October 17, 2009 Event
Young ParkGrounds & Ceremonies | Altars and Hallows | Performances
The lake and fountain at Young Park in Las Cruces.
Veterans Matt Hopper and Mahonri Telles drum the Opening Ceremony.
Calling the quarters at Opening Ceremony.
Veterans Matt Hopper and Siobhan Bujac at the Guardian Shrine.
Wanda Wakkinen dances in drum circle.
Rick Proctor (second from left) and the Alamogordo Drummers,
jamming in the Nomad Area.
Many colorful and unique vendors were present.
Shopping in the vendor area.
Dancing Dolphins face-painting booth.
(Flash--she'll be back for 2010!)
A henna design.
Victor Gibbs introduces a panel of speakers
from various religious traditions.
Mahonri leads the Closing Ceremony
with a Procession of the Hallows.
Event Coordinator Sabine Whitley
gives some closing remarks.
Sarah Heartsong (in black dress) thanks PPD organizers
and officiates Closing Ceremony.
A spiral dance concludes a wonderful day!
Altars and Hallows
A sampling from different traditions:
Arthurian Tradition
Kemetic Orthodox
Shamanic
Unitarian Universalist
Wiccan
The Shrine of Remembrance
Smudging for grounding and purification was offered at the entrance.
Letters to the Dead in the Kemetic tradition.
Altar of remembrance to the martyrs of religious persecution.
In memory of our beloved pets.
Performances
Comedienne Gail Wheeler opens the day's events
with witty repartie. Funny stuff!
PiYoga owner Ellen Thompson Schwartz
performs a lively Celtic sword dance.
Ellen's daughter follows suit with a classic jig.
Ellen and daughter conduct a group class.
Jugglers entertain the crowd between acts.
An appreciative audience basks in the shade.
Karuna and the New World Drummers & Dancers.
Always a crowd-pleaser!
Audience members respond to Karuna's drumming.
"Return to the Goddess"
Dancers perform aspects of the Great Mother...
... under the direction of Sarah, Spirit of the Nile
(as the Roman goddess Diana).
A "freestyle" prelude with goddess performers (and program narrator).
Katrina Doolittle as Aphrodite (Greek),
goddess of love and beauty.
Lisa Gonzalez as Quan Yin (Asian),
goddess of healing and compassion.
Jennifer Gabel as Brigit (Celtic),
goddess of fire, home and hearth.
Elizabeth as E-lisse,
a Middle Eastern goddess of healing.
