We’re getting ready to put on Vancouver Pagan Pride 2012. If you’d like to be involved as a presenter, to perform a ritual or music, to be a vendor, or to volunteer, please contact us right away. We’ve submitted the paperwork to the city of Surrey to reserve Hawthorne Park (the site of last year’s event) for 18 August, 2012. We doubled attendance to 250 last year, let’s see if we can double it again.
Kerr Cuhulain, Preceptor General, Order of Scathach
Posted in VPPD News
The Order of Scathach is going to be sponsoring Vancouver Pagan Pride again this year. A number of people expressed an interest in getting involved. There will be an organizational meeting for VPPD on Sunday, 29 January, 2012 at 2 PM at the Surrey Motherhouse for the Order. Please contact us if you’d like to get involved.
Kerr Cuhulain, Preceptor General, Order of Scathach
Posted in VPPD News
Thanks to everyone who attended this year’s Vancouver Pagan Pride for making our celebration a success. People were coming and going from Hawthorne Park in Surrey all day. By mid day the people on site had swelled to 148 people and total attendance is estimated at 250. So we’ve certainly increased the attendance from last year, probably doubled it (judging from the rough estimates of attendance from last year’s event).
This is the first year that government officials had been invited to this event. MLA Bruce Ralston attended and Mayor Diane Watts would have, had she not had her serious accident. She sent a message to be read at the gathering, as did the Lieutenant Governor of BC and Harry Bloy, the Minister of Social Development . Ralston told me that Pagans at this gathering were the most welcoming that he’d ever encountered and that he was impressed with our opening ritual. People in high places are starting to take note of us. This is what we want.
We’ve been receiving a lot of positive feedback and we appreciate it. We encourage you all to give us feedback and suggestions to make next year’s event even better. Many people are asking: “Will you be running next year’s VPPD?” Yes, we will. Some others asked if they could become involved in running next year’s event, even though they are not members of our Order. Yes, you can. Volunteers are certainly welcomed.
One person commented that my Order of Scáthach, which sponsored this year’s event, was the most visible presence at this year’s VPPD event, and said that it had given him the impression that we were the only religious group present. Being a group of committed individuals who are organized and active, we can’t help but be visible in the community. We are proud of our organization and put up an information booth at VPPD with color signage, displaying the banners of our knights. We wear a “uniform” which makes us visible (and easy to find, which is important if you are running an event). We make no apologies for that. It was those characteristics that allowed us to take charge of this year’s event and make it successful. However, we have no desire to monopolize the spotlight on our Pagan community, nor to overshadow any other community group. We hope that next year groups attending Vancouver Pagan Pride will follow our example and organize themselves to set up information booths, put up banners and signs advertising their groups, and either dress in identifiable outfits or wear name tags to make themselves visible to the visitors who would like to seek them out and ask questions. At this year’s VPPD I had several people approach me (highly visible in my black Order of Scáthach gi) asking me to direct them to representatives of other Pagan religious groups (dressed casually and indistinguishable from anyone else in the crowd).
We had a few individuals approach us at the last minute wanting to be squeezed into the program. One individual seemed to suppose that they should have automatically been included, presumably because they viewed themselves as important in the community. We treat everyone equally in this process. We started putting out invitations to participate 9 months in advance of the 2011 event. We’ll start taking reservations for the 2012 event starting now. Be advised: The rule is- You snooze, you lose. If you can’t get your act together and sign up on time, then you’re probably not organized enough to have a successful presence at the event. We don’t do “Pagan Standard Time.” Showing up late or trying to squeeze in at the last moment without a valid excuse is inconsiderate and a violation of the part of the Wiccan Rede that says: “Harm none.” As attendees at this year’s event discovered, we run things on time.
Hope to see you next year!
In Her Service, Kerr Cuhulain
Preceptor General, Order of Scathách
Chairperson for Vancouver Pagan Pride
Order of Scáthach web site: http://www.dunscathach.com/
Order of Scathách training blog: http://dunscathach.wordpress.com/
Kerr Cuhulain’s blog: http://kerrcuhulain.blogspot.com/
Kerr’s latest Smashwords book: Modern Knighthood: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34975
Check out Kerr’s daily affirmations:
Twitter: @warriorwitch
Facebook: Kerr Cuhulain
YouTube channel for the Order of Scathách: http://www.youtube.com/user/goibhniu13?feature=mhum
Pagan Religions: A Manual for Diversity Training: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Pagan-Religions-Manual-Diversity-Training-Kerr-Cuhulain/9780971005068-item.html?cookieCheck=1
Posted in Uncategorized
Vancouver Pagan Pride is one week away: Saturday, August 13, 2011, in Hawthorne Park. If you’re Pagan, stand up and be counted! If you’re interested in finding out what Pagans are all about, come on down and check us out. The site is easily accessible by transit. Refreshments available on site. Bring your donations for the SPCA and/or the Food Bank and/or Pagan Pride. Support us by buying tickets for our 50/50 draw.
Check the schedule page of this blog for the latest schedule of rituals, classes and entertainment. Come browse the merchant’s booths. The first copies of Kerr Cuhulain’s Pagan Religions: A Handbook for Diversity Training, will be available for sale on site.
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted in Uncategorized
The latest edition of my original book The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca (which went through 3 editions) is now out. The new title is Pagan Religions: A Manual for Diversity Training. With the help of Denise from Gypsy Moon Metaphysical Books I’ll be launching it at the Vancouver Pagan Pride Day (http://vancouverpaganpride.wordpress.com/) on Saturday, August 13th (Hawthorne Park in Surrey).
Kerr Cuhulain
Posted in Uncategorized
Vancouver Pagan Pride 2011 is just about a month away: It takes place on Saturday, August 13 from 10 AM to 6 PM. If we want to be taken seriously as a community, then we need to show the people of the Lower Mainland how strong a community we are. So get out to Hawthorne Park in Surrey on August 13 and let’s show the world who we are. There will be rituals, classes, and performances for people of all ages. Surrey Mayor Diane Watts will be attending the opening ritual. Show your Pagan Pride and join us for this festival. Let’s make it the biggest gathering ever!
In Her Service, Kerr Cuhulain
We’ve posted a tentative schedule for our Pagan Pride Event in August. There’s still time to sign up to teach a class, present a ritual, or perform. See the Schedule page.
In Her Service, Kerr Cuhulain
Order of Scathach
There will be a site reconnaissance at Hawthorne Park on Saturday, 16 April at 1 PM for all of us involved in the organizing committee for Vancouver Pagan Pride 2011. The objective is to create a site map to help us place and organize all of the events. Also, we are required to submit a site map to the City of Surrey requires as part of the application process. If your group is thinking of participating, please let us know ASAP, as that will help us plan room for everyone for this event.
We’ve set a Beltaine (April 30) deadline for our organizers to put together a preliminary schedule so that we can post it on this blog. This will be a work in progress, with additions after that date, but we want to get something up to give people an idea of what we are doing.
In Her Service, Kerr Cuhulain
Posted in Uncategorized, VPPD News
Dear Friends:
In years past Pagan Pride Day in Vancouver has been an opportunity for local Pagans to get together and celebrate our Pagan connections. That’s a wonderful aspect of this event that I intend to continue in this year’s celebration. However, this year we’re kicking things up a notch and fully utilizing this festival to accomplish all of the goals that it was created for.
We’re inviting the greater community to come out and check us out. Part of the reason for us having a Pagan Pride Day is to announce to the world who we are. We want to educate the greater community about our culture and practices to dispel rumours and encourage dialogue.
As part of this effort we’ve invited representatives of organizations that we’d like to build relationships with such as the RCMP. The RCMP will be attending to participate: We’re just working the details of that out with their Special Events Section and representatives from District 2 (Fleetwood/Guildford) which is where this year’s venue is located. We’ve also invited VIPs from government, including the Lt. Governor of BC, the Premier of BC, the Minister of Multicultural Affairs, Senator Larry Campbell, various MPs and MLAs, the Mayor of Surrey, the Superintendent of the RCMP in BC, and local First Nations Chiefs (Musqueam, Tsawassen, Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem and Katzie First Nations). We’ve already received confirmation that Surrey Mayor Diane Watts is attending. We’ll keep you posted on this on this.
This is our opportunity to prove to these representatives of the greater community and to the media that we are a strong and thriving community that needs to be listened to. This means we need a good turnout. The bigger the attendance for the opening ritual at 10 AM on August 13 in Hawthorne Park in Surrey, the better.
In Her Service, Kerr Cuhulain
Local Coordinator, Vancouver Pagan Pride 2011
Grand Master, Order of Scathách
