Paganicon 2011
I had a stupendous time at Paganicon 2011, the most firstest Paganicon evar! I enjoyed it more than I expected--and I expected to enjoy it a lot.
Friday
I admit that our guest of honor, John Michael Greer, had set off my skepticism alarms. I'd read a few interviews with him that got my hackles up. Plus, a dude who calls himself an Archdruid? Of the "Ancient Order of Druids in America"? My mind's arms were crossed.
By the end of minute two of his keynote, he had blown my mind. I found him hilarious and insightful. When I disagreed with things he said, I felt encouraged--nay, urged!--to think through those disagreements to understand the whys and wherefores. Also, he has an awesome beard. If you get a chance to hear this man speak, take it. If you don't have that chance, pick up one of his books (dude is prolific liek whoa).
Post-keynote, we listened briefly to Murphy's Midnight Rounders, but our week of sleep dep. caught up with us, and we staggered home.
Saturday
First up Saturday was "The Artists' Way for Magical People" with Diana Rajchel. I'm always looking for ways to integrate artistic and spiritual practices. I'm not sure I found that integration (or maybe I already have it more than I realize), but I drew a cartoon about plant sex, so that was entertaining.
We skipped programming in the 10:30 and 1:00 slots and hung about the vendors' room and other relaxy places. At 2:30, we partook in a delightful presentation/conversation about community-building and leadership with Shauna Aura, Mark Mandrake, and their puppet, Mad Cow ("I wanna be the only Cow Druid!").
I intended to attend the "Pagans and the Environment" panel. But 30 seconds before it started, I leapt up and ran to Shauna and Mark's "Alchemy for Addictions" workshop. I gained so much from it, and before it was over, I cried. That's how I knew I was in the right place.
Lunch was yummy Indian food with Clan Hopkins; dinner was the hotel restaurant with our co-panelists (and too much mead). Both times, we annexed other people, one of my favorite parts of these events. I made bad decisions at the dessert buffet, so leorathesane took me home before I puked.
Sunday
We started Sunday with careswen's presentation on Pagans and mental health, which I enjoyed greatly, and which spurred many fascinating conversations. Leora and I lunched at the hotel restaurant again, which was tasty but sooo slooooow, so we missed 1:00 things (sorry, mmerriam). But we were super-duper ready for our roundtable at 2:00.
"Those Godless Pagans: Naturalistic and Non-Deistic Paganism" started with a conversation Leora and I had after Pagan Pride in 2009, and we considered Paganicon the perfect place to give it breath. Along the way, we picked up the founder of FlameKeeping, a pantheist ethical system, and a man who refers to himself as as "polyatheist": "I don't believe in a lot of gods." Heh.
We envisioned the event as a roundtable, with all attendees participating as called and the four of us keeping things rolling and tossing out discussion seeds. I would have been happy with eight people (including us). We had 18. I was giddy. I liked our mix of naturalists/non-deists/atheists/whateverists discussing belief and practice and deists asking fantastic questions that made me think and kept me honest. I saw familiar and unfamiliar faces, and heard a lot of different viewpoints under a broad and welcoming umbrella. Yay!
There was high tea, complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches (pinkies up!), and more chatting with Clan Hopkins. Then we said our good-byes, toddled home, and spent a lumpen evening on the couch.
Here endeth the reading.