Creating Community

Living & Working in a Pagan Town

As in past years, PSG's spiritual community will emerge as participants arrive, set up camp, meet and greet others, and create a Pagan Town together. The Sacred Fire will be lit during the Opening Ritual and will be kept burning throughout the Gathering to symbolize the Solstice Sun and Spirit of the PSG community. Participants may place items on the Community altar to be energized during the week.

In addition, everyone is encouraged to be part of the daily morning meetings, which feature announcements, musical performances, drumming, programming updates, and discussions. To support the PSG community, each adult participant is expected to spend at least four hours during the week helping with one or more of the jobs that need to be done, such as gatekeeping, childcare, first aid, information, heralding, and other tasks.

A variety of activities happen throughout the Gathering, a sampling of which are described on this page. Additional program proposals are welcome.

Upon check-in, participants will receive a Town Guide containing a full schedule of activities plus other PSG information.

Special Camps Within PSG

If you are interested in camping in one of these areas, please indicate this on your registration form. Space in each area is allotted on a first-come, first-served basis and is not guaranteed.

Amethyst Circle: A meeting and camping space for Pagans in recovery from alcoholism and other addictions. It is a clean and sober space with daily Pagan-oriented twelve step meetings and a campfire area for socializing.

Disability Camp: An encampment for those with mobility challenges, located within walking distance of portatoilets and food merchants. ritual/workshop areas and showers will be in other areas of camp. Note that an on-site shuttle will be running again this year, but may have a sporadic schedule. Anyone with severe challenges should bring a support person for help, as neither Circle nor the campground staff will be able to provide individual assistance. If you have severe mobility or other physical challenges, contact Circle before registering and by May 1 to see if the site can meet your needs. When you register, please indicate what you will be camping in (tent, RV, pop-up) and what size it is. If you need electricity for your medical equipment you must purchase electric at time of registration and camp in Disability Camp.

Drummer's Camp: Located near the Bonfire Circle for drummers, dancers, and any others who enjoy late night drumming.

Family Camp: A fun area for families with children to camp together!  Space is first come, first served.

Rainbow Center: An encampment with altar and commons to facilitate community-building and networking among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) attendees and their friends and supporters.

Quieter Area: This is a quieter camping area for those who prefer less noise after midnight. Absolute quiet cannot be guaranteed so be sure to bring your earplugs.

LGBTQ+ Support

Circle Sanctuary ardently supports the full rights, dignity, inclusion, and protection of LGBTQ+ people, and always has since our inception! We renounce hateful, harmful, and misguided laws, policies, and practices aimed at curtailing the inclusion, support, and self-determination of any person of all sexes, genders, gender expressions, sexual or romantic orientations, or relationship or family structures. We support efforts to abolish homophobic and transphobic laws and practices.

Circle Sanctuary has a robust inclusion policy which aims to provide for safety, respect and belonging for everyone, and people are encouraged to participate in any Circle group or event according to their own self-identification and needs. We host many spaces, rituals, meetups, and other programs designed specifically to make safe affinity space for LGBTQ+ community members, including these below at PSG, where you can be sure to get support for any stress you’re experiencing inside or outside PSG.

If you have concerns about traveling through unsafe states or areas and would like to get company or support, or if you need support or resources for anything else in your life inside or outside PSG, please reach out to a Circle Sanctuary Minister through the Circle Sanctuary website or other means. During PSG, you can also check in at the Safety Tent or at Psyche’s Grotto (PSG’s mental health support center) any time; they’re staffed day and night!

Here is a list of opportunities to engage with LGBTQ+ Community and Allies at PSG: 

Opening Meeting & Ritual (held on Sunday evening) – Celebrating, blessing, & supporting diversity with the PSG Community.

Lavender Luncheon (usually held on Monday at lunchtime) - This is a meet and greet for all LGBTQ+ People sponsored by Rainbow Center.

Magenta Luncheon (usually held on Tuesday at lunchtime) - This is a meet and greet for all trans, non-binary, intersex, GNC identified people, or people with trans or intersex experience, or anyone contemplating their own gender identity or expression.

Daily Gender Liberation Check-in - this is safe space for anyone of any gender identity or expression to chill out and get camaraderie and support, whether or not we end up talking about gender - usually occurs every day starting Wednesday at the Social Justice Center at 11:30 am

Rainbow Ritual - This is a queer-fabulous ritual which welcomes anyone, and is sponsored by Rainbow Center - usually on Wednesdays at 5 pm.

All Gender Ritual - This is a more contemplative ritual that is welcoming and safe for anyone, which happens at the same time as the Women’s Ritual and the Men’s Ritual on Wednesday at 7 pm. Trans, Intersex, and GNC folks are also welcome at the Men’s and Women’s rituals if they identify with those events.

Spilling Tea with the Queens - Tea, socializing and decompression space at Rainbow Center - usually occurs Thursday at lunchtime.

Social Justice Center - PSG’s non-partisan space for love, allyship and action on all sorts of causes and issues. Come by to get pronoun buttons, get safer sex supplies, learn about self-care or allyship resources, hang a prayer flag to send support to people or communities you care about, chat with someone, make art, or just chill out, etc. - open (not necessarily staffed) 24 hours a day everyday during the festival.