Introduction to The Phoenix Chronicles Announcements / Gatherings Date: Nov 19, 2004 - 03:59 PM In the far and misty past, there was a man who was visited by the Gods. This man was given a vision of bringing the joys of Pagan Gatherings to Florida to be shared with the many Pagans there. Some say he was driven mad by the Gods as he travelled the land, visiting other Gatherings in many states, learning all he could about how such things were organized. But, mad or no, he returned home to Florida and set about contacting Pagans in the state to enlist their help. As most of the existing Gatherings were long miles away, the Florida Pagans were delighted with the idea. This man was Steve Dugas, and his rewards for all his work are his lovely wife, Lisa, and their son, Tristan. Sometimes the world is blessed by a spell of madness. From their humble beginnings - in a Zephyrhills, Florida, pasture - the LifeSpring Gatherings grew and grew. Steve began by asking local Pagans to share their knowledge in workshops and lectures and rituals. Today, while local Pagans are still encouraged to share their knowledge, they are joined by many people from all over the land and, now and then, by people from other lands. Writers, teachers, and crafts-people from many areas have come to the Florida Gatherings to share their Arts with us, and to learn from our knowledge, too. Over the years changes come to our lives, and Steve found himself having to move away from Florida. Steve turned to Wade Berlin to keep the spirit of the Gatherings alive and well in Florida, and we have been blessed by Wade's talents. Over time, the name of the festivals was changed to Phoenix Festivals, and the PhoenixPhamily began to grow. We are now seeing the third generation of children being born in this Phamily, and we have become aware of the inevitable fact that we are all growing older. Our memories of those early years are becoming somewhat fuzzy, and we have realized that our history will be lost if we don't make the effort to record it while we still can. This is the reason for the creation of The Phoenix Chronicles. These Chronicles are envisioned as a place to record the history of the PhoenixPhamily and the events we have attended together for many years. We have recorded here the happy memories, the sad ones, the conflicts that have arisen, and the reconciliations. We have included pictures members of the Phamily have treasured, and individual recollections of events. Many voices have spoken here, and many memories have been shared. Now, we are able to share these things with you. Remember . . . "You are not new to the Phamily, You are an Old Friend we just met" Ardy wrote this wonderful introduction to the Phoenix Phamily Chronicles I just had to share it. This article comes from Phoenix Phamily - Supporting the Phoenix festivals community http://www.phoenixfestivals.com./ The URL for this story is: http://www.phoenixfestivals.com./modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=501