2025 Workshop Presenters
Tava Baird
Tava Baird (Storyteller, Script Writer and Art Instructor) has been a mentor in the Pagan community for over thirty-five years, is a Wiccan author and artist, and was a Montessori classroom teacher and art instructor for over twenty years. She has a strong background in theatre arts and has been a playwright and theatre director for fifteen years, building theatre experiences for persons of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. She is a metaphysical educator who teaches art, history, and ritual classes in her area and mentors pagans of all stripes on their journeys.
Visit Tava's Website.
Irene Glasse
Irene Glasse is a Heathen witch based in Western Maryland. She is a longtime teacher of witchcraft, meditation, and magic in the mid-Atlantic. She is the co-author of "Blackfeather Mystery School: The Magpie Training" (Dragon Alchemy, 2022), a contributing writer of "Gemini Witch: Unlock the Magic of Your Sun Sign" and "Llewellyn's 2024 and 2025 Sabbats Almanac" (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2023 and 2024), and a blogger and columnist. Irene has performed, taught workshops, and led rituals at many festivals and conferences over the years. She is a Commissioned Lay Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and is the lead organizer of the Frederick Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (Frederick CUUPS), offering events, rituals, classes and workshops to a large, vibrant community.
Visit Irene's Website.
Jane Sibley
Jane T. Sibley, Ph.D. (History, comparative religion) is a traditional Norse practitioner and a specialist in Norse folklore and runes. She has taught at many Pagan events for decades, including Rites of Spring, Feast of Lights, Twilight Covening, Fertile Ground Gathering, Ecumenicon, Changing Times-Changing Worlds ... the list goes on.
She is the author of “The Way of the Wise: Traditional Norwegian Folk and Magic Medicine”; “The Hammer of the Smith (novel)”; “Norse Mythology...according to Uncle Einar”; and "The Divine Thunderbolt: Missile of the Gods".
Visit Jane's Website.
Jennifer Taylor
Jennifer Taylor (Divine Dance and Sound Healing, Energy Work) has a BS in Studio Art and Dance with a focus of using the arts as therapeutic tools in the community. She is a certified Chakradance Facilitator, Sound Healer, and is highly trained in a number of energetic healing modalities including Reiki and Magical Awakening Mystical Angels. Her practice is steeped in ancient wisdom teachings and shamanic practices. Jennifer weaves together her broad background of knowledge and teachings, along with direct guidance from the divine to bring through profoundly healing experiences.
Visit Jennifer's Website.
Keith Taylor
Keith Taylor (Sound Healing and Energy Work) is a Holy Fire®️ III Karuna Reiki®️ Master, ICRT Animal Reiki Master, and Sound Healer. Keith is a skilled percussionist in addition to playing a wide variety of sound healing instruments, including the didgeridoo, handpan, overtone flute, drone flute and others.
Visit Keith's Website.
Cael Jacobs
Cael was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area. He took an interest in spiritual subjects early in high school, and his explorations led him from agnosticism, into evangelical Christianity, through an eventual crisis of faith, to where he is now: an animist, an elementalist, and an energy worker.
He is an author, a teacher, a storyteller, one of the co-founders of ShadowGrove, and Speaker for the ShadowGrove Tradition.
His illustrated collection of pagan origin myths and short stories, Tales from the Wilder Forest, was published in April 2014, and his book on meditative practice, Living a Life In Balance; An Elemental Journey of Self-Discovery, was published in February 2015. His writings have also appeared in Circle Magazine, Thought Notebook, and Corvus Review.
He has been a teacher and ritual leader at Fertile Ground Gathering since its inception in May 2008.
Sophia Kelly Shultz
Born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, Sophia Kelly Shultz grew up in house where art was like breathing; creation could occur at any hour of the day or night, and the medium in which it manifested was never predetermined. As a child, she was introduced to sketching, pen and ink drawing, colored pencils, and various types of paint; later, her best friend's mother, who also happened to be her 9th grade Home Economics teacher, taught her her first embroidery stitches.
While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, she discovered a niche doing portraits of science fiction conference attendees in fantastic settings. Her almost simultaneous discovery of science fiction costuming and 1980s bridal beadwork, combined with inspiration from her needleworker college friend has inspired award-winning beadwork and embroidery, including her accidental crazy quilted robe, My History's Embrace, which was based on one of her paintings.
One of the most important things to her is that people learn not to compare themselves to others, to do what they love and not take everything people say about their work to heart, and to identify when and how their instincts are speaking to them. She is the author and illustrator of three publications: The Stone Circle Oracle, The Promethean Oracle, and Seeking the Spirits of Palo Kimbisa (all published by Schiffer Publishing in Atglen, PA.)
Cheered on by David, the most tolerant husband in the world, she works in her attic studio, on the second floor, or in the living room of their 140-year-old house located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, shared with an enormous rock collection, a young and enthusiastic English Springer Spaniel whose best friend is a spirit dog.
Visit Sophia's Website.
Christa Hoeffler
Christa grew up practicing magic in the wooded foothills of Appalachia, where she nurtured an affinity for the Spirits of Place. Her personal, ecclectic tradition is one of practical folk magic, and in ritual space, she functions as a Stoic, specializing in centering, grounding, and shielding those around her. She has attended Fertile Ground Gathering almost every year since 2008, began working as staff in 2012, and has been part of it's team of ritual facilitators since 2017. You can almost always find her at the Registration Desk!
Randy Meyer
Born in California, Randy grew up in a traditionally Lutheran household. In his late teens, he discovered and joined a Wiccan coven, where he learned the fundamentals of energy work and healing. It was at this time he had the revelation that personal energy fields were capable of being intentionally shifted to enable healing, and that concept sparked a complete redefinition of his relationship with Spirit. Over the ensuing 35 years, his daily interactions with Spirit have led him to pursue many modalities of healing to incorporate into his work, including therapeutic massage, visualization techniques, and shamanic journeying. He has blended these studies into a personalized and very intuitive form of energy healing.
Lisa Meyer
Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Lisa spent much of her youth seeking a spiritual path that spoke to her. She has always felt a deep connection to Nature, and spent much of her time wandering the woods near her home, thrilling in the Magic she felt there (but had yet to find words to describe). At the age of 16, she discovered a book on Wicca while at the bookstore one day, and everything changed. She spent the next few years reading every book about Paganism she could get her hands on, leaving her Christian upbringing behind. She joined ShadowGrove in 2006, finding there a group of like-minded individuals who helped her grow and evolve on her path, and soon became her chosen family. She is an animist, a student of divination, and a Healer within the ShadowGrove Tradition. Her spiritual practice incorporates aspects of Druidism, Shamanism, Wicca, and Appalachian Witchcraft. Lisa is a founding member of Fertile Ground Gathering, and has been part of the ritual team since 2017.
Lacey Ballow
Lacey Ballow (medicine woman, mystic, seer) is a master of working with the plants, she combines practical knowledge with intuitive listening to create herbal remedies with Virginia native plants. Specializing in medicinal plant identification and guided foraging hikes. She empowers people to create personalized healing remedies for themselves and the people and animals in their life.
In addition to teaching a workshop called Outdoor Rhythm Adventures, Cellina and Glasshawk will be facilitating drum circles during the Friday and Saturday night bonfires!
Cellina Rhiannon and Glasshawk
Gretchen Comer (aka Cellina Rhiannon) is a holistic health expert, spiritual coach, energy healer, and Reiki Master with nearly 30 years of experience helping women heal and empower themselves. Through her deep understanding of metaphysics, sound healing, crystal therapy, and more, she creates nurturing, soul-centered spaces for transformation and growth.
Gretchen guides women to embrace their inner strength and wisdom, break free from limitations, and live authentically. She creates sacred spaces where women connect with their divine selves, find their voice, and step into their true power.
With over 30 years of experience leading sacred circles and spiritual events, including 24 years as Program Coordinator at a spiritual retreat center, she has supported thousands of attendees and collaborated with renowned spiritual leaders. Gretchen has also facilitated over 300 ceremonies, bringing love, humor, compassion, and inspiration to all her work, helping women live vibrantly with courage and strength.
Alex (aka Glasshawk) is a versatile outdoorsman and creative practitioner with a diverse skill set. He is an experienced drummer, hand pan player, and fire circle facilitator, as well as an organic gardener, workshop leader, and aspiring lapidary artist. At home in nature, Alex spends much of his time learning about the world around him.
As an intuitive hand drummer and percussionist, Alex is a certified Sound Healing Practitioner and Drum Circle Leadership Facilitator, having studied under renowned experts. He is also a Registered and Accredited Holistic Health Practitioner and Metaphysician.
With over 20 years of drumming experience, Alex has led drum circles for shamanic and healing events. He co-facilitates dynamic drumming, primitive skills, and "Wyldecrafting" workshops with his wife Gretchen, using a friendly and adaptive teaching style to share his creative talents. Together, they bring their unique skills and love for all things spiritual to all of their co-led events.
Christine and Tom Capshew
Christine Capshew has woven many of her passions together as she and Tom visioned Conscious Healing Treatment Center, an agency dedicated to serving individuals and affected communities who have experienced substance use challenges and events that have created suffering. In addition to a strong clinical background, Christine has been trained in Reiki and been practicing energy work for over 15 years, is an intuitive and ordained as an Interfaith and Intrafaith Minister. Her lived experiences, clinical background and spiritual training provide a strong foundation for her work in this world. Christine’s greatest joy is assisting people in discovering their true sense of personal power.
Tom Capshew is singing his heart’s song! After enjoying successful careers as an attorney and therapist, Tom is fully focusing his life’s work on spirituality. His training includes Reiki, Shamanism, Community Building, Conflict Resolution, Biblical Studies and Interfaith Ministry. He lovingly and masterfully works with individuals, groups and organizations as a conduit of change. Tom has the mind of an attorney, the heart of a social worker, and the soul of a mystic.