We were at Pilgrim Park again this year, June 2-4.

Keynote speaker was Martha Kirby Capo!

Martha Kirby Capo is a Solitary Witch currently working with Brigid, Hekate, Pan, and Cernunnos. She is the page manager of Patheos Pagan’s shared blog The Agora, where she writes as The Corner Crone. Her Moments for Meditation can be heard on KPPR Pure Pagan Radio.

Martha has been active in several Unitarian Universalist congregations for over 35 years, including First Jefferson (Ft. Worth TX), Bay Area (Clear Lake TX), Peoples (Cedar Rapids IA), and DuPage (Naperville IL). She is currently a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami, where she has established a monthly Drum Circle and serves as a resource for members seeking to learn more about paganism. Martha has served on the CUUPS Board and was a co-founder DuPage UU’s Earth-centered spirituality group. With members of that group, she led the Opening Ritual of Greater Chicagoland Pagan Pride 2017.

Martha has been extensively anthologized through Skinner House books, Flying Cow Productions, and various Llewellyn Publications. An online collection of her work is included in the UUA’s Worship Web Library, which provides resources for worship services and personal spiritual practice. An award-winning poet and lyricist, she has written for several online and print magazines, including The Wild Hunt and Witchology. Martha has been a presenter at Florida Pagan Gathering, Turning the Tide, and Mystic South. She is a member of Circle Sanctuary and Everglades Moon, a Local Council representing the Covenant of the Goddess in Florida.

Martha’s first book, Thrifty Witchery, co-authored with Vincent Higginbotham, is available at online and local bookstores. Her second book, Quantum Magick, is forthcoming. You can keep up with Martha’s latest activities by following her on Facebook or Patheos blogs.

We gathered at Pilgrim Park again this year, with an added day for extra fun!

May 30-June 2, 2024

Our keynote was Christine Saxman! Christine, founder of Saxman Consulting, is an author, facilitator, coach, educator, and consultant with twenty years of racial equity and social justice experience working with educational, corporate, not-for-profit, and government organizations. She co-authored Being White Today: A Roadmap for a Positive Antiracist Life and Western State Center’s toolkit Confronting Conspiracy Theories and Organized Bigotry at Home: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers. She also works on staff for the National SEED Project (Seeking Education Equity and Diversity) and collaborates with the Race Institute.  Prior to spending two years as an equity transformation specialist at Courageous Conversations About Race, Christine was an educator in Township District 113 in Illinois for fifteen years where she was also a racial equity leader. In 2016, she received recognition as an Illinois Golden Apple Finalist and Teacher of Distinction.

Christine kept us engaged with the information and understanding she brought to her keynote and workshops. We had lots of questions and stories for her.

We enjoyed workshops on: pendulums, creative doodling, UU women's groups, and self-publication. Kathy brought resin molds to make our own pendulums or pendants. Rituals included some Dances of Universal Peace and a bit of sing-along, with plenty of drumming. Friday night's bonfire was an encouraging mix of women's chants and talk. Late evenings saw euchre, puzzles and dominoes along with a relaxed atmosphere in the large gathering room. Once again, Pilgrim Park staff fed and cared for us very well. And the cicadas were there, but they kept a comfortable distance away up in the trees surrounding the camp.

Element: Spirit        Direction:  Above and Below