Programming & Schedule

Anne Marie Greymoon has been a ballerina, a pagan artisan, musician, singer, mask maker, doula, teacher, postal worker, business manager, occultist, drummer, herbalist, tarot reader, Spiritual consultant, Traditional healer, Morris dancer, High Priestess, Elder and is still a lot of these things.(really)

She has been in the craft since the early eighties and is a 3* HPS in both the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions of Wica. She has participated in numerous radio, TV and film documentaries on witchcraft,

A former director of Wic-Can Fest and Harvest Fest for over 35 years, she believes that everyone is entitled to believe in and honour the Goddess and the Old Gods and sought to provide a meeting place for all our people to share knowledge, connect, celebrate and network with others of similar earth-based faiths. Proud mom to 8 children, she considers herself a healer, a traditional wisdom keeper and a witch. 

 
Anne Marie will present the following:

Corn Dollie making
Come learn all about this ancient custom and craft
and try your hand at making a dollie of your own to take home.
This adult workshop will explore the ideas behind related Harvest customs
and ways to take the blessings of Nature, inside for the winter.

Spell Weaving

  Join us for the opening ritual where we will cast a great spell for "Clarity" , to help see us through the Harvest, through the dark of winter, through the renewal of all, until we meet again. 

 Laurie Benson has led Herb Walks and Talks from Starwood to Kaleidoscope, after being inspired by the Wic-Can Fest walks Nick Faunus led in the '80's. She studied with Susun Weed and was initiated by her as a Green Witch in the '90's. In the next century she completed her Advanced Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica, Mexico and India. Most recently she was a guest presenter at the Back to Your Roots Festival, leading the Kava Ceremony and receiving teaching from acclaimed herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. 

Saturday and Sunday morning 10:00 am "Herb Walks"

 Tour this majestic site to get to know our plant allies and their edible, medicinal and magikal attributes. As foraging and wildcrafting are becoming more popular, it is important to know who is who in the plant world and to know how to harvest ethically. Each walk will take a different route. The first will be the most accessible, keeping to even roads and paths. The second will explore the rocky shoreline which will be more challenging and require good footwear! Know there is Poison Ivy off the paths so please don't wander into those areas. 

Incense Making

 You don't even need a charcoal if you can find the Tinder Fungus! Cedar is as cleansing as Frankincense and much more available to us in North America. Incense has been burned in almost every culture to purify the air in closed spaces and bring clarity and often psychoactive opening to the mind. What can we find in our environment that responds to our individual requirements? If the weather is good we will hold this workshop outdoors so the smoke will be sent with our prayers. Plan to meet outside at the picnic tables by the dining hall. 

Fire Cider

 Shocking what they are charging for it! What!? $6 a "power shot"? $20 for 375 ml? It is indeed a powerful immune booster and a great ally for the cold weather challenges but really it's become so trendy since Covid you can't afford it - Unless you make your own! We will communally make a jar to store over the winter and taste last winter's brew (yes, it lasts that long!). Get the recipe(s) and hear the story of how it was almost made illegal in 2019 until Rosemary Gladstar and other herbalists challenged the trademarking of this traditional recipe! 

 Cherica is an award-winning mostly-bellydance performer who has been dancing in shows and festivals across Canada and the United States since 2016, both as a soloist and together with the Hamilton-based dance collective Steel City Slither (now on IG @steelcityslither). She is also a witch who has been forging her own path for many years, in addition to being an educator, a metalsmith, an astrologer, and most recently, an amateur stained-glass artist. You can follow her magical and creative exploits on instagram at @cherica_nova or facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ee.en.cee. 

Ricky Nicky will be hosting the following workshop:

Rhythms for Drummers & Dancers

 Calling all drummers and dancers!  Let's level up your skills with an introduction to a few rhythms you don't always hear around the fire. We'll touch briefly on cultural context but spend most of our time playing and moving. Please bring a drum if you have one and intend to play (but you can still participate with body percussion or dancing if you don't have one). It's the collab you didn't even know you needed in your fest with Cherica and the Drum Dr. All bodies and levels of ability welcome. 

 We'waskoney'egon Mu'izza Mizen is a  Bird Clan descendant of Voyageur and Omamawanninni culture where the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers meet in Algonquin Territory, what is now Ontario Canada

 Her mother's lineage Ashkenazi Jewish British settlers. Mu'izza is a 2nd Degree Gardnerian, studying and circling in the Ottawa area for over 25 years. She served her community as a Mental Health and end of life Nurse sharing Mindfulness and Yoga in medical setting for 30 years while Bridging interfaith communities through song, drum and visual art. She has apprenticed herself the Bird Nation, Anishinaabe Elders and the Inayatiyya  Sufis where she serves as a Healer, Retreat Guide and Leader for the Ottawa Center. Mu'izza is an enthusiastic visionary of pathways returning to our essential unity with our natural, human and spiritual worlds. She devotes her whole being to Bridging culture through Indigenous Healing , Love Harmony and Beauty. 

Mu'izza will be presenting the following workshop with Klaudia Van Gool & David Smart-Knight:

How nature does regeneration

The Ancient Alchemical Secret Revealed in the Pagan Wheel of the Year, The Anishinaabe Medicine wheel, and the Alchemical Spiral of the Inayatiyya Sufis

Open to all 

• We will touch on aspects of all three traditions tracing the common ground, similar concepts and origins
• As well as how David and Klaudia have applied these teachings to an amazing level  toward the healing of our times.

This workshop is interactive and participation is encouraged! 

Klaudia van Gool

Klaudia grew up at the edge of a village in the south of the Netherlands. From an early age, she had an urge to garden and made small gardens around the house. After moving to the UK and earning an Environmental Science degree, she worked as an Environmental Business Services Advisor for the Groundwork Trust for 11 years.

She has trained in the fields of business, permaculture, education, facilitation, management, sustainability skills, and personal development. Klaudia began teaching permaculture in 2007.

A thread running through all her work is one of connection: learning, practicing, and sharing the ways we can find our way back to ourselves, each other, and the natural world. Some of these threads are Active Hope /The Work That Reconnects and Deep Nature Connection and Regenerative Cultures. Study of the Lakota traditions has added clarity and commitment.

As an eco-facilitator, Klaudia has been involved with Extinction Rebellion, mostly focussing on regenerative cultures. She continues to deepen her curiosity for ceremony and the study of herbal medicine. Her passions are connection with plants, nature, and the elements. http://klaudia.co.uk/

 David Smart- Knight

Following a thriving career as an IT consultant, for nearly 30 years David has asked: “What does it mean to live sustainably?”.
This has resulted in studying & applying Permaculture, shamanism, Non-Violent Communication, storytelling, teaching, social enterprise, running a smallholding, planting and managing coppice, making greenwood furniture, keeping livestock and holding ceremonies.  All woven into a joyful second career as an environmental educator, devising and delivering a European-wide teacher training program, creating and piloting a sustainability curriculum for secondary schools, establishing two award-winning Environmental Education Centres and running eco-build projects as community empowerment exercises.
David considers himself privileged to have spent time with, and learnt from some deeply inspiring teachers including Pat McCabe, Jon Young, Meredith Little, Manitonquat, Satish Kumar and Mac MacCartney.   

“Sustainability”, he now believes “is a completely inadequate ambition:  what we actually need is regeneration, which, by necessity, requires both personal fulfilment and social justice.” 
David describes himself as a cultural engineer, devising and delivering programs designed to build “Regenerative Cultures”.  In recent years this has included consulting with Suhrawardi Gebel and the Inayatiyya Knighthood council on the development of the Green Rules, and delivering numerous programs in support of Extinction Rebellion.

Pack your finest regalia for our Witches and Wizards Ball organized by your resident braiders Anita & Braila.

Stay tuned as we continue planning an unforgettable evening!

  James is a devotee of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, a ceremonial magician in the Solomonic current, and a First Degree in Odyssean Wicca. He is on the organizing committee for Hamilton Pagan Pride Day and is one of the founders and priesthood of Silver Circle, a Wiccan temple operating out of Hamilton, Ontario. He makes ritual tools for witchcraft and ceremonial magic, crystal jewellery, incense, and other magical treasures, and sells these online and at festivals under the name Crown and Crescent. His non-magical interests include knitting, Morris dancing, making stained glass, reading, trashy horror movies, gardening, and fussing over fluffy orange cats (the best kind). 

James will be presenting:

Egyptian Mythology

 Come and hear the mythology of ancient Egypt! This will be a two-part class covering the stories and myths of the divine Ennead of Heliopolis, the creation of the world, the story of Isis and Osiris, the Contendings of Horus and Set, and many others. We will also be talking about some of the history of Egypt and their religious practices and views of the afterlife. Egypt has an extremely long history with a complex and dymanic mythology that has many interesting and sometimes comical stories, so prepare to have a good time!  

 Hails from the Black Silk House of Drums. There is a deep magic between us with these beautiful instruments.Participate in our community music making event. Bring your favorite percussion instrument and groove along with the rest of your tribe. Light facilitation provided to achieve goals of unity, listening and grooving! Nelson will be offering a Introduction to Drumming Workshop on Saturday afternoon! 

Meet Anita and Braila! They have been involved in the pagan community for a number of years now.Anita is a fashion history fanatic and practicing pagan witch who finds her truth in the history of decoration and nature. ~“Beauty and fashion are never an island, they are always a response”.Braila, an eclectic nature witch was raised fam-trad and is looking to share a portion of her many hyper-fixations with others. ~“A jack of all trades is master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one”At their core, they look to combine their knowledge, instincts, and love in a meaningful and magical way to help bring the community closer together!
Anita & Braila will be hosting our Witches & Wizards Ball and our boudoir.

Boudoir

Join us for a fanciful time of inclusive beautification. All are welcome to our magical boudoir! We invite you to partake in a pre-ritual gathering as we seek to cultivate laughter, magic, and sparkles. Bring your own accessories, costumes, makeup, and beverages. We will be supplying glitter, body paint, basic hair accessories, and snackies! Comfort, community and channeling all around. We will be breaking down walls and pushing through to (re)create a sense of safety for ALL; no matter age, ability, race, or gender. Come for the charisma, leave because you maybe have to pee a little bit. 

Catherine Starr is a professional Tarot reader with over thirty years’ experience. She is the creatrix of the

ritual-theater piece, Oracles from the Living Tarot. Over the past twenty-five years, this play has been

performed every year somewhere in the world, including the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany,

Scotland, Poland, the Netherlands, and Denmark. She is now writing a book about the history, the

process of creating the production, and how to transform into a Living Tarot card. The heart of the book

will include not only her personal journey with this piece, but also the experiences of the family of

people who have participated in the many productions.

Catherine will be offering the following workshop:

Ritual Performance Techniques

Rituals can take many forms, from simple rituals you do by yourself or with a small group to large, public

rituals to ritual-theatre performances. For all of these, your ritual experience can be improved by

learning some basic performance techniques. In this workshop, I will share some of the techniques that

have been used in preparing for the ritual-theatre performances for Oracles from the Living Tarot. While

going through the exercises, Everyone will have the opportunity to become a Living Tarot Card. If there

is time, we will do a reading for our community for the year.

Living Tarot

Oracles from the Living Tarot brings the Major Arcana Tarot cards to life in order to do a readng for the a community for the coming year. The cards will the portrayed by people in our community and it is the energy of the audience that will help determine what this year will bring for all of us

To learn more about Living Tarot, come to Catherine's workshop or talk to her. This is truly a magical experience for all. 

Kimi  has been studying the uses of essential oils for over 15 years. She enjoys sharing the wonderful benefits of essential oils with everyone in workshops as well as with products, through her business: A Scented Path.   

She is also a very talented hula hooper who has lots of tips and tricks up her sleeve.

Kimi will be offering the following workshops this year:

Make a blend 

Root through my essential oil stock and make a blend of your very own, beginner to advanced. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

Raid My Stash!

Let's play with my stash of ingredients! Walk away with a custom made product and a wealth of knowledge. 

Bath/Shower Salts

Make and scent your own bath salts or shower fizzles using a few different salts to gift or enjoy yourself. Everyone can walk away with one or ther other (or both if your quick)  Instruction on different salts and their properties, help choosing essential oils safe for emersion in water and how to make fizzies. Great for the whole family however children must be supervised by a parent 

 Robin Benson is a veteran of 35 years in the fest community, current head of maintenance, and 2nd generation pagan. For the past 10 years, he has helped host our Corn Kind ritual for our community. He has been educated in various forms of art and scientific studies, spanning from illustration to demonology. A jack of all trades, his particularly favorite studies include metal working, woodworking and drawing. This year, he will be bringing out his blacksmithing hat in teaching some basic techniques for you.   

Robin will be presenting:

Fire Below, Fire Above, Metal Between; Blacksmithing Basics  

Join Robin Benson for an hour session where you will learn the basics of blacksmithing. Starting with safety and maintenance instruction, you will proceed through learning how to operate a coal forge, and finish with the construction of your very own metal heart to take home with you. 

 Laura Pierce is part of the pagan community since 1984, is a holistic health practitioner in several modalities including Advanced EFT Therapy, and has worked as a midwife in 3 countries. She has taken the advanced EFT training courses and has experienced many successes with this method of therapy 

Laura will be presenting:

 Learn Basic EFT Tapping

Learn and practice basic EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to use for first aid, overwhelming emotions, body communication, reprogramming old patterns and habits, acute or chronic pain, nightmares, negative self talk, etc.Very empowering and easy modality to use for self or others. How-to handouts given to show tapping points and the sequence to use. Hands are the only tool you need! This class is best for ages 10 and up. Craft your life consciously! Come experience the magic of transformation!

Kristy is a mom of 4 kids and a plethora of fur babies, who has enjoyed a multitude of crafts over her life. She has found over her life that things like beadwork, bracelet making and other crafts that require attention to detail, help not only physical health , but also mental health. It is a form of meditation that results in a physical reminder of the feelings of peace you found while making the item that can be taken out and held when you need that reminder most. After covid, we could all use a physical reminder of the love, friendships, memories and discoveries we acquired at fest. So come join us for:

Pumpkin Carving

 Learn and assist with food preservation! Everyone will be given a task for preparing the recipes. While preparing we will talk about the methods of food preservation.

Canning & Food Preservation

 Join us in carving your best pumpkin for display in the great hall! Vote for your favourite design! Ballots will be placed on the mantle. Please place your vote for the best pumpkin in the box. Winner will be announced at dinner on Sunday.  

 Hippie Pagan Warrior Goddess! Currently living in Parry Sound, Ontario, I am a  Seamstress, Designer, Artist, Crafty Bitch, Kitchen Witch. You'll find me cooking and serving your breakfast every morning, and likely selling my wares or teaching a crafty workshop in the afternoon, with my best friend and Support Animal, Bob Marley. 

Dani will be presenting:

Dye Naturally with Dani

 Learn how to use garden and kitchen scraps to due your favorite clothing.  Dani will teach the very basics of dying all natural fabrics with all natural items!  We will be dying a beautiful hand made coat in CEDAR during the workshop.  Each person will get a handout guide to easy to find natural items to dye with.

 Hailing from London Ontario, Willow Switch is the crossroads between saw-player and guitarist Andra Zlatescu, and banjo player Robin Henry. Together they call on the spirits of the land and sing in ambient haunting harmonies. Their first album is set to be released in October 2023. 

Willow Switch will be performing at our Witches & Wizards Ball!

 We are a passionate and enthusiastic community in the world of medieval martial arts. We have a focus on traditional medieval era weapon fighting, as well as archery, thrown weapons, and various crafting workshops. Our instructors strive to provide practical lessons with theory so that our students achieve a well rounded and rewarding experience. 

 Medieval Display & Martial Arts 

 On Sat October 7 the Rangers of Govannas will be providing a medieval weapons and armor display, fight demonstrations, and boffer combat for the young and young at heart!

 Kati was introduced to psychic phenomena in her childhood by her Godmother. She has been learning and developing her talent in this field since 1986. She learned to read Tarot cards in Australia. Since 1992 she has studied in a Spiritualist environment in Toronto and at Lilydale. Through her interest in mystical knowledge, she has also studied Kabalistic Mysticism, under one of the greatest Kabalists, Rabbi Chezi Nagar, in Toronto. From 1992-1999, she has been an active member and lecturer of the Psychic Society of Toronto.
Katie is a proud initiate of the Odyssean Tradition and a member of the Wiccan Church of Canada.

Pagan Chanting

 Chanting always been a big part of pagan traditions. 1. moving us out of a mundane to a spiritual state of mind. 2. For worship deities and sing them closer to us. 3. For mantras to manifest desires. 4. To celebrate special timing of the year. Weather it is elemental or devotional it helps us to focus on magic. Please join me for this special time to learn new chants and songs.