Orion Foxwood
| Orion Foxwood was born in 1963 with the second sight in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, an area rife with the folk practices of the southern and Appalachian tradition. His mother, sister and himself were all born with what is known in his culture as "the veil"; a placental sheath over the eyes that denotes the "blessings" (another cultural term for sprit sight or second sight). Throughout his early life he was constantly exposed to faith healers, root-doctors, two-headed preachers (ministers who were also conjurers) and a host of spirit beings that forms the subtle landscape of his home place. These experiences and exposures formed the foundations of his spirit and spiritual worlds. |
Orion Foxwood |
In his early twenties he was initiated into traditional old religionist practices (also known as traditional witchcraft or "the Craft"). He is a an Elder in Traditional Craft, High Priest in Alexandrian Wicca and primary teacher of the Faery Seership tradition as it is taught and practiced within the House of Brigh. He is also the founding Elder of Foxwood Temple and a primary founder of the Alliance of the Old Religion, a national network of covens in his line that have united to preserve the ways of his Elders. He was the co-director of Moonridge, a center for metaphysical, Craft and Faery studies in Maryland. Orion has over 25 years as a public health specialist and a clinician and holds a Masters Degree in Human Services.
For over 25 years, he has lectured in the United States and more recently in the
United Kingdom on the Craft, Faery Seership and Southern Folk Magic and conjure
practices. He is the author of The Faery Teachings (RJ Stewart Books, 2007), a
collaborative CD project with RJ Stewart named Faery Seership, The Tree of Enchantment
(Weiser books, 2008) a four DVD set entitled An Introduction to Faery Seership (with
Peter Paddon of Pendraig Publications, 2010) and a collaborative DVD project with Katie
Lydon Olivares (Pendraig Publications, 2010).
House of Brigh: Orion
Rob Chapman, producer of Simply Magic: Braucherei Charms and author of Super Witch: A Wiccan Guide to Self-Empowerment and Personal Development (2008), is a practitioner of Pennsylvania Dutch Pow-wow healing magic. He will be teaching a class on Pow-wow methods on Saturday July 9, 2011. www.braucher.webs.com
Tigre Cruz is a rhythmancer (drum mage), drum instructor and a drum circle facilitator. In his 35 years of drumming, studying, training and/or instructing classical and modern percussion, he has acquired a wealth of experience in band, orchestra, marching band and competitive drum corps. He is immersed in traditional West African Djembe drumming and technique. He studies drumming and drum circle facilitation with Jaqui MacMillan. He has performed and/or studied with many artists, including David Korup, Aesa Grayson, Sogjbeti Diamante, Jaqui MacMillan and Jim Donovan of Rusted Roof. Tigre facilitates groups to shape intentions and drum circles for a variety of reasons--ritual, meditation, inspiration, trance, healing and enjoyment. Tigre has co-created formal and informal ceremonies, and taught classes for many regional and nationally recognized organizations and events, such as Drum and Splash, The Mid-Atlantic Men's Gathering, Sacred Space, Fires Rising, Sacred Well, and Carolina Spirit Quest. He joined Kiva in 2005 and lives in Baltimore.
Elspeth of Haven-- Teacher, pastoral Counselor, irrepressible storyteller - Elspeth is an honored Elder in the Pagan community. She is co-founder of The Haven Way: an eco-spiritual path of personal and planetary transformation. Her workshops reflect her primary concerns: healing as a multi-dimensional spiritual path, the unrecognized value of the older woman, the integral relationship between humans and other beings, all this combined with our power and ability to create a world of compassion, justice and sustainability.
Elspeth has created a CD of all her Trance Journeys. Called “Into the Forest”, now available. She is currently working on a new audiobook, "Gylantra's Legacy."
Elspeth is a living example of the messages she brings: a 79-year-old great-grandmother who travels over the country in Harvey, the RV, to teach her lessons. Elspeth holds the Certificate of Shamanic Practitioner from The Church of Earth Healing. All her other training is experiential, and her learning received directly from the Source. Two of her major contributions to personal development include “Resonating With the Crone”, designed for peri- and menopausal women, and “Personal Evolution”, a workshop for adults of all genders. When she is not being Crone-on-the-Road, Elspeth is at home in wild and wonderful West Virginia with her beloved Nybor and a fur person named Soltice. Her website: GrandmotherElspeth.com
Nybor is an artist, healer, teacher, pastoral counselor, theorist, self-taught ritual magician and, with Elspeth, co-founder of the Haven Community. His art has appeared in Science Fiction and Pagan publications. He has been named Pagan Artist of the Year several times. He has recently completed the Nybor Tarot Deck, a 30-plus year project to produce a divination deck more in line with modern society and thought. His next project is an illustrated book of Goddesses.
As a ritual magician he is working on a theory of spiritually, revealing a new way of looking at the world that incorporates all systems of Magick.
He has been named Elder in several communities as well as for the various Guardian groups, and as such is available to the community as a resource. He lives in West Virginia with his wife and soul mate Elspeth and a furry entity. His website: NyborArt.com