Shimmerback Samhain 2024: Calling Our Lost Spirits Home

You are hereby called to the Fifth Annual Queer Samhain/Halloween Celebration at Shimmerback Ranch!

As the veil thins and darkness deepens, we invite you to step away from the city lights and return to the darkness of what has been forgotten. This Samhain, we will pick up the pieces of our lost magical queer culture and build from it a warm, welcoming place to call our lost spirits back home. Through ritual and connection, we will unite with our past, explore what lies within us, and build together a more beautiful future.

When: Thursday, Oct 31 - Sunday, Nov 3 (Work Party 10/29-30)

Where: Shimmerback Ranch, 15 minutes north of Willits CA

What is Samhain?

Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) is an ancient Gaelic celebration. It is a time to gather the harvest, prepare for winter, and honor our ancestors and all those who have moved on to the spirit world. Our syncretic celebration seeks not to recreate an ancient tradition but to piece together a new tradition from the lost past. We turn to nature, each other, and our wellspring of creativity to create a community and rituals that are beautiful, good, and true.

What to Expect at Our Gathering

Witch’s Brew and Tarot Cocktail Hour: Meet and mingle with a special cocktail to help you shrug off the mundane world and open to the magic.
Feast of the Dead: Bring photos and memorabilia of loved ones to put on the Ancestor Altar and help us call our beloved dead to join us in our grand dinner feast.
Wear your best Samhain outfit and sashay your way down the Spirit Bridge Runway.
Carport Costume Ball & Dance Extravaganza: Let the music transport you to otherworldly realms with beats by DJ Stefan Ways (bio below)
Stag Hunt: Who will be Shimmerback’s new Stag King? What wisdom will they bring back from the Underworld?
Return of Persephone to the Underworld: Hike to the cave as we accompany Persephone back to her lover Hades and reclaim her throne in the Underworld.
Baba Yaga’s Cauldron of Flesh: Jump into the bubbling cauldron of Baba Yaga and enjoy the pleasures of flesh and water.

Other exciting activities:

Music & art – bring your instruments, voices and arts+crafts and create magic together!
Forestry work – give back to the land with brush clearing and burning (weather permitting)
Marvel at the wonders of the night sky from the Moon Raft!
Come together for heart circle and share your stories.
Community Offering: Are you excited to share your talent, knowledge or hobby? Share your joy with your community and offer up a community activity! Let the magic you carry within yourself unfold and create wonders!

Just added!! We’re excited to announce DJ Stefan Ways will be spinning at Friday night’s costume ball dance party. Stefan is a regular in San Francisco, Portland and Denver and he’s sure to get the dance floor hot and sweaty.