Pagan Fest sheds light on nature-based community
By Lethbridge Herald on July 16, 2025.
Joe Manio
LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER
For ages, paganism and its practitioners have existed in the shadows.
Annual events like the 2025 Pagan Fest at Galt Gardens Saturday aim to bring paganism and its practitioners out into the open light in an inclusive and family friendly day of music, guest speakers, arts and crafts and more in a celebration nature.
“The main purpose is to have a highly-visible event to let other pagans in the area know that we are here. We are trying to build a community, and whether you’re in the broom closet or not, you’re welcome to join us at any of our events,” says organizer Becca Stirling. “We would also like the general public to know that paganism is a nature-based personal spiritual path. There is no devil in it. We don’t believe in that. It’s about reverence of nature, and accountability and growth of oneself.”
Paganism has long been misunderstood, often because of historical bias, pop culture portrayals, and lack of education. The most common misconceptions are: 1) pagans worship the devil, 2) all pagans practice witchcraft, 3) paganism is one unified religion 4) pagan rituals are dangerous or chaotic and 5) pagans are anti-christian.
In fact, many pagans advocate for religious tolerance and coexistence, and some even blend practices from multiple faiths.
“There’s always activities for the kids, which is great. I love it,” says Sarah Bolokoski, who has brought her three children with her for the last three years. ““I think it would be great if there’s more things, because the kids are learning so much more about it (nature). We teach it at home too. They love nature.”
Paganism is a broad spiritual tradition that typically honors nature, multiple deities, and the cycles of the Earth. It encompasses ancient polytheistic religions as well as modern paths like Wicca, Druidry, and Heathenry. Pagans often celebrate seasonal festivals, practice rituals, and view the divine as present in all aspects of life.
Paganism and Native American spiritual traditions share some similarities, as both are rooted in ancient polytheistic beliefs and honor the divine in nature, spirits, and ancestors.
Thirty-year-old Cherron Desautels and her mother, Tammy Bradley, stopped by the witch Way Intuitive Healing table to have a tarot card reading done by Wiccan Jessica Baziuk. It was Desantel’s first ever reading.
Tarot reading is not the same as fortune-telling. Tarot readings are often used for self-reflection, personal growth, and decision-making, rather than predicting the future. A tarot card reading is a practice that involves using a deck of 78 cards to gain insight and guidance.
Baziuk, who has been a witch for 15 years, is participating in Pagan Fest for the first time. She runs a business called Witch Way Intuitive Healing where she does massage therapy, reiki healing and psychic readings.
“Paganism has been underground for so long, and it has had that taboo attached to it. And so many misconceptions especially due to media and movies, and all those kinds of things will definitely put a damper on our name and continue to do so,” says Baziuk. “So the educational purpose of having a festival like this, I feel, is very important to make sure that people know that we’re not casting spells on them.”
14-13
great job, herald. no news ahead of the event, and this brief after story comes 5 afterward. hardly news; more like history.
Perhaps a naive perspective? Tarot cards for example delve into the dark spiritual realm and open the door to Satanic attacks!
You may think it is harmless, but the spiritual realm is real!
Specific Examples of Idols Mentioned in the Bible:
The Baalim of the Old Testament were merely demons masquerading as gods, and all idolatry is ultimately devil-worship (1 Corinthians 10:20).
Idolatry is seen as a path that leads people away from God and into a state of spiritual darkness and moral corruption.
The Bible strongly condemns idolatry as a sin that angers God and leads to negative consequences.
But your choice of course! I would choose Heaven for eternity, not Hell! Again, your choice!
Is that an implied threat? Some Hutterites condemn idolatry and refuse to be photographed. Same strict religious beliefs. Same BIBLICAL teachings , but different interpretations. Happens a lot in this religion of yours. Hindus have multiple gods , Buddhist’s do not worship a monotheistic god but put their teachings into practise, Animistic folk , myself included, are by definition Pagans , but do not condemn others to some sort of eternal punishment as you clearly infer. Your divine entity is selectively benevolent and equally malevolent.
Hell versus this Nirvana (Heaven) of yours ? Give me the former.
I believe in John Lennon’s version
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
And we (Christians) put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ. There is a heaven and there is a hell. God sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth and by the Holy Spirit that man should believe in Jesus the Christ and be saved and enter into eternal life. May the peace of the Lord be with you.
easier to put one’s “trust in jesus christ” than to actually follow his teachings and emulate his examples.
imagine how sweet and clean and peaceful this planet would be if all christians, all of those purporting to follow any religion, actually behaved even remotely near to what they pretend they believe?
to look at this place from above must be quite something for an evolved being to behold. wealth and fame are of the highest order; an utter trashing of the house god created; people killing and hating one another because they have differences in religious outlook and skin and ethnicity; no reasonable respect for the sentient life we must share this planet with; no reasonable respect for the systems that balance all things and keep the planet and us healthy.
we are each left to our best guess insofar as being able to prove much of anything as to what afterlife may be, but i suspect any outlook that places “human” attributes upon a creator is more likely in for quite a surprise.
imagine, condemning a person that served others in return for little to nothing material to eternal hell, whilst opening the gates of heaven to a self serving nasty type that professes christ as saviour. good luck with that one.
You are absolutely correct as to what is going on, AND the Holy Scriptures clearly describe exactly what the world is coming to…… an end. He irradiated once before by the great flood and Noah and the faithful replenished the earth after the rains subsided. Paganism, witchcraft, sorcery, and the Devil himself are running rampant throughout the earth looking for those he can devour. And paganism is being celebrated in festivals in our Lethbridge? So sad and dangerous for our community.
i am without any proof as to the origin of our sense of being, nor to where we may go from here. i feel we each default to a combination of what we have been pounded with in a given society – social conditioning – what we feel serves us best, and what we sense may be plausible.
at this point in my life, now in the countdown years and after many life events and choices and paths seemingly chosen and seemingly having been nudged/shoved upon, i feel the mystic, ancient spiritual outlooks are more plausible than structured religion. the latter has been used mostly as means of control, and, ironically, including as a nexus of hate that has created “reason” for wars, death, torture, elitism, exceptionalism, degradation, and ignorance.
our only saviour is awakening more and to the place of the soul, the heart, which is the basis of our love and our wisdom. to that end, learning to forgive all others and oneself readily and unconditionally. ridding oneself of all judgement – which, sadly, is not the god many religions create. and, forgoing all ego so as to be honestly humble, and to accept and serve with grace.
easy enough in word, but, the challenge is in the learning.
wishing you and all others the best, not necessarily in our experiences, but, mostly, through acknowledging and examining our experiences.
And your source of “heaven and hell”? Why it is the Bible. Translated multiple times from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, often by biased scribes who wrote in some cases, decades after the subject matter long expired. You believe it and fall for its meandering teachings hook line and sinker.
(To be clear: The Bible is a worthy compilation of multiple sources and teachings. The literal interpretation , a decidedly human intervention, is the great problem in times past and present.)