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Previous Years
2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
2007 Presenter's list
Performing Live on Saturday Night will be Skinny White Chick is a fanciful union of talents, bringing together captivating music, magic, fire, and humor to honor the universe and all the passions it contains. At the core of the band is S. J. Tucker, a petite force of nature named Queen of the Bards by her colleagues, and the maddest hatter on the Bardic path by her audience. The band in its various forms is known to include saxophone, flute, cello, and a wealth of drums, as well as S. J.'s crystal-clear vocals and trickling guitar. "Though rooted in streetwise sensibility, Tucker’s lyrics evoke magic. They swell up from the underworld where so many artists venture but few truly understand. So young, and yet so bloody old! She can span Maiden, Mother and Crone in a single song, then spin them all together by the next." Website: http://www.skinnywhitechick.com
Skinny White Chick
Often ramped up by accompanying fire shows led by fire performer and instructor Kevin K. Wiley, recent Skinny White Chick concerts have been described both as chock-full of healing energy, and orgasmic. Whatever S.J. and her cohorts bring to the stage, you won't soon forget the experience--they have everything from walks through the Labyrinth to an alligator tango up their sleeves!
-Phil Brucato, NewWitch Magazine
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/sjtuckerskinnywhitechick
CD's will be available.
BILLY BARDO ~ From the rare and extraordinary childhood in the Adirondack mountains, to his creative and fulfilling adulthood in the here-and-now, Billy Bardo has apparently lived a charmed existence. Through out his "23" years as a 'Man of the Craft' he has become well known as a Metalsmith, Bard, Teacher, and wholeyman. He is also a performer, mask maker, father, husband, dancer, designer, preacher, gardener, and a damn fine cook, although he is perhaps best known for his cool hats.
BILLY BARDO ~ From the rare and extraordinary childhood in the Adirondack mountains, to his creative and fulfilling adulthood in the here-and-now, Billy Bardo has apparently lived a charmed existence. Through out his "23" years as a 'Man of the Craft' he has become well known as a Metalsmith, Bard, Teacher, and wholeyman. He is also a performer, mask maker, father, husband, dancer, designer, preacher, gardener, and a damn fine cook, although he is perhaps best known for his cool hats.
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JIM DONOVAN ~ As a founding member of multi-platinum selling recording artists Rusted Root, Jim Donovan has had the great fortune of sharing in helping millions of people all over the globe dance, smile and sweat since 1990. They have sold in excess of three million recordings, made countless trips around North America where they had the great fortune of sharing the stage with such Rock and Roll legends as Santana, Page and Plant, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead and many others. They have appeared on numerous national TV shows, including MTV, FX, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien VH-1’s Hard Rock Live and the CBS Morning Show. Their music has been featured on numerous television shows as well as major motion films such as Ice Age, Mathilda, Twister and the PBS Web of Life Documentary. Fulfilling his desire to share the power of rhythm first hand to people, Donovan has built a series of educational drumming workshop programs that he teaches across the US and Europe at universities, festivals, schools, corporations and specialty venues. He is an instructor of music at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA and is the current director of the Saint Francis University World Drumming Ensemble. Donovan is a featured monthly columnist in Drum! Magazine, the worlds number one drumming magazine and was nominated for “Best Rock Pop Percussionist” in Drum! Magazine's Readers poll. Visit Jim on the web at JimDonovanMusic.com |
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A’ALYVYNE FOXWOOD ~ is an Initiate witch and Priestess in a traditional Celtic (coven) of the Old Religion, Foxwood Temple, as well as an herbalist, faery seer, and drummer. A’alyvyne integrates the Old Religion into every aspect of her life, working through a trifold philosophy of service, study and celebration to ignite the world with her passion for the inherent magick in all things. She has developed skills in the areas of faery seership, earth medicine, ritual facilitation and rhythmic trancework, as well as being an accomplished tarot reader for over the past 16 years. First and foremost a seeker and servant of the Old Ways, A’alyvyne lives in Maryland with her partner and best friend under the (mostly) beneficent rule of their two dogs and cat. A’alyvyne holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Counseling and is a child welfare attorney and activist for social justice, consulting on domestic cases involving religious discrimination with the Lady Liberty League. |
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HRANA JANTO ~ is an artist long inhabiting the realms of History, Fantasy, Myth and The Sacred. Raised and abetted by artist-parents in, she graduated from NYC's High School of Art and Design and received a BFA from The Cooper Union. She then studied at the School of Sacred Arts while starting her career as a professional Artist and Illustrator. Painting Goddesses has been an ongoing longtime passion. Hrana's commissioned works include paintings for the PBS series "Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth" with Bill Moyers, numerous book covers and calendars (for Llewellyn Publications and Amber Lotus among others). Hrana co-created the internationally published "The Goddess Oracle" deck, featuring her art and calligraphy (US Games). Most recently, Hrana co-created and illustrated "108 Yoga Poses" for Alpha Books. Children's Illustration is another focus. Hrana has painted for a multitude of publishers including Cricket magazine, Macmillan/Mcgraw Simon and Schuster. "King for a Day" by Meish Goldish, is a book she illustrated for Scott Foresman/Pearson. She also creates portraits and private commissions. |
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E.H. "Rick" JAROW, Ph.D. ~ Teacher, and facilitator of interior journeys through meditation and the therapeutic arts, teacher of meditation, creativity, and life-alignment, author of Alchemy of Abundance, Creating the Work You Love, The Advanced Manifestation Program, Your Life's Work: the Ultimate Anti-Career Guide, In Search of the Sacred, The Yoga of Work, and numerous articles, tapes, and cd’s. He is currently a Professor of Religious Studies at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is a former Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at Columbia University. Drawing from his background in religious studies, small business, years spent in India as a researcher and practitioner of yoga and the healing arts, and a calling to serve, Rick has founded the popular "Anti-Career workshops" that have now been taught in institutions all over the world. |
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CAIT JOHNSON is the author of several books on Tarot, seasonal celebrations, the four elements, and magical cooking (and eating). She is an intuitive counselor with a private practice in Rhinebeck, and she writes for five free online newsletters dedicated to healthier, greener living (see www.care2.com). In her off hours she writes poetry, facilitates seasonal rituals, communes with her two feline familiars, and howls at the moon. She believes that the sensual and the sacred are indivisible, and she is dedicated to helping others trust their inner guidance and love themselves exactly as they are.
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DONA HO LIGHTSEY ~ Celestial Shaman, Angelic Soundhealer, Ordained Priestess, Channel for the Ascended Masters, IET Master/Instructor, Serenity Vibration Healing Practitioner and NYS Licensed Massage therapist. Dona has been a holistic health practitioner for almost 20 years. She intuitively combines many different modalities to co-create transmutation for the body, mind and soul. Working with the Angelic Realm and Ascended masters, she channels the highest frequencies from the Heart of “ALL THAT IS”- God/dess to create deep healing and manifest change for the higher good. Dona holds monthly ‘Mystery school classes’ which include channeled meditations, teachings, soundhealings activations, where we have the opportunity to commune directly with many Deities and Archangels. She recently released her first CD of channeled songs from different aspects of the Goddess/ Divine Feminine, Called “The Lotus and the Rose, offerings from the Chalice”. Dona also offers workshops for Goddess Initiations, Egyptian Alchemy & Sacred Relationship and IET certification. New Paltz, NY is where Dona works and lives with her husband and 2 children. Find out more about Dona Ho at www.violetalchemyhealing.com |
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LADY RHEA has been an initiate in the Craft since Feb. 2nd 1973. Her High Priest Ed Buczynski - Lord Gwyddion, was the co owner of the famous Warlock Shop, later known as The Magickal Childe, which she had worked. Herman Slater was both elder and mentor in her life. She had co owned Enchantments, NYC and currently operates Magickal Realms in the Bronx with her partner, Lady Zoradia. She is the co founding Mother of the Minoan Sisterhood, and High Priestess to Carol Bulzone, Phyllis Curott and Lexa Rosean. Author and creator of the “Enchanted Candle” magick system (carved and glittered spell candles), and her most recent book “The Enchanted Formulary” released September 2006. She is currently working on a new pagan tradition called “Wycaria” which is a pagan approach to working with the Orisha’s in Santeria in an all vegan magickal system. She is an active Buddhist, and uses meditation and Buddhist practices in much of her work. Lady Rhea is a free willed eclectic witch. Find out more about Lady Rhea's shop Magical Realm.
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DEBORAH LIPP is the author of four books: Elements of Ritual, The Way of Four, The Way of Four Spellbook and The Ultimate James Bond Fan Book. One of these things is not like the other. Deborah became a Gardnerian Witch in 1982 and a High Priestess in 1986, and has been teaching Wicca and running Pagan circles ever since. She’s been published in many Pagan publications, including newWitch, and The Llewellyn Magical Almanac. She is also a lifetime member of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) and was on the original Board of Directors of that organization. She has taught at numerous Pagan festivals on a variety of topics. As an active "out of the closet" member of the Pagan community, Deborah has appeared in various media discussing Wicca, most notably on the A&E documentary Ancient Mysteries: Witchcraft in America. She has also appeared on MSNBC, in The New York Times, and in many smaller TV and print sources. In "real life" Deborah is a technical writer. She lives in Rockland County, New York, with her son, Arthur, and their cats Mingo and Fanty (Fanty is prettier). Deborah reads and teaches Tarot, designs wire-and-bead jewelry, solves and designs puzzles, watches old movies, hand-paints furniture, and dabbles in numerous handcrafts. To find out more about Deborah visit her @ Deborah Lipp. |
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SHARYNNE MACLEOD NICMHACHA is a Canadian writer, teacher and bard of Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestry, a direct descendant of Clan MacLeod, long recorded in oral tradition to have connections with (and blood of) the Aes Síde or Fairy Folk. She has studied Celtic languages and mythology through Harvard University, where she has presented and published a number of research papers on ancient Celtic religion (Harvard Celtic Colloquium, Ford Foundation Celtic Lecture Series, Harvard Graduate Study Group on Ancient Magic and Religion). Sharynne is a Faculty Member of the Celtic Institute of North America, and has taught and presented work at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, University College Cork in Ireland, Smith College, the Omega Institute, Kripalu and Rowe Center. She is a long-term shamanic / druidic practitioner and Celtic priestess, and her ancestry includes the kings and queens of Tara, King Arthur’s sister Anna Morgawse, Uther Pendragon, and a number of Pictish princesses. Her spiritual tradition combines ancient Celtic ritual and invocation with druidic lore and vision texts, the inherited wisdom of her ancestral lineage, and multi-level shamanic pathworking into the realms of the Sidhe. Sharynne is a professional singer and musician specializing in ancient, Celtic and medieval music, having performed previously with The Moors whose award-winning CD received airplay in North America, Europe and the Near East (and more recently with the upcoming project Devandaurae). Her first book, Queen of the Night: Rediscovering the Celtic Moon Goddess is published by Red Wheel / Weiser Press (San Francisco), to be followed by another work on the Divine Feminine due out in the Fall of 2007. For more info about Sharynne contact Dun na Sidhe, hosted by www.mobiusbandwidth.com. |
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DOROTHY MORRISON ~ Dubbed by Publishers Weekly as “a witch to watch,” Dorothy Morrison has garnered numerous awards for her writing, including the 1999 COVR Visionary Award for Best General Interest Book (awarded for Everyday Magic) and the 2000 COVR Visionary Award - Best Biographical Memoirs (awarded for In Praise of the Crone: A Celebration of Feminine Maturity). Morrison’s other works - The Craft; The Craft Companion; Bud, Blossom and Leaf; Yule; The Whimsical Tarot, Enchantments of the Heart, Magical Needlework, Everyday Tarot Magic, Everyday Moon Magic, Everyday Sun Magic, and Dancing the Goddess Incarnate -have consistently won Morrison the high praise of readers and critics from all walks of life. A Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess of the Georgian Tradition, she founded the Coven of the Crystal Garden in 1986, and spent many years teaching the Craft to students in eight states and in Australia. Not one to rest on her laurels, Morrison holds a voracious tour schedule, and is currently ensconced in the studies of the RavenMyst Circle Tradition. To find out more about Dorothy visit her @The Morrison Manor |
MICHELLE PAYTON has written a variety of books—award-winning Adventures of a Mainstream Metaphysical Mom, “Soul”utions, and the award-winning Birth Mix Patterns series. She has touched people world-wide as a seasoned radio guest, as a writer for numerous regional and national publications, with empowering one-on-one sessions, as a workshop leader, and as owner and operator of an international wholesale company called The Left Side which is known for its thousands of quality body, mind, spirit-focused products, and services. She has a Bachelors in Communication Arts, is trained in Hypnotherapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming™, and has been an accomplished national brand marketing professional for over twenty years resulting in extensive advertising, marketing, research, writing, speaking and business building background. She, her husband and life partner since 1982, and three children currently reside in Columbus, Ohio. Find her at websites michellepayton.net, and theleftside.com.
MICHELLE PAYTON has written a variety of books—award-winning Adventures of a Mainstream Metaphysical Mom, “Soul”utions, and the award-winning Birth Mix Patterns series. She has touched people world-wide as a seasoned radio guest, as a writer for numerous regional and national publications, with empowering one-on-one sessions, as a workshop leader, and as owner and operator of an international wholesale company called The Left Side which is known for its thousands of quality body, mind, spirit-focused products, and services. She has a Bachelors in Communication Arts, is trained in Hypnotherapy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming™, and has been an accomplished national brand marketing professional for over twenty years resulting in extensive advertising, marketing, research, writing, speaking and business building background. She, her husband and life partner since 1982, and three children currently reside in Columbus, Ohio. Find her at websites michellepayton.net, and theleftside.com.
DANA RUDIKOFF ~ Dana is fascinated by the potential of movement and dance as a tool for expanding consciousness and deepening our connections with ourselves and others. Dana has been dancing ever since she was a little girl. She has been exploring spontaneous, improvisational movement for the past eighteen years, and Contact Improvisation since 1997. She has also studied ballet, modern dance, West African dance, yoga and Authentic Movement. Her love of movement and play infuses her life’s path.
DANA RUDIKOFF ~ Dana is fascinated by the potential of movement and dance as a tool for expanding consciousness and deepening our connections with ourselves and others. Dana has been dancing ever since she was a little girl. She has been exploring spontaneous, improvisational movement for the past eighteen years, and Contact Improvisation since 1997. She has also studied ballet, modern dance, West African dance, yoga and Authentic Movement. Her love of movement and play infuses her life’s path.
MICHAEL SIEGER ~ Born in 1955, Michael has been a student, teacher and researcher in Western and Eastern metaphysical and healing arts for more than 30 years, and is a practitioner of many disciplines including Alchemy, Kabbalah, Kundalini yoga, and Wicca. Michael is a long-time practitioner of the art of using sound and the voice for healing the body. He is a member of the Sound Healers Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1982 and dedicated to research and awareness of the uses of sound and music as therapeutic and transformational modalities. Michael has studied sound healing with Jonathan Goldman and Sarah Benson two of the pioneers in the field of Sound Healing. He has also studied with Lama Tashi, who was the chant master for the Dalai Lama. Michael is actively working to bring the healing nature of sound into mainstream awareness.
MICHAEL SIEGER ~ Born in 1955, Michael has been a student, teacher and researcher in Western and Eastern metaphysical and healing arts for more than 30 years, and is a practitioner of many disciplines including Alchemy, Kabbalah, Kundalini yoga, and Wicca. Michael is a long-time practitioner of the art of using sound and the voice for healing the body. He is a member of the Sound Healers Association, a non-profit organization founded in 1982 and dedicated to research and awareness of the uses of sound and music as therapeutic and transformational modalities. Michael has studied sound healing with Jonathan Goldman and Sarah Benson two of the pioneers in the field of Sound Healing. He has also studied with Lama Tashi, who was the chant master for the Dalai Lama. Michael is actively working to bring the healing nature of sound into mainstream awareness.
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LISA SULLIVAN ~ Lisa is the creator and developer of the altar tool/prayer process “I Surrender This” ®, which was created as a means to cope when her son deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in October of 2003. Lisa has a BA in Psychology, a 2 year certificate in Transformational Healing and is trained and certified as an Angel Therapy Practitioner ®, under Doreen Virtue Ph.D. She has taken Dr Virtues “Professional Spiritual Teachers Training” Program. She has been a long time student of both science and spirituality gaining much in-site from people such as Wayne Dyer, Ernest Holmes, Deepak Chopra and Doreen Virtue. She views herself as a deeply spiritual person who looks at the world through rose colored glasses. All things are possible in her world. She is the mother of two grown children and sees them as the greatest teachers in her life. Find out more about "I Surrender This"®. |
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ROB WANDELL ~ Rob made his first drum in 1986, in the very early days of the hand drum phenomenon in this country. Now, he makes and sells drums, teaches, gives seminars, runs drum building workshops, and co-owns Imagicka, an eclectic shop in Binghamton , NY . It is his calling, and he gave up a job as an electrical engineer to focus on bringing percussion to the people, and feeding the growing drum circles in the U.S. Rob has provided drums for Baba Olatunji, Jim Donovan, The Hix, Nery Arevelo workshops, Mz Imani, Abbi Spinner, and many other professionals. |
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RIVA WEINSTEIN is an artist and writer whose work embodies themes of ritual, nature and sacredness. She works with detritus, salvaged, natural and precious materials. Her workshops have been featured in New York and Los Angeles, most recently as Artist in Residence at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. Seeds of Peace: 18 Life Affirming Found Objects from Nature, is included in Exit Art’s Reactions, a part of the Smithsonian permanent collection. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Biennial. She is at work on Magic Medicine: Art Prayers and Visual Blessings from her home in New York’s majestic, mystical Hudson River Valley. For more information about Riva's work go to modernsacred.com. |
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AMY WILDE, owner of Castle Art & Import Business, has been importing henna since 1997. She has worked with the medium since then and has actively participated in many workshops held by www.hennapage.com., and is one of the approved suppliers for the page. Amy also has INCHA certification for henna through them as well, which strives for safety and informed use of henna. Amy attends many fairs, festivals and conventions during the year and holds workshops in local Wisconsin Libraries. Check out Amy's work @ www.castleart.com. |
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KEVIN K. WILEY ~ Professional fire artist, dancer, and magician Kevin K Wiley combines fire play, poi spinning, silk spinning, LED-poi light shows, and gymnastic stilt-walking with live, original music by Skinny White Chick. In the eye of his one-man hurricane, K has brought a new project called Fire & Strings to an explosively popular genesis. Fire & Strings has been touring the nation since its inception, as an enchanting subset of already magical Skinny White Chick performances. In between shows, K offers classes in basic, intermediate, or advanced poi spinning technique, tricks, transitions, and dance, introductory fire spinning, and fire safety. Known for his grace in performance and his humor in person, K also works with the Colorado Fire Tribe, the Flash Point Fire troupe, and the Burning Man Fire Conclave. For more information about Kevin check out http://www.fireandstrings.com/index.php |
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JIM WOOD is a Shamanic Practioner recently relocated to the majestic Hudson Valley. He has trained with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies as well as noted Shamanic teachers Tom Cowan, Sandra Ingerman and Gwilda Wyiaka. He currently teaches workshops and co-facilitates a Men's Shamanic Retreat on both the East and West coasts with Tom Cowan. He also facilitates a Shamanic Drumming Circle and offers shamanic healing. |
2006
T. THORN COYLE ~ Author of "Evolutionary Witchcraft" (Tarcher/Penguin), Thorn has been a student of magic for almost 25 years and seeks to blend the science of the Magician with the art of the Witch. Founder of the Morningstar School of Magical Arts, she is an Anderson Feri and Reclaiming Tradition initiate and teaches internationally, leading weekend workshops and long-term training programs. Thorn is an activist, dancer, singer, and seeker living in San Francisco. Visit
ThornCoyle for more information.
ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM is a novelist, lover of song, counselor, and interfaith priestess. Her new novel The Passion of Mary Magdalen , centerpiece of The Maeve Chronicles , is due out in April, 2006. Pre-publication copies will be available at AkashaCon. Elizabeth coordinates celebrations of the Celtic Cross Quarter festivals at High Valley in Clinton Corners, New York. highvalley.org
PHYLLIS CUROTT ~ Wiccan High Priestess and activist attorney, Phyllis Curott is also the best-selling author of The Love Spell (Gotham Books 2005), Book of Shadows and WitchCrafting. Jane Magazine honored her as one of The Ten Gutsiest Women of the Year , and New York Magazine described her as one of the city's most intellectually cutting edge speakers. A member of the esteemed Assembly of World Religious Leaders, an interfaith and First Amendment activist and member of the Lady Liberty League, Phyllis Curott is an outspoken advocate for Wiccan/Pagan religious freedom in the media and the courts. She has successfully won the right of Wiccan clergy to perform legally binding marriages and rituals in public parks and has consulted on many religious liberties cases. Curott is founder of the Temple of Ara , one of the oldest Wiccan congregations in America , a shamanic tradition dedicated to the experience and ethics of immanent divinity.
PHILIP H. FARBER ~ author of FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century , a manual of neurological exploration. His articles on magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine , The Journal of Hypnotism , Hypnosis Today , Mondo 2000 , High Times , Paradigm Shift , and other unique publications and web sites. Phil is a Certified Hypnotherapist and a Licensed Trainer of Neuro-linguistic Programming, with a private practice in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley.
DONNA HENES, Urban Shaman, is a contemporary ceremonialist specializing in multi-cultural ritual celebration of the cycles of the seasons and the seasons of our lives. She is the author of The Queen of My Self, The Moon Watcher's Companion, Celestially Auspicious Occasions, and Dressing Our Wounds In Warm Clothes, as well as the CD, Reverence To Her : Mythology, TheMatriarchy & Me. She is also the editor and publisher of the highly acclaimed quarterly journal, Always In Season: Living In Sync with the Cycles. In 1982, she composed the first (and to this date, the only) satellite peace message in space: "chants for peace * chance for peace." Mama Donna, as she is affectionately known, has offered lectures, workshops, circles, and celebrations worldwide for 30 years. She is the director of Mama Donna's Tea Garden & Healing Haven, a ceremonial center, ritual consultancy and spirit shop in Exotic Brooklyn, New York. www.DonnaHennes.net
ORION FOXWOOD ~ founder of the Foxwood Temple of the Old Religion and the Co-Director of the Moonridge Center- both in Maryland . He received a Master of Human Services Degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and is a licensed professional counselor. Orion is an Elder in Celtic Traditional Witchcraft, High Priest in Alexandrian Wicca and a Witch in the Welsh Cymry Tradition. He is a practicing Cunningman in the Faery Seership Tradition and has taught Faery Seership, Traditional Witchcraft, Southern American Folk Magic and other magical arts around the country for 20 years. He is the author of the book entitled The Faery Teachings published by Muse Press (2003).
PRISCILLA KERESEY is an Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist, certified in Past Life Regression therapy, certified as an Instructor/Cultivator of Qi Gong, and presently working towards a Master's degree in Divinity at the Beloved Community Seminary. She is a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, and a certified practitioner of EFT, a form of energy medicine. She currently give workshops for individuals and corporate clients on weight loss, stress relief, smoking cessation, and the benefits of hypnotherapy in Putnam and Westchester Counties, New York, and has a private practice in both Manhattan and Putnam Valley.
JUDITH KNAUSS has been interested in magic and mystery as long as she can remember, and began by reading everything she could get her hands on. She went on to study with others (including Gardnerian and Alexandrian witches) before deciding that at heart she is just your basic down-to-earth, garden-variety pagan.
JOAN MADONNA is a Reiki Master and herbalist who studied in the tradition of the wise woman ways. Growing and using medicinal herbs to heal family and friends has been a passion for over twenty years. She apprenticed with Pam Montgomery, and studied with Amanda Crawford, Rosemary Gladstar, Susan Weed and explored plant spirit medicine with Elliot Cowan. She is a mother of four amazing children and works with her plant allies daily at the Adams Greenhouse in Poughkeepsie.
ABIGAIL SPINNER McBRIDE ~ is a musician and healer, based in Las Vegas. She has sixteen years of experience working in the performing arts field, creating music and magic. Abbi is a highly skilled facilitator of firecircle technology, and the co-author of The Magical Alchemy of the Fire Circle . Her latest album, Enter the Center is a collection of her original music that has been inspired by the fire circles. Abbi is also the lead singer and percussionist for Zingaia. Her recent release, Dancers of Twilight, has won critical acclaim. She travels worldwide, performing magic, dancing, and teaching drumming and movement workshops. She spends her free time practicing the art of levitation as lead assistant to magician Jeff McBride.
JEFF McBRIDE ~ Jeff "Magnus" McBride has been voted Magician of the Year by Hollywood 's Magic Castle . He is a performance magician, alchemist and educator in ritual theater, known around the world for his extensive magical work with masks. Jeff has been seen on many TV specials, including ABC's Champions of Magic, NBC's Worlds Greatest Magic, PBS' The Art of Magic. He has also been seen on the Discovery Channel's Mysteries of Magic, where Jeff served as a consultant on shamanism and ritual magic. Jeff is also a founder of The Mystery School of Magic, the McBride Magical Arts Center , the Vegas Vortex, and FIREDANCE. He has been facilitating Fire Circle Rituals at festivals throughout the world for over a decade. Currently, Jeff is headlining at the Greek Isles hotel on the strip, in Las Vegas at the World's Greatest Magic Show. For more info visit McBride Magic
MARK MICHAELS and PATRICIA JOHNSON are a devoted married couple. They are senior students of Dr. John Mumford (Swami Annadakapila Saraswati). They have been named by swamiji as lineage holders of the OM Kara Kriya system. They are authorized to initiate students into advanced tantric practices including Babaji's Naga Pranyama (Cobra Breath). Mark is a graduate of New York University School of Law and holds master degrees from NYU and Yale. Patricia is a professional operatic soprano and has been a serious student of tantra for over 10 years. Please check their website for more information at TantraPM
CHRISTOPHER PENCZAK is a practicing eclectic witch, studying the crafts of wisdom & healing from across the globe. He is a Reiki Master in the Usui-Tibetan tradition, as well as an ordained minister, flower essence consultant and Tarot reader. His several books on magick include City Magick, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, the Witch's Shield and the Magick of Reiki. His classes are a blend of traditional material and a multicultural view point with practical hands-on experience, encouraging everyone to find their own personal path and tradition. ChristopherPenczak
ANDREW STEED is a shamanic practitioner, inspirational speaker, corporate trainer and storyteller. He is a Celtic Bard, adventurer and a practitioner of healing therapies. He leads annual pilgrimages to sacred sites in the British Isles and Ireland . Described by fellow travelers as the very ‘Merlin' himself. Andrew brings a deep wisdom, a joyful vibrant energy, heaps of humor, & magical tales, as he dances his dance, and sings his song. Andrew was born in England in 1963, he has studied communications and theatre arts in London. Dramatherapy in St. Albans . He has worked with many indigenous teachers of the First People of the U.S.A., including Brooke Medicine Eagle. He has studied Celtic Shamanism with teachers including Tom Cowan and Martin Duffy. He is a firewalker, song keeper, and medicine man.
BARBARA UPTON is a hypnotherapist, artist, activist and writer, currently working on her book, "Holy Sex! Celebrating Woman, Her Bliss and Her Erotic Healing Power." She is the founder of Waking Planet, home of the new world peace flag, which represents the peace available within us and in the world www.wakingplanet.com. Barbara's guided meditation tapes, uniquely created Soul Cards, workshops and women's circles assist people in accessing their deep, authentic selves, and in discovering their divine purpose and inner joy.
ROB WANDELL ~ Rob made his first drum in 1986, in the very early days of the hand drum phenomenon in this country. Now, he makes and sells drums, teaches, gives seminars, runs drum building workshops, and co-owns Imagicka, an eclectic shop in Binghamton , NY . It is his calling, and he gave up a job as an electrical engineer to focus on bringing percussion to the people, and feeding the growing drum circles in the U.S. Rob has provided drums for Baba Olatunji, Jim Donovan, The Hix, Nery Arevelo workshops, Mz Imani, Abbi Spinner, and many other professionals.
2006
T. THORN COYLE ~ Author of "Evolutionary Witchcraft" (Tarcher/Penguin), Thorn has been a student of magic for almost 25 years and seeks to blend the science of the Magician with the art of the Witch. Founder of the Morningstar School of Magical Arts, she is an Anderson Feri and Reclaiming Tradition initiate and teaches internationally, leading weekend workshops and long-term training programs. Thorn is an activist, dancer, singer, and seeker living in San Francisco. Visit
ThornCoyle for more information.
ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM is a novelist, lover of song, counselor, and interfaith priestess. Her new novel The Passion of Mary Magdalen , centerpiece of The Maeve Chronicles , is due out in April, 2006. Pre-publication copies will be available at AkashaCon. Elizabeth coordinates celebrations of the Celtic Cross Quarter festivals at High Valley in Clinton Corners, New York. highvalley.org
PHYLLIS CUROTT ~ Wiccan High Priestess and activist attorney, Phyllis Curott is also the best-selling author of The Love Spell (Gotham Books 2005), Book of Shadows and WitchCrafting. Jane Magazine honored her as one of The Ten Gutsiest Women of the Year , and New York Magazine described her as one of the city's most intellectually cutting edge speakers. A member of the esteemed Assembly of World Religious Leaders, an interfaith and First Amendment activist and member of the Lady Liberty League, Phyllis Curott is an outspoken advocate for Wiccan/Pagan religious freedom in the media and the courts. She has successfully won the right of Wiccan clergy to perform legally binding marriages and rituals in public parks and has consulted on many religious liberties cases. Curott is founder of the Temple of Ara , one of the oldest Wiccan congregations in America , a shamanic tradition dedicated to the experience and ethics of immanent divinity.
PHILIP H. FARBER ~ author of FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century , a manual of neurological exploration. His articles on magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine , The Journal of Hypnotism , Hypnosis Today , Mondo 2000 , High Times , Paradigm Shift , and other unique publications and web sites. Phil is a Certified Hypnotherapist and a Licensed Trainer of Neuro-linguistic Programming, with a private practice in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley.
DONNA HENES, Urban Shaman, is a contemporary ceremonialist specializing in multi-cultural ritual celebration of the cycles of the seasons and the seasons of our lives. She is the author of The Queen of My Self, The Moon Watcher's Companion, Celestially Auspicious Occasions, and Dressing Our Wounds In Warm Clothes, as well as the CD, Reverence To Her : Mythology, TheMatriarchy & Me. She is also the editor and publisher of the highly acclaimed quarterly journal, Always In Season: Living In Sync with the Cycles. In 1982, she composed the first (and to this date, the only) satellite peace message in space: "chants for peace * chance for peace." Mama Donna, as she is affectionately known, has offered lectures, workshops, circles, and celebrations worldwide for 30 years. She is the director of Mama Donna's Tea Garden & Healing Haven, a ceremonial center, ritual consultancy and spirit shop in Exotic Brooklyn, New York. www.DonnaHennes.net
ORION FOXWOOD ~ founder of the Foxwood Temple of the Old Religion and the Co-Director of the Moonridge Center- both in Maryland . He received a Master of Human Services Degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and is a licensed professional counselor. Orion is an Elder in Celtic Traditional Witchcraft, High Priest in Alexandrian Wicca and a Witch in the Welsh Cymry Tradition. He is a practicing Cunningman in the Faery Seership Tradition and has taught Faery Seership, Traditional Witchcraft, Southern American Folk Magic and other magical arts around the country for 20 years. He is the author of the book entitled The Faery Teachings published by Muse Press (2003).
PRISCILLA KERESEY is an Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist, certified in Past Life Regression therapy, certified as an Instructor/Cultivator of Qi Gong, and presently working towards a Master's degree in Divinity at the Beloved Community Seminary. She is a certified member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, and a certified practitioner of EFT, a form of energy medicine. She currently give workshops for individuals and corporate clients on weight loss, stress relief, smoking cessation, and the benefits of hypnotherapy in Putnam and Westchester Counties, New York, and has a private practice in both Manhattan and Putnam Valley.
JUDITH KNAUSS has been interested in magic and mystery as long as she can remember, and began by reading everything she could get her hands on. She went on to study with others (including Gardnerian and Alexandrian witches) before deciding that at heart she is just your basic down-to-earth, garden-variety pagan.
JOAN MADONNA is a Reiki Master and herbalist who studied in the tradition of the wise woman ways. Growing and using medicinal herbs to heal family and friends has been a passion for over twenty years. She apprenticed with Pam Montgomery, and studied with Amanda Crawford, Rosemary Gladstar, Susan Weed and explored plant spirit medicine with Elliot Cowan. She is a mother of four amazing children and works with her plant allies daily at the Adams Greenhouse in Poughkeepsie.
ABIGAIL SPINNER McBRIDE ~ is a musician and healer, based in Las Vegas. She has sixteen years of experience working in the performing arts field, creating music and magic. Abbi is a highly skilled facilitator of firecircle technology, and the co-author of The Magical Alchemy of the Fire Circle . Her latest album, Enter the Center is a collection of her original music that has been inspired by the fire circles. Abbi is also the lead singer and percussionist for Zingaia. Her recent release, Dancers of Twilight, has won critical acclaim. She travels worldwide, performing magic, dancing, and teaching drumming and movement workshops. She spends her free time practicing the art of levitation as lead assistant to magician Jeff McBride.
JEFF McBRIDE ~ Jeff "Magnus" McBride has been voted Magician of the Year by Hollywood 's Magic Castle . He is a performance magician, alchemist and educator in ritual theater, known around the world for his extensive magical work with masks. Jeff has been seen on many TV specials, including ABC's Champions of Magic, NBC's Worlds Greatest Magic, PBS' The Art of Magic. He has also been seen on the Discovery Channel's Mysteries of Magic, where Jeff served as a consultant on shamanism and ritual magic. Jeff is also a founder of The Mystery School of Magic, the McBride Magical Arts Center , the Vegas Vortex, and FIREDANCE. He has been facilitating Fire Circle Rituals at festivals throughout the world for over a decade. Currently, Jeff is headlining at the Greek Isles hotel on the strip, in Las Vegas at the World's Greatest Magic Show. For more info visit McBride Magic
MARK MICHAELS and PATRICIA JOHNSON are a devoted married couple. They are senior students of Dr. John Mumford (Swami Annadakapila Saraswati). They have been named by swamiji as lineage holders of the OM Kara Kriya system. They are authorized to initiate students into advanced tantric practices including Babaji's Naga Pranyama (Cobra Breath). Mark is a graduate of New York University School of Law and holds master degrees from NYU and Yale. Patricia is a professional operatic soprano and has been a serious student of tantra for over 10 years. Please check their website for more information at TantraPM
CHRISTOPHER PENCZAK is a practicing eclectic witch, studying the crafts of wisdom & healing from across the globe. He is a Reiki Master in the Usui-Tibetan tradition, as well as an ordained minister, flower essence consultant and Tarot reader. His several books on magick include City Magick, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft, the Witch's Shield and the Magick of Reiki. His classes are a blend of traditional material and a multicultural view point with practical hands-on experience, encouraging everyone to find their own personal path and tradition. ChristopherPenczak
ANDREW STEED is a shamanic practitioner, inspirational speaker, corporate trainer and storyteller. He is a Celtic Bard, adventurer and a practitioner of healing therapies. He leads annual pilgrimages to sacred sites in the British Isles and Ireland . Described by fellow travelers as the very ‘Merlin' himself. Andrew brings a deep wisdom, a joyful vibrant energy, heaps of humor, & magical tales, as he dances his dance, and sings his song. Andrew was born in England in 1963, he has studied communications and theatre arts in London. Dramatherapy in St. Albans . He has worked with many indigenous teachers of the First People of the U.S.A., including Brooke Medicine Eagle. He has studied Celtic Shamanism with teachers including Tom Cowan and Martin Duffy. He is a firewalker, song keeper, and medicine man.
BARBARA UPTON is a hypnotherapist, artist, activist and writer, currently working on her book, "Holy Sex! Celebrating Woman, Her Bliss and Her Erotic Healing Power." She is the founder of Waking Planet, home of the new world peace flag, which represents the peace available within us and in the world www.wakingplanet.com. Barbara's guided meditation tapes, uniquely created Soul Cards, workshops and women's circles assist people in accessing their deep, authentic selves, and in discovering their divine purpose and inner joy.
ROB WANDELL ~ Rob made his first drum in 1986, in the very early days of the hand drum phenomenon in this country. Now, he makes and sells drums, teaches, gives seminars, runs drum building workshops, and co-owns Imagicka, an eclectic shop in Binghamton , NY . It is his calling, and he gave up a job as an electrical engineer to focus on bringing percussion to the people, and feeding the growing drum circles in the U.S. Rob has provided drums for Baba Olatunji, Jim Donovan, The Hix, Nery Arevelo workshops, Mz Imani, Abbi Spinner, and many other professionals.
2005
GRETCHEN BROWN ~ SERPENTESSA, a Temple Belly Dancer and Snake Priestess offers a variety of belly dance classes, workshops, rituals and individual sessions with and without gentle snakes to access your Sacred Feminine Power. Serpentessa performs in cultural events, theatres, nightclubs, corporate functions, weddings, parties and children's events. She studied Belly Dance under Serena, the late Ibrahim Farrah and performed with Navida before branching out into other forms of dance and theatre. She is a graduate of Priestess Path Apprenticeship under ALisa Starkweather, a visionary healer and ceremonialist. Currently, Serpentessa is a member of GODDESSDANCE, a theatrical group of dancers and musicians performing in NYC. www.templebellydance.com
TOM COWAN is an internationally respected teacher and trainer in shamanism and the mystical life. He is a member of and has taught for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is the author of several books on shamanism, Celtic spirituality, mysticism, and European wisdom traditions. RiverDrum.com
ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM ~ Novelist and en-chant-ress, is the director of The Center at High Valley in Clinton Corners where she coordinates Wheel-of-the-Year Celebrations and facilitates a monthly singing circle. For more about her work: highvalley.org and magdalentrilogy.com.
PHILIP H. FARBER ~ author of FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century , a manual of neurological exploration. His articles on magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine , The Journal of Hypnotism , Hypnosis Today , Mondo 2000 , High Times , Paradigm Shift , and other unique publications and web sites. Phil is a Certified Hypnotherapist and a Licensed Trainer of Neuro-linguistic Programming, with a private practice in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley .
TANYA GOLDBERG ~ has been tattooing for 11 years, currently in NYC at Medusa Tattoo. She specialize in spiritual, Asian, Egyptian, and all inspired art. Her tattoo art may be seen on her personal website at hagrag.bigstep.com
DIANA ROSE is a Crystal Decoder and has been performing Crystal Readings for over 20 years in the Northeast. Her connection to the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms started at early childhood. She was particularly tuned in with the crystals and gemstones, but the combination of them all has enabled Diana to receive highly intuitive messages.
DANA RUDIKOFF ~ Dana is fascinated by the potential of movement and dance as a tool for expanding consciousness and deepening our connections with ourselves and others. Dana has been dancing ever since she was a little girl. She has been exploring spontaneous, improvisational movement for the past seventeen years and Contact Improvisation since 1997. She has also studied ballet, modern dance and African dance. Her love of movement and play infuses every step on her path.
2004
FREYA ASWYNN ~ author of Northern Mysteries and Magic, is one of England's foremost authorities on the runes and their history. A dedicated priestess of Wodan and the old religion of the North, she has experience in divination, counseling, and healing with the runes. www.aswynn.co.uk
TED ANDREWS ~ internationally recognized author, storyteller, teacher, and mystic. He is a leader in the human potential, psychic and metaphysical fields, he has written more than 30 books, including Animal Speaks and the Animal Wise Tarot Deck. He has been involve in the serious study of the esoteric and occult for more than 35 years and has been a certified spiritualist medium for 20 years. He has been schooled in music, hypnotherapy, accupressure and other healing modalities. Find out more about Ted at Dragonhawk Publishing.
DAVID BECK ~is a Shamanic Practitioner. He has been practicing and teaching shamanic techniques for over five years. He works as a naturalist for a park in the Hudson Valley, focusing on bringing these ideas to children of all ages. He also plays drums with a Native American Drum group traveling with the Pow-Wow circuit across the Northeast.
GRETCHEN BROWN ~ SERPENTESSA, a Temple Belly Dancer and Snake Priestess offers a variety of belly dance classes, workshops, rituals and individual sessions with and without gentle snakes to access your Sacred Feminine Power. Serpentessa performs in cultural events, theatres, nightclubs, corporate functions, weddings, parties and children's events. She studied Belly Dance under Serena, the late Ibrahim Farrah and performed with Navida before branching out into other forms of dance and theatre. She is a graduate of Priestess Path Apprenticeship under ALisa Starkweather, a visionary healer and ceremonialist. Currently, Serpentessa is a member of GODDESSDANCE, a theatrical group of dancers and musicians performing in NYC. www.templebellydance.com
TOM COWAN ~ internationally respected teacher and trainer in shamanism and the mystical life. He is a member of and has taught for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is the author of several books on shamanism, Celtic spirituality, mysticism, and European wisdom traditions. www.RiverDrum.com
ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM ~ Novelist and en-chant-ress, is the director of The Center at High Valley in Clinton Corners where she coordinates Wheel-of-the-Year Celebrations and facilitates a monthly singing circle. For more about her work: www.highvalley.org and www.magdalentrilogy.com.
HELENA DOMENIC ~ Elder in the The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, and also currently the High Priestess of the Weavers of the Moonfire. An accomplished painter, Helena has shown her paintings across the United States and abroad. She recently finished her Master's thesis on Ritual and Performance Art at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, & received her MA in Art Education. Helena is a Professor of Art at Cheyney University in Cheyney, PA, and has taught in many venues. She currently lives outside Philadelphia with her cats, the Queens of the Universe, Booboola and Bella.
REV. LILITH DORSEY comes from many different magickal traditions,including Celtic, Voodoo, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology and Fine Art at the University of R.I., New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes empirical research and instruction in New Orleans, Brooklyn and other centers of African-American religious culture. Lilith Dorsey has been doing successful magick over the past 12 years for patrons of her business Branwen's Pantry, and is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly.
ORION FOXWOOD is the founder of the Foxwood Temple of the Old Religion and the Co-Director of the Moonridge Center- both in Maryland. He received a Master of Human Services Degree from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and is a licensed professional counselor. Orion is an Elder in Celtic Traditional Witchcraft, High Priest in Alexandrian Wicca and a Witch in the Welsh Cymry Tradition. He is a practicing Cunningman in the Faery Seership Tradition and has taught Faery Seership, Traditional Witchcraft, Southern American Folk Magic and other magical arts around the country for 20 years. He is the author of the book entitled The Faery Teachings published by Muse Press (2003).
RACHEL GINTHER, Alchemist and Co-Creator of the Garden of One Vibrational Products, has been making Essences since 1994. She has traveled extensively worldwide and brings a background of Sacred Living to all she does through teaching/sharing wisdom, writing, and consulting and producing the Garden of One Vibrational Products which activate the healing potential within each of us and create Oneness/Union in Self, Planet and Cosmos Garden of One
E.H. "Rick" JAROW, Ph.D. ~ Teacher, and facilitator of interior journeys through meditation and the therapeutic arts, author of Creating the Work You Love, Your Life's Work, In Search of the Sacred, The Yoga of Work, and numerous articles and tapes. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Eastern Religions at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and is a former Mellon Fellow in the Humanities at Columbia University. Dr. Jarow's work, born from the years he spent in India as both a researcher and practitioner of yoga, meditation, and the healing arts, focuses on interfacing intuitive inner experience with effective action in the world. He has recently returned from a seven month pilgrimage to the holy cities of Banaras and Vrindaban while also engaging in research in Auroville and other alternative communities. www.AntiCareer.com
RINAH JUDITH KARSON, spiritual name is Rinah Shehinah. In Hebrew, Shehinah is the Divine InDwelling Presence. Her path has, is, and will be in service to "Tikkum Olam" - repairing and healing The World, and restoring Beauty and Balance of the feminine and masculine. Her life-long work includes the integration of Psychotherapy (Licensed Independent Certified Social Work degree) with Yoga - "Yoking" mind, body, & Spirit. Rinah has been practicing and teaching Yoga is more than 22 years.
JOAN MADONNA is a Reiki Master and herbalist who studied in the tradition of the wise woman ways. Growing and using medicinal herbs to heal family and friends has been a passion for over twenty years. She apprenticed with Pam Montgomery, and studied with Amanda Crawford, Rosemary Gladstar, Susan Weed and explored plant spirit medicine with Elliot Cowan. She is a mother of four amazing children and works with her plant allies daily at the Adams Greenhouse in Poughkeepsie.
JACK MAGUIRE is a writer and an award-winning professional storyteller based in Highland, New York. He regularly performs concerts at festivals, schools, and resorts. He is also a Buddhist, studying at Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, NY. Among his over 20 books are Creative Storytelling (Yellow Moon Press), The Power of Personal Storytelling (Putnam) and Waking Up: A Week Inside a Zen Monastery (SkyLight Paths).
MARK (UMESHANAND) MICHAELS and PATRICIA (VEENANAND) JOHNSON are a devoted married couple. They are senior students of Dr. John Mumford (Swami Annadakapila Saraswati). They have been named by swamiji as lineage holders of the OM Kara Kriya system. They are authorized to initiate students into advanced tantric practices including Babaji's Naga Pranyama (Cobra Breath). Mark is a graduate of New York University School of Law and holds master degrees from NYU and Yale. Patricia is a professional operatic soprano and has been a serious student of tantra for over 10 years. Please check their website for more information at Tantra
DOROTHY MORRISON ~ author of Everyday Magic, The Craft, In Praise of the Crone and numerous other acclaimed works. She is a Third Degree Wiccan High Priestess, a member of the Pagan Poet's Society, and a charter member of M.A.G.I.C. (a magical writer's and artist's organization). DorothyMorrison
RACHEL POLLACK ~ is a poet, an award-winning novelist, and a world authority on the modern interpretation of Tarot cards. She has published more than a dozen books on the Tarot, including her newest The Forest of the Souls ~ A Walk through the Tarot and is creator of The Shining Tribe Tarot. RachelPollack
SPIRAL WEB is the CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) Chapter affiliated with the Fellowship in Poughkeepsie. Started in 1998 and officially chartered by CUUPS in 2000, Spiral Web's mission is to promote the practice and understanding of Earth-Centered spirituality and foster the growth of a nurturing Pagan community.
PATRICA TELESCO ~ is the mother of three, wife, chief human to 5 pets, and a full-time professional author with numerous books on the market. These include the best selling Goddess in my Pocket, How to be a Wicked Witch, Kitchen Witch's Cookbook, Little Book of Love Magic, Your Book of Shadows, Spinning Spells: Weavng Wonders and other diverse titles, each of which represents a different area of spiritual interest for her and her readers. Find out more about Patrica Telesco .
ROB WANDELL - Rob made his first drum in 1986, in the very early days of the hand drum phenomenon in this country. Now, he makes and sells drums, teaches, gives seminars, runs drum building workshops, and co-owns Imagicka, an eclectic shop in Binghamton, NY. It is his calling, and he gave up a job as an electrical engineer to focus on bringing percussion to the people, and feeding the growing drum circles in the U.S. Rob has provided drums for Baba Olatunji, Jim Donovan, The Hix, Nery Arevelo workshops, Mz Imani, Abbi Spinner, and many other professionals.
SHERI WINSTON ~ CNM BSN RN LMT, is a Teacher of WomanCraft & Wholistic Sexuality, a retired certified Nurse-Midwife, a Womancare Practitioner, Blood Witch and Pelvic Priestess. I'm also a Registered Nurse, Health and Sexuality Educator, Women’s Health Issues Counselor, Licensed Massage Therapist, Writer and Artist. WholisticWomenCare
GAIL WOOD ~ is clegy, teacher, ritual leader, tarot reader, Reiki Master and has been a Witch and Wiccan priestess for twenty years. She is author of Sisters of the Dark Moon: 13 Rituals of the Dark Goddess (Llwewllyn, 2001) and articles in a variety of pagan publications. She is co-founder of the Web, and eclectic pagan group located in Central NY and founder of The Dark Moon Path. She is a Dedicant with the Coven of the Redtail Hawk, part of the RavenMyst Tradition.
2003
The following is a list of our presenters for Akasha Con 2003. The classes are each 1.25 hours unless otherwise stated. The times given for each class are subject to change.
DAVID BECK is a Shamanic Practitioner. He has been practicing and teaching shamanic techniques for over five years. He works as a naturalist for a park in the Hudson Valley, focusing on bringing these ideas to children of all ages. He also plays drums with a Native American Drum group traveling with the Pow-Wow circuit across the Northeast.
GRETCHEN BROWN ~ SERPENTESSA, a Temple Belly Dancer and Snake Priestess offers a variety of belly dance classes, workshops, rituals and individual sessions with and without gentle snakes to access your Sacred Feminine Power. Serpentessa performs in cultural events, theatres, nightclubs, corporate functions, weddings, parties and children's events. She studied Belly Dance under Serena, the late Ibrahim Farrah and performed with Navida before branching out into other forms of dance and theatre. She is a graduate of Priestess Path Apprenticeship under ALisa Starkweather, a visionary healer and ceremonialist. Currently, Serpentessa is a member of GODDESSDANCE, a theatrical group of dancers and musicians performing in NYC. (845) 658-3645 ext * 3, www.templebellydance.com
TOM COWAN has been studying and practicing shamanism for over 20 years. He is a member of and has taught for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is the author of several books on shamanism, Celtic spirituality, mysticism, and European wisdom traditions. He is a minister in the Circle of the Sacred Earth, a church of animism that fosters shamanic principles and practices. Tom is an internationally respected teacher and trainer in shamanism and the mystical life. He lives and practices in New York's Hudson River Valley.
ANNMARIE DICKERSON has been a practicing witch for seven years, is a member of Coven of the Spiral Grove in Cortlandt Manor, N.Y, a member of C.W.P.N. (The Connecticut Wiccan Pagan Network ) and host for witches meet up in Westchester, N.Y. Last year she received her certificate in Crystal Healing Therapy under the supervision of Kerielle Warton president of the Pixie Hollow Holistic Institute in Greenville, Pa.
IVO DOMINGUEZ, JR. is a writer, an artist, a visionary, and a practitioner of a variety of esoteric disciplines. He has been active in Wicca and the Neo-Pagan community since 1978, and has been giving workshops since 1982 on Chakras, Divination, the Qabala, Ritual, Astrology, Herbalism, and other topics. He is the convener for Between The Worlds: A Grand Magickal Congress. Ivo was a founding member, and a past High Priest of Keepers of the Holly Chalice, the first coven of The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, a Wiccan Tradition. He now serves as an Elder of the Assembly. He is the author of Castings: The Creation of Sacred Space and Of Spirits: The Book Of Rowan. His website is www.dol.net/~panpipe/
CHARLIE DORSCH, a resident of the spiritual capital of the east-The Bronx, has studied with traditional Gardnerian/Protean circles and is an initiated Wiccan Priest. He was a founding member of the Duncton Wood group and it's men's circle and has been an outspoken advocate of the men's movement in The Craft for over a decade. He has taught at many Pagan venues including Rites Of Spring, Akashacon, Etheracon and The Dreaming Goddess and gives classes and Tarot readings at The Dancing Moon.
RACHEL GINTHER, Alchemist and Co-Creator of the Garden of One Vibrational Products, has been making Essences since 1994. She has traveled extensively worldwide and brings a background of Sacred Living to all she does through teaching/sharing wisdom, writing, and consulting.
KARINE GORDINEER has studied and taught medicinal and magical herbalism for 10 years. She was an apprentice with local herbalist Gretchen Gould for 6 years and has worked with many other herbalists. Karine has spent much of her time in nature, deep in the woods studying with the plants in their own environment, and feels this is the best way to intimately know the Spirits of the plants and the ways in which they heal. Karine is also a Reiki Master, practicing the art of Reiki for 6 years. In addition to teaching herbalism and responsible wildcrafting, Karine also teaches classes in Nature Spirit awareness and communication.
RICK JAROW, PhD. is an internationally known astrologer and professor of religious studies at Vassar College in New York. He is author of Creating the Work You Love, In Search of the Sacred, plus Your Life's Work: The Ultimate Anti-Career Guide and The Sounds True audio course The Yoga of Work: Strategies for Right Livelihood from the World's Wisdom Traditions. Drawing from his background in world cultures, small business, years of experience with shamans and healers, and a calling to serve, Rick founded the popular "Anti-Career" and "Creativity" workshops that have been taught worldwide.
www.anticareer.com
CAIT JOHNSON, MFA, is the author of five spirituality-based books, including her newest release Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Witch in the Kitchen. She trained at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and has been a counselor for more than twenty years. She holds an M.F.A. in theater arts and teaches workshops on connecting to Spirit, seasonal elemental approaches to self-healing, poetry-writing, and conscious eating. Cait has a private practice in Rhinebeck.
RINAH JUDITH KARSON, spiritual name is Rinah Shehinah. In Hebrew, Shehinah is the Divine InDwelling Presence. Her path has, is, and will be in service to "Tikkum Olam" - repairing and healing The World, and restoring Beauty and Balance of the feminine and masculine. Her life-long work includes the integration of Psychotherapy (Licensed Independent Certified Social Work degree) with Yoga - "Yoking" mind, body, & Spirit. Rinah has been practicing and teaching Yoga is more than 22 years.
YEMAYA KIMMEL is a graduate of New World School of the Arts (Miami, FL) and attended Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY). Yemaya sings and plays several instruments, including drums, french horn, and guitar. She has performed with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band from New Orleans, and Miami based Afro-Cuban band, The Baboons, at venues such as Carnegie Hall and The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
MIKE KIMMEL has been playing drums for over 30 years. He attended Drummer's Collective in New York City and has performed and recorded all over the world with well known artists such as Buddy Miles, Muddy Waters, Tony Levin, the Brecker Brothers, members of the Allman Brothers, The Band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, and Babatunde Olatunji. He is the co-founder of Asha Nan and has performed with the band at the Woodstock Reunion Concert and the United Nations.
Yemaya & Mike Kimmel are members of the Hudson Valley based tribal funk band, Asha Nan. They teach Sacred Drum & Chant-Conscious Rhythms from Around the World to adults & children of all ages. They are currently working with members of the World Peace Prayer Society to promote peace & unity of all cultures. They have shared the stage with Mickey Hart, Babatunde Olatunji, Michael Franti & Spearhead, and members of Sly & the New Family Stone. They have spread their message of Peace & Unity at various festivals, including The World Peace Festival (Amenia, NY) and Drums Around the World (Amherst, MA).
RON LAVIN, MA. founder and director of A HEALING TOUCH Healer Training Schools is an internationally respected spiritual healer with 25 years of experience. Ron currently heads five AHT Schools, four in Europe and one in Rhinebeck, NY. He is a graduate of the Berkeley Psychic Institute, an ordained minister, a Reiki Master Instructor and a Kundalini Research Network Counselor. Ron has given over 25,000 consultations and healings and has participated in 3 Distance AIDS Healing Studies with the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Ron is in private practice in Rhinebeck. www.AHealingTouch.com
JACK MAGUIRE is a writer and an award-winning professional storyteller based in Highland, New York. He regularly performs concerts at festivals, schools, and resorts. He is also a Buddhist, studying at Zen Mountain Monastery in Mt. Tremper, NY. Among his over 20 books are Creative Storytelling (Yellow Moon Press), The Power of Personal Storytelling (Putnam) and Waking Up: A Week Inside a Zen Monastery (SkyLight Paths). His latest CD is Stories True and Fantastic.
OXUN OLAKARI' AL'AYE is an initiate priestess of Oshun of both Afro-Cuban Santeria and Palo Mayombe as well as an initiate of Brazilian Condomble. She brings to her present practice a diverse background: clinical and Jungian psychology, shamanic trance and healing work. She has, for the past 15 years, traveled to many countries lecturing and learning, including extensive study while living in Brazil. She is a practitioner of ecstatic dance, a poet and lyricist, Akpetebi' de Orunmila ("Maid of Orunmila"), a practitioner and student of Awo (the ancient Yoruba science of divination).
EVAN PRITCHARD is of Micmac and Celtic descent and the founder of The Center For Algonquin Culture. He is the author of No Word For Time, the Way of the Algonquin People, Secrets of Wholehearted Thinking, From the Temple Within (Visions of Sakya Gampo) and Native New Yorkers, the Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York, and many other books. Evan has worked with Native American elders and shamanic teachers for over twelve years, and is an interfaith minister. He is currently teaching World Religion, Western Philosophy and Ethics, and Native American Spirituality at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. He has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha with Khenpo Kathar Rimpoche, and has visited and meditated in Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and Thailand. He is also the founder of RTA, Roads To Awareness Seminars Books and Tapes.
BARBARA UPTON is a hypnotherapist, artist and writer, currently working on her book, "Holy Sex! A Magical Path to Divine Ecstasy." She is the founder of Waking Planet, home of the new world peace flag, which represents the peace available within us and in the world (www.wakingplanet.com). Barbara's guided meditation tapes, uniquely created Soul Cards, workshops and women's circles assist people in accessing their deep, authentic selves, and in discovering their divine purpose and inner joy.
ANTHONY RESTIVO, a Gypsy, nomadic performer who has been intentionally working with fire for over five years and has performed and taught ages 8 - 85 across the USA. Over the last year Anthony has begun to incorporate new tools of the trade - fire fans and globes - into his performances. He has studied with Polynesian Fire Masters in Hawaii bringing new techniques to fortunate Akasha Con attendees.
KARL SCHLOTTERBECK, MA, CAS, is a licensed psychologist, certified past-life therapist and hypnotherapist. He is also HeartMath certified (see www.heartmath.org). He is the author of Living Your Past Lives: The Psychology of Past-Life Regression and The Karma in Your Relationships. He is a student and practitioner of core, Celtic and Mongolian shamanism. After working in the Keltrian Tradition (where he serves the Henge of Keltria as treasurer), and progressing through all three grades of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, he was called by his ancestors in Ireland to establish the disciplines of the Invisible Druid Order. More information is available at www.invisibledruidorder.net More about Karl can be found at www.karlschlotterbeck.net.
PATTY SMITH lives & breathes in Saugerties, NY. She first encountered Transformational Breathing several years ago at a Pagan conference. Amazed by her profound experience, she decided then & there to become a Transformational Breath Facilitator, and share this powerful work with others. Patty is also a student of tai chi, tarot, and dream work, and is pursuing a degree in psychology.
TERRA SONORA is an Interfaith Minister, ordained in the Order of Melchizedek, World Light Fellowship. She has been a Spiritual Counselor and Channeler of the Angelic Realm since 1987. Terra is a certified MariEl Healer and has led meditation groups and spiritual development classes since 1990. Terra's primary spirit guide, a loving angelic entity known as "ONE," has blessed her life in profound ways by giving her the opportunity to facilitate incredible life-enhancing transformations with her clients. Over the past several years, Terra has also refined her mediumship skills to bring through detailed messages from loved ones on the other side. Terra's articles on meditation and spirituality have been published in the Sedona Journal of Emergence, Light Technology's 2003 Predictions Book, Homeward Bound Magazine and Channelings Magazine. Terra's book "Meditations and Insights for an Awakened Humanity" is currently in its third printing. www.angelchannel.com.
RIVA WEINSTEIN is a self-taught artist and writer whose work embodies themes of nature, ritual and everyday sacredness. She works with non-traditional and recycled materials in surprising ways to re-interpret ancient traditions for today. She has taught art, creativity, karate and writing to children, teens and adults in New York and Los Angeles.
JIM WELCH, RN HNC is High Priest of Keepers of the Holly Chalice, a coven of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel. He is one of the founding members of KHC and has been active in the Wiccan/Pagan community since 1981. He was the chair of the committee that wrote the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel's code of ethics. He is a Waterpourer trained by Shevierah Stonewater and conducts Sweat ceremonies using Wiccan protocols. Jim practices a variety of forms of healing touch and healing ritual and is certified in Holistic Nursing. Jim is one of the stewards of Seelie Court, 102 acres of wooded land in Southern Delaware. Jim has served as Chair of Delaware Nurses Association's Ethics Committee and is the Coordinator for the State of Delaware's HIV/AIDS, STD, & TB services.
2002
DAVID BECK, Shamanic Practitioner, is a student of Tom Cowan. He has been practicing and teaching shamanic techniques for the past five years. He works as a naturalist for a park in the Hudson Valley, focusing on bringing these ideas to children of all ages. He also plays drums with a Native American Drum group traveling with the Pow-Wow circuit across the Northeast.
BLACK LOTUS (LEN ROSENBERG) is a Shakta (Hindu Goddess worshipper), and devotee of the South Indian Holy Women, Ammachi. His writings were excerpted in Judy Harrow's Wicca Covens, and in Cristina Biaggi's In the Foot Steps of The Goddess. A teacher of Mantra meditation, magical uses of incenses and gemstones, and astrology. He co-leads Mnemosynides Coven in New York City with his partner, Alexei Kondratiev.
ISAAC BONEWITS is one of North America's leading experts on Druidism, Witchcraft and the rapidly growing Earth Religions movement. A practicing Neopagan priest, scholar, teacher, bard and polytheologian for over thirty years, he has coined much of the vocabulary and articulated many of the issues that have shaped the Neopagan community in the United States and Canada. He is the author of the classic Real Magic, of Authentic Thaumaturgy, and of the recently released eBook: Witchcraft: A Concise History. www.IsaacBonewits.com
JOHN BOYE has been a practicing witch for over ten years. He has practiced within both an eclectic and a traditional format. He is a Thelemite, and an initiate of the o. T .o. He is a 32nd degree initiate of Freemasonry, as well as being a past master. He is one of the founders of the Temple of the Serpent Flame in Connecticut, and currently serves as magister templi of that order. He has also been published in Green Egg Magazine.
GRETCHEN BROWN is a Serpentess (Snake Priestess), a woman initiated into Goddess Faith through the Snakes who live and dance with her in ritual. Familiars of hers for over 20 years, these Boa Constrictors interact graciously with people under her guidance as Serpentess Moonwise and through her belly dancing as Serpentessa. She studied Belly Dance under Serena, the late Ibrahim Farrah and performed with Navida before branching out into other forms of dance and theatre. In 1993, she co-founded the Freestyle Frolic, a thriving, cooperatively volunteer-run social dance that is a member of Dance New England. She is a graduate of Priestess Path Apprenticeship under ALisa Starkweather, a visionary healer and ceremonialist. www.TempleBellyDance.com
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CRONES is a traveling workshop group comprised of four experienced Crones from various backgrounds. Each of us has something to contribute to the ever-growing Pagan Community. Emphasis is on the expression of the individual on various topics, each with a different opinion and a different take, all contributing to make the discussions work. We agree, we disagree, but we respect each other for who we are.
~ Rosemary Kooiman is founder and elder of the Nomadic Chantry of the Gramarye in the Washington, DC area. She is a High Priestess and teacher. She is authorized to perform marriages in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. She has been with the Pagan Community over 30 years and is a respected leader in her own community.
~ Peg Button is from a Family Trad. Peg has been actively practicing the Craft since 1987. She has facilitated workshops since 1995 at Circle Sanctuary's Pagan Spirit Gathering and EtheraCon on Crone topics, including men's Man-o-Pause. She is also a Cofounder with title of Elder in BirchTree Circle.
~ Jacci Sutton, simply known as Owl in some segments of the Pagan Community, lives in the foothills of the Appalachians in NE Pennsylvania. She has been organizing events to bring Pagans together in Real LIFE! Teaching at Metaphysical Shops, and presenting workshops at various colleges led to opportunities to present workshops at a variety of Pagan Gatherings: Sirius Rising in NY, Gathering of the Tribes in VA, Mid-Atlantic Pagan Alliance in NJ, PCCO Greening in Ohio, BBMMDC, Whisperfest in Canada, just to name a few.
~ While her given name is Margaret Foster, she is known by many simply as Boudica. She began teaching in chatrooms and computer forums about 10 years ago. Boudica is very active in the Pagan Community and written reviews for The Wiccan/Pagan Times and encouraged community support for these events. Boudica teaches both private students and at public events such as The Greening and Summerset in Ohio, BBMMDC and Sirius Rising.
ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM, novelist and poet, is also a counselor in private practice and an interfaith minister. She is director of the Center at High Valley in Clinton Corners, NY where she coordinates Wheel-of-the-Year celebrations and leads a singing circle. In her life and writing she celebrates shamelessness and regularly sings her heart out. She is the author of The Daughter of the Shining Isle, which is part of the Magdalen Trilogy; How to Spin Gold; The Wild Mother.
CHARLIE DORSCH has worked with traditional Gardnerian and Protean covens and is an initiated Wiccan Priest. He is a member of the Duncton Wood core group, co-founder of its men's coven and an outspoken advocate of the men's movement in The Craft. He has taught at many Pagan gatherings including Rites of Spring and Etheracon, and has given classes and Tarot readings at The Dancing Moon and The Dreaming Goddess.
PHILIP H. FARBER is the author of FUTURERITUAL: Magick for the 21st Century, a manual of neurological exploration. His articles on magick and popular culture have appeared in Green Egg Magazine, Mondo 2000, High Times, Paradigm Shift, and other unique publications and web sites. Phil is a Certified Hypnotherapist, with a private practice in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley.
KEN GALE has been a professional writer since 1975. He's written fantasy and horror for Warren Publishing (Creepy), DC Comics (Amazing World) and Defiant (Good Guys) and articles on environmental concerns for Chernobyl-on-the-Hudson and various other newspapers. He was the founding member of the anti-nuclear organization, the Shad Alliance. Ken is editor and publisher of New Frontiers for Evolution Comics and Dangerous Times - which features Alexei Kondratiev's Vidorix the Druid, easily some of the most authentic Celitc fiction around, in any medium. Ken is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Celtic League American Branch.
RACHEL GINTHER, Alchemist and Co-Creator of the Garden of One Vibrational Products, has been making Essences since 1994. She has traveled extensively worldwide and brings a background of Sacred Living to all she does through teaching/sharing wisdom, writing, and consulting.
KARINE GORDINEER has studied and taught medicinal and magical herbalism for 10 years. She was an apprentice with local herbalist Gretchen Gould for 6 years and has worked with many other herbalists. Karine has spent much of her time in nature, deep in the woods studying with the plants in their own environment, and feels this is the best way to intimately know the Spirits of the plants and the ways in which they heal. Karine is also a Reiki Master, practicing the art of Reiki for 6 years, an accomplished photographer, published poet and bellydancer. In addition to teaching herbalism and responsible wildcrafting, Karine also teaches classes in Nature Spirit awareness and communication.
KAREN HOLTSLAG is a holistic practitioner and Reiki Master who has worked as a healer for thirty years. She offers the tools for transformation that work with body, heart, soul, dreams, myth, creativity and sexuality. Her work focuses on the balance of our light and shadow aspects through compassion, understanding, energy work, intuition and the ecstatic practices of drumming, movement, trance, and connection with nature and our animal relations. She is a traveler in both ordinary and non-ordinary reality and delights in guiding people through their own personal inner landscapes.
CAIT JOHNSON, MFA, is the author of five books, including Witch in the Kitchen, Tarot for Every Day, and Celebrating the Great Mother. She is an intuitive counselor trained by the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Cait has a private practice in Rhinebeck, facilitates Wheel of the Year celebrations, and teaches at the Omega Institute and other area centers.
CLAUDINE JONES PELTON has been a shamanic practitioner for thirteen years. Claudine has studied Shamanism with several different teachers and organizations including Michael Harner, Tom Cowan and the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. She does Soul Retrieval, Extraction and Shapeshifting. As an added extension to her shamanic work, Claudine incorporates maskmaking, and uncovering and working with the shadow self.
ALEXEI KONDRATIEV teaches Irish language, Celtic mythology and other aspects of Celtic history and culture at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan. He is the author of The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual (The Collins Press, Cork, 1998). He is an officer in the Celtic League American Branch and a member of the board of the Celtic Reconstructionist organisation IMBAS. He co-leads Mnemosynides/ Children of Memory (a Protean-Gardnerian coven) with his partner Black Lotus (Len Rosenberg).
MARK (UMESHANAND) MICHAELS completed Charles Muir's "The Way of the Daka" Level 1 Instructor's Training in 1998, is a graduate of New York University School of Law and holds Master's Degrees from NYU and Yale. His practice and study of Tantra began after a Kundalini awakening that initiated a process of profound transformation. He has sought to balance his experiential learning with scholarship and has devoted considerable attention to the study of Tantric literature. He is committed to sharing the benefits of his own transformation with others.
Mark Michaels and his partner Patricia Johnson are senior students of Dr. John Mumford (Swami Anandakapila Saraswati) and are his lineage holders in the OM Kara Kriya (TM) system for the Americas and Europe. In addition, Sunyata Saraswati has named Mark lineage holder (Kriya Jyoti Tantra Society) and has authorized them both to initiate students into tantric practice and into all four levels of Babaji's Naga Pranayama (Cobra Breath). They also study Bhakti Yoga and Tantra with Bhagavan Das.
PATRICIA (VEENANAND) JOHNSON is a professional operatic soprano and has been a serious student of Tantra for over 10 years. Her first Kundalini experience happened during a Rolfing session. This bodywork modality has enhanced her understanding of energy; she has been featured on a PBS special and on the Fox Cable Network on the Rolf method.
MARTHA NAPOLITANO is a 4th generation Pagan trained in European and Caribbean Traditions. She is a Reverend of the Universal Life Church. She has been teaching privately for about 20 years and has focused on forms of divination, mainly concentrating on the Tarot. She is co-owner of The Witches Element, Inc. which provides incense, oils and occult supplies.
RUTH PINE (LORELEI) is a dancer, artist, photographer, fondue expert, baker, writer, collector and cat lover. These passions have led Ruth to a career as an Expressive Arts Therapist and Social Worker. She enjoys celebrating Jewish and Pagan rituals. She uses the expressive arts as a vehicle to connect to spirituality and everyday surroundings that are often taken for granted. She has taught expressive dance and expressive art classes at various gatherings in the Northeast.
EVAN PRITCHARD is of Micmac and Celtic descent and the founder of The Center For Algonquin Culture. He is the author of No Word For Time, the Way of the Algonquin People, Secrets of Wholehearted Thinking, From the Temple Within (Visions of Sakya Gampo) and Native New Yorkers, the Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York, and many other books. Evan has worked with Native American elders and shamanic teachers for the last twelve years, and is an interfaith minister. He is currently teaching World Religion, Western Philosophy and Ethics, and Native American Spirituality at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. He has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha with Khenpo Kathar Rimpoche, and has visited and meditated in Buddhist monasteries in Nepal and Thailand. He is also the founder of RTA, Roads To Awareness Seminars Books and Tapes.
D.J. REESE (DJENABA ) has been an advocate of healthy living and spiritual experience for over 20 years. She is a an Advanced Personal Trainer, Sports Nutrition Consultant, Fitness Counselor, and Yoga Instructor, certified by the American Aerobic Association International/International Association of Sports Medicine, and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. She is a practitioner of Touch for Health Kinesiology, certified by the International College in Zurich, Switzerland and the Touch for Health Kinesiology Association. Writing under the name D.J. Reese, she is the Fitness Forum columnist for the Poughkeepsie Journal.
KARL SCHLOTTERBECK, MA, CAS, is a licensed psychologist with special interests and training in the paranormal, non-hypnotic past-life therapy, hypnosis, and biofeedback. He has been a student of Shamans (core, Celtic and Mongolian), Sufis, Swamis and Rosicrucians. After working in the Keltrian Tradition (where he serves the Henge of Keltria as treasurer), and progressing through all three grades of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, he was called by his ancestors in Ireland to establish the disciplines of the Invisible Druid Order. He is the author of Living Your Past Lives: The Psychology of Past-Life Regression, The Karma Workbook, New Conceptions of Prenatal Life.
NANCY SORVINO has studied astrology for over 25 years, and has been a member of the National Council for Geocosmic Research (NCGR) for 15 years. She is affiliated with the NYC chapter and also participates in member meetings at the Mid-Hudson chapter and regularly attends local and national astrological conferences each year.
SPIRAL WEB is the CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) Chapter affiliated with the Fellowship in Poughkeepsie. Started in 1998 and officially chartered by CUUPS in 2000, Spiral Web's mission is to promote the practice and understanding of Earth-Centered spirituality and foster the growth of a nurturing Pagan community.
RIVA WEINSTEIN is a self-taught artist and writer whose work embodies themes of nature, ritual and everyday sacredness. She works with non-traditional and recycled materials in surprising ways to re-interpret ancient traditions for today. She has taught art, creativity, karate and writing to children, teens and adults in New York and Los Angeles.
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