Who can be a member?
A Spirit Haven membership includes:
Join the team on the bridge! You will greet attendees as they cross the infamous Troll Bridge into the heart of the festival, pass along important last-minute information about safety and site conditions, and have a generally great time!
Questions? Email the Troll Lead: troll.lead@spirit-haven.org
Places are limited for this community service position.
Are you friendly and helpful? Carol’s Corner is the home of community service and so much more. We have convenience items for sale! Help us sell ice, wood, and festival merchandise, all for the benefit of Spirit Haven. We also host the Spirit Haven Fundraising Raffle, lovingly donated to by our wonderful vendors, and help run the Flying Monkey program.
Want to join our team? Have any questions? Email us: carols@spirit-haven.org
Want to help our guest speakers and bands settle in and find what they need during festival? Maybe you’ll help guest speakers set up for their workshops or assist in delivering food/drinks to the band. Maybe you can give them a tour around Spirit Haven Ranch. Volunteer with our Guest Speaker Coordinator and Entertainment Team to make our special guests feel welcome.
Questions? Email our leads: festival.entertainment@spirit-haven.org
Want to help build the magic of Revel? Don’t mind some physical labor? Great with energy work? Awesome! You’d fit in perfectly! Fire crew is looking for people to help build the fire physically and energetically.
Questions? Email the Fire Chief: fire.chief@spirit-haven.org
Hey look, a new Community Service! Wanna check out Fire Crew but don’t have the mobility to throw trees? Then keep us hydrated instead! We need volunteers to make sure we are properly hydrated so we can build up the magic of Revel Fire!
Questions? Email the Fire Chief: fire.chief@spirit-haven.org
Want to be of help wherever you may be needed? Be a Flying Monkey! This could include anything from helping with festival games, to running festival errands, to making announcements regarding schedule changes.
Questions? Email the Carol’s Lead: carols@spirit-haven.org
As part of the Front Gate Team, you will help in directing the flow of check-in for festival. Tasks include meeting and greeting people as they enter, making sure they check in properly, directing cars to the parking lot with parking passes, and keeping track of vehicles and owners for security purposes.
Questions? Email the Gate Lead: gate.lead@spirit-haven.org
Volunteer spots are limited.
Come serve your community as a Guardian! We walk the property to promote physical and spiritual safety during festival. Enjoy delicious coffee, silly meetings, inside jokes, radio hijinks, and sometimes, sometimes… even a chance to save the day (no promises)!
Questions? Email the Safety Services Lead: safetysvc.lead@spirit-haven.org
Volunteer spots are limited. Good shoes and full-coverage clothing are required on shift, and new volunteers will need to attend Guardian 101 Training.
Greet the early risers in the coffee shop! Help with setup/cleanup of supplies and keep the coffee brewing, the drinks pouring, and the conversation flowing.
Questions? Email the Tearoom Lead: tearoom.lead@spirit-haven.org
Join the team at Mathew’s Self Healing Station! We need volunteers to assist with our self-serve First Aid station, helping folks with things like minor injuries, bug bites, sunburn, or overheating. There will be tasty cookies, plenty of laughs, camaraderie, and of course, chicken jokes.
Questions? Email the Safety Services Lead: safetysvc.lead@spirit-haven.org
Volunteer spots are limited. First Aid training is not required, however, wearing full-coverage clothing on shift is very much required.
Know your way around audio equipment? Assist our Stage Crew with setup for bands and performers!
Questions? Email the Entertainment Coordinator: entertainment.coord@spirit-haven.org
Volunteer spots are limited.
Come join the crew that finishes preparing the land and gathering the wood for festival. Your activities could include preparing food for the crew’s community kitchen, harvesting or splitting wood, setting up carports or equipment, mowing a Sacred Space, painting, and more. This is a multiple day commitment and request submission and approval is required. Approval qualifies you for complimentary Wednesday Early Entry. There are a limited number of spots for Setup/Teardown, so get your request in early!
Festivals are huge events that require a lot of work to put on. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, Spirit Haven needs your help to make sure Festivals run as smoothly as possible. You’ll make a few new friends no matter what you’re up to!
All adults who purchase a Full Event registration are required to do (at least) two hours of community service at Festival. During the registration process, you’ll need to choose two Community Service options. You may not get your first choice community service option or general time slot, but we do try very hard to accommodate everyone.
There’s plenty of work to do. Did you enjoy your festival community service and decide you’re ready to step up? Reach out to the team lead! Are you good at copy editing? Consider joining our Policy Committee! Know of some good spots to hang flyers or run a booth? Give being an Area Representative a shot! Do you resonate with a particular Sacred Space at Spirit Haven Ranch? Reach out to that Sacred Space Coordinator to see if they need an assistant! Want to step up and contribute more to maintaining and nurturing Spirit Haven Ranch? Reach out to the Ranch Team – we need your help! Not sure where you’d like to contribute your time, but have a niche skill? Reach out to the Board – they’ll know where you can best help!
Ever wanted to learn how to identify native flora, build a structure, use a chainsaw, or weld – with a bunch of Pagans? You’ll love WorkEnds.
We tackle a wide variety of projects, including:
Texas is a pretty big state and we have members that extend past our borders. As such, Spirit Haven, Inc. has different communities set up in what we call Areas.
Click on the highlighted areas on the map above to find out what counties are included in each Area!
Click on your Area in the list below for the contact information for your Area Representative as well as a link to your Area’s unique Facebook page!
Spirit Haven, Inc. is an entirely volunteer operated organization that is privileged to own 100+ acres of land at Spirit Haven Ranch (SHR) where we host two Festivals annually. That takes a lot of resources!
Donations go directly to helping us continue to maintain our land and host these events. Donations also assist Spirit Haven in supporting our local volunteer fire department and statewide disaster relief efforts.
Located off the main road, across from Carol’s Corner, the area within the white posts/inside fencing has playground equipment and child-size picnic tables. There is no fire ring, no electricity, and no adults on-site. There are concrete tables outside near the space for adults to rest while watching their littles. (NOTE: Spirit Haven is not responsible for providing childcare or supervision.)
The Ve is a dedicated to Universalist Heathen practice, honoring the Elder Kin (Æsir and Vanir) and the Ancestors (Disir and Alfar). The Ve is an inclusive space, open to all whom the Gods have called. Within the Ve are the Thor-tree, the ancestor cairn, the sacred fire, and the altar space itself. The Thor-tree, severed in half by a lightning strike, stands at the entrance to the space. The ancestor cairn is an ever-growing monument to those who have gone before us. Rocks available in the space are able to be marked in remembrance and honor of loved ones and added to the cairn. The sacred fire is kept going with all-natural chunk charcoal, and resins are placed nearby that can be burned in the fire along with other offerings. The altar space itself is marked off from the main portion of the Ve by a stone circle. Within the space are two altars, one dedicated to the Aesir and one to the Vanir. There are alfa bowls on each altar where libations can be poured out in offering.
“With half a loaf, and cup half filled,
A friend full fast I made.”
Temple Ganesh is the first Hindu sacred space at Spirit Haven. Dedicated to the elephant-headed remover of obstacles, the temple celebrates Ganesha, the ruler of the Muladhara (Root) Chakra. The Temple is a sacred realm in dappled sunlight within a beautiful ring of trees. Anyone can offer puja (worship) to Ganesh with devotions, offerings, praise, chanting or song. Whether you’re there to break a coconut, offer sweetly-scented flowers or incense, ring a bell, chant or just meditate, Temple Ganesh will offer you a comfortable, warm place to worship the God of all Wisdom. Jai Ganesha!
This is the transitioning area from our Mundane lives to Magical lives at Spirit Haven Ranch. It is located past the Front Gate, past the bridge, on the left as you come up the hill and across from Magical Meadow. There is a sign, a table and a place to sit. You can stop after CheckIn. – if your trip was stressful, leave it at the Altar! You can stop after unloading/parking – gives you a little time. You can visit anytime you need to re-center or rid yourself of destructive or negative thoughts.
In order to have a peaceful, loving and fun festival, we need to leave our bad energies behind and invite the awesome, positive and tingly vibes into our time together. Doing it is the easy part.
* You can leave offerings, if that has meaning for you (flowers, stones, seeds, nuts, or LIGHTERS)
The entrance to Ravenswood is past the entrance to Lothlorien, back through the woods. There is an altar, a gathering of three trees for the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, and space to sit and reflect. Bring a chair, blanket, or commune with nature in this Morrigan-centric space.
Located near the Labyrinth and centered around the fire ring on Phoenix Meadow, this space is being created for those who are called to work with Greek and Roman deities. A space to make devotions and offerings to those theoi who weave their blessings through our lives. Naos Templum is “temple” in both Greek and Latin, respectively.
This is a long term transformation and we think that good things are worth the wait! Future plans include a rebuilt and maintained fire ring, individual devotional altars , drainage, and shade.
As of Beltane 2023, we have the posts installed where the future columns will be, the locations and designs of the individual altars laid out, and the main altar has been set up for devotionals and offerings to all the Greco-Roman deities. We have also added temporary alter markers with a devotional for each theoi.
The main altar is stocked with offerings as libations each festival. During festival, there will be a short overview of Greek Reconstructionist practice and some simple devotional guides. This guide also includes a list of people you can reach out to if you have further questions about Greco-Roman deities, devotionals, or making offerings.
Memorial Grove is located in a small inlet along the main road, across from Phoenix Meadow. It features an altar, with stone benches scattered around the space. We also feature the Memorial Web dedicated to those who have helped grow and shape this land.
The Grove is created as a meeting place for those who have gone beyond the Veil and those who have been left behind. It is a space for all the dark gods and goddesses but the space will forever remain undedicated to any one god or goddess. The heartsick living can find some respite in this place, and for those who have transitioned – this place is a sacred space for them and to commune with them.
Memorial Grove is an ideal choice for any sort of memorial, particularly at Samhain, but can also be used for rituals dedicated for the deities of death and the afterlife. As a meeting place, it has also been successfully used for communication between worlds, and workshops focusing on ancestors or history. It can easily fit workshops or classes of 20 people or less.
The Labyrinth is a meditative experience, journeying inward to the soul. Stay and play, pray, or reflect in the center before journeying back out into the world. In addition to being a powerful meditation tool, our Labyrinth is dedicated to the Fae and is a wonderful place to commune with them and leave them offerings. It is also an ideal space for initiations, rites of passage, handfastings, and rituals focused on manifesting within or on letting go. Come walk the Labyrinth and experience its magic for yourself!
Haven Grove is a neutral space with no particular affiliation with any god, goddess, or tradition. A sacred space for those who don’t have one. Welcome to Any and All. Will feature natural tree altars, plenty of open area for meditation and small rituals. Also has a dedicated area for Handfasting rituals. Lots of shade, no power, no seating.
The Grounding and Centering Temple was created at our first Beltane on the Land, based on the need for a quiet place in which to heal and seek counsel. It is open to anyone who needs a time out, a place for reflection, grounding and centering, and meditation. As you spend time here, please honor the energy and intention of the place. Help yourself to the blessing oil on the altar, and light some incense (if the wind allows) to help you in your meditations. If you are in need of spiritual counseling at the Temple, contact a Guardian, or come to Lair Bastet camp, just down from Carol’s Corner, where there are priestesses ready to help. You are never alone.
Over the river (well, creek) and through the (Meditation) Woods, to Grandmother‘s Grove we go: Grandmother’s Grove has always been a part of Spirit Haven’s festivals, even before we moved to Spirit Haven Ranch. It served as a gathering and community space, a place for children’s story time, and various workshops and rituals. Now, Grandmother is waiting with open arms for any who wish to commune with her.
The Dragon’s Nest is a secluded, calming space which is ideal for quiet meditation and contemplation. The purpose of the Nest is communion with Land and Cosmos as living entities, Dragon, the undertow of reality, the vast, complex consciousnesses of the world around us, adjacent to human tradition, maybe even inclusive of it, but far greater than it. The space is guarded by a trellised archway, nestled in the wood across from Grandmother’s Grove. Once inside, offerings to Land and Cosmos may be made to the decomposing stump in the center of the clearing. Beneath our feet, Above, Around, and Within, the Dragon lives and so do We.
Our blessed Council Oak has transitioned from her former self into a beautiful memorial altar, adorned with a beautiful altar top handmade from pieces of her trunk. A wooden footbridge and a lovely arbor lead into the space, and a cedar-post fence surrounds the entire site.
Brighid’s Crossing: Brighid’s Crossing has existed with our organization since before Spirit Haven Ranch was purchased. It has always been a special location for crafts, chanting, music, and gathering. As the Temple Complex has come together, Brighid’s Crossing has become a more public and social part of the Complex, in contrast to the quieter, more meditative Altar area.
Brighid’s Altar: Brighid’s Altar consists of a slab of oak cut from the sacred tree known as Council Oak. At each festival, Brighid’s Temple Coordinator oversees the gathering of temporary items and gifts to place on the altar. This consists of things such as: whiskey, candles, incense, woven Brighid’s crosses, prayers/blessings/invocations written on paper, and much more.
The Standing Stone: The Standing Stone was dedicated in approximately 2008 and was livingly carved by hand to be placed at Spirit Haven Ranch. Stones have long been used as a marker of a sacred site or in honor of sacred beings. This stone was erected in Brighid’s honor.
The Prayer Tree: There are traditions of marking requests of the Gods or saints at sacred trees all over the world. Strips of cloth or other items are brought and imbued with the bringer’s wish for aid, thanks for aid given, or request for blessing in general, and then tied to the tree. These objects are believed to be a conduit of physical manifestation of the prayer or request they are sending. Many trees can be found in Ireland and across the world that hold the physical manifestations of countless prayers. The prayer tree in Brigid’s Temple Complex is just such a tree. Members have adorned the tree with pieces of cloth in representation of their wishes or prayers. This practice has been active here since at least 2008 and it is hoped that future members will learn of it and participate in its sacredness.
