Paganicon 2018

Stepping Out of Religion into a Way of Life
What is the purpose of life? Life!
Do we dare to awaken, to open our senses and then open them again? Is it time to step out of religion and into a way of life?
What might it smell, look, feel, taste, and sound like if we chose to move through our days and nights daring to consciously live fully integrated lives? What would it be like if we chose to walk in a world where the mystical freely intermingles with the domestic? What would it be like to embrace the everyday magics of shaping-with, the multiversal secrets hidden in plain site, and the deep songs of life, death, and rebirth as if they were as plainly present in our lives as our own breath, the rhythm of our own beating hearts, the call of our own hungry bellies? What would it be like to live life as a fully conscious human being, celebrating ourselves as primal apes, as primates born of this sacred living planet, Eartha?
Let us explore these notions together through a Heathen lens using art, music, poetry, ritual, and conversation. Let us consciously choose to be informed by the lore, not ruled by lore.
May we all dare to dwell in beauty, balance, and delight!
Bless the Bees!
Bless the Bears!
Bless the Cherry Trees!

What is Parliament of World Religions
Why should I go? How to go affordably and I'll share my experience at the last Parliament

This lecture is done as part of the Ambassador program with Parliament.

Exploring Heathenism Through a Queer Lens
Entering this conversation with the understanding that Heathenism is a living, vital way of life, embracing the notion that the purpose of life is Life while holding the idea that ‘We are informed by the lore, not ruled by the lore.’, let us taste the sacred waters springing up from the roots of Yggdrasil, opening our Queer hearts and souls to their nourishing wisdoms and queer ways. Bring your runes. We will be engaging in a bit of kitchen table magic as we muse upon our experiences together. All who wish to participate in an honorable, celebratory, and enquiring manner are welcomed.

The term "caduceus" generally describes the figure of one or more snakes intertwined around one another or a pole. This beloved symbol which holds great mystical and magickal wisdom is rooted in a curious and often misunderstood history. In order to understand the caduceus we must understand the serpent. This class will explore the appearance the caduceus in various cultures and why the serpent is the key to unlocking its deeper mystery and power.

Rhiannon of Wales is a beloved Goddess with many modern devotees, even though the lore never identifies her as a divinity. Together, we will engage in some mythic archaeology and trace her divine lineage through history in order to explore the truth of Rhiannon’s nature. We will then journey to connect with Rhiannon herself, in order to deepen or initiate a relationship with the Divine Queen of the Celtic Britons.

Popular stereotypes of Heathenry or Asatru often call up images of bearded Viking warriors, but both the cosmology/mythology and the lived reality of today’s Heathens reveal multiple roles and spiritual pathways for people of all genders. In particular, many of our old stories feature strong women characters, which is mirrored in the strong women leaders in Heathenry both locally and nationally. This session will use storytelling, visual imagery, and traditional crafting to talk about the role of women in Old Norse mythology, cosmology, and society, and the lived experiences of women in Heathenry. Participants will have the opportunity to try spinning and card weaving, two of the traditional “women’s crafts” that are metaphors for Wyrd and Ørlög, central concepts within Heathen cosmology, which hold important teachings for deep healing.

Through story, astro-drama, and experiential astrology we’ll share the year’s major transits, then take you on a journey to consider your personal choices at this crossroads. Over the next three years the planets call for profound change in the foundations of our country and a reorganization of the basic structures of our life. As people of spirit in relationship to the Earth, we ask “How can we manifest the best possible outcomes for the good of the whole?

A peculiarly American preoccupation, and even more an American Pagan one, our attempts to adopt practices from both our mixed cultural heritages and those that surround us have resulted in a lot of confusion, finger-pointing, and accusations of “cultural appropriation”, “theft”, “ownership”, “Inheritance”, and “rights” for identifying with a cultural religion – often times unfounded, often times correct. This workshop – which means work, not simply discussion – will put you to task to engage with the definitions of cultural studies terminology, notions of identity, and hard questions that need to be addressed about what we Americans of mixed heritage who practice culturally-informed new religions actually have the right to, and what processes – syncretism, adaptation, appropriation, and healthy relationships – we need to understand better.
Facilitator: Murphy Pizza, Ph.D
Anthropologist, Author, and Witch Doctor

As our hands conduct our energy to the world, they record the flow of our mind, heart, and physical energy, and this map offers a window into how a person reacts to the slings and arrows of fortune, where they have unused potential, and what might bring their life into balance. Palmistry’s practical, teachable map can act as scaffolding for our compassionate intuition. In this orientation we’ll cover the lines, shapes, proportion and how to approach the hand with outer and inner eyes, and practice upon one another. Bring your hands.

This lecture covers some milestones being called to a path including:
The Awakening of the Ancestors
Finding your own Umbilical Cord (Phrase attributed to Paula Lookinghorse
Rebuilding lost knowledge
Introduction to Saami Cosmology

At this time of the year, we are lagging from winter's doldrums and looking forward to spring. Often, we need to pause and look at what matters to us on a spiritual level. In this hands-on workshop, you will gain insight into various methods of Spiritual Decluttering using your own tradition or path, how to keep track of your decluttering journey, and how to address the "stuck" spots that inevitably arise.

The first writings, teachings, and cultural/legal victories in our communities came at a time when the general public, filled with fantasy-laden superstitious beliefs, accused us of being dangerous – to which we responded with evidence that we were Earth-reverent, natural people, not reared on fantasy and popular culture, and we presented the earliest sophisticated attempts at contemporary theologies created by modern people enculturated in science, gnosis, and contemporary cultural studies. Recently, this has been shelved in favor of arguing for the importance of conspiracy theories, cosplay, popular culture, and fantasy fiction to inform Pagan identity and practice, -- and now the general public is rightly accusing *us* of being loaded down with superstition, sci-fi scenarios, and an unwillingness to grow up and face reality. This is a growing culture-wide problem.
Those of us who joined Paganism back when it was a collection of religions that engaged intellectual rigor, realistic relationships with the world, and genuine experiential knowledge miss the days of when it was a path that rebelled against blind faith, belief in superstitions, and theological control. Murphy will provide an initial historical presentation of this cultural shift and its components, then open it up to a vigorous critical discussion to generate solutions to help prevent Paganism’s descent into superstitious silliness, and restore its appeal as a mature collection of religions. In short, leave the dragons and sci-fi scenarios for playtime – it’s time to deal with the real, truly magical world as Earth people again.
Facilitator: Murphy Pizza Ph.D
Anthropologist, Author, and Cantankerous Witch Doctor.

Horned helmets? Drinking from skulls? Blood sacrifice?

Come learn about some of the realities behind the myths of the ancient Norse, as we discuss cultural and historical practices of the ancient Norse, commonly known today as the Vikings.