Gillian Brown
Journey through the Labyrinth

We will gather at the Saratoga Springs labyrinth. The ancient symbol of the labyrinth has always intrigued me, from the very first one I saw that was carved on a cliff face in Northern Cornwall. Then began my research into the prehistory and history of the labyrinth, which became the topic of my Master's thesis. I also learned how to draw and construct them. In this workshop you will hear all about the prehistory and history of the labyrinth, as well as learn how the draw your own. Bring your notebook. We will then walk the Saratoga Springs labyrinth.

About Gillian
I was born and raised in England and study of the ancient ways of my ancestors has long been my passion. I am also a Hexenfest vendor! Find my work at www.brigidsgifts.com

Morning Heart Circles
joie facilitates the morning heart circles, a tradition from the radical faerie culture, where attendees can share whatever is in their hearts in that moment. a chance to express, be witnessed, and build more connections within the festival. 

joie is a longtime veteran of gatherings and festivals of all types, and is often found heading up the registration team. joie is an epicene being whose pronouns are “please don’t use the same ones twice in a row”.

The Well of Music and Song
An improvisational music experience facilitated by Sharon Knight and Alison Balano, two lifelong musicians who have come together as Women of the Well. We will use our voices, percussion instruments, and movement to play off of one another to tap into creative flow, which is also highly conducive to magical working.

Women of the Well:
Alison Balano and Sharon Knight are dear friends with a lifetime of music and healing arts steeped into their souls. Their work together is an act of service to humanity; priestess craft delivered through the art of music, ritual and vision. The original compositions and sacred improvisations of Women of the Well feature swirling violin, mandolin, vocal incantation, percussion and invocation. Their offering is the creation of sacred space where they custom-craft ritual to meet the needs of the moment through song, soundscape, special ceremony, rites of passage, healing ritual and celebration. At Hexenfest, Women of the Well invite you to dive deep into the well of rejuvenation and draw up healing, vitality and hope for ourselves and for all Life.

Learn more about Women of the Well here: https://www.womenofthewellmusic.com

Learn more about Sharon here: https://sharonknight.net

Learn more about Alison here: https://alisonbalano.com

A Shattering Innocence

In this participatory conversation and play-shop, we'll explore ideas of innocence, cultural and personal identities, and the shattering impact of glimpsing who we are, underneath it all.
What if the answer is closer to "more than I imagined," and not, "nothing at all?"

Karina will share brief readings from her book, Distillations, and invite you to engage in light-hearted play designed to catapult us away from the safety of ego-identity, toward an enduring, incorruptible ground of being. 

Karina BlackHeart is a Feri Witch and Founder of the BlackHeart Feri Lineage. She's a Master Firewalking Instructor, public speaker, and published author. Having mentored and taught in a dozen countries, her work emphasizes spiritual evolution woven with personal development and culture change.  You can find her seminars and menu of private sessions at TheCroneHerself.com

She works from home in the Berkshire Mountains of Western, Massachusetts where she tends thriving medicinal and food gardens, while developing non-monetary relationships of reciprocity with local hilltown folk. 

Sharon Knight
The Well of Song

The Well of Song is envisioned as a great shimmering pool, from whence all music comes and where it all returns. There is no wrong music, only what comes through us from the pool. We shall tap the Well in this improv singing circle, facilitated by Sharon. She will prime the pump by drawing threads of improv song out of the Well and teaching it in 3 or 4 part harmony, allowing the music to flow through each of us. participants will also be invited to draw from the Well, in a perpetual 75 minute song-flow.

Come sing with us, and experience the sense of connection that singing in a group can bring!

Sharon has spent much of her life as a professional touring musician and vocalist. Her travels have taken her to castles and cafes, festivals and fairylands, steampunk realms and seaside chateaus, all to share the connecting power of song.

With her longtime collaborator, Winter, she creates in a Celtic Paganfolk style she calls Neofolk Romantique. She has shared stages with Wardruna, Corvus Corax, Frenchy and the Punk, Faun, Stellamara, Wendy Rule, SJ Tucker, and many more.

Sharon has been singing since childhood and believes wholeheartedly in the ability of song to rekindle our sense of enchantment with the world. She has been a professional creative for most of her adult life, and loves to share the power of creative magic with others.

Rene Collins
Magickal Qi Gong

Magickal Qigong is the blending of Taoist and Pagan approaches that create a seamless elegant magickal system that improves health and increases qi the life force energy behind all magickal effects. You will get a taste of the 5 Tonifying Regulation Exercises, that when used, removes aches and pain and build a magickal battery. If you want to learn how to create magickal health and well being you don't want to miss this great opportunity! All leaves and magickal experience are welcomed!

Rene Collins is an musician, magician and spiritual teacher with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of Magickal Qi Gong and Chi Life Force Qi Gong. He is the author of Way of the Magical Intelligence and Magickal Qi Gong Awakening the Dragon He lives, teaches online and performs on the West and East Coast.

Learn more about Rene at https://magickalqigong.com/

Lisa Stuhley: Ritualistic Death

What if we didn't have to die alone, without our loved ones by our side or in a sterile environment?

What if I told you that you have an opportunity to create your own sacred and ritualistic death experience?

Please join me on an inward journey where you are invited to come face to face with your own mortality. In safe space, I’ll support you in breaking past your limiting ways of thinking, explore our own narratives and fears surrounding death and re-envision your death through sacred, ritualistic lenses.

Bring something to sit on, water, journal and your beautiful self!

Lisa Stuhley is serving her community as a Reiki Master, End of Life Practitioner, Death Doula and Funeral Celebrant. Her fascination with ritual work surrounding the underworld has paved the way for many of her own personal breakthroughs. It is no surprise that Samhain is her favorite time of the year! She finds peace & comfort in communing with the Dead.

She is a recent graduate from The HeartWay ELP Training Program and is passionate about helping people leave this world on their own terms, where possible. She wishes to de-medicalize death and make the act of dying sacred again. She brings her 30 year connection to the sacred, ceremony and ritual to the room when holding space and working with others. "

Crystal Blanton, LCSW

Intro to Brainspotting
”Brainspotting is a powerful, focused treatment method that works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment, enhanced with Biolateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful yet focused and containing”.

From: https://brainspotting.com/about-bsp/what-is-brainspotting/

Ancestor Healing and Atonement Ritual (With T. Thorn Coyle)
We all have ancestors of blood and of spirit. Some ancestors are helpful guides, some are reminders of what needs to change. Some ancestors need healing, others need to offer atonement through our own words and actions. Some ancestors offer strength.

We can call upon intergenerational experience and timeless wisdom. Join us for a ritualistic honoring of the ancestors of justice and strength and offer atonement for our ancestors who enacted harm. Let us reflect on the past and invoke the future, together. May the way be clear.

Crystal Blanton, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience in the counseling field. She works with culturally diverse populations in a variety of settings to support with concerns related to depression, anxiety, trauma, substance abuse, and other life challenges.

She utilizes an anti-oppressive, culturally relevant, strength-based, and client centered approach to the therapeutic process, incorporating personal strengths in collaboration with those I work with. I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, EMDR, FLASH, Mindfulness and Solution Focused modalities to support the overall needs and goals of the individual.

Learn more about Crystal at: https://blantonlcsw.com

Havalah Starlight: Sacred Songs for Healing and Transformation

Come learn songs and chants designed to help heal and transform your inner and outer world. Go on a journey of self discovery and love. Experience the power of music to shift your inner landscape, free your voice, and bring more joy and love into your life! The songs shared from Havalah Starlight are songs she received from spirit when spending time in nature in Northern California at age 19. One has been sung by thousands of people over the years in a beautiful retreat center in Israel! These healing songs are simple to learn and will first be taught, then used in a healing ritual incorporating a guided inner journey, sacred songs, movement, and a blessing.

Havalah Starlight is a singer and wisdom keeper who began "hearing" sacred chants while in nature at age 19. She’s been leading rituals incorporating “songs from the spirits of the land” for interfaith & pagan communities since 1997! Havalah offers virtual transformational coaching packages and retreats, and books out for speaking engagements and custom songs: www.havalahstarlight.com & transforminglivesdaily@gmail.com

Laura Tempest Zakroff
Visual Alchemy – From Creation to Connection

Since the beginning of time, humanity has made art as a way to affect, influence and seek order in the seen and unseen world. In turn, art has initiated civilization, crafted community, and created culture. Art is (and should be) accessible to all, helping us to explore ourselves while collaborating with others. In this lecture we’ll explore art as essential magic – not only as a tool for tapping into our own power, but also how we can connect and collectively build common ground together.

Laura is the author of several best-selling books and oracle decks based in modern traditional witchcraft. An accomplished artist and performer as well, she is known for her unique approach to sigil magic, and incorporates art into magic as a regular practice.

Learn more about Laura at: https://lauratempestzakroff.com

Hecate Chant - Voice Workshop

Come and learn the weaving parts to the chant “We Call For Hecate” (by Celia Farran) while exploring the vast magical potential of your voice.  We will have the exciting opportunity to perform the song together at Celia Farran’s Concert.

Your voice is an amazing instrument. It is always with you. Come and uncover your “consistent instrument” thru vocal games & discovery. Celia will guide the group thru imaginative play & exercises that will leave you with a new appreciation for this incredible expressive part of you called your voice. Expect to become more present in your body and vocal singing or speech expression whether you want to lead singing circles, audition for American Idol, or simply rock out behind your steering wheel with the windows up. We will play & sing together. You might even have a fantastic time!

Celia has been performing for over 30 years with training in stage speech & vocal singing. She currently tours the nation as a singer/songwriter/comedienne and is also a recording artist with 13 recordings to date. Celia teaches vocal workshops as well as private voice in person or via the internet. She specializes in guiding singers to finding new tones & soundscapes they didn't even know they had.
www.celiaonline.com

HARDSHIP, FEAR, AND POWER; A DEEP MAGICK OF CONNECTION.

Within the shifting constellations of our communities, we find ourselves moving through, with and about all the aspects of life, some more difficult than others. Unburdening ourselves and sharing these hardships can make them easier to bear. Hearing others speak of their own fears and pain can open our hearts in new ways. Using techniques developed by the Deep Well ~ Great Heart Society, in this ritual we will explore the empowering magick of revelation, witnessing, acceptance, and connection.

ABOUT JENYA

Jenya T. Beachy is an Author, Teacher, Preacher, Rootworker, Farmer, Brewer, and Witch. She has been walking the Twisted Path of the Craft for almost 30 years, studying the old ways and forging new ones. Her Work combines the clean, simple magick of the Kitchen Witch and the dark, wild magick of the Mad Poet, all mixed up with a wild devotion to the Heart of the Cosmos. She is the author of The Secret Country of Yourself: Discover the Powerful Magic of Your Endless Inner World (Llewellyn 2017).

Absynthe Myth and Mystery
A brief presentation and Q & A on the history and preparation of absinthe. Bring your questions and quench your thirst for knowledge. A serving demonstration is included. 21 and over only, please.

Jeff says “I fell in love with the mysterious Green Fairy a couple of decades ago soon discovering she's gregarious and loves to party. I was lucky enough to study under Dale Pendel, author of Pharmacopoeia, and learn much of my lore and process through his tutelage. I'm always pleased to expand the circle. Most of you will recognize me through my 30 years of Northern California Pagan events participation”.

Sophia Fate Changer
Nordic Oracular Work
This will be a lecture style presentation describing the nature of what Oracular Work is according to Norse Paganism. I will discuss it's historical roots and also talk about modern styles.

Sophia Fate-Changer (they/them) practices Fire & Ice Norse Paganism and is the co-founder of The Fellowship of Fire & Ice. They are the head of the F&I Teaching Collective where they teach classes on Runes, advanced Runic topics, trance journey work, Cosmology, and more. Their day job is creating jewelry and other crafts as a full time artist.

21st CENTURY NORSE PAGANISM

In this presentation we will be taking the Old Ways of Norse Paganism out of longhouses & longboats into the streets, hills & homes of today. Along the way we will be discussing how inspired adaptation challenges all that is so that we can make a better world for everyone. In this session we will be exploring the way of raising life from ash, majesty from ruin and glory from loss.

ABOUT RYAN SMITH

Ryan Smith is a Radical Norse Pagan skald sworn to Odin and author of "The Way of Fire & Ice", an upcoming book on inclusive Norse Pagan practice. He is a co-founder of Heathens United Against Racism, whose works have also been published on Patheos Pagan and TruthOut. Outside of Paganism he has worked as an anti-fascist, a climate change activist, in support of the labor movement and in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to higher education both indoor and outdoor.

 WitchCRAFT: Exploring creative and artistic expression as a magical practice.

A gently-facilitated time of art and crafting within an intentional magical space. Come explore the interplay of creativity with magic and how artistic expression can enhance our magical practices. This will be a hands-on creative time with discussion for those who would like to join. Feel free to bring an in-progress art or craft project with you, or let your imagination play using a variety of materials provided. All skill-levels are welcome.

Cedar (she/her) is secretly 3 wild bunnies and 6 squirrels dressed up as a human, a momentarily city-bound farm girl, and multi-disciplinary (aka: easily distracted) artist. She is an eclectic, non-theistic witch who prizes compassion, creativity, and curiosity as the greatest of magics. Cedar’s journey into witchcraft was sparked through her love of art, fueled by creative passion, and deeply rooted in the bonds of her chosen family. The interplay of magic and psychology, and the call for practical care in community are meaningful influences in her personal beliefs.

Cedar is passionate about fostering inclusion and intersectionality, and addressing access and disability needs on an organizational level. She is an avid writer and artist who uses her skills to craft rituals and weave magic into many creative outlets in visual art. When she’s not connecting with her various communities, you’ll find Cedar cooking up something magical in the kitchen or covered in paint, clay, glue and/or glitter, tinkering with her art, and probably listening to an audiobook.

More information at www.cedarandspice.shop

Kanyon Sayers-Roods

Decolonizing Love: Exploring Ethical Non-Monogamy and Sacred Sexuality

Join Joie and Kanyon as they host a conversation about decolonization, ethical non-monogamy, sacred sexuality, and sacred sexual magic. This unique dialogue will provide insights from Indigenous, therapeutic, and academic perspectives, offering a holistic exploration of these complex and evolving topics.

We'll explore the intersection of decolonization and intimate relationships, challenging traditional notions of monogamy and exploring how decolonial thinking can enrich our understanding of love, connection, and sexuality. Drawing from their expertise, Kanyon and Joie will shed light on the importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge and practices in the context of contemporary relationships.

We'll also touch on the ethical dimensions of non-monogamous relationships, emphasizing communication, consent, and the emotional well-being of all involved, as well as the concept of sacred sexuality, examining how spirituality and intimacy can intertwine in a way that honors individual and collective experiences.

By blending Indigenous wisdom, therapeutic insights, sacred sexual magic and academic perspectives, the conversation will illuminate the potential for profound spiritual growth within ethical non-monogamous relationships.

This discussion promises a rich and enlightening exploration of decolonization, ethical non-monogamy, and sacred sexuality, offering a unique opportunity to engage with these topics from multiple angles and leaving attendees with a deeper understanding of the possibilities for love and connection in a decolonized world.

Kanyon is Ohlone & Chumash California Native Woman, CEO of Kanyon Konsulting, a creative artist ever inspired by nature and the natural world, and a catalyst of decolonizing conversations.

WATER AND THE SPIRIT OF LEAST RESISTANCE

“Resistance” is an oft heard - and necessary - battle cry in today’s world. There is also time for a gentler approach. Through observing water, and listening to what it has to teach, we learn about the path of least resistance. By listening to water, we begin to understand how water moves and flows, helping us move forward into acceptance, and how this acceptance can lead us to less suffering, and more compassion. The path of least resistance teaches us how to accept what is, and as water, still flow towards our desired destination. 

ABOUT TOMMIE STARCHILD

Tommie StarChild is a spirit worker, witch, and initiate in the Elenkin lineage of the Anderson Feri tradition. StarChild has been a practicing witch since 1991. He has been teaching the tradition of Feri since 2006, and teaching witchery and the old ways since 2010. StarChild is also a published writer/artist, presenter, owner of My Authentic Self, and founder of Sacred Moon, Sacred Self – Temple of the Old Ways. He is a professional spirit worker/conjure man, and currently an apprentice of Orion Foxwood in the House of Brigh Faery Seership institute. In addition, StarChild has handcrafted a small, yet unique, conjure product line called - Moonshine Magic.

Bay Area Fire and Ice
Odin Oracular Devotional
The Oracular component to this devotional will be done in a private fashion between Volur and up to nine participants chosen from volunteers by our Ward. We do not make a public spectacle of our Oracular work due to the sensitive nature of these questions being asked by Seekers wishing to seek divine counsel from the Norse gods and ancestors. The divination aspect will be a general Rune reading for the community present as a whole.

Please note that this is a closed container ritual, so once it’s begun, you will not be permitted entry. If you need to leave the ritual, please ask a Ward to guide you out. We strongly encourage participants not to take hallucinogenics before or during this ritual. If you intend to use other substances prior or during the ritual, please appoint a sober guardian for yourself; please also make Wards aware if you are or intend to be altered during ritual (confidential and NO JUDGEMENT–for spiritual safety purposes only.)

Bay Area Fire & Ice is the foundational group for the larger organizational movement that is The Fellowship of Fire and Ice (FoFI). FoFI is a body of radically inclusive, polytheistic, Norse Pagan practitioners. FoFI upholds an animistic worldview where the unifying force known as Wyrd ties us all together.