Delaware Valley Pagan Network

BUSY SUMMER AT FOUR QUARTERS

Written by Three-Blade Jaguar
Monday, 18 September 2006
Four Quarters Farm has drawn thousands of eclectic, earth-religious folk and fellow travelers this summer to its land, 160 acres in the Appalachian folds of Bedford County, 3.5 hours west of Philadelphia. The 12th annual Stones Rising (August 2-6) was blessed with flawless weather and clockwork execution of a complex five-day ritual with a cast of hundreds. AmericaÕs largest megalithic community festival saw the erection of three more stones (one a seven-tonner) hauled by as many as 70 people at a time. This yearÕs ritual, ÒTeutonicus,Ó designed by Alan Shear, drew freely from Norse theology to weave a myth of the slaying of the dragon of chaos, followed by its transformation into a guardian of the tribe. It may have been the largest eclectic public festival ever to focus on an all-Heathen ritual, one that was by and for non-Heathens for the most part. Attendance at Stones dropped by 20 percent, to 275. This was the first early August date for the festival, which has been booted from one end of the calendar to the other since it began. The Church of Four Quarters will take a close look at that schedule during the off season. But event ratings were high from most attendees. Fires Rising returned to Four Quarters on June 1, as ever in a state of flux. Magnus and Spinner have been transitioning active leadership of this Òalchemical working,Ó which centers on night-long drumming and fire circles, to Joshua Levin and Michael Wall. This evolution sparked lively gossip. Proposed is an early fall followup festival to be called Embers. Gaian Mind, a Goa trance-dance festival, returned to Four Quarters as an honored guest on June 22. After 4 seasons, it has established a powerful interaction with the earth-religious community. Still, explosive growth this year, to 900 attendees, walloped Four Quarters volunteers who labored around the clock to carry off this guest event smoothly. Outside events were vital to Four Quarters Farm this season as Farm-sponsored event attendance slipped. Drum and Splash, which immediately followed Gaian Mind on June 28, always draws a stay-over crowd from Gaian Mind. Nevertheless its total was down 10 percent this year, following a nationwide trend, according to Roger Grandstaff, a director of Church of the Four Quarters. Gas-price woes have been affecting many large festivals, he said. The festivity wasnÕt dampened, however. Pumped by recent rains, Sideling Hill Creek offered delicious swimming. The communityÕs dragon dancers, fire dancers, and fireworks sparked a strong all-night drumming and dancing journey at the Fire Circle. Pennsylvania Spiral Scouts International revived the Family Weekend, and attendance was up for this child-centered weekend -- a first ever for the East Coast! Seventy pagans young and old came from across the commonwealth for this jamboree on June 16 for fun and fellowship in an earth-reverent atmosphere.
Last Updated ( Monday, 18 September 2006 )

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