PAGAN CAMP
A gathering for ritual and learning in European traditional spiritualities
biggar, Scotland, July 27-30
all-inclusive tickets £550 until March 30 or sold out
Pagan camp description
location
Pagan Camp will be held at Wiston Lodge, a beautiful and spacious Victorian Lodge just an hour's drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow on a 53-acre estate of landscaped and forested land.
The Lodge, where most participants will stay, offers beds with sheets and duvets and plenty of pleasant heated gathering spaces for workshops and relaxation.
There is also a camping area with heated cabins and tenting spaces, both with access to toilets and showers.
We will have the use of a covered fire pit so we can gather around the communal fire in comfort if it rains.
Pagan Camp will be fully catered by Wiston Lodge, including bottomless tea, coffee and cookies available throughout the day.
What is paganism?
Paganism is a name given to diverse traditional European spiritualities, typified by a set of connection-building practices which precede the advent of Christianity, and in various ways remained following “official” Christianization.
These practices are found not only in Europe, but among the historical cultures of all humankind. They include offering-making, shared ceremony and creative arts, seasonal celebration and custom, animism — communication and kinship with non-human beings like animals, plants and trees, stone, earth, and celestial bodies like the sun and moon — and polytheism, communication with multiple gods.
Not all pagans will identify with all of these practices, and not all who engage in these practices would identify as pagan. Nevertheless, all who are interested in or curious about any these practices are welcome at pagan camp!
Paganism is diverse, non-dogmatic and non-prescriptive. Though the folklore that sometimes informs modern pagan practice can be rooted in regional cultures, the event organizers believe that the ancient sacred myths, texts and practices that inform modern paganism are common human resources, with no nationality or ethnicity held above any other.
choose your ticket
Early bird spots are limited and close March 30th.
bed in lodge or cabin with catering
£585 £550 early bird
With this ticket you secure a bed inside of Wiston Lodge or one of the onsite cabins. Both locations are heated and have indoor shared bathrooms, and bedding is included. Because this is dorm-style accommodation, it is possible there will be someone in a bunk above or below you. Food is included and will be served inside at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day. Gendered room-sharing preferences will be accounted for.
camping with catering
£460 £440 early bird
With this ticket you secure a place to pitch a tent on a lawn with bathroom and showers nearby. You must bring your own tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and towel. Food is included and will be served inside Wiston Lodge at mealtimes, and coffee, tea, and cookies will be available all day.
Please read our terms and conditions at checkout before purchasing.
Because we have priced them as low as possible, tickets are non-refundable.
If you need an option that’s not listed here, please email us and we will let you know if it is possible. Children are welcome, but admission is by special arrangement, and parents must supervise them at all times.
Lughnasa is an ancient three-day Celtic celebration of the first grain and berry harvest at the height of summer.
It was named for the god Lugh, who folklore suggests wrestled the golden grain from the dark god Crom Dubh who held it imprisoned underground all winter.
This was a time for inter-tribal gatherings, hill-climbing, berry-picking, mock battles, and handfastings.
Lughnasa is special among pagan holidays in that it is very present-oriented: it can be a time to focus on gratitude for what we have, to cultivate and celebrate connection with our multi-ethnic pagan and animistic community.
Your facilitators
Ignas Šatkauskas (PhD) is a vaidila (priest) of the native Lithuanian religion Romuva, who often performs opening and closing rituals at open-air festivals. Ignas also regularly accompanies the Krivė (High Priestess) of Romuva during marriage and child-blessing ceremonies.
He holds a PhD in philosophy, in which he focused on the phenomenology of attention (how attention works). His recent academic work has focused on the representation of indigenous Baltic folklore and myth in anthropology, specifically Lithuanian folk magic and verbal charms. This work has paved the way for a new interpretation of key historical sources on native Lithuanian religion.
He is a bagpiper, and plays the pipes in ceremonial contexts. His current musical project Iltys fuses traditional Lithuanian music and song with electronic sounds.
You can listen to Danica Boyce’s interview with Ignas on Fair Folk Podcast, A Priest and a Piper.
Danica Boyce (BA, MA, BEd) is Pagan Camp’s primary organizer. She is a paganism and folklore educator, writer and singer with a unique vision of spiritual practice rooted in unravelling the scarcity narratives that reinforce imperial and colonial cultural norms. She is the creator of the decade-running Fair Folk Podcast, a research-based show sharing sacred folk and song traditions of northern Europe. She has written two books on paganism and folklore, one for adults and one for children, both of which will be released this autumn with respected publishers Hyldyr and Chronicle Books. Her facilitation reflects a high standard of integrity, inclusivity, and evidence-based practice. She is currently studying wedding and child blessing ceremonies at the School of Celebrancy with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.
About Tinto hill (insert)
The Bronze Age burial cairn atop Tinto Hill is the focus of an obscure rhyme recorded in 1842:
On Tintock-Tap (Tinto-top) there is a mist,
And in that mist there is a kist (a chest or stone coffin),
And in the kist there is a caup (cup),
And in the caup there is a drap (drop);
Tak up the caup, drink aff the drap,
And set the caup on Tintock-Tap
Your pagan camp checklist
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Will you stay inside the lodge or will you bring your own tent and bedding for camping? Please contact us at fairfolkcast [at] gmail.com if you have special rooming needs beyond those listed above and we will let you know if we can accommodate them.
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Your intake form is confirmation of your purchase. This form will jelp us make sure we can accommodate you properly for your visit. As the event draws nearer, we will have less time to follow up on missed forms, and you may miss out on getting what you need. Best to fill out the form right before you make your purchase.
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Click the link below your chosen spot to make payment or set up a payment plan. Spaces, especially those located inside the lodge, are limited. Please carefully read the terms and conditions, as full refunds will not be available after purchase. If you must cancel you will be responsible for re-selling your ticket if you wish to re-coup the cost.
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We'd recommend booking your transportation to and from the event as soon as possible, to ensure you can arrive without any complications or delays, and to take advantage of low cost flights while they last!
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You’ve done the hard part! Now pack your toothbrush, a rain jacket (pray we don’t need it) and your walking shoes and we will see you there!
If you’ve booked a tenting spot, you will need to bring everything you need for camping as well.
If you have booked an offsite ticket, you know what to do!
We can’t wait to welcome you there.