Pagan Unity Fest 2016
Welcome to our first dual blog post! PUF was an unbelievable experience this year so naturally we both have to weigh in.
PUF is a local Tennessee family oriented four day event held every year in May. Everyone is welcome regardless of path or age. There is even a kid's schedule that covers the whole day and allows time for parents to be able to experience the festival. Every year has a theme and this year was Star Wars. Every section and building of the event and campground had Star Wars names and prizes were given out that were Star Wars related.
There are a ton of workshops that cover a variety of interests and paths. This year's selection included Crone Magic, Shamanic Witchcraft, Interfacing with Mainstream Media, Pagan Guide to Wands, Druid 101, Drumming, Tree Climbing 101: Kabbalah Qabala Cabalah Soup, Mythic Archetypes, Animal Parts MacGyvering, Throwing the Bones, Star Gazing, and MANY more. The entertainment included the amazing Tuatha Dea, Spiral Rhythm, Mama Gina and many more throughout the four days.
The merchants row included many local artists and craftsmen, shops, and groups. You could find blacksmiths next to the clothiers, swords and pyrography artists, crystals and handmade items, card readers and general purveyors of all sorts of goods.
There are also rituals held throughout the four days that cover a wide range of paths. There was an opening ritual to start the festival. A Druid Conclave and ritual that included welcoming, a discussion, and anointing new Druids. A community Ritual, a Shamanic Ritual, and a lighthearted Redneck Manifestation Ritual. Saturday included a full moon ritual with Selena Fox and Sunday was an Odin Blot to close out the festival.
Classes
We made it to a few classes on the day we attended. After all, who could miss Selena Fox?
Class #1 Selena Fox-Crone Magic:
I think it is safe to say that we both had a total fan-girl experience when she walked in. Crone magic was our first class of the day and it was amazing! We were both positively giddy being able to learn from a person that has such a presence in the pagan community. Her very presence and joy that she exuded was incredible. The power and shamanic mother/grandmother way of speaking and expert storyteller presence was amazing. Just look at this lady, doesn't she look like a hoot!
-Ayda
I agree, complete fan girl moment. I think we were actually bouncing up and down and elbowing each other. Crone magic was a true experience and extremly educational. I particularly enjoyed they stories about Baba Yaga and the different faces that she has to different people. I have never met anyone that could hold a rooms attention and imagination as effortlessly as Selena Fox. Not to mention the fact that I want to be her when I grow up!
-Silver
She shuffled in barefoot, face aglow with joy and a full smile, greeting people as she passed.
Class #2 Michael Wilson-Building the Tribe:
Building the Tribe was primarily about Germanic Heathenry and building a community and kins based on those connections. He also covered what is acceptable within those kins and how the Wyrd or Karma/luck of the individual affects the group. If you come into a kin or group with negative luck then you can have a direct detriment to the luck of the group. Which is why it is so important to them to screen everyone that is prospective member of the group. It was very much like a karma system with effect on the group as a whole instead of just the individual. It was an interesting concept that neither of us were familiar with nor had we considered that idea of group karma before. The class itself wasn't completely our jam due to the concentration on Germanic Heathenry, which is not our path, but we learned some very interesting things and were able to get a new insight on a path that we were unfamiliar with.
-Ayda
It was very interesting to get a deeper view into Germanic Heathenry, something that I have never been overly knowledgeable about. I know a fair amount about the Norse Pantheon but the path of Heathenry was fairly new to me and we spent an entertaining hour learning more about this pagan path. I really liked the idea of collective Luck of a tribe and how it affects them all as well as binds them together.
-Silver
Class #3 Selena Fox-Shamanic Witchcraft:
Wow, what an experience. After arriving late (shame on us) and having to stand, we were treated to an amazing class on Shamanic Witchcraft. A very kind Druid offered us his seat and we had the gift of going on a guided trance journey. Sitting in a room packed with other pagans on a trance journey was a humbling and powerful experience and left me starving for dinner! It was a unique chance to be guided by someone as gifted as Selena and we were left wishing we could have attended all of her classes the entire weekend!
-Silver
"Oh Great Spirit, Earth, Sky, and Sea
You are inside and around me"
"Divine is one, Divine is many
Divine is none, Divine is any"
-Selena Fox, two separate chants from the Shamanic Witchcraft class
Our first experience of Bill Bill was from a distance. We didn't know who he was but he looked like an interesting fellow in his chaps and loin cloth. We met at a tree dubbed the Wookie tree (A large yellow tulip poplar in the center of the festival space) a few hours later and realized it was the same man we saw from a distance and at the Building the Tribe class. This looked to be an interesting class indeed! Bill Bill was extremely knowledgeable on the identification of trees. The handout he gave was hand drawn and extremely useful. I still carry it around in my journal. He walked us through the festival grounds and explained the different types of leaves and trees. The easiest ways to distinguish them from one another and even how to identify and tell the difference between some commonly mistaken plants. One such example was the box elder and poison ivy with their similar shape but differently space leaves. Along our walk we came across the BIGGEST poison ivy vine we had ever seen. The vine itself was about the thickness of our wrist and wound its way up the maple tree all the way to the top. It was incredible. The information he had was impressive and definitely had us constantly looking at trees and other plants for weeks after. Bill Bill is one person we look forward to seeing again and hope he offers more workshops in the years to come.
-Ayda
We were definitely intrigued by Bill Bill after our first glimpse from a distance. He was a man of presence that was clearly comfortable in his skin and surroundings. It was a true treat to learn from someone who loves trees as much as Bill Bill. His knowledge and reverence for the life of the forest and the uses it can have for us was inspiring and lit a fire in us to learn more about our woodland friends. Holy Poison Ivy Bat Man! The leaves were bigger than our faces, quite an impressive specimen. I am fairly sure that people are tired of us naming tree species where ever we go and we are so grateful to Bill Bill for imparting his wisdom on us. I can't wait to learn more from him next year.
-Silver
Full Moon Ritual- Selena Fox
Can I just say WOW. I am almost at a loss for what to write because putting an experience like this onto paper is a difficult undertaking. The combination of Selena Fox and the drumming of Tuatha Dea and Spiral Rythm was a potent combination. Surrounded by a huge gathering of other pagans, eager to share in the experience of the Full Moon Ritual and empowered by the day, we experienced something that neither of us had experienced before. It was moving, powerful, and intoxicating. I can't wait for next year.
-Silver
Intoxicating is such a good description for this experience! Everyone made a large circle surrounding Selena Fox and the altar. We all stood facing the tree line, waiting for the moon to rise above. The moon's glow slowly shone above the black silhouette of the trees until it finally peaked out. Selena Fox lead everyone in a chant, greeting the moon as she made her appearance. We called to her and thanked her. Then Selena Fox with Circle Sanctuary and Circle Military Ministries presented the Pagan Military Service Ribbon to all gathered who were active or had served in the military. It was a beautiful ceremony where we all thanked and honored them as a group after each was presented with their ribbon. Then we danced in celebration of the full moon and the people gathered as Tuatha Dea and Spiral Rhythm drummed. It was a raw African style drumming that was full of energy and the magic of the night. What an experience this was!
-Ayda
Selena Fox and the veterans and troops who received service ribbons.
The moon shining above the great hall.
Food!
The food was wonderful and had offerings for the most devout carnivore and the strictest vegan. The kitchen volunteers worked tirelessly to make sure that the food was wonderful and that everyone had enough to eat.
In Closing
Such a wonderful time with amazing people. The sense of community that surrounded us that night was incredible. We will definitely be attending again next year. And, if the wonderful experiences aren't enough to convince you to attend, next years theme is "Get Sorted" with a Harry Potter inspired festival! Hope to see you there!
