Before Pagan Community Retreat even had a website, one of our longtime volunteers and committee members wrote this recap for the Nerdy Witches blog after attending the first Pacific Circle Revival in June 2014.
That first gathering welcomed about 50 people for a weekend of camping, workshops, children’s activities, ritual, storytelling, and revelry around the fire. It also introduced the PCR keystone, created to carry the community’s spirit, hopes, and blessings from one gathering to the next.
Reading it now offers a glimpse into PCR at its very beginning. The event has grown and changed since then, but its heart is already visible: pagans gathering outdoors to learn, celebrate, and create community together.
The original post appears below with light editing for readability.
Nerdy Witches at Pacific Circle Revival
Three members of the Nerdy Witches returned from the first Pacific Circle Revival full of stories from an amazing weekend.
The original Pacific Circle was held annually until organizer Ellen Cannon Reed passed away in 2003. Created as an outdoor summer gathering for pagans of many traditions, the event offered a place to celebrate the season, learn from one another, and build community.
Pacific Circle Revival was created in honor of that legacy and with the hope of bringing the community together once again.
Arriving and Creating Community
The first Pacific Circle Revival began on Friday as campers arrived and settled in. Approximately 50 people attended that inaugural gathering.
The Clan of the Blood Moon started the weekend with a children’s scavenger hunt that proved popular with kids of all ages.
Around sunset, the community gathered for the opening ritual. Slate of the Nerdy Witches wrote and participated in the ritual, which centered on the creation of the PCR keystone. The keystone was intended to carry the community’s spirit, hopes, and blessings from one gathering to the next.
Afterward, everyone settled into an evening of conversation and revelry around the campfire. It was a relaxed opportunity to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and begin forming the temporary community that would share the weekend.
Workshops, Activities and Ritual
Saturday offered workshops and activities for both adults and children.
Slate presented an introductory workshop on working with chakras, while Jenn from the Pasadena Witches Meetup Group offered a demonstration and workshop on healing with crystals. The Roebuck Tradition provided an introduction to Wicca, and the Clan of the Blood Moon hosted found-object crafts for the children.
That afternoon, the Ancient Keltic Church’s Roebuck Tradition led a dynamic Summer Solstice ritual featuring the story and symbolic demise of John Barleycorn.
Later that evening, the Clan of the Blood Moon offered a lively ritual centered on storytelling, connection with animal guides, and plenty of enthusiastic howling.
The day ended with another bonfire. Nerdy Witch Syl began a chant circle, and before long the evening had moved into full revelry.
Closing the Circle
On Sunday, Jenn, organizer of the Pasadena Witches Meetup Group, led the closing ritual. The community gathered once more to give thanks for the weekend, the people who made it possible, and the connections created during those few days together.
It was only the first Pacific Circle Revival, but many of the qualities that would continue to shape PCR were already present: shared learning, meaningful ritual, family activities, laughter around the fire, and the experience of building pagan community together in nature.