Wikipedia

Starwood Festival

The Starwood Festivalis a seven-dayNew Ageneopaganandworld musicfestival. It takes place every July in the United States. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects.[1][2]There are also live musical performances,rituals,bonfires,multimediapresentationsand social activities. It is aclothing optionalevent, andskycladattendance is common.[3]

Church of the SubGeniusfounderIvan Stangat Starwood (2007)

History

The Starwood Festival was founded in 1981 by the Chameleon Club, a recognized student organization atCase Western Reserve University,which later founded theAssociation for Consciousness Exploration(ACE). It has been operated by ACE since 1983 under its co-directors, Jeff Rosenbaum and Joe Rothenberg.[3]It featured entertainment, public ceremonies and rituals,[4]and classes on subjects such assensory isolation,Kirlian photography,Neopaganism,shamanism,Wicca,holistic health,tarot divination,Thelema,andpast life regression.[5]

The first Starwood was held July 24–26, 1981 at Coopers Lake Campground, the same site as theSociety for Creative Anachronism'sPennsic WarinSlippery Rock, Pennsylvania.From 1982 through 1985 it was held at Devil's Den Park inNew Philadelphia, Ohio,a former state park run by Whispering WindsNudist Camp.In 1986 and 1987 it was held at Bear Creek Amphitheatre (part of Bear Creek Resort RanchKOA) inEast Sparta, Ohio,and at Echo Hills Ski Resort inLogan, Ohio(on theBuckeye Trail) in 1988 and 1989. The event moved to Brushwood Folklore Center, a private campground inSherman, New York.[6]from 1990 through 2009. Since 2010, Starwood has been held at Wisteria Campground inPomeroy, Ohio.[7]

The event began as a weekend festival, and grew over the years to a seven-day event. Attendance has grown from 185 in the first year to peak at around 1800 people in 2002,[citation needed]and has stayed between 1500 and 1650 since 1999.[6]Since 1982, Starwood has been aclothing optionalevent, andskycladattendance is common.[3]

Activities

Starwood offers approximately 150workshops,on topics includingalternative lifestyles,political&spiritualactivism,spiritualtraditions,consciousness-alteringtechnologies and substances (such asbiofeedback,sensory-isolation,mind machines,entheogenicand othermind-altering substances),martial arts& movement systems,history,magic,folklore,art&music,metaphysicsandenvironmentalissues.[2][1]

There are classes on thedrumminganddancingstyles ofAfrica,South America,Ireland,theMiddle Eastand elsewhere. All-night drummers' bonfires are held each night of the event in at least two locations: the "Paw Paw Patch" for larger drums such asdjembes,and the "DidgeDome" for smaller drums such asbongosandtablas,accompanied bydidgeridoosand quieter instruments. There are concerts held every lunchtime, dinnertime, and evening, and all-night multi-media enhanced parties in an inflatable structure called the "PufferDome" and in an adjacent area called the "G-Spot". Starwood provideschild careand children's classes and programs in a playground area called "Kids' Village",[3]and a schedule of classes and activities for teenagers. There are several areas devoted to multi-cultural ceremonies and rituals, and a non-Nativesweat lodge.Friday night features a multi-media presentation, (often includingfireworks,lasers,fire dancing,and synchronized music), and on the final night a torchlight procession leads to a huge bonfire.

People

Starwood is attended by people of all ages. Followers of diverse beliefs attend Starwood. According to the event organizers, the festival is designed for members of all spiritual paths to share their customs and beliefs. Some specific groups whose members regularly appear at and attend Starwood include theChurch of All Worlds(CAW),[3][8]theChurch of the SubGenius,[9]the Neo-Druidic groupAr nDraiocht Fein(ADF),[10]and various Neopagancovensand organizations[4][11]

References

  1. ^abGill (2005)
  2. ^abVale & Sulak (2001)
  3. ^abcdeKrassner (2005)
  4. ^abNema (1995),p. 200.
  5. ^Pike (2006),pp. 35–36.
  6. ^abRabinovitch & Lewis (2002),pp. 309–310
  7. ^DeWitt (2012).
  8. ^Pike (2001),p. 129.
  9. ^Cusack (2010),p. 106.
  10. ^Hopman (2016),p.[page needed].
  11. ^Adler (2006),p.585.

Works cited

  • Adler, Margot(2006).Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today.Penguin Publishing Group.ISBN978-0143038191.
  • Cusack, Carole M. (2010).Invented Religions: Imagination, Fiction and Faith.Ashgate Publishing.ISBN978-0754667803.
  • DeWitt, David (July 11, 2012)."Pagan/Magickal Festival Returns to Meigs This Week".The Athens News.
  • Gill, Michael (July 7, 2005)."Circle of Ash".Cleveland Free Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 11,2012– via Rosencomet.
  • Hopman, Ellen Evert(2016).A Legacy of Druids: Conversations with Druid Leaders of Britain, the USA and Canada, Past and Present.Moon Books.ISBN978-1785351358.
  • Krassner, Paul(August 24, 2005)."Life Among the Neopagans".The Nation.RetrievedMarch 17,2023.
  • Nema(1995).Maat Magick: A Guide to Self-Initiation.Weiser Books.ISBN0-87728-827-5.
  • Pike, Sarah M.(2001).Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for Community.University of California Press.ISBN978-0520220867.
  • Pike, Sarah (2006).New Age and Neopagan Religions in America.Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-12403-4.
  • Rabinovitch, Shelley; Lewis, James (2002).The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism.Citadel Press.ISBN0-8065-2406-5.
  • Vale, V.; Sulak, John (2001)."Interview with Jeff Rosenbaum".Modern Pagans: an Investigation of Contemporary Ritual.San Francisco: Re/Search Publications.ISBN1-889307-10-6.Archived fromthe originalon August 19, 2006.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Starwood_Festival&oldid=1249952402"