• Today is the Day! Hip, Hip, Hooray!

    This is it! It’s so exciting! We’ve been working for months, and the day is finally here.

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day Gives Back to the Cowichan Valley – On Saturday, August 12th, Charles Hoey Park will host the 17th Annual Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day.

    Vendors, artisans, and spiritual groups from all over Vancouver Island will come together to celebrate diversity in spirituality. Pagan Pride Day is an international project that promotes tolerance and understanding between people with different belief systems through education, activism, charity and community.

    The time of year is carefully chosen to celebrate the harvest and share the fruits of our efforts with our community. Each year the Pagan Pride committee chooses charitable organizations that have a positive effect in the community and dedicates its hard work and energy towards raising donations for those organizations. This year Pagan Pride is excited to be collecting donations and non-perishable food items for Cowichan Valley Basket Society. Previous events have raised considerable amounts for MARS Wildlife Rescue Society, the Comox Valley Food Bank, LUSH Valley Food Society, Greenways Land Trust, the Goldstream Food Bank, Life Cycles Community Projects and Cowichan Green Community. Vancouver Island Pride Day aims to show the public what Paganism is about through a daylong collection of workshops, rituals and demonstrations.

    It’s also a time for the Pagan community to come together and celebrate our diversity with live entertainment and vendor tables with goods and services from pagan or pagan friendly businesses and organizations. “It’s going to be challenging to top last year’s event, but we have a great team.”

    “We’re all looking forward to connecting with and contributing to the community,” says Lady Mary Malinski, Archpriestess of the Aquarian Tabernacle Church of Canada and High Priestess of the Circle of the Sacred Muse.

    The 17th annual Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day will be held on Saturday, August 12th at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan from 11 am to 4 pm. The event is open to everyone and admission is free, though donations for the Cowichan Valley Basket Society are highly encouraged.

  • Share the Harvest: Cowichan Valley Basket Society

    The theme of Pagan Pride all around the world is to Share the Harvest. Many of us have been blessed with abundance in various areas of our lives. Part of the mission of Pagan Pride Day is to give back to our communities.

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride is pleased to Share the Harvest with  Cowichan Valley Basket Society! The Cowichan Valley Basket Society (CVBS) was started in 1988 by a broadly based group of Cowichan Valley residents who saw a great need for a coordinated answer to hunger in the area. “Ensuring no individual or family in the Cowichan Valley goes hungry either physically, spiritually or emotionally.”

    We need your help, too! When you come out to Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day to learn, to celebrate and to have fun, remember to bring your donations! Help us SHARE THE HARVEST! Our committee has been working hard to raise funds to host Pagan Pride Day and to be able to give back to this important organizations that contributes so much in our community.

    You can support us and the Cowichan Valley Basket Society by making a donation at Pagan Pride Day in Duncan on August 12th!

    Donations also accepted through https://paypal.me/atccanada or by etransfer to info@atccanada.org

  • Main Ritual Highlight: Arbutus Reach & BC Heathen Freehold

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Arbutus Reach and the BC Heathen Freehold!

    Arbutus Reach welcomes you to this rite in honour of Thor, on behalf of the BC Heathen Freehold. As in a traditional Blot, our offerings today will be shared between the Gods, Landwights (spirits), Ancestors, and ourselves.

    During the Sharing of the Blessing we will be asperging (sprinkling) everyone with the liquids from our offering bowl, which will be mostly water. There will also be a small altar set up where people can make offerings during the day if they choose.

    You can learn more about the BC Heathen Freehold online and join in the Main Ritual at 1:00pm at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on Saturday, August 12th!

     

     

  • Performer Highlight: Annemarie Cummings

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Annemarie Cummings! 

    Cowichan Valley harpist Annemarie Cummings returns to play for the second year on Pagan Pride Day. Annemarie is multitalented and also creates beautiful paintings available on her Facebook page.

    You can see Annemarie Cummings perform in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!

  • Vendor Highlight: Forge & Forage

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Forge & Forage!  

    I am and blacksmith/metalworker and make a lot of hand forged knives and tools. I also make a lot of copper and brass pagan and brutalist jewelry. I am @forgenforage on Instagram if you would like to see some of my work. I also sell a selection of wild harvested mushrooms. At the moment I have chaga and West coast reishi mushroom. 

    Visit Forge & Forage online, and in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!

  • Sneak peak at the schedule!

     

  • Workshop Highlight: Drumming & Storytelling with Mizz Rory

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Drumming & Storytelling with Mizz Rory! 

    Stories of ancient times and a hidden history of Reconciliation and the connection of drumming to it all. Participating with a smudge and meditation, you will take a step along your own path to reconciliation.

    ‘Mizz’ Rory of Tricoz Productions is a transgender two-spirit Cree/Mètis woman. Her pronouns are “two” and “sheim” (like she and him: sheim). Sheim traces her ReconciliACTION work to following in the footsteps of her father, Wesley Lyle Keewatin Richards, a survivor of the 60’s Scoop in Alberta, a Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa) from St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton, and an activist-elder. Keeping ties with her relatives on ᐅᑭᓃᐢ (Okanese) Cree lands in Saskatchewan, Rory now lives with her queer-platonic life partner and Sphynx cat in Ladysmith, BC, on Quw’utsun (Cowichan) territory. Kinâskômatîn (Cree for thank you) from Mizz Rory!

    Visit Mizz Rory online, and attend the workshop in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!

  • Vendor Highlight: Morgue Fairy

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Morgue Fairy!  

    I make one of a kind entomology art pieces in glass vessels. I use crystals, foraged and preserved flora, and moss. I also use bones/ skulls, and insects (primarily moths and butterflies) in my work I have sourced ethically and responsibly. 

    Visit Morgue Fairy online, and in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!

  • Workshop Highlight: Seasons & Mental Health with Krista

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes Seasons & Mental Health with Krista! 

    Living between the Sabbats Using the Wheel of the Year as a spiritual roadmap for mental health and wellbeing. Learn how to engage with the seasons of the year more intimately to create more grounding and balance in your life.

    Krista has an extensive background in Spiritual Ministry. In her early twenties she served as a Missionary with Youth With A Mission in Brazil, studied Theology in Dallas Texas where she completed 255 hours of Chaplaincy with the Dallas County Jail. She has served as Youth Pastor, Children/Youth and Families Coordinator for the United and Anglican Church and has been a spiritual mentor for many. Her spiritual journey has taken her outside the box of religion where she finds herself still in service in a spiritual capacity, with an earth based focus. She calls herself an Eclectic Mystic and offers her gifts of healing to anyone looking for spiritual support outside the box of religion.  website www.kristathornhill.com

    Visit Kirsta Thornhill online, and in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!

     

     

     

  • Vendor Highlight: The Good Witch

    Vancouver Island Pagan Pride welcomes The Good Witch!  

    Offering all the witchy goodies you want and need… spells, crystals, smudge, candles, household items, all natural aromatherapy products & more! We even have freshly baked gluten free goodies!

    Visit The Good Witch online and in person at Vancouver Island Pagan Pride Day at Charles Hoey Park in Duncan on August 12th!