When a festival becomes a community

Every large city has at least one metaphysical festival of some kind.  The lucky one's have several.  These events bring together a wide variety of alternative healing therapies, musicians & other performers, local artists, organic food & bath goods, psychics, and teachers of various spiritual paths.  Far from being simply hippy dippy entertainment, they provide a true community that aids in healing and empowering people in countless ways.

Above: A crystal vendor at the monthly Mystic Market held at The Brick in San Antonio, TX.

While an interest in various spiritual practices & the occult draw many to such fairs, fueled by both family folk traditions and Hollywood sensationalism, the search for alternative healing modalities is the primary focus.  Chronic pain sufferers turn to massage and acupressure for relief.  PTSD sufferers, ranging from our Veterans to adults who suffered childhood abuse, find relief in drumming, art, and counselors.  Those with physical illness can employ oils, color therapy, and energy work to aid their recovery.  People with depression and anxiety may discover that certain stones, dancing, or mediation helps them.  These are the individuals who either have not found relief in mainstream Western medicine or they add alternative therapies to their existing medical regimen for added benefit. Some call on certain spiritual beings, others approach it only as energetic techniques.  I've met several professionals from both Veteran Affairs and private practice at metaphysical fairs who are interested in using these 'other' type of treatments along with mainstream medicine.  I think it is becoming more acceptable now to discuss herbalism and energy in the medical fields.

Above: Energy healers & Reflexologists working at the Mystic Market, a monthly festival at The Brick in San Antonio, TX.

Above:  Mariam of Pure Aloha handmade soaps & beauty goods at the Coexist festival, held monthly at the Airport Hilton in San Antonio, TX.

While it might look to an outsider like a lot of feel good hoo-hoo, rainbow crystals, and tie-dyes, many of the people involved are dealing with very serious questions and health concerns. Oftentimes, as a person experiences their own healing journey, they then grow to become a teacher and healer themselves.  This is empowerment.  People are taking initiative in their own healing on all levels: physical, mental, and spiritual.

That's one giant freakn crystal right? I found this at Nature's Treasures in Austin while attending a fair.

Although the traditions represented at any given metaphysical fair might not share the same terminology or even disagree on basic concepts, they have certain things in common.  First, they are present to share their knowledge and abilities.  Culturally specific knowledge and appropriation issues should always be considered by both a practitioner and any interested student.  What is being shared openly by say a Hindu sadu, a Santero, a Wiccan Priestess, or a Native healer is a rare gift.  All of these traditions have their hidden and private realities.  That an Elder would choose to open even a small part of their pathway to outsiders is a gift.  In many traditions, healers themselves experience sickness and bad luck until they give themselves to their path, to the spirits, to the people.  There life is not their own anymore.  It is a life of service to others.  The impact metaphysical festivals have on practitioners cannot be discounted either.  These community events are one of the few spaces where different practitioners might meet and share with one another.

Above: Olga sharing Lakota hand drum traditions at San Antonio's Coexist festival.

The movement to build local green economies also fuels the market for handmade and organic bath, food, and fashion goods.  Cities with a variety of metaphysical and farmer's markets allow crafts people and artists to make a living doing what they love while offering high quality local goods.  Those attending festivals are willing to pay a little extra for healthier and unique things.  For those that ask why hand crafted items cost more, remember that the artist spends a lot of time working on their crafts, pays for all supplies and ingredients, travels, does all their own shipping, packing, and advertisement... it's a lot of work!  Most of the earnings go right back into their cottage business usually.  An essential point, for someone to make a living in the metaphysical community, they really need more than one venue once a month.  Having a variety of events, online sales, and even a local shop space allow practitioners and artists to survive and thrive.  Support local handmade, support your local fairs!

While I am so grateful to fair organizers!  Their efforts provide a space where I am able to make a modest living doing what I love, living as an artist and practitioner.  I most love the sense of community each festival develops.  We are a tight knit bunch that supports each other in our ups and downs.  We are our own community's best customers.  We are brothers and sisters there for advice, learning, and hugs.  Thank you to all!

My girls Crystal & Becky! Always ready to help

Above: My own handmade oils, salves, and soaps.

Coexist Festival in San Antonio and Austin

https://www.facebook.com/coexistfestival/

Mystic Market Festival in San Antonio

https://www.facebook.com/Bestmysticmarket/

Fantom Fest 2014 in San Antonio, TX

http://www.fantomfest.com/

I was very excited to be able to return to the Menger Historic Hotel to vend at the Fantom Fest 2014.  This hotel is beautiful and situated right across the street from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio, TX.  As a previous night auditor there, I can tell you without a doubt that this place is truly haunted... but I was made to sign disclaimers and documents preventing any public discussion of my 'paranormal experiences'.  You'll just have to read the book "Histories & Mysteries of the Menger" for the fluffier versions. I'm hoping at some point that they do allow a TV show to do a ghost hunting episode investigation there.

History & Mystery of the Menger Historic Hotel  on Amazon.com.

 My vending table at Fantom Fest, featuring handmade organic herbal goods, candles, jewelry, and magickal supplies.  Because it was a ghost hunting event, I focused on cleansing and protection.

Because there were Cosplay, Gaming, and Comic conventions going on simultaneously, I decided to dress up as myself- a Witch.  Just put on my regular clothes and popped on my pointy hat!

I was very busy setting up and vending so I was not able to take any of the classes or workshops given by the many celebrity speakers.  I did really enjoy myself though and want to thank my friends who stopped by and my brother who helped me so much that weekend.  I met all of the paranormal guests at least briefly.  For the most part, they were just really down to earth cool people. They brought their books, their art, and their stories to teach and entertain us. There were a few disappointments... I think being on TV or radio shows gave certain folks an inflated sense of ego, but hey, that is their luggage to haul around.
There was a guy making the most realistic vampire fangs I have ever seen. They were $100 but Hollywood quality. I passed on those (I think I would injure myself somehow) but bought several books and a St. Michael's medal that had been blessed at the Vatican. These were available at noted paranormal radio host's Dave Schrader's table (pictured below). We joked that even though he didn't know exactly who blessed the medals- the Pope or not- even a janitor working at the Vatican is sanctified!  I've been listening to Mr. Schrader's radio show for years- Darkness on the Edge of Town now usually shortened to Darkness Radio 

 Both Dustin Pari of TAPS and psychic Dakota Lawrence were very nice guys and great to meet!

 

 Robert Murch, an expert, collector, and artist of Ouija Boards was great. He had some really beautiful work at his table and gave me an ear load about working with the djinn. Very knowledgeable and interesting guy!

He brought both classic rare boards as well as many handmade pieces.  The snakeskin leather planchettes were gorgeous.

It was good to see psychic medium Jen Devellier again!  I met her last year at a Day of the Dead Paranormal event downtown. She was kind enough to sign one of her books for me.  Local horror author Tim Miller was there. After hearing that his writing was so graphic that Amazon.com wouldn't carry it, I had to pick up a few titles.  I'll let you know how that goes when I get some time to read those.  I really nice guy had helped my brother and I push my giant wagon train of boxes and display pieces into the vendors room before the event. Turns out that this was San Antonio's local Leather Face who is at so many conventions!  Thanks so much dude!  He scared the crap out of my mom once at MonsterCon. She was good natured about it and I have pics.

I also got to meet Steve Santini and his very sweet wife from the show Deals from the Darkside! He was named most extreme escape artist by Ripley's Believe it or Not and has been seen on Stan Lee's show Superhumans.  A fellow deep freak with a heart of black gold! Loved meeting them both. He had a table with a few curious antiques such as a chastity strap, a very evil looking iron mask, and various torture devices and chains.

Some of the other costumes seen about the event:

In the Garden: Meet the Green Lynx Spider

 Meet the fair verdant lady, the Green Lynx Spider.  I met this big girl in her favored environment, leafy green shrubs- my white and yellow lantana to be specific.  I was cutting flowers for smudge sticks when a large green leaf fell on my hand. Then I noticed it had 8 legs and was munching on a honey bee!  Step back... that is the greenest spider with the most vicious looking barbed legs I've ever encountered. This was a very large female of the species and quite lovely. I got a couple good shots of her with my camera phone before she dropped her snack and turned around to brandish her long front legs at me.

According to Candice Hawkinson, a Galveston County Master Gardner, this spider is "aptly named for their bright green body color and capability of running very fast, then jumping on its prey like a cat, Peucetia viridans, is North America’s largest lynx spider. These long-legged hunting arachnoids are known by the Spanish name araña (spider) verde (green) or the Latin “viridis” meaning green"
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-48_green_lynx_spider.htm

 This is a hunting spider that can see up to 4" in the day. She jumps like her namesake the lynx, using her barbed legs to capture insect pray.  Not a web weaver but usually on a drag line.  Also not usually a biter, non-poisonous, but will aggressively protect her egg sack and her young.

"Once the egg sac is attached to the plant, the female either sits right on top of it, with her legs wrapped around it or hangs upside down from the sac. Either way, she guards the egg sac continuously and vigorously, rushing at anything that threatens it. This is common in the spider world. The female Green Lynx Spider shows great parental care, protecting her eggs and later, when the egg sac hatches, guarding her young until the spiderlings can fend for themselves. Each egg sac contains 25 to 600 bright orange eggs, with an average of 200 eggs. The post-embryo remains in the egg sac, requiring 11 to 16 days to hatch. 

"The first instar spiderling is bright orange, has functional eyes, a digestive tract and spines. After about 2 weeks the young spiderlings emerge. (Spiderlings undergo their first molt inside the egg sac). The female spider helps the young to emerge by tearing open the egg sac. Unlike the wolf spiders, in an emergency, Green Lynx Spiderlings can make their own exit holes from the egg sac. They remain near the egg sac for 10 days or more, before dispersing by ballooning. Usually the spiderlings emerge in the fall, catch whatever tiny insects they can capture"

She's a spitter!  "Peucetia viridans is the only spider that can squirt or spit venom, aside from spitting spiders (Scytodidae). Although Green Lynx Spiders aggressively attack its insect prey, they very seldom bite humans"

Austin Pagan Pride Day

Well Kassandra & Grim made their way to Austin last weekend to vend at the Pagan Pride Day celebration in Zilker Park.  It wasn't too hot (at least for Texas), being only in the high 90's with a nice breeze.  After setting up the tents (with a little Duct Tape help), the show got under way.  Everyone saw old friends, made new ones, browsed the many awesome vendors, at some of the best dang bratwurst & sausage, met the author (and got kissed by) Ed Fitch, and generally had a great time!

While there, we were very grateful to be interviewed by Goddess Edana!  Cauldron Craft Oddities is going to be transitioning from an online shop with weekend vending roadtrips into a real brick-n-mortar shop!!!  This was a wonderful opportunity to get the word out and we appreciate everyone who took a flyer or told their friends.




Here is another video about a festival goer's experience.

Some individuals might be scratching their heads asking 'What is a Pagan?' or why would we want to be associated with something that is 'weird' or potentially 'anti-religious?'. For starters, Paganism is NOT against any form of spirituality, being in fact very inclusive of ALL paths to The Sacred. I strongly support this organization and it's efforts to build community trust, educate, and have a lot of fun in the process.

http://www.paganpride.org/ 

Statement of Purpose: 

The Pagan Pride Project is a non-profit organization. The primary purposes of this corporation shall be the advancement of religion and elimination of prejudice and discrimination based on religious beliefs. Mission Statement: The mission of the Pagan Pride Project is to foster pride in Pagan identity through education, activism, charity and community. Defining the Mission Statement: We try to keep our purpose balanced through the inspirations of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth:

Air: Education We're never going to be able to practice our spiritual paths openly if we don't give the public accurate information about what we do and do not do.

Fire: Activism People aren't necessarily going to go out of their way to find out what Pagans really do. We have to have the courage to act on our convictions and do what we need to do.

Water: Charity We know that what we do returns to us. We need to demonstrate this by offering compassion to our communities where it is needed. When we share our own abundance, we show that we trust the Gods to share abundance with us in return.

Earth: Community We're never going to be able to practice openly if we don't know anyone else in our local Pagan communities. We need to weave networking webs in our cities, in our towns, in our rural areas. We need these webs to support one another. That support will also show those who would restrict our practice that we are not just a few isolated wackos, but are a growing congregation of people who adhere to a faith that, while different, is as valid as their own.

History 

What is a Pagan? The following definition is for the purposes of the Pagan Pride Project. Others may define themselves or their group in different ways, and that's OK. Some groups that fit the categories we list may not call themselves Pagan, and that's ok too - that's why we say that first and foremost the definition of a Pagan is someone who self-identifies as a Pagan. But the following was created in order to have a functional definition to help educate the public about the spiritual paths we cover:

Definition: A Pagan or NeoPagan is someone who self-identifies as a Pagan, and whose spiritual or religious practice or belief fits into one or more of the following categories: Honoring, revering, or worshipping a Deity or Deities found in pre-Christian, classical, aboriginal, or tribal mythology; and/or Practicing religion or spirituality based upon shamanism, shamanic, or magickal practices; and/or Creating new religion based on past Pagan religions and/or futuristic views of society, community, and/or ecology; Focusing religious or spiritual attention primarily on the Divine Feminine; and/or Practicing religion that focuses on earth based spirituality.

The video below shows why education and community outreach are important.
http://www.wthr.com/story/19614139/pagan-pride-festival-upsets

 A very angry man from the Catholic Youth Organization was 'outraged' that he had to share a massive park with us. I really didn't think that we were that controversial but apparently we are very dangerous in some people's eyes. He repeated 3 times that we were "silly people who worship ourselves and trees" and we didn't need to be at the park near children. "They can pagan themselves to death at the Statehouse lawn; south side of the Statehouse lawn. They can do it someplace else. It is inappropriate here. It is embarrassing and I was outraged by it." I'm not sure someone would be allowed to carry on like that about say Jewish, Native American, or Hindu festivals... it sounds extremely bigoted and that's just silly.

Grimdeva's Zombie Gig

I had the opportunity and great fortune to be cast as one of the zombie hoard that attacked the 2012 Game Stop Convention in San Antonio.  A rampaging herd of 200 brain hungry undead converged on the unveiling of the Call of Duty 2: Black Ops game promo... which of course features ZOMBIES!  The whole casting process was super secret and we were lead to believe it was a fairly obscure movie or commercial being shot in the area.  Turns out it was a much higher profile and budget Gaming Con.  Awesome!!!  I love geeks, I'm a geek girl.  I volunteered my brother and my dad as well. 

I initially didn't want to go to the casting, thinking there'd be ton of people standing in a line under the blazing Texas sun.  My last attempt to get into a Comic Convention was like this and I literally got burned.  I'd always wanted to be an extra in something but it just seemed unlikely for some reason.  Anyway, through contacts I've made in a local Thelemic group and vending, my name and my blue hair popped up on the producer's radar.  I got a few calls and finally went in.  They took one look at us and said 'Wow you're hired!'.  My family is tall, large, and uhh well intimidating.  Although we are very nice actually. Compliments like big, mean, and bald were showered upon my father.  'Everything is bigger in Texas'. They were thrilled when I said yes after being asked if I had any more like him at home. 

I was speaking with Dean Karr - you probably know some of his work  http://www.deankarr.com/   He's got a many many MTV videos, fashion campaigns, commercials, etc under his belt.  Willie Nelson, Marilyn Manson, Tommy Hilfiger, bla bla...

So we got mug shots and promised not to breath a word. We weren't told what we were doing or where we'd meet or shoot at.  I luuuvv secrets!  The night before the event we met at the convention center for rehersal- or should I say boot camp.  We found out that night what the event was, the executives we were attacking, and our places in the shambling hoard.  This was extremely physical, long walking, huge flights of stairs, and repeating the actual 2 minute show over and over.  We kept it up until midnight and then had to return at 5am for makeup.  My brother was a character zombie onstage going after the keynote speaker.  My father was the 'big zombie' in aisle C and I was the lead zombie in the same aisle.  My goal was to shamble and hiss my way up to the stage, interacting with the crowd.

After about 2 hrs of restless sleep, we showed up for the makeup.  It took hrs and was an incredible experience.  A room full of 100 zombies, about 25 makeup artists, hair, wardrobe people, and security.  The costumes and some of the face peices were from the TV version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Many local special effects people from San Antonio & Austin, including that one guy that was on Faceoff (name?).  Great people, great talent, the coolest effects.  Amazing how much goes into a 2 minute zombie event.  I had a full face piece with shloads of glue, goop, powder, paint, and ky jelly for ooze.  I had my clothes shredded and dirt rubbed all over me (crushed brick powder).  My hair- omg. 

My brother Eric was a character zombie on stage- the guy who didn't make it to Prom night.

My dad was wearing one of the vampire brow pieces from the Buffy show.

I was a hideous hag zombie.  My boobs kept popping out of my costumes and guys were still hitting on me... even with that face!  Wow.

After the actual storming of the convention, we were stationed out by the buffet area for photo ops.  Anyone could be torn apart or body surfed for free by the zombies.  This was my favorite part of the day which went on from 4am to 5pm.  Dean was awesome, very down to earth and cool.  We got Dunkin Donuts and pizza through the day.  Met lots of local talent and artists.  Amazing experience- and we got paid $$$!  yay!!!

Family portrait!  Maybe this should be our holiday card this year.  I have a caption: "2012 Zombie Apocalypse? Been there, done that."