Council of Magickal Arts
Encyclopedia
The Council of Magickal Arts or CMA, Inc. is the largest Neo-pagan
organization in Texas
, and runs one of the USA's largest bi-annual Neo-pagan festivals. With over a thousand attendees, the bi-annual festivals are the largest regularly held pagan gatherings in the Southern United States.
. CMA's festivals are held on a 101 acre (0.40873286 km²) parcel of land owned by the corporation, called SpiritHaven. CMA produces an online quarterly newsletter, The Accord. CMA "promotes spirituality based on Pagan
beliefs, and is open to people of all traditions who are interested in celebrating nature, spirit and community."
Starting out as little more than a joint camping event of several coven
s and some unattached solitary practitioners, as of 2003, the CMA had a membership of nearly 3000 people and festival attendance of approximately 1400 people, making it one of the larger regular Pagan festivals in the world.
.
, to allow for local and coven obligations, CMA has become primarily known for them.
For many years the festivals were held at a commercial camping property in the hill country of Austin, Texas
. In 1999 CMA purchased land of their own, called SpiritHaven, located near the community of Cistern
in Central Texas.
A typical festival starts with setup on Wednesday for vendors and early arrivals. The main attendees arrive on Thursday and Friday. Each night a public ritual is held, presented by different volunteer covens or groups, and weather permitting, a bonfire is lit. The bonfire serves as the main public area for those who wish to stay up late into the night, drumming, dancing, and talking. Personal and group campsites also host parties at night.
During the daylight hours of Friday and Saturday, a full schedule of workshops are presented, some by members and some by guest presenters which, in the past, has included such notables as Patricia Telesco
, Fritz Jung and Wren (of The Witches' Voice
), Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
, Kenny Klein
, and others.
Between the workshops and the evening ritual and bonfire, the main stage is used to present regional and national Pagan artists, such as Dreamtrybe (formerly Velvet Hammer), Canvas
, Spoonfed Tribe, SONA
, Lisa Thiel, Dana Davis, Kenny Klein
, Spiral Dance
, and others.
The corporation's business meeting, called Great Works, is held on Sunday after the festival.
, which is a few miles north of IH-10
and the town of Flatonia, Texas
. Although some improvements have been made, such as a water well for the bathhouse and electricity for some critical needs such as the med tent, the land is mostly rough and mesquite covered.
Maintenance between festivals, and the majority of the work to ready the land for each festival, is done by the volunteers of Land Crew, but all members are welcome to come out on the work weekends.
Tent camping is the only form of lodging available at SpiritHaven.
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
organization in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and runs one of the USA's largest bi-annual Neo-pagan festivals. With over a thousand attendees, the bi-annual festivals are the largest regularly held pagan gatherings in the Southern United States.
History
Founded in 1980, the CMA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, registered in the state of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. CMA's festivals are held on a 101 acre (0.40873286 km²) parcel of land owned by the corporation, called SpiritHaven. CMA produces an online quarterly newsletter, The Accord. CMA "promotes spirituality based on Pagan
Neopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
beliefs, and is open to people of all traditions who are interested in celebrating nature, spirit and community."
Starting out as little more than a joint camping event of several coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
s and some unattached solitary practitioners, as of 2003, the CMA had a membership of nearly 3000 people and festival attendance of approximately 1400 people, making it one of the larger regular Pagan festivals in the world.
Mission statement and principles
The Council of Magickal Arts promotes spirituality based on Pagan beliefs and practices, by holding religious programs and gatherings for members to celebrate the holidays of Beltane and Samhain, and by publishing a quarterly magazine devoted to the religions and practices of the magickal arts.Principles
These are the guiding principles of CMA:- Inclusiveness - CMA is open to adults of all traditions or religions who wish to celebrate nature, spirit and community, who are on or wish to explore a Pagan or magickal path.
- Tolerance - CMA strives to operate in a spirit of harmony, goodwill and acceptance toward others. CMA neither advocates nor condemns any religion, tradition or spiritual path and takes no position on credentials of any practitioners or clergy.
- Integrity - CMA strives to conduct all its affairs according to the highest standards of honesty, fairness and professionalism, to comply with local, state and federal law, and to act in the spirit of the Pagan maxim “in perfect love and perfect trust.”
- Confidentiality - CMA will safeguard the privacy and confidentiality of its members, as far as is possible under the law. Members’ identities, place of residence and other personal information, including the fact of their membership in CMA, will not be revealed without their permission to anyone either in the organization or outside it. Officers of CMA and employees of its Board and certain appointed staff are given access to such confidential information as needed to conduct the activities of the organization.
- Liberty - CMA supports personal responsibility and individual freedom of thought, belief and action. At its gatherings, CMA strives to provide the least restrictive environment possible consistent with the safety and privacy of all who attend.
The Accord
The Accord is the online quarterly periodical of the corporation, and contains a wide range of articles by members. In the past The Accord was a medium quality magazine periodical with national distribution, but printing costs and the expenses of land ownership have caused CMA to move to a paperless, online publication in the .pdf formatPortable Document Format
Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
.
Festivals
CMA hosts two festivals a year: Beltaine and Samhain. Held a couple of weeks before Beltaine and SamhainSamhain
Samhain is a Gaelic harvest festival held on October 31–November 1. It was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and was popularised as the "Celtic New Year" from the late 19th century, following Sir John Rhys and Sir James Frazer...
, to allow for local and coven obligations, CMA has become primarily known for them.
For many years the festivals were held at a commercial camping property in the hill country of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. In 1999 CMA purchased land of their own, called SpiritHaven, located near the community of Cistern
Cistern, Texas
Cistern is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Texas, United States. It was formerly known as Whiteside's Prairie and Cockrill's Hill.-History:...
in Central Texas.
A typical festival starts with setup on Wednesday for vendors and early arrivals. The main attendees arrive on Thursday and Friday. Each night a public ritual is held, presented by different volunteer covens or groups, and weather permitting, a bonfire is lit. The bonfire serves as the main public area for those who wish to stay up late into the night, drumming, dancing, and talking. Personal and group campsites also host parties at night.
During the daylight hours of Friday and Saturday, a full schedule of workshops are presented, some by members and some by guest presenters which, in the past, has included such notables as Patricia Telesco
Patricia Telesco
Patricia "Trish" Telesco is an American author, herbalist, poet, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, and folk magician who has written more than 60 books on a variety of subjects ranging from self-help and cookbooks to magic, folklore and global religion...
, Fritz Jung and Wren (of The Witches' Voice
The Witches' Voice
The Witches' Voice is an online information and networking resource for the Wiccan and Pagan community. It is a non-profit organization founded and run by Wren Walker and Fritz Jung in 1997...
), Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart is a Neopagan poet, author, lecturer, and priestess. She is of Irish and Choctaw Indian ancestry.-Early Life:...
, Kenny Klein
Kenny Klein
Kenny Klein is a Celtic, Folk and Country musician, a published author, playwright, actor and poet, and an elder and a High Priest in the Blue Star tradition of Wicca...
, and others.
Between the workshops and the evening ritual and bonfire, the main stage is used to present regional and national Pagan artists, such as Dreamtrybe (formerly Velvet Hammer), Canvas
Canvas (band)
Canvas was a rock band from Austin, Texas. For most of their history the lineup was Joseph King , Julian Mandrake , Ben Rada , Brad Byram , and Scott Thomas...
, Spoonfed Tribe, SONA
SONA (band)
SONA was a Neo-Pagan music band that toured and performed at Neo-Pagan gatherings and other events throughout the Midwest during the first decade of the 21st century. SONA, with its three members, was popularly known as “the Peter, Paul and Mary of Pagan music”.The three members of SONA were...
, Lisa Thiel, Dana Davis, Kenny Klein
Kenny Klein
Kenny Klein is a Celtic, Folk and Country musician, a published author, playwright, actor and poet, and an elder and a High Priest in the Blue Star tradition of Wicca...
, Spiral Dance
Spiral Dance (band)
Spiral Dance is an Adelaide-based folk rock band whose musical focus is on the concepts of magic, myth and legend.The band was formed in 1992 as a project to explore some of the more mystical elements in life and has drawn its energy from the songwriting and vocal skills of Adrienne Piggott...
, and others.
The corporation's business meeting, called Great Works, is held on Sunday after the festival.
SpiritHaven
Often referred to as, simply, "The Land", SpiritHaven is 101 acre (0.40873286 km²) just outside of the town of Cistern, TexasCistern, Texas
Cistern is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Texas, United States. It was formerly known as Whiteside's Prairie and Cockrill's Hill.-History:...
, which is a few miles north of IH-10
Interstate 10 in Texas
Interstate 10 is the major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. In the U.S. state of Texas, it runs east from El Paso, near the border with New Mexico, through San Antonio and Houston to the border with Louisiana in Orange, Texas....
and the town of Flatonia, Texas
Flatonia, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,377 people, 504 households, and 347 families residing in the town. The population density was 850.8 people per square mile . There were 568 housing units at an average density of 350.9 per square mile...
. Although some improvements have been made, such as a water well for the bathhouse and electricity for some critical needs such as the med tent, the land is mostly rough and mesquite covered.
Maintenance between festivals, and the majority of the work to ready the land for each festival, is done by the volunteers of Land Crew, but all members are welcome to come out on the work weekends.
Tent camping is the only form of lodging available at SpiritHaven.