Meet The 2021-2022 planningTeam
The people who help plan this events are members of various Pagan and magickal traditions throughout Southern Louisiana, but we have a shared goal: to support our spiritual community and Gryphons Nest Campground (one of the few gathering places for Pagans in the area).
We believe in community... coming together, working toward a common goal. To that end, we love and welcome our LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and immigrant friends. We endeavor to network with other Pagan groups in our area to provide a strong network of resources, and we support Pagan Pride efforts in the area too.
Thank you to our planning committee members for donating your time to make this event possible!
Jasmine Schumaker
Jasmine is an American Witch with a background in Satanism/Luciferianism, Chaos Magic, IOT, Modern Magic, Shamanisim and many other paths. She is a board member for G.N.O. Pagan Pride Project, and organizes the Practical Magic Coffee and Cocktails community meetup. Jasmine has a strong background in West Coast and Southern botanicals. She considers herself an educator and guide and is excited to celebrate Beltane with the community.
Tom Curtin
Tom has been part of the Pagan and polyamory community for over twenty years, and along
with his wife Jessa, organizes Drums in the Swamp and Reunion of the Spirits at Gryphon's Nest Campground. Tom has almost 40 years of experience in advanced technology strategy and data science. He earned an MS in Public Policy from the University of Rochester, was Economic Development Coordinator for the City of Buffalo, and served as the mayor of a small town.
Ty Siddiqui
Alex Vanbeber
Ty is a practicing Gaian Wiccan working toward a bachelor's degree in business sustainability, and is the founder of New Orleans Lamplight Circle, Greater New Orleans Pagan Pride Project, and the Wyld Fire Beltane Hunt. She is the former nonprofit coordinator at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and has worked with nonprofit organizations in various capacities for 15 years. She is guided by a strong desire to bring communities together, and hopes to create an intentional community with her husband Sanan.
Daizy Daigle
Alex is a New Orleans-based educator and diviner, specializing in heathen religious practices and medieval sorcery. Alex is the Vice President of Greater New Orleans Pagan Pride, and works to strengthen ties in the Pagan community. He and his wife Emily are the founders of the occult school Academie Gnostique.
Daizy is a shamanic witch and healer that has helped to found and administrate the Gryphon's Nest Community Facebook group. She has helped lend ideas and energy wherever needed for festivals and events at Gryphon's Nest. She is a part of the local Pagan, polyamory, kink, and BDSM Facebook communities. She is a massage therapist, minister, Reiki master teacher, shamanic mystic and sound healing alchemist often vending, presenting, assisting with ritual, dancing, drumming around fires, and uplifting your SPIRIT!
Vovin Lonshin
Vovin embodies the magician as creator. He has crafted albums, oracle decks, books of poetry, and designed
rituals for many popular magical festivals.
Vovin has been a active member of Gryphon's Nest since his first Beltane Hunt in 2014. He is a performer, VJ and musician, a poet and published author, workshop presenter, web coder, and one of the Oracles of #LaRFI.
What Guides Us
Spiritual Connection
We believe the subconscious is the spiritual "seat" of the individual, so we create experiences that are steeped in historical tradition, symbology, poetry, pattern, and art. This is a language that can penetrate the subconscious, allowing the attendee to make connections between themselves and nature that they might normally overlook.
Community
We are people from different walks of life, careers, political opinions, and spiritual traditions, coming together as one tribe. We share a love for the land, and use this event as an opportunity to create unity in a world of division.
Inclusion
Diversity is part of what makes spiritual connections deeper and more meaningful. Anyone may be a part of the Wyld Fire Beltane Hunt... there are no prerequisites. We welcome and respect our LGBTQ, BIPOC, and immigrant siblings. We welcome the stranger and the non-Pagan.