I had the opportunity to attend Summer Solstice at Wisteria this year for the first time since 2015, thanks to my grovemate Leesa who ended up with an extra ticket. It was perhaps the wonderful and moving spiritual experience I’ve had this year. 

In the past I haven’t felt like I meshed particularly well at pan-pagan festivals, but I think perhaps I’ve grown, in a good way, and my confidence in my own practice, my focus on pastoral care of the larger pagan community, and my improvements in my own mental health and social anxiety really allowed this to be a meaningful festival experience. It also helped that I attended with no expectations and wasn’t responsible for any workshops, rituals, or management at all. I was just there to attend and have a good time. 

Highlights!

I brought my older kiddo with me, since I knew Wisteria had a Kid Village. It was absolutely the right choice. Kid Village has improved so much since I last attended. Not only do they have a fully fenced-in area now, they also had full kids programming from 8a-5p every day of the festival. So I got to spend the days attending workshops and socializing, and knew that my kid was getting to the same. I asked them at one point (since they’re 10) if they wanted to do some of the workshops and activities that they were old enough to do, and they said no, they’d rather stay with their new friends and do the kids activities. So bravo to the Kids Village volunteers!

The workshops I attended were excellent, and for the most part outside the wheelhouse of a) what i’d normally attend, and b)what is typically offered at and ADF festival. They also allowed my to network in some cases so that I can seek out more info later. 

I went to Leesa’s workshop where she talked about her sociology research project about Pagan Hearth and Home Religion. Some of that research, as well as what other attendees work on, will be useful in my own studies. 

The Ohio Canid Center came with one of their new wolf pups and did a presentation on wofl conservation and we got to pet the wolf pup ambassador. I’ve gone to some of their presentations before at our local metroparks, but it was way more intimate here at Wisteria.

I went to a non-binary healing circle lead by Carver Casey. It was a small group of us, but also intensely spiritual. (Also, shout-out to Guild of the Gods, who hosted a “16 and under” non-binary circle at the same time). We called out to the Queer Dead, and sought to transmute things in need of healing into brighter, better things. (Bonus: this healing circle was at the Spirit Circle, which is the ADF Nemeton that I helped build last time I was at Wisteria)

I attended a Guided Painting workshop led by Kim (Miss Guided Painting of Creative Companions) that was just full of beauty and affirmations. I came home with a lovely scene I painted myself, suggestions on how to access that creative spirit more frequently, and a calm and happy brain from shutting the inner critic down for awhile.

Probably my favorite workshop was on Osteomancy (bone-throwing) presented by River. I’ve been wanting to explore this divination style for awhile, and his workshop was really well structured and thought out, with clear pathways for beginning the work. It is an open divination style, and I think with my work in fire scrying and oracular stuff already, I should be able to incorporate bone throwing fairly well. My purchase for the weekend was a beginning set of bones to start a set. 

I ended up teaching Leesa’s workshop on Spiritual Hygiene, since she had to unexpectedly leave early. It went really well, and I was well-equipped to cover it since Leesa and I are in the same oracular group, and much of this workshop came out of our experiences doing that work.

Finally, I went to a Brewing 101 workshop followed by a Mead-Makers Meet and Greet. And as much as I don’t need a new hobby, I might end up with a new hobby, LOL. We talked about the process and mechanics of brewing mead, what kind of things you can do to add and improve flavors, how to make the brewing process part of your magical and spiritual practice, and tasted various samples to see how they differed. 

In addition to the workshops, there were other aspects of the festival that were amazing:

I attended the Pride Night Drag Show, Burlesque Show, and Tea Dance. It was so much fun! Also, A+ for inclusive drag. I had never really gone to the Green man Tavern during my previous times at Wisteria, and the fact that the whole evening focused on queer community, it was just wonderful. I think that’s one of the biggest changes in feel I’ve experienced from Wisteria 7 years ago to now. Now it is so focused on consent and the queer experience and inclusive joy.

PawPaw! PawPaw is the name of the Drum Circle location at Wisteria, and it is a beautiful flat are part way down a ravine, where a bonfire is built every night surrounded by soft sand for dancing around, and a covered area from drummers, including community drums that any who want to play are welcome to. Dancing around a fire at night is one of the cliche pagan festival experiences, but not always one that I partake in. However, Paw Paw is so welcoming and feels so safe that I am willing to let go and drum and dance to my heart’s content there.

Everyday around lunchtime Nellie hosted a Craft Circle around the Heart Fire. I had brought my lucet fork with me and was making cord throughout the weekend. It was a lovely time to sit and chat, and see what others were working on.

I got to spend time chilling and socializing with some new friends and some reacquainted friends. Shoutout to Otherworld Apothecary and friends for the welcome and connection.

All in all, it was an absolutely wonderful experience. I’m hoping to make it back next year. It would be even better to be able to make it back for Autumn Fires this year, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to swing that. I also met the folks from Guild of the Gods in Indianapolis, and both the kiddo and I adore them. They are so kind and inclusive, and I’m looking into ways I can be more involved there, which may involve a Samhain and Beltane campout. I’m hoping I can make them work. 

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I hope to post some of the workshop notes that I took over on my Patreon, so if you’re interested in the Osteomancy and/or Brewing notes, join me over there.

Also, check it out! I reviewed the festival on our Druids in Cars podcast too!