My last visit to the USA was Paganicon in 2019, and before that was the Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) in 2017. I intended to play a gig somewhere in the USA about every two years, but then the Pandemic hit, and that idea went flying out the window. Eight years after my last visit to PSG, I got the chance to return, and it was wonderful to be with everyone again. It was my fourth PSG - the first was in Missouri, the second in Illinois, the third back in Illinois but a different location, and this time PSG was in Wisconsin. Four events, four different locations, but amazingly, it always feels like PSG. The community can be literally picked up, placed in a completely different campground, yet the vibe, atmosphere, the spirit of the event always feels the same. As people arrive, those already at the site shout "Welcome Home!", and it does feel like that.
This year's PSG was at the River Forest Campground in Wisconsin. It's a mostly deciduous forest with the Wolf River running through it - a sometimes calm, sometimes white water rafting, wide and alive waterway. I did think there might be an open field space somewhere on the site, but there wasn't - it was fully in the forest. It felt like being in a protective bubble all week - the trees standing as sentinels to keep the troubles of the outside world at bay.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Me and Cerri had been invited as honoured guests of PSG along with our good friend Kristoffer Hughes. We flew via Dublin. There is a US border control in Dublin. I had no idea that was a thing. So we entered the USA... in Ireland. It was my 60th birthday while we were at PSG, and as we queued for the flight, Kristoffer told me about the birthday present he had bought me/us. I won't say what it was, but it made the flight to the USA so much more enjoyable!
We picked up a hire car at Chicago airport and headed towards Wisconsin, stopping halfway. It was here I finally felt like I arrived in the USA, stopping for dinner at a Cracker Barrel. For those outside the USA, it's an American chain of restaurants, serving Southern food. Back on my first visit to the USA in 2006, it was one of the places I ate, and I fell in love with Southern cooking. So a Country Fried Steak, and many sweet teas later, I felt like I'd arrived.
The next morning, an hour or so late, we arrived at the River Forest Campground and were shown our cabins. In a valley in the woods, surrounded by mostly Maple and Ash, the birds were singing, peace, quiet, and the green was so vibrant, like a British Spring. I don't know the full size of the forest, but it already felt like we were held by the green. It also helped that there was no mobile data connection!
People arrived, and PSG came to life. Over 500 Pagans, all camped in the forest. A literal village was created in the woods, and it felt like the land welcomed us all. We gathered at the fire circle. If there was a re-creation of the Sacred Groves of the ancient Druids, this was it. It wasn't a big clearing, but the circular space, surrounded by trees, an unlit fire at its centre, already felt sacred even before the event was declared open. But then the fire was lit, and the week proper began.
So many memories. Americans can be the most welcoming and warm people, and that was our experience all week at PSG. We had been offered a 'home away from home' with Holly and Joe beside their incredible trailer, and that was a gift. BBQ food and ice-cold cocktails, good conversation with good people. What more can anyone ask for? Lifelong friends were made in that safe space.
Let me tell you about the music. I was there with Arthur Hinds, Blackwillow Starling, Primal Rhythm, and Spiral Rhythm. We each had a late-night acoustic set and an 8 pm plugged-in stage set, so the music was a huge part of the week. My first set was at 10.30 pm in 'Harmony Hollow' on Tuesday night.
Before I get to that, let me tell you about my birthday.
It was on Monday. I hadn't told people about it, so I thought it might pass quietly. But Cerri had been in communication with friends there, and plans were afoot! Arthur Hinds has a traditional greeting for the mornings at PSG. With no microphone, he stands, and with that huge voice of his, he shouts, "Goooooooooooooooooooooooood Morning PSG! I am Arthur, King of the Britons". When he did that at one of our previous PSG visits me and Cerri gave the traditional Monty Python reply "Well, I didn't vote for you!". It was a delight to hear that many years later, being hailed back by the listening people at Morning Meeting! But this time he spoke of "one more worthy to be King that day". So he called me forward. I was crowned King with a Burger King crown and hailed as King for the Day. Then I was presented with the most amazing lemon-flavour birthday cake (it was delicious!). I spent the day with people bowing to me, and I gave a Royal wave from the golf carts that were used to ferry people around the huge site as I passed by. It was a lot of fun, and lovely to be with everyone on that special day.
'Harmony Hollow' was a smallish clearing in the forest. As night fell, some of the trees were lit up, and when I arrived to set up, there was already a big crowd there to see the show. For the first time travelling, I hadn't brought my guitar - I borrowed Arthur's - so I spent a little while saying hello, getting to know the feel and sound of his instrument. Every instrument has its own Spirit and personality. It's good to get to know each other before we play together. This was the first time I had played to an American audience since 2019, my first at PSG in 8 years. It was an amazing night with singing, tears and laughter.
But I must tell you about the bananas.
When I play The Winter King and get to the "Na-Na-Na-Na" part, during my online House Concerts, I see streams of banana emojis streaming up in the comments. It always makes me laugh. But when a well-loved member of the PSG community, Gnomio, asked if I was playing that song that night, I just thought it was because he liked the song. No. As I began to tell the audience about the banana emojis, he brought out a big bag of small foam bananas and began handing them out to the audience. When I got to the "Na-Na-Na-Na" part of the song, everyone held up and waved their bananas in the air, singing along.
A live-show moment I will never forget!
The next day, I heard words spoken to me that I never thought I would hear. "Can you sign my banana?" I signed many little foam bananas for the rest of the week.
The talks at PSG were great. Cerri and Kristoffer's talks all went well and were well attended. Thoughts of the outside world faded as we were held in the sacred forest. PSG, like OBOD and most other Pagan groups and gatherings, have always been a safe place that welcomes diversity and honours our life-journeys, along with keeping a sense of community. To me, they are examples of how we could all live together, living our lives with freedom of expression of who we are. Away from the bubble of the forest that acceptance was being eroded by their government's abandonment of laws and regulations that had protected minority groups for years. Circle, the group that runs PSG, has never shied away from politics and has a close relationship with the Lady Liberty League, which campaigned successfully for the right of fallen US soldiers to have the Pentagram or Awen symbol on their grave stones. It was obvious that many here felt like they had a struggle on their hands for the next 4 years under their current government. I'd seen stuff on the news, but this was different. This was people being directly affected by callous demonstrations of power. There might be a few Trump supporters reading this. I don't get it. Having a deep love of nature and then to support of a man who happily spouts 'Drill baby drill!" That's a contradiction I don't understand at all. I won't dwell on this. It wasn't an overriding energy of the event, but it was there when people were discussing Social Justice. I wish you all well in the years ahead.
My plugged-in show was on the last night before Pan's Ball. I opened with Antlered Crown and Standing Stone, and to be honest, never looked back from there. From the opening words, people were singing along. The space for the stage was again in a forest clearing, and as I looked out to see the smiling faces, then to see the trees all around, I couldn't help but feel what an incredibly lucky man I was, to be able to live this life and do things like this. What a gift music has been, and continues to be, to my life. On the day of my gig, the heat and humidity I had always associated with the USA arrived. 35 degrees with 95% humidity meant I found myself very short of breath on stage. So it was good to leave a few lines for the audience to sing while I got my breath back!
There were so many other moments to remember, but I feel I've taken enough of your time. PSG was a magical oasis of peace and calm held within a very special place. River Forest Campground is open all year, and those cabins are there now. So if you want a magical retreat and live near Wisconsin, do check it out. The owners of the site loved us as much as we all loved them, and it does feel like PSG has found a wonderful new home.
When I left PSG in 2017, I said I hope it won't be 5 years before I'm back - well, the same applies. I love that community. Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter are forces of nature and have affected the Pagan world so incredibly positively over many years. The crew and organisers of PSG all worked so incredibly hard to provide such a welcoming and inspirational space, so me and Cerri thank you all and wish you all the best.
Until next time.
Blessed be, PSG!
