COMMUNITY CALENDAR
-Last updated: 5/15/ 2019 at 6:00 p.m. Hint: click on group name to go to their home page for more information.
May 18, 2019 - Buffalo Trace Society - Celebration of the Corn Planting Moon Cycle - Welcome all, friends and well behaved children. We are planning to have this outside, anticipating good weather and warm evenings. Please bring drums and/or rattles if you are moved to do so. We celebrate in the old ways through sacred ceremony. A great opportunity to reconnect to Grandmother Moon. Location & Time: 7:00 p.m. 2210 N Long Rd · Spokane Valley May 19, 2019 - Squirrelly Productions - Dream Dabbling - Ever wonder what your dreams mean? Do you feel like you're missing the point? Well, come join SoNGS's Dream Dabbling, where we discuss, share, and interpret our dreams (and you can, too). We encourage you to write down your dreams and the emotions you experienced during them for group discussion and interpretation. Location & Time: 11:00 a.m. Spokane Valley Library 12004 E Main Ave, Spokane Valley, WA 99206, USA We'll be in the meeting room (downstairs) May 19, 2019 - Esoteric Elements - Hectic Eclectics Night - If you're looking for like-minded friends and a better sense of community in the Sandpoint area, join learn ad grow with us! Location & Time: 3:00 p.m. Ponderay Starbucks, 477100 > Hwy 95 Suite E, Ponderay ID May 25, 2019 - Squirrelly Productions - Pagan Pizza - Come socialize with a group of like-minded people! This is the Feast of Nuada, so bring your Silver Arm... Location & Time: 6:00 p.m. Round Table Pizza, 1908 W Francis, Spokane May 28, 2019 - Buffalo Trace Society - Sacred Medicine Pipe Circle - This is an opportunity to connect, heal, energize and commune with Spirit in the Native American tradition. Using sacred herbs, we call on spirit and guardians to teach us, heal us, guide us. Bring yourself, an open heart and intentions to respect, energize and heal as you need. Location & Time: 7:00 p.m. 2210 N Long Rd · Spokane Valley June 9, 2019 - Spokane Magickal Moot - Projective Energies, Fire & Air - We'll be discussing and working with the elements of Fire and Air! Things to bring could include: a treat to share, a candle you may want to energize, incense. Water provided. Location & Time: 5:00 p.m. Holmberg Park 9651 N Wall St. Under the pavillion. June 13, 2019 - Spokane Stitch and Witch - Monthly Social - We are a Pagan and Pagan friendly group for those who stitch! If you sew, knit, crochet, spin, or some other craft you are welcome to join us! We will be in the food court at the tables closest to the Victoria's Secret and Earthbound area Location & Time: 6:00 p.m. NorthTown Mall 4750 N Division St 
2019 Burning Man
2019 Community Beltane
Sacred Space at Greyhaven
2018 Pagan Gathering at Fall Equinox
Squirrelly Productions Second Annual Witches Ball
Burning Man - Beltane 2012
compliments Greyhaven Gardens
Squirrelly Productions Burning Man Celebration
Squirrelly Productions Testival of Tailtiu Ritual - The Cinquefoil, a symbol of abundance.
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2019 Beltane: A LOOK BACKIt would be fair to say that the 2019 Beltane season was the best series of Pagan celebrations in the Spokane area so far! Over 120 people from Washington, Idaho and Montana gathered at the two separate celebrations to welcome the returning warmth of the sun.
The season started with Burning Man at Greyhaven near Loon Lake on April 28 and ended with Community Beltane at Medical Lake on May 11. In our climate, predicting the onset of Spring weather is a bit difficult. Burning Man was a bit too cold, while Community Beltane was a bit warm! Nevertheless, both events were successful with a number of newcomers present at each event. It is exciting to see our community growing! Burning Man is held annually at Greyhaven, on private land near Loon Lake. It is hosted by Squirrelly Productions and includes a Wishing Willow, Maypole, Ritual and Burning Man. Community Beltane at Waterfront Park in Medical Lake is hosted by the active covens in the area: People of the Woods (POTW), People of the River (POTR), Children of the Crossroads (COTC), and Shadows of Nature: Guardian Steading (SoNGS). Each group contributed something to the event and the results are truly amazing! After an opening "Speed Friending" session led by SoNGS, which is likely to become a tradition, there were workshops, then the pot luck feast with POTW providing hamburgers and hot dogs and POTR doing the cooking. After the feast there were more workshops and finally a ritual put on by COTC. The ritual led right into a Maypole dance that concluded the celebration. Lola Starr was the energy behind this year's Community Beltane - a huge round of applause to her! Thank you to all the local groups, vendors and workshop leaders that made this year so successful. And thank you to all who came out and made these events a success. Y'all come back now, y'hear! Lots of Facebook pages have pictures of both events. Check them out if you wish. That’s Not My Goddess!by Raven Lightbringer
If you’re someone who is merely dabbling in Witchcraft; or experimenting with Paganism--this article is not for you. However, if The Craft is the heartbeat of your spiritual life, and you have a personal, intimate relationship with your Deity, then you are someone I want to address.
You see, my Goddess is being inaccurately portrayed, lately...and She’s pissed about it. When I swore to be a servant to Hekate for the rest of my life; one of my vows was to share the truth about Her. I know facts aren’t popular anymore. These days, everybody is so busy screaming about their own personal truth that they ignore the fact that they misspelled “opinion”. And opinion, however popular, does not and can not change Universal Truth. However, just because an idea is trendy, doesn’t make it right. So here goes: Origins Hekate was not originally a Greek Goddess. I have heard two origin theories concerning my Patroness, and both of them start in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). One was that She was a deified Thracian princess who was known and loved for Her benevolence. The other is that Her worship grew out of the area inhabited by the Carians. Unlike today, ancient people were not so arrogant as to believe that they could “own” a god or spirit. They knew that the gods spoke, to whomever, whenever, and however, they wished. So when the Greeks met and fell in love with Her, they too began to honor Her. Appearance My Queen was not originally depicted with having three faces. The Greeks would place at crossroads, poles with masks of Her face, each pointing a different direction. Eventually, that would lead to the depiction of Her with three heads or three conjoined bodies. In fact, it wasn’t until the later part of the 5th century that the sculptor Alkamenes showed Her in this way. However, She continued to be shown with a single face, by other artisans for quite some time. She also was seen as a beautiful young woman, and it wasn’t until more modern times that She was imagined to be an old crone. Epithets and Personality My Patroness was known as a loving and compassionate Mother Goddess; as well as connected to fertility. One of Her epithets was Kourotrophos, or “child’s nurse”. She was known as an apotropaic (evil averting) protector and Soteira (saviour). She also insisted that Her offerings be meals left for the poor to eat. In the 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia, the Suda, it is said: “‘From her one may learn whether it is better to be rich or to go hungry. For she says that those who have and are wealthy should send her a dinner each month, but that the poor among mankind should snatch it before they put it down’ For it was customary for the rich to offer loaves and other things to Hekate each month, and for the poor to take from them”. Her image was placed at the entrance of the city gates (which is why She is called “Propylaia” or “before the gate”), as well as at the entrances to every home. Goth Chick??? The nonsense of Her being the creepy goddess of dark magic...yes, I know I’ve heard them too. Sorcery, necromancy, the mysteries of the dead--She’s supposed to be the chthonic Goddess poster child. Right??? Wrong! While She is indeed the the goddess who appears the most often in the Greek Magical Papyri and curse tablets; you can trace her transformation back to the 5th century. It wasn’t until the rather late developing tale of Persephone’s abduction, that Hekate developed this chthonic reputation. After that, it wasn’t too long before She was ascribed the powers of sorceress. Mom’s Favorite??? Hekate does NOT give one group of people preferential treatment over another. She never did. She never will. At no time did She label any group of people “toxic”, “oppressive”, “fragile”, or “racists”, solely because of their skin color. The truth is that all people were welcome at Her rituals; and all could participate equally. This included the slaves and the free, the rich and the poor, the gay and the straight, the citizens and the foreigners, the women and the men. Who She’s Not My Mother may be angry right now, because Her name has been drug through the mud--but let me be clear: My Mother is NOT a Goddess of hate. She is known as Phosphoros, which means “The Light-Bringer” in Greek. She also does not hand out “entitlement cards” that allow certain individuals to have the privilege of judging other people’s hearts and souls based on their outward appearance, how they vote, where they live, or other secular and mundane issues. She is a Goddess who sees your very soul. You can’t lie to Her, you can’t hide. What to Do If You Can’t Handle the Truth So what do you do if you’re reading this right now, and realize that you are indeed harboring the Dark Shadows of Hate and Anger? Put down your mega phone. Step off your platform. Call your mentor, your priest or priestess. Cry. Get some therapy. Do some journaling and try to figure out where all that pain and fear came from...because fear is where hate grows. Take your time. Shadow Work is long, and hard, and painful. But I know from personal experience that it’s so worth it. THE SPACES BETWEENFollow Paisley Wilde on The Spaces Between as she journeys on her own Pagan Path. Paisley is a solitary Eclectic Pagan in north Idaho. The banks of Lake Pend Oreille is her home. Her radio show explores what is is to be a Pagan in today’s society, what is Paganism and how it is different from Shamanism. She invites you to join her journey and learn together. You can follow her on her YouTube Channel, or catch her live radio program "The Spaces Between "on TruthFrequency Radio, IHeart Radio, Tune In, Spotify, Apple Podcasts Google Play Podcasts, and Talk Stream Live, Friday Nights at 11:00.
Paisley is a real neat lady and just bursting with information and the desire to share it! Community Sigil
In our recent sigil workshop with Laura Tempest Zarkoff, members of some of the local groups and a fair number of solitaries worked with Laura to create a sigil representing our community. The object of the sigil is to help create a sense of community among the groups and solitaries of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Since that time, we have presented the sigil to many of the groups that were not present, and everyone seems to love it! Below is the sigil and the meanings of the components. Hope you like it too!
Children of the Crossroads
Children of the Crossroads is a local Wiccan coven dedicated to Hecate and Pan. They have started a neat project on YouTube called Witches and Wine. You can follow their discussions on YouTube or link through their Facebook page.
What Makes A Ritual Great
Reposted from Kylara's Musings, July 20, 2016, used with permission.
Ritual comes in all shapes and sizes. We can do ritual by ourselves, with our family, with our social group, with the larger community or (with the many digital options) with people across the globe! And yet I think there are some qualities that make rituals great that are often overlooked. It is lovely to attend a ritual where everything goes smoothly, where everyone who has a part plays it perfectly, and where the group meshes together towards the common focus seamlessly. And yet, I absolutely don't feel that is necessary to have a great ritual. I've been to quite a few rituals where a lot has gone 'wrong', but I walked away deeply moved and had a great time. So what is the purpose of ritual? I think that rituals can have many different goals, but ultimately they all help renew us. They touch a part of us deep inside, that connects to the sacredness of life, and help us to keep that spark nourished and healthy! Even when the ritual is exploring our darker aspects or perhaps it is a light and humorous ritual that encourages silly play, both can replenish our inner resources that get drained through the stresses and activities of life. I think one of the very basic 'rules' of ritual is that it is a safe place. Everyone at the ritual should feel that they are safe, not only on a purely physical level, but also on an emotional one. This isn't to say that deep and serious topics can not be touched, but simply that the other people at the ritual are there to support you and not to tear you down. It can not be a great ritual if people are mocking or judging others, especially when sharing personal details. Ritual is often a place where we push our own boundaries, and sometimes we need other people to help us, but ultimately, we should feel like we can say no to the things we are truly not ready for. We should never feel pressured at ritual to do something we are not comfortable with, no matter how simple that act may be. continued Magickal Names
by Wytcher, July 11, 2016
Sometimes we forget the things we say. Sometimes we forget how we say them. Sometimes we say whatever we want because we have the right. But when was the last time you reflected on the words you say? When was the last time you thought about how your words affect those around you? As witches, everything we say has impact. As people, everything we say has an impact.Words have Power. Real tangible power. Look at the news. Listen to the radio. Watch videos online. All of these sources have words flying out into the universe waiting to be empowered by the reactions and emotions of the ones who hear them. I say a word and feeling is attached to it. Slanderous words, created to be harmful, have power. Affirmations are designed to combat, and strike down, negativity with personal power and fulfillment. All of these words have an impact.
I could say I perform Hexes on a regular basis and you, the reader, are already forming an opinion. I haven’t told you how I hexed my wallet to never be empty. I haven’t told you I hexed the grounds outside of my home against intruders. But that word has an emotional tie to each of us in a different format. Words carry our thoughts, and emotions, giving them voice; and we direct that through prayers, fights, wooing in acts of love, and in acts of hate. read more .Note: Village Commons is always looking for content. If you would like to contribute, contact us.
Volcanoes and DreamsThe subject of volcanoes came up in a recent Squirrelly Dream Dabbling session. A volcanic eruption figured prominently in a dream one of the participants had.
So what does a volcano in a dream mean? It is usually associated with a conflict scenario. Dreams about earth-based dangers like volcanoes (or tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.) generally point to inner turmoil or emotional conflict in the dreamer's world. It is a warning from your subconscious that there is something going on in your waking life that needs your attention: a conflict that must be resolved. The volcano represents strong emotions held in check but bubbling just beneath the surface, ready to erupt. The usual emotion being held in check is anger: usually it is the anger the dreamer is bottling up, but it could be fear of someone else’s anger. Click here to go to blog. GargoylesGargoyles: a subject that feeds the intellect and fires the imagination. The word Gargoyle conjures images of fantastic creatures, cast in stone, perched atop European cathedrals and spouting water or a Saturday morning cartoon show or even a Hollywood TV show or horror movie.
Gothic-era Gargoyles generally resemble a demon, devil, dragon, half-human=half-animal creatures, or a caricature of real people or classes of people. Their original purpose was as a device used to shed rainwater from buildings primarily cathedrals and castles in Europe. Another purpose was to frighten off evil and protect those that it guards, such as a church’s parishioners. Unlike grotesques, gargoyles are usually part of the drainage system of a building. learn more The Spokane Area Pagan Business Directory
The Village Commons has assembled a list of pagan-owned and pagan-friendly businesses. Check it out! If you have a pagan-owned or pagan-friendly business, or service, contact us to be included!
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