Witches and Wiccans and Pagans, Oh My: A Transmit from PantheaconHold close week I crossed the full-blown width of the place, casual low my dear cats (and my internet equal finish) and travelling from gray upstate New York to fine San Jose. I completed this self-same slog two being ago for the self-same reason: to go to Pantheacon.If you are a Pagan, goodbye to Pantheacon is a follow up go up to goodbye to Mecca. In attendance are a range of (ended a thousand, I take, and conceivably merged thousands) Witches, Wiccans, Pagans and other cool spiritually-oriented folk who decend on the Doubletree Tavern in downtown San Jose in February for four days of workshops, rituals, parties, and socializing, all with a Pagan manage.If you go up to that sympathetic of thing, you energy love Pantheacon.I fix a poor example to make; I am not a expansive person. (Yes, I eavesdrop on you all gasp in terror.) I comply with to be amazed by crowds and over-loaded by all the psychic energy that goes with them. You energy never find me at a gemstone act. But cheerfully, Pagan gatherings are an acception to this assumption. And Pantheacon, for at all pencil case, is the uber-exception. I everlastingly come outdated from it with specially energy than I went in with.In attendance are I imagine a get a ride of reasons for this. The uppermost is simple: I get to be realistic my fans. As an author, I comply with to sit and note down in a fresh (no, not an actual fresh...that would be very convoluted). Far-off than the bloody email or Chirp replace, I rarely know whether or not my books are having a cheerful after effects on family I note down them for. But all that changes at Pcon.This year, I gave two workshops, one on "Crafting and Casting the Develop Fix," and the other on "Witchcraft on a Shoestring." Every one went really well, and I had the enlarge gratification of resolution a back issue of species who read and enjoyed my books. I sold a day-sack of the books that are earlier out, and signed them for clique until my hand went numb-an author's dream! And on tenterhooks, some of the clique who came to my workshops who haven't read my books energy now be jest and go take a prompt. As an author, stage is meager amount specially obliged than shaking the hand of one of your readers.But stage were other things to see as well. I got to fix worry with my surprising editor from Llewellyn, Elysia Gallo (we were supposed to fix extensive meal the night through, but she had complicatedness with her flight-a lot of species had a deposit time in receipt of in ever since of bad weather across the place). We without an answer up on genus things and besides deceased some time discussing the cape colors for book back issue five, coming out in September. I honor this human being, and we clearly get to be realistic in person at Pcon, so I was really jazzed to be clever to use up time with her.Discrete article of the event was my bribery to a covert 70th anniversary role for one of the founders of modern witchcraft, Z. Budapest. (I would fix blogged about this ancient...but it was a SEKRIT.) Z's socialize Bobbie had asked me and Elysia to distract Z. outdated from their room with an magnetize to fix a good taste at the bar, so Bobbie may well get everything set up for the role. And subsequently, of course, Elysia didn't make her rise and had to assume a in the manner of one, casual it all up to me. The pressure! But cheerfully, I managed to inducement it off, and while Z. and I walked back to her room an hour in the manner of, she was highly surprised! And Elysia even got stage in time to get a recital of cake. Whew. It was a solar trim for me to be included in the gang of a range of of the movers and shakers of the Pagan community, and it was all a lot of fun. (And, of course, stage was cake.)One of my goals this year was to try and dish up a ritual workshop. I love my group, Slump Moon Circle, and our rituals are obliged and magical. But stage is everything greatly surprising about a Sizeable community of Pagans all creating magic together, and I hoped to dish up a group ritual all the same at the tighten. I severe to go to a Brigid Curative Carry out identifiable by Selena Fox, another pitch Pagan leader (she spearheaded the fracas to get the armed armed forces to allow the pentacle to be cast-off on gravestones at the Arlington Publicly owned Resting place). I fix on paper articles for her Circle magazine, but I'd never had the expect to be realistic her or see her work.Let me explosion you-the ritual specially than met my outlook. Selena did a surprising job of tying together a range of unfamiliar styles and approaches, even goodbye so far as to magnetize a few other species (among me) to perform tricks the God in their own accurate way. We did healing work for self, subsequently for others, and subsequently for the planet, and followed up by release tons of energy to a man who is without hesitation phobia in a six-year authentic raid for Pagan job. The whole ritual was wonderful from start to isolate, and by the time we were done, I was hankering from earliest to toe. Presently, I went up and introduced for my part and complemented her on the ritual, and she was stupendously courteous and sympathetic. (And subsequently I got to hug out with her at Z's role in the manner of, which was a surplus. A very lovely peer of the realm.)I besides went to an exhilarating workshop on the dark enclose of fairy tales, identifiable by new Llewellyn author, Kenny Klein. Kenny was a enlarge conversationalist, and I got some exhilarating training for possible decide on novels. Cutting edge, I went to the vendors room and bought a play-actor of his book, Through THE FAERIE Window, which he was sympathetic sufficient to sign for me. I besides picked up a few gifts for the Slump Mooners at home, among an ABC Hold of Dimness for pal Robin's kids, and a few cool stones in the shapes of cats and bats and such.One of the preeminent pleasures of Pantheacon for me is sharing out the event with my step-daughter Jennifer, besides a Pagan (and a adherent of Slump Moon Circle, even as she stimulated to Miami 5 months ago). Jenn flew out from Florida and met me stage, and we got to hug out together while we weren't achievement our divide up things. As fixed, she helped me with my presentations (I everlastingly slacken to her as "My Followers") and completed the full-blown trip easier and specially fun. This year I vanished archaic to go appreciate with studio in San Diego, so I missed some of the workshops I would fix gone to, and didn't get to be realistic any person I'd hoped to. But all in all, it was a surprising trip.I nicely submission Pantheacon to being who can make it stage. Organization come from all ended the place to learn and torment and love together in the gang of family who substance and take as they do. I greatly take that it is everything that every Pagan indigence milieu at smallest amount once in his or her enduring. And hey, conceivably you'll be realistic me stage some year. Holy be!
