteller and dancer.

Celia will be performing her new song, “Symbol”,
in support of religious freedom
and the Veteran Pentacle Request

Her uplifting performances entertain, captivate and provide plenty of humor leaving the audience easily won over by her magical spell. Celia graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Michigan. She then headed for New York City where she wrote, produced and performed “Stories in the Stone,” performed live music for the Off Broadway production of Conor McPherson’s “Rum and Vodka”, and toured with Theatreworks USA. She now resides in the Midwest.

Magic Mama

Eco-edu-tainer performs her original funky, organic hip hop with an Earth-Friendly message, Kjersten Hallin plays an eclectic variety of instruments from guitar to cheese puff bags.

Magic Mama