Last weekend’s Turning the Tide saw about 75 Florida Pagans and Witches come together for a magical ‘Homecoming’.
Turning the Tide is an annual Pagan festival brought to you by the Everglades Moon Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess. Turning the Tide is an intimate camping weekend filled with rituals, workshops, food, and friendship.
Last weekend’s Turning the Tide was our 15th festival. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the festival saw some changes. EMLC provided masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting wipes. Events were held outdoors, and the Great Hall’s doors and windows remained open all weekend to provide good air circulation. We didn’t have our traditional raffle of member-made art and products, but we still invited the community to bring canned goods for Curley’s House Food Bank. And we added a movie night under stars.
We were thrilled to see old friends return and make new friends. EMLC and the local Pagan community presented various workshops, some of which were recorded and will be included in a future episode of our podcast, Reaching for the Moon.
Every year, Turning the Tide features several rituals and devotionals. This year’s main ritual focused on healing the stress of the past two years amid the pandemic and protecting us from any further harm. One very special ceremony came Sunday morning to mark the Coming of Age of one of our community members. Frida, 13, who’s been attending Turning the Tide with her parents since she was a baby, took the name Grey Squirrel and cemented her dedication to her tutelary goddess Hekate.
Thank you to everyone who came to Turning the Tide. We extend a special thank you to event organizers and assistants. We couldn’t do it without you!
More scenes from Turning the Tide
