Aerik Arkadian

It has been almost two weeks since Summer Magick Festival 2023. Like all festivals, we must eventually return to real life. Unfortunately, I took zero pictures, so you’ll just have to rely solely on my textual opinions.

If you’ve never heard of Summer Magick Festival, it’s a collection of workshops, rituals, vending, and family that takes place each year at a hotel in Orlando, FL.

In their own words:

Summer Magick Festival is an earth-based spirituality convention with workshops, celebration, and community in a comfortable hotel setting. Headliners, rituals, and musical entertainment have been chosen to encourage tolerance between the many different earth-based faiths and foster planetary stewardship. We are a family-friendly event with programming for our young ones as well as close proximity to all the wonders of the Orlando theme parks. Join us for a new kind of Florida festival!

-SummerMagickFest.Org

A lot of pagan festivals take place outside. Naturally so, that let’s us reconnect with nature and mother earth, taking a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life, but sometimes it’s really nice to stay indoors with air conditioning. Especially when it’s the middle of summer. Trust me, outside isn’t always a place you want to be during the month of June in South Florida.

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Headliners

Ivo Dominguez Jr was scheduled to be a headliner, but rather sadly became ill. Jason Mankey came to replace his slot, and fortunately Ivo is doing much better now. The 2023 headliners were as follows:

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Musical Guests

There were also two musical guests:

Alexian played music during the first day’s “Meet-n-Greet” as well as a workshop called “on “Chants In Ritual.” S.J. Tucker gave a concert on Saturday during the “Faery Frolic,” a dancing workshop, and added some music to main ritual.

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Workshops

There are so many great workshops going on at Summer Magick, it is just impossible to do them all. The schedule is packed from early morning to late at night and sometimes you have to choose between two events. Selene and I didn’t go to everything we wanted to… we did take some rest time. I get major FOMO with festival workshops, but my advice is to take it slow, do what you can, and forgive yourself for being tired or needing rest between. Here are the highlights of what I remember attending:

Shadow Work With Baneful Herbs by Coby Michael

Coby Michael introduced us to several baneful herbs as if they were his friends, then discussed methods to get to know them and use them in our lives, including making plant essences.

The Chthonic Cults of Mana Graecia by Oracle Hekataios

Oracle Hekataios gave us some ancient Greek history and taught about the mystery cults.

Living With the Orisha 24/7 by Jose Antonio Levya Ferre

An intimate chat and Q&A session where all attendees were given personal insight as to how a family honors the Orisha in their daily life.

Memoirs of A High Priest by Alexander Cabot

Alexander Cabot discussed his book, life story, and all the different traditions he’s been a part of.

Drawing Down the Moon by Jason Mankey

Jason Mankey gave a great lecture on the history and practice of Drawing Down the Moon, with added insights of his personal experiences over the years.

A Traditional Cabot Summer RItual by Alexander Cabot

Alexander Cabot performed a short summer ritual in the style of his tradition from The Cabot Kent Hermetic Temple.

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Rituals

We always make a point to go to Main Ritual at any festival we attend, but lately we’ve been trying to go to the Opening and Closing rituals as well. This year at SMF, they were all beautifully done. The main focus was raising energy to help protect four species that are endangered in Florida: The Miami Blue Butterfly, the Florida Bonneted Bat, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, and the Florida Panther.

Summoning visual aids…

As part of closing ritual, some of the energy we raised was transferred into small vials of powdered crystals, which we each took home and spread around our local areas.

If you’d like to help any of these endangered species, SMF has recommended the following organizations:

• Florida Butterfly Movement
• The Turtle Hospital
• Lubee Bat Conservancy
• Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge

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Vending

There are always tons of great vendors at Summer Magick. Most of the headliners also set up a table with books or other merchandise and are available for impromptu chats. If an author you like led a workshop, this is a great time to get your book signed.

The vendor’s room, aptly called “The Magickal Marketplace,” is open most hours during the day for browsing, shopping, or just hanging out.

Selene and I actually decided to sponsor this year as a vendor. We brought some items from our Etsy shop, Spoonful of Magick, but quickly found that we much preferred to be in the workshops instead of at our table…

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Final Thoughts

Selene and I have extended spiritual family all over Florida. One of the only times we get to see everyone together is at festival. Every year, that family seems to grow.

Even though I’m lacking on images, there were tons of people who took great photos. If you’d like to see some pictures of the event, there are plenty at Summer Magick’s Facebook and Instagram.

See you next year at Summer Magick Festival 2024!