MABON RITUAL OUR INVESTIGATION PHOTOS

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Click on any of the photos on this page to view a larger version of the photo. Since this was an outdoor investigation, we have not included floorplans or maps in this section of the investigation report. Click Here for a PDF map of Gaea Retreat. There are photos, videos, and images throughout this investigation report. See the Pagan Rituals and Fairy Gate sections for some especially interesting ones...

Using the right map, finding Gaea Retreat is not difficult at all. We've provided two different maps and sets of directions to Gaea in the Gaea Retreat section of this investigation report. Though only about an hour's drive from Kansas City, Gaea has an extremely remote feel to it. Once a Bible Camp, the roads, buildings, and campsites from that era still exist and serve its current mission. Its was a beautiful Fall day, with cool breezes and rolling clouds overhead. Of the eight investigators on this trip, three were with us for the first time.

Gaea Retreat takes the mundane and makes it magical. The Pixie Sticks is a trail going from some of the campsites (Davawood, for one) to the Pavilion and Druid's Circle on the top of one of the main ridges at Gaea. Its a well-kept trail through over-hanging woods. What should be a simple through-trail has been made into a special feature of the camp all its own.

The dining hall for Gaea Retreat is a classic camp dining hall. Besides some fairly interesting wall hangings and a feeling of nostalgia, the feature of the dining hall that was most impressive is a three-part painting of the Goddess hanging high above the main room. The painting shows the Goddess in her three incarnations, the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Though the paintings are in the following order: Mother, Maiden, Crone. Between the first and second rituals, there was a large pot-luck feast here in the dining hall. The food was great, and the mood of the participants was very positive and welcoming.

The first Mabon Ritual of the night was hosted by the Kansas City Witches Meetup, in cooperation with Gaea Retreat. This ritual was referred to as a "public" ritual, because all Pagans were invited to attend and participate, regardless of what organizations, covens, or paths they belonged to or were following. We were asked to not take pictures or record video during this first ritual, due to the fact it was a "public" ritual and there was some worry that if we were taking pictures or recording video it would discourage some pagans from participating. Among pagans, wiccans, and witches there are still worries of persecution or retribution from those that do not understand their beliefs. The first ritual had about 80 participants arranged in a large circle. About 20 people stayed outside the circle, and simply observed the proceedings. While the content and meaning was different from a Christian church service, the tone and fellowship of the ritual was similar. Please see the About Wicca section and the Meaning of Mabon section of this investigation report for details. I greatly regret that we don't have photos or video from this ritual to share with you. AutumnWolf informed me that this first ritual had the largest attendance for Sabbat Ritualsin this region in at least the last 4-5 years. We did take EMF and temperture readings during this first ritual. See the Equipment Readings section of this report for details.

After the large pot-luck feast, a smaller group of pagans returned to the alter and formed a new circle for a private 2nd ritual. We were allowed to take photos and video during this 2nd ritual, as you can see. Unlike the first ritual, this ritual was performed when it was completely dark outside. The only light came from a flame upon the alter and four torches to the outside of the ritual circle. This ritual was of a much simpler nature, but appeared to be much more intense than the first ritual. For a full description and analysis of this private ritual, see the appropriately named Pagan Rituals section of this investigation report.

After the private 2nd ritual, we were talking with those assembled, and a couple offered to take us to a place called the "Fairy Gate." We were told that the Fairy Gate is a place in the woods where the fairies gather, and that people go there and offer gifts and tribute to the fairies. I can assure you that when we planned our trip to Gaea, we had no intention of "fairy hunting." What convinced us to give the Fairy Gate a try, was the assertion that many of the visitors to the Fairy Gate came away with photos of fairies. Clearly, any situation where people claim to have captured physical evidence of the paranormal is going to attract our interest. See the Fairy Gate section of this investigation report for more details. These photos were taken on the trail that leads to the Fairy Gate.

These photos were taken at the Fairy Gate. It was actually pretty impressive to see. There were statues, jewelry, beads, dream-catchers, flowers, candies, cakes, and lot of shiny trinkets and bits of glass and metal...all left as gifts to the fairies. Glittering in the dark, the whole garish scene was fairly dramatic. See the Fairy Gate section of this investigation report for more details. There is also a full analysis of a "fairy picture" we managed to capture.

A bit further into the woods and down a steep hill from the Fairy Gate, there is a magical little area called Hearne's Circle. Making our way to this location in a dark was somewhat challenging. We hadn't really prepared for a night-hike in the woods, and we were short on flashlights. Despite this Hearne's Circle was worth the many stumbles in the dark. Hearne's Circle is on a small mound near the edge of the large lake at Gaea Retreat. There are several circles of stones there, and several alters with a wide variety of statuettes, candles, beads, etc. After our night-hike and our visit to the Fairy Gate and Hearne's Circle, we were very happy we had allowed ourselves to be tempted into "hunting for fairies!" It goes without saying that this investigation was enormously different from what Ghost Vigil normally does. But once you read some of the analysis sections of this investigation report, you'll see we were unwavering in our skeptical science-based approach.

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