Descent of Inanna
Facilitator: Opal

Descent of Inanna- Join us as we celebrate the bountiful gifts of the underworld! This workshop will honor the Sumerian Goddess Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. We will discuss who she was historically, her mythology, and what she can represent in our own lives. Workshop participants will experience a sacred drama of Inanna descending into the underworld, stripping away a layer of the self at each of the seven gates. The heart of the workshop will be a guided meditation where workshop participants descend through the gates of the underworld and encounter their self in its raw pure form.

Lucifer, Angel of the Morning
Facilitator: Autumn

“Thou art God, Thou art Goddess.” Sounds a lot like the belief of a certain fallen angel that got him in trouble to start with. In this workshop we will explore the various historical backgrounds of Lucifer, our own relationship with Lucifer growing up and what he can teach us as Pagans. We will create a working to help us embrace our highest aspirations. Ask yourself what is your wildest, craziest dream? What have you always wanted to achieve but were discouraged from attempting? Who told you that you couldn’t do it? What have you given up out of fear? Please come to the workshop dressed up – lots of flash, bling, gold, silver, anything that helps to make you shine!

Fear: Frightening Monster or Smoke and Mirrors
Facilitator: Becky Starr

You stand, frozen in place, unable to make a decision. Fear has paralyzed you! “But what if I make the wrong decision?” you ask. Or, there has been a loss in your life; a job, a loved one, a home. “How will I survive?” you wonder. We live in almost constant fear of what may become. The economy, political climate, disease all threaten to take away our security and leave us lost and confused. Fear has gotten the better of us all at one time or another. But what if there was a better way? What if there were another way to look at things in our life, to feel the fear and then move forward with confidence and ease? Join us as we look at the nature of fear and how we can transform it into a useful ally. We will learn some concrete ways to deal with fear and keep it from paralyzing us in the future.

Energy Gathering
Facilitator: Bob Tuggle

Experience yourself as an energetic being in the special energies of Winterquest. There are lots of different ways to experience energies: Healing, vibrant, warm & fuzzy, powerful, insightful and outreaching to name a few favored ones. We'll explore energetic systems. There are a lot out there: Healing Touch, Chakra Work, Reiki, Polarity Therapy, acupressure, crystal healing, sound therapy, Shamanic work, spell casting and others. Then we'll tap into available energies for healing and change, protection and guidance and for shaping your future. This is a very dynamic workshop so bring whatever energies you are working with. The session will be divided into about equal parts class and hands-on. All practitioner levels can benefit from the experience.

Dark Side of the Runes
Facilitator: Cynthia Campbell

We will be exploring the dark side of the runes.

Invoking the Morrigan
Facilitator: Beth Ebert-Fox

Invoking The Morrigan – Meet the three aspects of this Celtic Goddess: Macha, Anu, and Badb. Explore her history, mythology and magic. Learn how Her fierce and loving energy can help you embrace your strength and power.

Nephyths, the Dark Twin
Facilitator: Becky Starr

Many of us know of the Great Isis, Beloved Mother and Queen. But few know of Her twin sister, Nephthys. As Isis is the light, Nephthys is the dark. As Isis is revelation, Nephthys is mystery. Mirrors of each other, growth and renewal. In this Learning Circle, we will explore the dark sister of the Divine Twins. We will look toward the mysteries of unknowing and what is unseen to find answers in the dark night sky, which are this elusive goddess.

Casting the Shadow of Betrayer
Facilitator: Rob Plaugher

One of the formative passages of humanity is the experience of betrayal. The Betrayer is an archetype present throughout spiritual and secular experience, yet nobody ever seems to want to pick the Betrayer to be on their team, much less aspire to be one when they grow up. The Betrayer is a teacher, though a hard master, perhaps. We will examine the shadow that the Betrayer has cast in our lives, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and how we ourselves cast this shadow. During the workshop, we will use of poetry/writings, voluntarily shared personal stories, breathwork, and experiential reflection of our experience of and responses to this shadow.

Hike in the Winter Landscape
Facilitator: Staff

James River State Park has many trails to hike. One of the ways to discover the divinity within and surrounding each of us is to take a leisurely hike through the winter landscape. It can be a veritable walking meditation in silence. Join us and enjoy the Zen of the winter world

 

Who We Are:

Opal is an active member of the local pagan community. She is a ritual organizer for the group Hearthfire, which incorporates sacred sound, trance movement, personal mythology, shadow work, and sacred sexuality into our rituals. Opal is Co-director for Spring Quest 2012. Her personal path is eclectic and draws inspiration from Reclaiming, Faery, and shamanist traditions.

Becky Starr is an instructor by passion and training with interests in many areas. She is the co-owner of Starrlight Mead, a honey winery, in Pittsboro, NC. In the Pagan world, she finds herself a frequent workshop leader at events for Carolina Spirit Quest, including both Spring Quest and Winter Quest. Becky is a past President and Vice President on the Board of Trustees for CSQ. Becky is an eclectic pagan, a Priestess of Isis and Freyja, and lives in Durham, NC.

Autumn is a long time practicing pagan, having taught her first class on witchcraft at the age of 15 to 125 people. She is currently involved with several groups in the Raleigh, NC area and serves as High Priestess of a coven. Having been raised Catholic, she always felt that Lucifer got the short end of the stick, and he was the first Dark God that she worked with. Autumn lives in Cary, NC, works full time and along with her husband, not only cares for her elderly mother, but has taken in her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter as well.

Bob Tuggle, lives in the hills near Martinsville, VA. He holds a degree in business and a masters in Computer Science and is a Nationally Certified Bodyworker specializing in holistic health and shamanic healing. Currently he is exploring local foods systems with Tuggle Farms LLC while continuing a path of energetic healing. Bob's mission is creating a world of joy, balance and strength by sharing, teaching and healing.

Cynthia Campbell has lived with yarn all her life. Her mother, grandmother, and aunt always had a yarn or thread project in hand, and gifted her with many hand-made items during her childhood. Those family matrons taught her how to crochet and embroider at an early age, though she only got serious about fiber arts in her early twenties. Fiber is now her life's passion. She learned to spin yarn at Spring Quest 2002, and has since also learned to knit, tablet weave, and weave cloth. .

Beth strives to shed positive light on Paganism as a living practice. A natural touch and psychic healer, she draws mainly on Egyptian and Celtic paths to teach workshops and lead rituals at various pagan events. Beth has served an active role in the local and state spiritual community coordinating multiple pagan events over the past 15 years. Beth proudly boasts a den of four children and eight wonderful pagan grand tots.

Rob Plaugher has followed an Earth-based spiritual path for a number of years. In recent years, he has been pulled away from organized gatherings and into more solitary practice. Rob finds spiritual resonance with the voice of the land itself, and great rewards in working with our next generation of men. Amongst his teachers, it is perhaps Coyote who has best taught him to listen carefully before speaking, and doing..