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Heartland Spiritual Alliance
Published on 12-23-2011 12:46 PM Number of Views: 55
Just a reminder to all HSA members. Membership to the organization renews annually and membership renewal for 2011-12 (our 2012 fiscal year) is now open. Please click the membership tab and either renew via Pay Pal or mail in your payment.
Our next meeting is February 12th, at Aquarius at 2:00 PM.
Spirit Circle at Aquarius January 19th hosted by House Arcanum.
HSA is a proud sponsor of The Witches' Voice
Founded in 1987 and incorporated in 1988 as a Missouri General Not For Profit Corporation, the Heartland Spiritual Alliance is perpetually working for the community through a variety of educational programs and activities consistent with our Mission Statement. Besides hosting the Heartland Pagan Festival, we also have a monthly networking and educational group called The Spirit Circle which meets on the third Thursday of every month at Aquarius-Vulcans Forge in Kansas City, MO. Managed by our Sacred Experience Committee, this gathering has free workshops on a variety of topics of Pagan interest. Yearly, HSA sponsors such activities as Pagan Pride Day, the Crystal Ball - A Pagan Formal Dance, and the Witches' Ball. HSA also publishes a free informational newsletter called The Heartland Spirit.
HSA meets the second Sunday of each month from 2-5 p.m at Aquarius-Vulcans Forge, 3936 Broadway, Kansas City, MO. All meetings are open to the public and membership is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Annual membership requirements include a $20 fee and 20 hours of HSA volunteer time usually spent at festival. NOTE: Beginning February 1st, the membership fee increases incrementally by $ 10 per month, on the 1st day of each month, until May 1st. No new members are added after May 1st.
In 1985, there were no Pagan festivals held near the Kansas City area. Interested folks meeting at The Rune picnic formed a group, The Council of the South Winds (CSW). Their first meeting mustered only three people, but the next assembled the first core group of eight, joined by a dozen or so later. These intrepid pioneers put together the first Heartland Pagan Fest, held June 27-29th, 1986. It was held at Camp Hammond, near Lawrence, Kansas as a three day event. Featured guests included Isaac Bonewits, Amber K and Starhawk, as well as a number of local luminaries. They presented over 25 workshops, a concert with Gerald Trimble, Steve Denti, Cabira, and the Watling Brothers, a sweat lodge, and half a dozen rituals. There were 18 Merchants and services.
CSW repeated the Festival in 1987, at Camp Shawnee near Kansas City with a larger attendance and larger expenses.
Featured guests included Scott Cunningham and Raymond Buckland. After much painful debate and deliberation it was decided that incorporation was needed to effectively manage the financial and liability aspects of the event, and The Heartland Spiritual Alliance (HSA) was incorporated September 19, 1988.
HPF grew over the next three years, reaching a point where Camp Shawnee could only accommodate 500 attendees, and HSA had to limit registrations accordingly.
1991 saw HPF move to the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation, near Osceola, Missouri. Featured guests were Stewart and Janet Farrar, on their first visit to the United States. There were over 60 workshops, several rituals, two concerts and the first “Merchants In The Round”.
1992 was the year we came home. Gaea Retreat Center, near Tonganoxie, Kansas, owned and operated by Earth Rising, Inc. was the site for the first HPF that did not have any restrictions on size or activities. HSA membership was instrumental in the rehabilitation of the camp, which had been neglected for many years, with considerable funds and hundreds of hours of labor contributed to repair and upgrade the camp’s infrastructure. The first few years were a struggle to make ends meet, with all excess funds donated back to Earth Rising. In the years since, the festival has grown to accommodate 1200 people in a five day event with a budget approaching $100,000, featuring several concerts and rituals, incredible bonfires, the Vision Quest, a myriad of workshops, and a Merchanting area second to none.
We are proud of what we have accomplished over the years, and optimistic about the years to come.
Heartland Spiritual Alliance is an organization, which is dedicated to promoting the appreciation and acceptance of a variety of alternative religions and philosophies. HSA encourages participation in educational programs and activities; most of which deal with the various nature oriented or nature connected religions of the world, the similarities within all religions and the respectful free exchange of spiritual beliefs. We strive to maintain a well organized, dynamic and smooth running organization within an atmosphere, which allows people of all religious traditions to coexist peacefully. One of our goals is to consistently host a Festival, which promotes personal and spiritual growth and leaves a living legacy for the next generation.
