25th Annual Ancient Ways Festival May 14 – 18, 2008
Theme: Faces of the Gods - exploring divinity and deity within and without
Thank you for registering - We are excited to share Stone City with you!
The tribes will be gathering as a big village to relax in nature; dip into the hot tub or pool and gaze at the starry sky or indulge in drumming or music jams. This is an intimate and friendly event where everyone is staff and contributes to this cooperative event. As a totally private location it is also clothing optional. Fees include, camping, workshops and rituals. Community work is expected from all participants for at least one hour for each night you stay at the festival.
PROGRAM – We will likely just use the bulletin board on site with no paper program.
Here is what we have so far:
Wednesday - - 5 pm - Opening Ritual; 8:30 pm - Stories of Gods and Goddess
Thursday & Friday & Saturday workshops -- Community bonding workshop with Zoe; Star stories, Palmistry, Tarot sharing with Glenn; Amber: facts and myths with Prudence; kids activities with Rhiannon, vocal workshop with Amelia; Mystical Secrets of Music and Sound; lessons with loaner Beginning Didgeridoos; Plant walk with Terri Compost; Goddess Crowning by the council of Grandmothers; Pogo Party with WillowOak; Aspects of the Gods and Goddesses by Tina; Sword Dancing with Bob and Teri on Friday; and music and rituals as they happen.
Friday night - - talent show; followed by a Pirate Party in the set of 3 boats set into the ground in one section of the land;
Saturday - - a workshop for the community to plan the Main Ritual; and other workshops;
4 pm - Hobbyhorse, a folk/rock duo; dusk - Main Ritual; after the ritual - Land of the Blind Shamanic Trance Dance by Krystov & Cyoakha
Sunday -- 1 pm - Family parade and closing ritual
If you want to share a topic, event or ritual: E-mail a description to festival@ancientways.com of any workshop you plan to lead and time preferred. All large rituals should be scheduled in advance. We expect on-site workshop with last minute bulletin board sign-ups. If you are doing a workshop, write it up for the Big Bulletin board, bring it and post it
KIDS AREA Parents, bring toys or activities to share in the children's program. Kids activities will include making tortillas, mask making, hiking, and other crafts and activities. At Stone City the families with small children will have preferred camping in the middle of our Ancient Ways village so that parents and caretakers can work together more easily to keep our children safe and have fun. Rhiannon will coordinate with families this year. Feel free to contact her before the festival at festival@ancientways.com.
THE SITE Stone City is a Pagan center located in the wild hills of California's Diablo Range, just outside the San Francisco Bay Area, in eastern Santa Clara County. Stone City is dedicated to creating sacred spaces for ritual, worship of Pagan deities, and community gatherings. All Pagan faiths and traditions are welcome. Visit the website at www.thestonecity.org.
This space is more compact and intimate than our previous location with far less distance to walk, but the ground will be rough in many places. The area is mostly covered in hearty scrub brush, with some blue oaks and pine trees. The grounds are hilly, steep in a few places, and close to level in the flatter areas.
We have several designated camping enclaves – quiet area, family area, rumpus ((loud) area, and a Pirates cove. (see site map) Camping can also be close to the common areas that include: fire ring, cooking area, and privies. Some of this has slopes between areas. This is the first year we are holding this event in this location, so we are going to be finding out what works best.
MAGICAL MARKET PLACE Vending will be located in one of the flatter, easier-to-navigate areas of the site. Bring cash to buy some great things from the vendors. We have about 6 vendors signed up already. Camping near by is possible, as the vendor area is centrally located.
WATER Water is readily available. A soft sided wading pool is ready for dipping and splashing during the warm days, and we have a hot tub for the cooler spring evenings. There is good drinking water and hot showers.
FOOD We are about an hour away from the nearest store in Livermore – please prepare to bring all the food, beverages and supplies that you will want for your time at the Ancient Ways Festival. A cooler with ice is necessary. We also encourage food sharing! There will be only one run to Livermore for ice on Friday.
We will be setting up a little vegetarian outdoor kitchen and will be cooking a communal supper on Thurs. Fri and Sat nights at the festival for every one to eat together. We are aiming toward simple, healthy and hearty. We hope financial donations in a jar and suggested food donations will cover the costs. Terri will be coordinating the cooking of healthy vegetarian dinners for everyone to eat together. We hope you will pitch in with money and/or prep. Meat eaters will want to bring their own meat. We hope you will share in the joyous labor of creating meals together. I imagine we will have some good singing around the kitchen.
We will have organic bulk beans and grains but would like donations of organic, if possible, fresh fruits and veggies, dairy products (cheese, butter, eggs), milk, coffee and teas. Bring foods you would like to eat and share. We will try the honor system of staying karmically balanced with what you put in and what you eat. Surplus donations will be given to East Bay Food Not Bombs who has loaned us the field kitchen. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN WASHABLE DISHES.
Food themes for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night dinners.
Thurs – Mexican dinner
Friday – Mid Eastern (to go with the Pirate theme of the evening);
Saturday – Pasta dinner
There are tables and chairs, but bring some if you have them. We also plan on having the outdoor kitchen available for more casual collective group cooking for breakfast and lunch (and late night snack?) in addition to our traditional stone soup. There is at least one barbeque so bring charcoal if you want to use it and bring camp stoves if you want your own burner.

We are excited to get back to the land with old and new friends. We hope you are up for it, and are looking forward to seeing you there!
Blessed Be,
Ancient Ways Festival Committee
For more information, ask questions at festival@ancientways.com