In the interest of NOT feeding the trolls and giving them something else to hashtag incorrectly, I've decided to blog about something I've seen go on in not necessarily my community, but the pagan community at large lately.
A friend of mine from Kansas City was simply all a-twitter that there were going to be TWO festivals on Memorial Day weekend in 2015 and that it was a witchwar of epic proportions.
You see, this "upstart" group, Gathering of Pagan Souls has decided that Memorial Day weekend is a grand time for a festival. Their registration is open, and mirable dictu, it WORKS, plus their website promises acts like Wendy Rule and Raven and Stephanie Grimassi. Upon looking over the whole website, for a brand new festival, they have an AMAZING line up of well known speakers and bands. Much more so than I've seen ANYWHERE at any festival for a long, long time.
Plus they're bringing in new talent. THAT is exciting in itself.
The first assertion I've seen that is faulty is “we don't have a big enough community to support both events.”
Back that truck up Hugo. I beg to differ with you. The pagan community across the US is not big enough to attend two events over Memorial Day Weekend?! Say it ain't so! Quick, all pagans of any path, across the US is less than 2000? I think not.
Can you imagine? Someone thinks the US can't support two pagan festivals on one weekend. Can you imagine a thousand people, at a single pagan festival? That would be exciting! And I know the pagans didn't all convert to becoming member of the Westboro Baptist Church, or something equally as asinine. In fact, I can assure you that the pagan community across the country is even larger than it was 5 years ago. More people than ever are seeking resources about alternative spirituality. Theoretically, people should be travelling in droves to pagan festivals. What a way to learn about spirituality other than yours? Make new friends? Discover a community outside of Tuscaloosa Alabama? Outside of Brazil Indiana? How about listening to speakers talk about pagan subjects? How about grooving to music written and performed by pagans? What a concept!
Why aren't people attending festivals? You'd have to ask them. However the misguided assumption that the "pagan community isn't big enough' is pretty obviously not the reason. Whether it's about money or about practicality or about something more general, they aren't showing up. If what they seek is a more affordable alternative, this second festival, with its much lower and more reasonable costs, will fill that need.
I read the GPS website. I read the HSA website. So far no one is slinging mud, unless it's been on Facebook, where I've had the pleasure of someone sending me screenshots of a couple of HSA members who seem to have their panties in a bunch. I won't post their diatribe here. It's merely ugliness on their part. However, there are a couple of HSA members who seem truly supportive of GPS and therefore show me that indeed, some of their members can be class acts.
We are not to be each other's enemy. In fact I reached out to one of the coordinators of GPS (Angela) and asked her about the choice of both date and place of the festival she is helping to coordinate, and this was her response: "It is a practical time for our event, both for the land as well as for people to come out for a festival. Historically, for many, it's a 3 day weekend, school is out and people will generally take a long vacation about that time. People will choose whatever festival speaks to their heart, and no matter what, I believe, that there IS indeed the community out there to support both festivals. Heartland will continue, just as Gathering of Pagan Souls will continue."
Pretty non angst-y, non argumentative, non confrontational and very non witch war-ish, if you ask me. Sounds like someone just wants to put on their idea of a festival that just doesn't mesh up with what someone else's idea of a festival is like. Plus, I've perved her Facebook page, and she seems like a pretty sweet person. Then I perved the KC Metaphysical page and their coordinators page, and they seem like pretty cool people too. They've not said anything negative or otherwise about HSA or HPF. Not one of the three of them.
I've tried to contact HSA, but the emails keep bouncing back to me from the website.
Whatever will be, will be, you know? However, I think I'm personally going to go to the new festival, Gathering of Pagan Souls. Seriously going to pack my bags, load up the Prius and road trip from Albuquerque to Leavenworth, Kansas. Check out their website. www.gatheringofpagansouls.com
*Disclaimer* I am not affiliated with Gathering Of Pagan Souls or Heartland Spiritual Alliance.
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