Spring Mysteries
Festival XXV

Thursday, April 1st thru

Sunday, April 4th, 2010

Fort Flagler State Park
Nordland, Washington

Opening Circle

The Spring Mysteries Festival is a recreation of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the ancient initiatory rites of classical Greek Paganism which were conducted in secrecy for over two thousand years before the common era. The ATC brings you this continuing initiatory cycle, now in its 25th year of continuous presentation, including the Rites of Passage for youngsters coming into their adulthood in our community; the Purification Parade to the Sea (see picture below), with the priestesses making cleansing offerings to the sea on behalf of the Mystai (The Greeks’ name for the participants), all who will undergo the Lesser Mysteries.

For those who have gone through the Lesser Mysteries in a prior year, there is the Greater Mysteries, or Epoptaic Initiation. There are also many discussions, workshops, classes, and lectures about all aspects of Wicca, Paganism, and the ATC Tradition hosted often by well-known elders and members of the regional and national community. The Pagan Talent Show is always a lot of fun, as is the Pagan Fashion Show. Then there are the Shrines to Hekate, Aphrodite, Pan, and other gods, as well as celebrations, bardic circles, music, drumming, and magic running throughout the entire weekend.

Merchants from across the land come to offer their special wares for sale in the Snack Kitchen area, the source of between-meals snacks, sweet delights, and ESPRESSO to jump-start your mornings and prolong your nights! Indoor bunking is in heated dorms where lots of hot water showers are available. Meal service is mainstream (*unless you specify a special diet) to suit every taste, with big servings of wholesome, tasty food prepared by our staff of professional cooks and many volunteers. No one ever goes away from our kitchen hungry!

*Special dietary needs can be accommodated only if you indicate your needs when pre-registering to attend. Please see the Registration Form, which you may download to print and return via regular mail with your check. Unless you indicate a special preference, your meals will be mainstream. Diet changes may not be elected on-site, so let us know now. Choices are: Mainstream; No Red Meat; Ovo-Lacto.

OTHER FESTIVAL INFORMATION

There will be workshops, discussions, and talks. Many different workshops are being scheduled. If you would like to teach a workshop or present a discussion, please contact Workshop Coordinator, (TBD) right away with a brief outline. Time and space for these special events are limited.

Registration fees include all festival activities, as well as dorm bunks and all meals, and must be RECEIVED AT ATC no later than the indicated date to get reduced rates. Please use the registration form. Attach additional separate form for each and every festival attendee you are registering filled out completely. Want to be bunked in the same location? Send all those registrations together in the same envelope. Accommodations are dorm style in heated buildings. A

This is mostly an indoor, NOT a camp-out event. Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis, and usually sells out before the registration closing date. Don’t delay! Some limited Staff Intern and Work Exchange jobs are available for those who can not afford the full fees (not available to Merchants or those with small children). If you need consideration, call us at (360)793-1945 right away, as these are limited and fill up early as well.

To be accepted, each registration must be accompanied by payment. Registrations without proper full payment CAN NOT be accepted, and will be returned or destroyed. The fees are used to support the many year-long activities and outreaches of the ATC, and are on a sliding scale so you can choose what you can honestly afford to give in good conscience. Early registrations cost less. We ask you to be realistic and be as generous as you are able to help us keep up our efforts and expand our public work for Paganism. Much has been accomplished already by ATC in the years to educate the world about Wicca and Paganism, but there is lots yet to be done.

Purification Parade to the Sea

ADULT AFFIRMATION OF PATH
and
YOUTH RITES OF PASSAGE

If there are not enough signed up, YROP and/or AAOP may be canceled. Attendance at YROP and AAOP is very limited, and on a first received, first served basis, so sign them up EARLY. Provide a telephone number so we can confirm participation, as enrollment is limited.

ADULT AFFIRMATION OF PATH (AAoP)

There will be an Adult Affirmation of Path on Thursday night for those adults who have recently discovered the Pagan path and who wish to affirm their choice of spiritual path to themselves, their community, and the Gods. Space is limited to 15 participants. If you have participated in the AAoP in the past, please do not register for it again.

YOUTH RITES OF PASSAGE (YRoP)

The YRoP helps provide our youth with an understanding of the mystery within the mysteries presented at SMF, and is open to all youths ages 11 – 17.  However, the Greater Mysteries are for adults 18 and older who have attended the Lesser Mysteries in a previous year, and for children who are between 13 and 17 years old who have gone through the Youth Rites of Passage. If you want your child to experience the Greater Mysteries, they must meet the following criteria:   1) they must have attended the Lesser Mysteries in a prior year (2008 or before), and   2) they must have gone through the Youth Rites of Passage. No one between the ages of 13 and 17 will be permitted entrance into the Greater Mysteries unless these two conditions have been met.  To participate, check the appropriate box on the registration form. 

GETTING REGISTERED

Registrations may be paid by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover Card. We also accept payments via PayPal. There is a $5.00 handling fee added for each registration processed using a credit card. If you are using PayPal, please add 4% of the total to cover fees. Phone us or e-mail us at atcadmin@aquatabch.org to register with credit cards. (These days, most credit card issuers will protect you against internet fraud). To register with check or money order, please make payable in US$ to:

FESTIVAL SAVINGS PLAN

We have a new way to help folks come up with the fees to attend our festivals. Each year costs keep going up, while our paychecks stay the same. We want to attend the festivals, but it seems that something always comes up and the money we set aside to pay our registration ends up being use for other things like school clothes or new tires, pulling a tooth or fixing the toilet. To that end, we’ve created the Festival Savings Plan. You simply sign up and send an amount ($15 every two weeks covers one person for both festivals and allows for the increases that we have to institute from time to time) to the church. We put it in a savings account and send you a statement letting you know how much you’ve accrued. When it comes time for the festival, you simply register and check the box that says “Please use my Festival Savings Plan.” It’s as simple as that! Follow this link to learn more about this new program.

Questions? Phone (360) 793-1945 between 9AM and 7PM PST Tuesday through Saturday.  The office is closed Sunday and Monday.   Do not rely completely on e-mail for such questions as we may not be able to respond in a timely manner.

THE SMALL PRINT

THE SMALL PRINT: Registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis, and must be accompanied by full payment in U.S. dollars to secure any time?based discounts without
exception. ATTENDANCE AT SMF IS BY PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY. WE CAN NOT ACCEPT WALK-INS OR DAY-TRIPPERS. All adults are expected to perform a minimum 2-hour community service job to help the festival run smoothly, and are expected to remain on site until noon on Sunday for the final cleanup. A $30.00 cash cleaning deposit for each adult (ages 13 and up) will be collected at registration upon arrival on site. Multiple deposits paid by one individual must be in $30.00 cash bundles. No checks or foreign currency is accepted. We cannot make change, so please bring the exact amount to avoid having to make a trip to Hadlock to access the ATM machine there. Deposits will be returned AFTER closing circle at noon to those folks still onsite who have completed their community service and clean up. Others are forfeited. No one may collect your refund for you.

Merchants are most welcome!  The fee includes one table space.  Additional tables can be reserved at a cost of $25 per table, but must be reserved in advance.   All merchants submit 10% commission to the church on total gross (NOT net) sales. All sales are required to be documented with sales books, which we will provide to each merchant to facilitate the prize drawings at the closing circle. Deadline for Merchant Registration is March 14, 2010.  For information, contact the ATC Main Office at (360) 793-3537 for info or space commitment.

Register early, as we seem to sell out every year before the close of the registration period, due to limited bed space. If you wish, self contained Recreation Vehicles may be brought instead of dorm sleeping.  All RVs and campers must park at the Wagon Wheel Campground located on the other side of the trees behind the cast cabins.  Showers etc. will still be available to you in the dorms. To make arrangements to bring an RV or camper, you must contact Fort Flagler directly at 360-385-3701.  Fees apply.

There will be plenty of children’s activities, and you are encouraged to bring the whole family, but be aware that there is no child care provided unless parents organize a co-op of their own. All children are the sole responsibility of their parents at all times. Everyone will be asked to sign a liability release upon arrival.

REFUND AND CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations must be received at the ATC IN WRITING (email or FAX is okay). Cancellations received BY March 1,2010 will receive an 85% refund. Cancellations received March 2, 2010 but BEFORE March 14, 2010, will receive a 50% refund. Any cancellations or registrations received AFTER March 14, 2010 and NO-SHOWS are not eligible for a refund. Refunds will be mailed after the festival dust settles, but no later than the last day of April. Only those cancellations received in writing and within the date ranges listed above will be eligible for a refund. The $5.00 processing fee for credit card and PayPal cannot be refunded.

REGISTRATION closes on March 20th, and will then be confirmed by Email, or the postal mail if no email address is available. We can not be responsible for the speed of the postal system, or poorly written or incorrect email addresses. Canadians are encouraged to provide either an e-mail address or a FAX number to which confirmations and driving directions may be sent to expedite delivery and assure on time receipt of information. Our FAX number is (360) 793-3537. If you have any questions, it is best to contact us by telephone at (360) 793-1945 between 9 AM and 7 PM PDT Tuesday through Saturday. The office is closed on Sunday and Monday. Please be aware we may not be able to respond to e-mail in a timely manner due to preparations. We accept Visa, Master Card, Discover, and American Express cards for telephone or internet registrations. Registering after March 14th? Best to do it by phone so you can check on available space. We may have cancellation space or we may be sold out, so always check first if you think you may be late! CANADIANS are encouraged to provide a FAX number or e-mail address to facilitate a timely confirmation.

SEE YOU AT SPRING MYSTERIES 2010!