June 3-5, 2016
First Landing State Park
2500 Shore Drive
Virginia Beach, VA
Campsite #88
Keynote Presenters
Sir Hex Nottingham. Raised as a Shield Knight and Priest of the Loyal Arthurian Warband by Arthur Pendragon in Stonehenge, student of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, member of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, and appointed as Principle Drummer of the Stonehenge Druids. A lifelong Witch, studying the many ways of the Craft since childhood, Hex has made 5 pilgrimages to the United Kingdom visiting some of the most sacred Druid and Celtic temples, and worked with many amazing people along the way, even sharing the stage with international Pagan recording artist Damh the Bard to an audience of 400 Druids in Glastonbury and two private shows of 100 in Pennsylvania. In 2015, Hex conducted the Midsummer Sunset Ceremony inside Stonehenge to a crowd of about 30,000 people.
Norsewyk Grimnir. Norsewyk is a leader and teacher in the Hampton Roads Pagan community. He is active in the Eastern Beach Kindred and teaches regular classes on Northern Magic and Northern Lore at Mystic Moon. He also regularly facilitates workshops and rituals at Mystic Moon and at events such as May Moon and Autumn Moon.
Schedule
Friday, June 3, 2016
10am — Staff arrive to select and set-up campsite(s) and sacred space
1pm and after — Arrival / Check-in / Tent set-up for overnight campers (Location: Main Campsite)
5pm — Arrival / Check-in for day trippers (Location: Main Campsite)
6-7pm — Dinner
7pm — Introductions
7:15pm — Opening Ritual. A seaside ritual to connect with the Fey spirits of the park (Location: Beach)
7:45pm — Walking Between Light and Shadow – A dusk hike and talk about liminal spaces. Camera use is encouraged during this workshop, as later folks will be given the opportunity to explore the “Green Man effect” in their photos. This workshop is presented by Nightshade (Location: Starts at the beach and ends at the Native American Burial Ground)
9:30pm and after — Socializing around the campfire. Park quiet hours begin at 10pm, so no drumming or other loudness after this time. (Location: Main Campsite)
Saturday, June 4, 2016
8:30-9:30am — Arrival / Check-in / Breakfast
9:30am — Santa Muerte: A Folk Saint on the Edge presented by Ignacio J Ceja. Santa Muerte is a widely worshiped folk saint in her native Mexico, and over the last ten years, her worship has spread throughout the Americas. Who or what is Santa Muerte? How does one relate to her, approach her, and work with her? (Location: Main Campsite)
10am — The Fey and Nature Spirits in Norse Tradition presented by Norsewyk Grimnir. (Location: Main Campsite)
11am — Celtic Elementals presented by Hex Nottingham. Hex will tell of some lore from the British Isles of the Fae, Wood Spirits, Water Spirits and more. Plus some historic Bardic Tales as well as new ones from his friend Philip Carr-Gomm and from his own personal experiences such as meeting the Greenman. (Location: Main Campsite)
12pm — Lunch (Location: Main Campsite)
1pm – Spiritual Drumming presented by Hex Nottingham. Drum Circle etiquette – Ego vs. confidence – Listening – Alpha drummers and beta drummers – Dynamics – Volume – The benefits of multiple teachers – Natural rhythm – Pacing and the metronome tactic – Beat structures – Tempo variations and melding – Trancing – Solitary vs group vs dancers – Sending and sensing energies – Widdershins vs deosil — Timing and anticipation – Intuition (Location: Main Campsite)
2pm — Castles in the Sand. Free time for swimming, building sandcastles, collecting seashells, or just hanging out on the beach. Feel free to bring your bathing suit or tools for building sandcastles. (Location: Beach)
3:30pm — Werewolves, Shapeshifters, and Liminal Bodies presented by Mel Mystery. Werewolves and other shapeshifters are liminal creatures. They are both human and wild beasts. They often live at the outskirts of human society and may be either outcasts or a part of secret religious and warrior cults. Werewolves are typically masculine beings, but they are ruled by feminine lunar forces. Werewolves are also metaphors for liminal times like adolescence and liminal people such as LGBT folks and shamans. (Location: Main Campsite)
4pm — Nature Hike through First Landing Park presented by Norsewyk Grimnir. Guided hike focusing on the various terrains and types of nature spirits that might be lurking there. (Location: Starts and ends at the main campsite)
6pm — Dinner (Location: Main Campsite)
7pm — The Fey Way presented by Alejandro DeloGatos. Alex will share his expertise and experiences with the Fey in this enticing workshop. (Location: Main Campsite)
7:30pm — Networking / Vendor Opportunity. Time will be allocated for people to talk about / promote their groups, businesses, projects, etc. (Location: Visitor Center, Gazebo, or Amphitheater)
8:30pm — Main ritual followed by socializing around the campfire. Hosted by Nightshade. What happens when you venture into the forest on the dark moon on a midsummer’s night? What nature spirits will you meet? Will you meet the Fey or enter the Faerie Realm? In this active ritual, you will cross thresholds between the mundane and magickal worlds. Robin Goodfellow will be your guide. (Starts at Visitor Center and ends in the Faerie Realm)
10pm and after — Socializing around the campfire for those wishing to do so. Park quiet hours begin at 10pm, so no drumming or other loudness after this time. (Location: Main Campsite)
Sunday, June 3, 2016
9-10am — Breakfast (Location: Main Campsite)
10am — Closing Remarks (Location: Main Campsite)
10:15am — Closing Ritual (Location: Beach)
10:30am — Camp breakdown and cleanup (Location: Main Campsite)
11:30am — Lunch at Plaza Azteca for those who wish to join us after the retreat. Folks will be arriving as they finish breaking down their campsites.
1:30pm — Visit Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. Center for anyone who wishes to join us after the retreat and lunch.