Main Ritual Details
Gates of Life & Labyrinths of Change
In working with this year's theme of "Crossroads", we will make a journey together to discover or seek aid on out Path. We will invoke Legba- the Yoruban Deity of Beginnings and Crossroads- through chanting and singing to be the initiator of our change ask for good fortune and open the Gates to the best possible outcomes. At that point, Hermes will invite people to different paths in a candlelit labyrinth where you may find omens or tools to guide you on your Path, and what their options might be. When you exit the maze- Hecate, as Goddess of the Crossroads will be there to great you with a challenge and an oracle. Finally, Hecate will point the way to an ecstatic puja for Ganesh- the Hindu God of Removing Obstacles and the start of Journeys.
Ritual Presenters:
Mark Mandrake
A tarot reader, chakra healer, and channeler, Mark believes in marrying the metaphysical, magical, and the mundane for mind, body, and spiritual health. He teaches classes using magic as a tool for personal growth and on spiritual leadership and community building. He has served the Pagan community as leader of a CUUPS group, High Priest of several covens, and as the founder and past chairman of the Chicago Pagan Fellowship- a community initiative serving Pagans of all ages and Paths in Chicago. He is passionate for how we each can, through the alchemical process, turn our spiritual lead into gold as individuals and as a community.
wizard.mandrake@gmail.com
Shauna Aura
Shauna has taught leadership, community building, and ritual arts throughout the Midwest. She's an Earth-centered spirituality community leader in Chicago, and her organization, Ringing Anvil, offers an intensive educational program in the transformative arts of community leadership, ritual, and spiritual growth.
With 12 years experience as an artist, writer, designer, and marketing strategist, she has organized conferences, themed events, and created rituals, shrines, and art installations. She is a graduate of the Diana's Grove leadership and ritual arts program and the Chicago C3 leadership program in environmental sustainability. Her articles have been published in Circle Magazine, Reclaiming Quarterly, Between the Worlds, Isis Seshat, and other local publications. Shauna is inspired by mythic imagination, awakening the vision of the impossible, the pulse of ecstatic drumming, and the song of a healthy, sustainable community.
ShaunaAura@ringinganvil.org