Check back soon, more presenters are constantly being added! If you'd like to present, please contact us! 

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Indroductory Blacksmithing

Presented by James Kelly

Ongoing, ​sign up begins first day of campout.

James Kelly (AKA Blacksmith O'Kelley), Demonstrating Artist, has been fabricating and welding metal crafts using modern methods since 1993. He has been demonstrating traditional coal-forge blacksmithing at renaissance fairs since 2004. Wisteria Solstice 2007 was his first Earth-based festival and he looks forward to returning many times in the future. His interest in blacksmithing has evolved into an effort to pass knowledge of the craft on to others in order that the art does not die. He attends the Unitarian Church in Huntington, West Virginia with his daughters Sierra, Rowan and Catie (and nieces Cassy and Sammy). One of his goals is to learn more about his Celtic origins, particularly their forging techniques.

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Introductory Blacksmithing
Participants will be offered the opportunity to forge an athame' or bolline from a railroad spike, or make tiki-torch holders and gardening tools, or suggest their own projects. These sessions will be held for approx. 2 1/2 hrs daily. Available for all ages (under 18 requires parental permission). Registration signup for all classes starts on the 1st day of the festival. Shoes that cover feet fully/long pants/shirt required. Safety glasses provided and required during forging. Forging is free, but a material fee of $5 to $30 (depending on the craft) will be charged if you wish to keep the finished product. Sign up in advance is required and class space is limited.



Lesser Rituals of the Hexagram and Pentagram

Presented by Ki​khos Ba-Midhbar

Thursday TBA

Details TBA



A discourse on mystically inspired writing and poetry.
Presented by Gypsy Antra and Trident
7pm to 8:30pm Thursday
Open reading and discussion of mystically inspired poetry and spiritual writings. Open to everyone. Bring your muse!



​Star Ruby

Presented by Frater Thanatos
Friday 1:00-2:00PM
The core banishing ritual of the new Aeon. Performance, lecture, discussion, and Q and A will all be included. This is a class for those new to banishing and Thelema as well as those curious about this principle Thelemic ritual. People experienced with the ritual are of course welcome as well to join in the discussion! All welcome! All AGAPE!

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Chaos 101: Ecstacy in motion

Presented By Terry Atwood

2:00-3:30pm Friday
A brief lecture will be given on the history and fundamentals of Chaos Magick, followed by a sigil creation workshop and ecstatic charging of sigils. Please bring your drum/other instrument/chanting voice/dancing feet/clapping hands to raise energy!

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Da'ath Pathworking
Presented By Josh Wetzel
4pm Friday
The Da'ath pathworking was designed by Temple SI of the IOT as the opening ritual for their Qliphothic workings and it involves a prerecorded guided meditation to attune the practitioner to a mental state appropriate for working with the Qliphoth.
This working was performed before all the rituals that went into the privately published IOT work: "Trayectoria" which at present contains the first set of Qliphothic rituals that thier temple performed.

​​​​Ascension of Ankh-f-n-Khonsu

written and performed by Theorte Ekstasis Camp, OTO.
Friday TBA
This ritualized drama tells the tale of one of the most enigmatic figures of Thelema; Ankh-ef-en-Khonsu, the Magician featured on the Stele of Revealing who Crowley personally identified with. His tale is told in a series of rituals within a dramatic narrative structure. Rituals featured within this drama are an Old Dynasty version of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram performed in Egyptian, a Thelemic Order of the Golden Dawn invocation of Horus, a Theorte Ekstasis original Thelemic version of the ancient Egyptian "Opening of the Mouth" ritual, a Mass of the Pheonix, and the Star Ruby.
This "play" serves to introduce many new things to those unfamiliar with Thelema, as well as illustrate how one may customize ancient ritual in any way you may see fit; whether that is making the modern ancient or the ancient modern. As a trans-Aeonic Initiatory Ritual; it attempts to recreate the conditions of the Stele of Revealing itself.



Faces of the Horned God

Presented by Morgan Jones/ Horn & Honey

Saturday 11am-12pm

Location: Parnassus
Bring your horns! Discussion of various forms of worship of the Horned God and all of the manners He manifests.



Sexuality and Gender in a Festival Setting
Presented by Jason Winslade and Lauren Phillips
Saturday, 12:30-2:30
Festivals, especially Babalon Rising, are usually very sexually charged spaces where traditional behaviors, norms and mores are often challenged or thrown out altogether. Unfortunately, in the attempt to create a more sex positive society, problems do emerge. At festival, you or someone you know has probably received unwanted attention, been approached disrespectfully or even been sexually assaulted. How can we address or avoid these pitfalls while still having a sexy time? How do we cultivate the right kind of sex positive atmosphere? In this facilitated discussion, we’ll talk about boundaries, consent, safety and suggestions for how to advance work in these areas, both practically and energetically. Further, in recent years, issues have arisen at other festivals and events over the participation of transgender individuals in “women’s only” rituals and communities are struggling to accommodate a broader range of needs and expressions. To that end, we’ll discuss gender roles, gender identity and sexual orientation in ritual and festival contexts and how we can ensure that all are nourished, respected and protected. In the second half of the workshop we will brainstorm ideas and strategies for the flesh tent(s) that will be set up for Saturday evening.

Jason Winslade, PhD is an adjunct professor at DePaul University, where he teaches seminars on writing, popular culture, occultism, gender and media, comic books and graphic novels, and festival culture. He has published several articles and book chapters in collections on these topics, including the forthcoming Joss Whedon and Religion: Essays on an Angry Atheist's Explorations of the Sacred. Last fall he created and organized the conference “Mapping the Occult City,” which brought together international scholars, local practitioners and performers to DePaul’s Loop campus in Chicago. At his recent workshops at Starwood, Sirius Rising and Babalon Rising, he has been discussing gender at festival and will be publishing his findings in the near future. He is also a musician who plays at festivals with the bands Faebotica and Mayan Ruins.

Lauren A. Phillips, M.S.W. holds a masters degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago. Currently, Lauren works at a community counseling center where she sees adults who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of trauma, as well as LGBTQ individuals, and others. Previously, Lauren interned in the child sexual assault division of a State’s Attorney’s Office victim witness unit and worked for eight years in a shelter for survivors of domestic violence. Lauren’s publications include an in-progress manuscript on domestic violence and homelessness and an in-press article on ending the use of sexual orientation conversion therapies. Lauren has been attending festivals for the last seven years and is excited to be a part of this year’s event.



​Luciferianism 101
Presented by Marc Terry

Saturday 3:00-4:30pm
Have you been hearing Luciferian a lot lately but aren't quite sure what it means? Wondering what the difference between Luciferianism and Satanism might mean? Interested in learning about the history of Luciferianism and its many distinct philosophies? Ever wanted to eat a demon? Well if you answered yes to any of these questions, come on down!

​​Energy work and Shamanic BDSM

Presented by: Morgan Jones/ Labor Day Libertine
Saturday, 5-6pm

Location: Parnassus
Discuss, explore, and share methods of using BDSM to facilitate magickal workings and Shamanic Journeying. BYO if you got 'em


Iron Ritualist
Presented By Frater Theraeon
Saturday noon (1st round)
Saturday evening (2nd round)
What would you do if you were told that you had only 30 minutes to create, rehearse, and execute a public ritual with little more than the random contents in someone else's backpack; and you may or may not have worked with them before?
This tournament will let you find out.
The Iron Ritualist Tournament encourages you to pit your Wit, Wisdom, and Will against other teams of experienced and novice occultists. The teams will be composed of 5-8 randomly chosen individuals, very likely from a variety of backgrounds, traditions, camps, sects, kabals, and orders; and thrust them together to forge and perform the best ritual they can. The top teams will advance to go head-to-head in the final to crown our Iron Ritualist champions!
Rules:
-Teams will be limited to 5-8 people with the maximum number of teams being 4, first come, first serve.
-Each team will be given 30 minutes to develop their ritual, build their props, and rehearse. They will have 5 minutes to set up the ritual space, and a maximum of 15 minutes to perform their ritual.
-For the first round, each team will be provided identical ritual props with a different sacred passage from a random esoteric text.
-Members may not use their personal ritual gear for the tournament, only that which is provided.
-Remember this is an opportunity to learn as well as perform. Be respectful of your teammates and opponents.
-Preliminary competition will be decided by a panel of expert judges.

-All rules for the finals shall be kept secret until the 1 hour beforehand.