Hi all! I was recently lucky enough to attend Artemis Gathering – a wonderful annual Pagan festival in the UK. Given that pretty much all my plans have had to be moved due to my current awaiting surgery situation I was so happy to still be able to attend. This was largely thanks to my lovely friend Mel who also attended and drove us there!
What is Artemis Gathering?
Part of the Witch Fest family and sponsored by Children of Artemis; Artemis Gathering is a pagan camping festival held yearly in the UK. It’s an amazing chance for people of pagan faith or spiritual interest to come together and celebrate our beliefs. This year the event was held 10-13th August near Banbury in a scouting field. We had a bit of fun making our way over and down all the windy country lanes but arrived friday evening ready to get our tents up! I hadn’t been camping for years (back when I actually was a sea scout!) so had to buy a new (very cheap) bright orange tent for the occasion. Amusingly the tent betrayed me to the rain on the second night by leaking and leaving me feeling like an island in the water!
What’s on?
There’s a tonne to do at Artemis Gathering for the spiritually inclined. From talks from experts in the area to Celtic Rock music in the evenings, you can very much play the event at your own pace. Personally we used the friday evening to set up our tents, do a quick Tesco run and familiarize ourselves with the layout of the event.
On the Saturday we got lucky with a beautiful sunny day and a great chance to dress in our favourite hippie-esque clothing and enjoy a selection of talks such as ‘Magic in the Mundane’ by Cat Treadwell, and ‘Dark Age Storyteller’ from Ealdfaeder. We also attended a lovely opening ritual and enjoyed some mead in the main tent along with some great shopping!
In the evening we were treated to Celtic Rock band The Dolmen who were super atmospheric and great fun to listen to. We then followed Celtic Fire & Beltane Fire Dance group who lead us in a Firewalk and across to where a beautiful Water Goddess altar had been erected and we were able to partake in a ritual.
The Sunday was much wetter but we still enjoyed talks such as ‘Invoking The Dark Goddess’ by Flavia Kate Peters and Blacksmith Gods’ by Pete Jennings. We again enjoyed some more shopping, music and a closing ritual. We left knackered, with a lot of new jewelry and having had a great time!
My Take Away
I had a wonderful if wet time at Artemis Gathering and hope to return next year. It was such a refreshing experience to be surrounded by likeminded people and I loved the variety in talks and music at the event. The Goddess ritual was a real highlight for me on the Saturday night and I urge anyone with Pagan interests to attend- but take a waterproof tent!
I’m working on a Wicca 101 post which’ll be up soon for anyone interested in learning more about this spiritual path!
Laters,
Ruthy xo
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