Presenter Bios:

Cynthia Jones
Cynthia Jones followed a call to manifest the vision of a place where people could come for personal and spiritual growth, as well as leadership development. When she and Patricia Storm founded Diana's Grove in 1993, both a retreat center and a spiritual philosophy dedicated to healthy group interaction and community building was born. She is the primary force behind the Mystery School stories and material, and designs the weekend and week-long intensives. Cynthia has taught metaphysics, Tarot, and astrology for over 20 years, and her video, The Priestess' Journey through the Tarot invites the viewer into her unique process of bringing the cards out of the box and into conversation. In addition to her passion for myth and community development, Cynthia devotes much of her time to the Diana's Grove Dog Rescue operation, one of the no-kill independent rescues in Missouri, where she has helped to save the lives of countless dogs and puppies and find them homes across the United States and Canada.

River Higginbotham, Joyce Higginbotham
Joyce and River live in the St. Louis area, where they have been active as teachers and pagan community organizers for many years. They are the authors of Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions, and Pagan Spirituality: A Guide to Personal Transformation. More information on their books is available at RiverandJoyce.com. Joyce and River helped found the Council for Alternative Spiritual Traditions (CAST), which hosted public Pagan events in the Midwest, including the region’s largest free festival, the St. Louis Pagan Picnic. CAST itself disbanded a few years ago but one of it's major events, The St. Louis Pagan Picnic, is in its 15th year and continues to attract more than 2,000 each summer.

The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS) has adopted their introductory book as a text for an adult religious education course on earth religions. Several universities use their writings as text or
required reading for both graduate and undergraduate religious studies classes. They are frequently interviewed about Paganism for television, radio, newspapers and magazines. They appear as guest speakers at universities, high schools, and Christian churches.

River and Joyce also are participants in Diana’s Grove Mystery School, a program for spiritual, personal and leadership development. This year River is stepping into a Rites of Passage intensive leadership
training at Diana's Grove.

Karen Y.
Karen, also called LadyHawke, believes that there are many paths to the divine. She calls herself pagan and her practice is a mixture of shamanic witchcraft and energy healing. As a Reiki master teacher, she does what she is called to do. Her interests include Celtic and Native American among others. She is currently in the ministers' training program, studying with Selena Fox at Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin. She is legally ordained and perform handfastings/weddings, wiccanings, funerals, and other rites of passage. Karen has anchored many rituals, and is known in the St. Louis area for her work with Yarrow Coven and Four Winds Fellowship.

River (From Chicago)
River is a priestess, musician, and Reclaiming community and camp teacher from Chicago, IL who has been involved in earth-based spirituality for over thirteen years. River has dedicated her spiritual practice to exploring ecstatic ritual, authentic risk-taking, and connection to Spirit through voice and rhythm. She serves on the teaching staff of the Diana's Grove Mystery School and is a former member of Dreamweaving - the organizing team for the Midwest Reclaiming Witchcamp. River travels throughout the United States and Canada teaching workshops on a variety of topics, including classes in tarot, ritual arts, trance work, community building, small group facilitation, vocal music, and West African drumming.

River believes that strong, sustainable community as well as co-created ritual has the power to change the world, and she's working hard to help create that reality. For more information on River, including a collection of her articles on ritual arts, what’s going on in her local community, and her travel schedule, visit her website at: www.rivermagic.org.

El Bee
El Bee is the co-chairperson of St. Louis Pagan Picnic. The dates for Pagan Picnic 2007 are July 14th and 15th at Tower Grove Park. El Bee is a Priest of Yarrow Coven and has facilitated many rituals and workshops. He is a child of the Goddess, an herbalist, a spell spinner and poet. He is a life long Pagan and a Wiccan for twelve years. It is one of the things he lives for. His hope as he goes about his faith is that some of what he believes will outlive his present body.

Laurie Dietrich and sisalfish
Laurie Dietrich and sisalfish trained in the double-voice trance style developed by the founders of Diana's Grove. As a working trance team, they offer trance-based facilitation to educational, artistic, medical and spiritual communities in ritual and workshop formats. Both are certified in thanatology – the study of death, dying and bereavement – and, as Trance Thanatologists, they specialize in using trance techniques to support those who are dying, and their caregivers. They also offer trance- and ritual-based workshops in Deathwork - the process of entering into a relationship with Death that offers peace and healing - to the dying and those who priestess to the dying.

Lucinda Sohn
Lucinda is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, and Usui and Karuna Reiki Master Teacher. Lucinda has studied and practiced massage therapy techniques since 1994, and as a Voice Therapist specialized in techniques to relieve muscle tension in the neck and TMJ since 1984. Lucinda has been teaching courses and holding workshops in the St. Louis area since 1990, teaching nearly 1000 hours a year the past four years. Through her business, Elements of Wellness, Lucinda offers continuing education for massage therapists, offers an Internship program and sponsors network and study groups. She also teaches Usui and Karuna Reiki and meditation classes, and sponsors a Reiki share group.

Shaun Perkins
Shaun Perkins began her lifelong journey as a Poet when she was a child writing poems on pink paper and stuffing them under the tiles of her parents’ house. In the intervening years she has completed a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in liberal studies. In the past twenty years, she has taught at both secondary and college levels. She has been a teacher of the year, and she currently teaches 9th grade. She is a writer and storyteller and has presented workshops at the National Storytelling Convention, the Popular Culture Convention, Kansas Authors Convention, and more. Shaun facilitates the Diana’s Grove online writing class, Journey in Words (www.journeyinwords.com), and she lives in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, in a trailer in the woods with her long-haired son, 4 cats and a scruffy dog.

Jennifer Byers
Jennifer is a green Reclaiming witch and considers herself blessed to be a member and teacher in the vibrant and growing Chicago Reclaiming community. She has experienced co-creating Reclaiming's Midwest Witch Camp and Reclaiming's Winter Witch Camp as a teacher. She has also planned and facilitated numerous public rituals and classes in Chicago including the Reclaiming core classes (Elements of Magic, Iron Pentacle, Rites of Passage) as well as classes in experiential Tarot, urban activism, and more. Jennifer is a student of life, of Diana's Grove Mystery School and of Thorn Coyle's Feri training. Originally from the sweet rolling hills of Tennesse, Jennifer grew up loving the wild. She is a healer, priestess, singer, actress, musician, artist, knitter, laugher, lover and a hugger of trees and small furry ones.

Charlie Bettis
Charlie Bettis has been involved with the St. Louis pagan community for 16 years. He has been a Celtic pagan teacher for most of that time and is a past member of the ruling council for the Clannada na Gaedelica, a Celtic traditionalist pagan group. He lives in the St. Louis area with his wife, Andrea.

Kathleen Hill
Kathleen is an award-winning journalist who,as an editor, coached others to their own writing awards. She is now at work on a collection of short stories tentatively titled "Odd Jobs," as she has had so many in her life. She has been active in St. Louis Pagan organizations since 2002. She has attended several Diana's Grove Mystery School intensives, studied with a Cherokee shaman, and read extensively in an attempt to find the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. She has hostessed local workshops fusing creativity, Jungian archtypes, the works of Joseph Campbell, and astrology.

Shauna Aura
Shauna dreams of impossible projects and brings them into being; creativity is her primary form of spiritual expression. She creates events, experiences, and spaces that facilitate personal growth. Formerly corporate consultant, Shauna freelances as a designer, artist, writer, and marketing strategist. She has begun a Rites of Passage leadership intensive year at Diana’s Grove. With her design and leadership experience, she has produced theatrical designs, themed parties, a masquerade ball, rituals, fundraisers, and recently enjoyed hauling rocks to build an outdoor shrine to Brigid.

Carey Oxler and Kimberly Gier
Carey Oxler is a priestess, writer, and artist living in the Kansas City area. She and Kimberly Gier are members and lay leaders of Gaia Community, an earth-based Unitarian Universalist congregation, and also develop curriculum for and teach Gaia Community's ritualist training classes. Carey and Kimberly are also art director and editor (respectively) of Nine Fires Press, a creative services company that also offers a line of alternative greeting cards.

Paulita Pranschke
Paulita blends her christian roots with earth-centered, mystical practices encountered in Diana’s Grove Mystery School, Michael Harner style shamanic journeywork, and west coast Authentic Movement. Whether volunteering on political campaigns with MoveOn.org and the Gateway Greens or facilitating St. Louis Mysteries events, she seeks to “live in the world today as she wants it to be in the future” (Alice Walker). Paulita works as a financial analyst, is plotting to attend divinity school, and mamas 2 cats, 2 dogs, and a small forest of houseplants.

Julee Higginbotham
Julee has been attending Diana's Grove events for many years. She is an artist working in clay sculpture, jewelry, painting, and other media. She currently teaches art classes at the Turner Art Center in Maplewood.

Julie Dotson
Movement, Business, Energy Modalities. Julie is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist. In addition to massage therapy, Julie is a Reiki Master, Art Psychotherapist, and Authentic Movement practitioner. Each of these expressive modalities have enhanced her ability to listen to the body, both physically and energetically, Julie offers an intuitive, holistic approach to massage and bodywork that honors the wisdom of the body. Her intention is to provide safe, supportive touch that facilitates the relaxation of the body, the renewal of energy and the restoration of balance. Julie also holds a BSBA in accounting from Pittsburg State University and is a teacher at Elements of Wellness.

Ty Horton
Ty first attended Mystery School in January of 2006. He hopes to continue to study and learn the unique styles of priestessing and ritual arts offered by Diana's Grove. A dedicant to the Celtic goddess Brigit, he believes strongly in the powers of compassion, healing, and "paying it forward". Ty is especially interested in lending his gifts and talents in music, speaking, and the creative arts (even cooking!), to help nurture and foster the impacting, healthy, life-affirming experiences that bring about lasting, positive change in both personal lives and community.

Raven
Raven is a member of the Diana’s Grove Staff and Continuing Education Team. She comes from a family of writers and artists and longs to tell her story through words and pictures, needles and thread. She lives in St. Louis with her two boys, Ben, 11 and Nick 13, her husband John, and her two Diana’s Grove Rescued Dogs, Princess and Patrick. Raven practices and teaches Massage Therapy. She credits the work she has done through Mystery School and the Leadership Training as her means to healing old wounds and living her dreams today. She wants to change the world and make it a better place to live.

Rosalyn Young, Ph.D.
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Michelle Solvej
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