So my area has a pagan fall art festival thing going on today. And I have some…thoughts.

first off, this is not meant to offend or accuse anyone of anything. We all practice differently and our lives are different. This whole thing is just based on what me and my fiancé experienced while there.

the whole week we’ve been looking forward to this. We’ve been to a few other art fair events around our area, but this was a pagan one so it added an extra bit of intrigue to it and it seemed exciting. But being there was kinda underwhelming with expectations and overwhelming without sensory issues and personal vibe checks.

just as a basic review of the event, it wasn’t laid out very well. Not sure if it was due to a cost to rent out the park they were in or what, but all the booths for the vendors were quite close together and the alleyways for people to walk through were so narrow. I would have preferred if they had a setup to direct the flow of foot traffic so it wasn’t just a crowd of people going both ways everywhere. The couple booths we went in and felt comfortable stepping into were nice, but the rest gave off very strange vibes. My fiancé picked up on them more than I did and can articulate better about it. But basically it was a very off vibe the whole time.

i think a big downside with this was there was little variety at what the vendors had to offer. It kinda felt like an Etsy search page where there are a couple dozen shops selling identical crystals, herbs, tarot decks, and jewelry. Some of the stuff there was cool looking, but all in all it was like “seen one, seen them all” type thing. Which, yeah that happens. Pagan and metaphysical shops tend to be few and far in between so they tend to carry the same things so people who want them can get them. But when you bring all those shops together they kinda just feel redundant. This is opposed to the other general art fairs we’ve been to over the past year. There are many booths that sell carving pieces or paintings or photo prints, but there is so much more variety there in terms of style, subject matter, and medium. And very few shops feel the same. With these shops, it’s the opposite.

im a very socially anxious person and when it comes to paganism I’m very reserved and private about it. Add that to the fact that Hellenism isn’t super common where I am and in the pagan supplies community in general, and I just feel out of place with a lot of these things. I’m not Wiccan, never have been, and don’t stray too far away from Hellenism stuff, so when things like this are 99% Wiccan/Druid based, it’s hard for me to not feel imposter syndrome wondering if I’m actually pagan. It’s awesome to see people be out and proud regarding their paganism, and I would love to do that as well (I’m trying at least) but some of the vibes I got from a good portion of the booths there just wasn’t good. Can’t explain it further than that, I’m afraid.

there was also a dude there that I’m pretty sure was from the AFA or some white supremacy sect of Asatru/Norse paganism. He was probably the worst vibe we got when we was silently stalking around, trying to hand out small pamphlet stuff. Luckily, the group that organized the event didn’t allow any white supremacy groups like the AFA or anything to have a booth there and I don’t think I saw any that could have been similar. But this guy was just bad news. And there’s only so much you can do with that kind of event, especially without any security detail, so it’s hard to stop people like that from coming in and trying to do their thing. He wasn’t talking about anything, he was just silently intimidating and creepy. But, on a happier note, we saw a lot of diversity there in terms of race, ethnicity, gender identity and age. So I don’t think the organizing group would have condoned that guy being there if they found out about him. The event goes on for the rest of the day so I hope he gets kicked out at some point and that everyone stays safe.

this was the first pagan event I’ve been to, and as an experience to say “I did this” it was nice. I honestly might not go again just out of personal preference and how my personality and mental health is. I wish everyone there the best, the vendors to be successful, and for all to be safe and get home safe.

Cheers,

-D

Enjoy live outdoor entertainment, 70+ vendors, food booths and trucks, Spokanimal pets available for adoption, a kid's activities booth, a zen/destim area, and several free workshops at the Northwest Pagan Fest at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Learn more about the event

REN FEST WAS SO FUN!!!! ♪(´▽｀) i showed up at lunchtime to enjoy a hearty baked potato and stayed late to watch the fire dancers! and my fishing net cape only got caught on stuff a couple times!! the weather was perfect-- couldn't ask for a better temperature to wear the odd combo of a faux fur vest with leggings. and believe it or not, i actually had people recognize me as Loki 🐍

basically my entire costume (except the snake) was either (1) thrifted or (2) put together on the cheap from craft store supplies. i'm super proud of how it looked given how little i managed to spend on it, and i'm already hard at work brainstorming all the big and small improvements i'll make for next year's festival (; ´д`)ゞ ...

Hey there!

Sorry again for another Silence Radio but no worries, things are working very well and plus, this week-end I was at the Cernunnos Pagan Fest as an exhibiting to sell my art stuff and comics I self-publish.

It was so magical! It's my second year of participating at this fest and I'm realizing more that my heart belongs to Cernunnos! :D

I also brought few changes on my exhibiting place so I could draw at the same. :D

Starting with orcs, dragons, satyrs, goblins and gnomes...

A full tattooed viking man and... oh, a medieval limbless and with an attempt of Geralt of Rivia's portrait. :D

Big cave troll walking around with his pet, a Punk Duck. ;p

And to finish, this charming lady fox minstrel. :D

Now, it gave me more motivation to keep working on my projects! <3

The Niagara Region Pagan Fest is turning out to be a fantastic time!

Just a viking enjoying her ale

Blessed (belated) Lammas/Freyfest!

In honour of the first wheat harvest, it was naturally time for some baking – had to try my hand at this honey and lemon loaf and it came out amazingly well! A few pieces were, of course, put aside for the gods and the spirits of the land in thanks for an abundant harvest and enduring good fortune. Apparently the local tradition used to be to leave the first oars or truss of cut wheat in the fields or dispose of it in some other fashion as a type of "sacrifice" – my personal favourite is the idea of leaving three oars for the mice as a folk spell to protect the rest of your stored grain. Oars taken from those original first trusses were also said to have healing and divinatory properties – who knows!

Moonsorrow - ‘Ruttolehto Incl. Päivättömän Päivän Kansa’

Community Spotlight: Lynda Millard

If you’ve been following along with our SMF spotlight series, then you might have caught last week’s article featuring some of the festival’s musical entertainment. “But wait, Aerik,” you might have said. “There’s two names there and you only posted the Q&A from one of them!” Never fear, my friends, for today I shall give you the next set of answers! If you’re just joining us on this journey,…

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Back from the Cernunnos Pagan Fest!!!

It was so greaaaaaat! Such a cool week-end with a family atmospher, even with the organizers who’ve been very nice as I got the chance to meet kind people around among visitors but also among the others exhibitors close to my stand!

Sure I’ll doing this festival again the next year! ❤️

PS: the little dragon on the last picture belongs to a friend, seems he befriended with my little Vagabond Satyr!

The Adoration of Re

Praise be to Re, Lord of Creation, God of the Sun, Lord of the Two Horizons. Self-created at the moment of Creation, Father of the primeval Gods Shu and Tefnut who are air and moisture, grandfather of Geb and Nut who are the Earth and sky, great-grandfather of Osiris, Heru-er, Set, Isis, and Nephthys, you are the mightiest and most glorious of the divine assembly of the Gods and wisely do you rule over them and over all Creation. Daily you pass over us as you sail across the sky in the Boat of Millions of Years, surveying your domain. Grace us with your benevolent gaze, O Ra who delights in the establishment of Ma’at. Your crown is the very disk of the Sun, and we ask you to shine down upon us with your gentle and sustaining light and warmth. Avert from us your mighty and terrible Eye, and reserve its dreadful fire for those who delight in wrongdoing. We burn sweet incense for you, radiant Lord of the Sun, and do you honour and praise. We welcome you in peace. Hail, welcome, and blessed be.

- A call I wrote for a Summer Solstice ritual I performed for Niagara Region Pagan fest this past weekend.

From Rockstadt Extreme Fest - day 5 - 7 august 2022

Kampfar

Viking group was a great choice this year since it was chilly

(Mine and Rachel's tunics made by me, my furs made by me)

What is Festa Junina?

You may have heard the brazilian cc's talking about throwing a festa junina in the server, but what is it exactly?

Festa Junina translates to June's Party, and its origins go back to pagan midsummer and harvest celebrations. Time went on and it mixed with catholic beliefs, especially those centered around Saint Anthony, Saint Peter, and Saint John the Baptist (which is why it is also known as São João).

The tradition was brought to Brazil with colonization. It's no longer a summer fest since it's winter, but you can still see the influence (maybe the bonfires are part of it).

Nowadays, Festa Junina is known for the traditional square dancing and the food — seriously, the food is amazing (look up pamonha, cural, canjica, pé-de-moleque, bolo de fubá, cuzcuz nordestino... damn I'm hungry)! Most of it is made with corn or peanuts. Mulled wine is also a must! People dress in a "country" fashion, with straw hats, puffy dresses, and drawn freckles and mustaches. Everything is VERY colorful.

School kids will put on shows (known as quadrilhas), which usually include a "wedding" comedy sketch. In my high school, the twist was that the best man was in love with the groom. It was very dramatic. I loved it.

Here are some pictures and traditional songs! I wish we could get a mod with the foods to the server or something, but just the skins and decorations will already be so much fun!