PHOTO/C.S. Gilbert

The community circled to bless eight-month-old River.

36th Spiritfest honors elders, embraces youth

 

BY C.S. GILBERT

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

 

The 37th annual Spiritfest, a panPagan gathering held each Columbus Day weekend in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, made its own history this year with a ritual in remembrance of departed elders and full scholarships for all youngsters under age 18.

One of the honored elders, who died in the spring, was Judith Harrow, subject of the original Spiritfest story, which appeared in Solares Hill in November 2012. Another was Margot Adler, NPR reporter and author in the late 1970s of Calling Down the Moon, a bible of Wicca. She attended a number of Spiritfests, as did a young High Priestess named Star, who also passed through the veil to the Summerland, in Wiccan terms, this year. These were not the first losses experienced by the community but they occurred within a matter of months.

Also remembered in the inaugural ancestors’ ritual were Black Lotus, longtime leader of the annual Bardic Circle, and his partner, Alexai, both brilliant and immensely knowledgeable New Yorkers.

The majority of Spiritfesters are probably from the New York/New Jersey areas, most certainly from New England. But members also traveled from Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Oxford, England, as well as from Florida.

The scholarships, each equal the $250 registration cost for each parent and guardian at the retreat center, which has no special price for minors. They were made possible by the efforts of the community’s Strega Nona (named for a storybook witch), which several years ago began fundraising to ease the financial burden and encourage participation of more young parents with children and teens. The age range this year was 2 to 17. An eight-month-old named River, and Alex, 18, had attended in utero. The baby was blessed by the community this year, as she had been before her birth. (Since she wasn’t on the meal plan, she wasn’t counted among the 13 Strega Nona children.)

The youngest scholarship recipient was the great-grandson of two longtime active Spiritfesters, whose children and grandchildren (in addition to the toddler’s parents, another grandchild was present) had grown up attending the festival. There were also several older teens and 20-somethings, and one 40-something, who had grown up with the gathering..

These facts establish the pedigree and, one hopes, ensure the future of the gathering.

Like myriad other Pagan festivals held across the country each year, some predating this one, all traditions of polytheism are welcome—Wicca, Red Path, Norse, Kaballah and Greek among them; this year’s coordinators and next year’s are from the ancient Greek tradition. There are a substantial minority such as this writer who adhere to a hybrid faith, attested to by the wearing of the pentacle with ankhs, crosses, stars of David. The great-grandfather cited above is never without his yarmulke.

The difference here is that other such gatherings, including the Florida Pagan Fest, happily welcome hundreds if not more than a thousand participants. Spiritfest, in the interest of developing a close-knit and caring spiritual community, is deliberately kept small (roughly 130 attendees). By-laws forbid internet presence or any general publicity and the only way to receive an invitation to attend is from a veteran Spiritfester.

The festival itself follows the expected conference format: Plenaries — ritual circles or community meetings; workshops; socials and free time for hanging out. Among the well-attended workshops were HooDoo 101, Creating Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs (which have more to do with protection of livestock and crops than hexing), Drawing Celtic Knots and Caring for Caregivers.

The 38th Spiritfest is set for same time, same place next year.

Writer’s note: In the interest of maintaining the festival’s privacy, some details in this account have been changed.

 

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