Glenn Turner, Z Budapest and Selena Fox at Pantheacon
Pantheacon 2010 was a hot spot for Pagan activities last weekend. We both were amazed at all Pagan wares for sale. It seemed like there was a lot more really beautiful occult supplies and jewels this year. The costumes and fine clothing were stunning as usual. Always surprising how creative the Pagan culture is.
The “Con” as we all call Pantheacon was attended by many notable Pagans and some up and coming ones too. Among the notables, besides Z herself, was Starhawk, Ruth Barrett, Deborah Blake, Patrick McCollum, Diana Paxson and Selena Fox. We enjoyed brief conversations with most of them in between running to workshops and presentations.
We did a new multi-media presentation on the Herstory of the Dianic Tradition to a mixed audience. We provided the historical background to the origins of the Dianic Tradition, as well as important triumphs that the Dianics fought for and won for the Pagan community and beyond. Like the right to perform divination readings in public and charge for it. Historically, it was Z and Dianics who fought for the rights of this civil liberty in California, which then opened the door to other states to follow suit. You can learn more about that at WitchTrial.net.
Z Budapest and Diana Paxson at the Weiser Publishing discussion panel.
This presentation also cleared up some urban legends about the Dianic Tradition. Such as, it’s a man-hating tradition. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When we finished the presentation, the men in the audience actually thanked us for it. And we thanked them back!
Ruth Barrett’s Croning ritual was a big hit with the older Pagan women. There was a lot of hooting and whopping it up as they croned the older women of the circle.
We caught a glimpse of a wild-eyed Selena Fox laughing and enjoying herself immensely in the middle of a Pagan processional that paraded through the hotel lobby. When we asked her about it later she said, “Hey, how often do Pagans get to parade through a big hotel?!” And grinned ear-to-ear.
Bobbie ran into a tired Starhawk in the early hours of Sunday and rode the elevator down to the main floor with her. Hard to be too chatty when you’re in desperate need of morning coffee. We managed to meet up again later, and took a few minutes for an exchange of ideas, projects and a few we oughtta do this togethers.
A big nod of the head to author Deborah Blake who along with Llewellyn’s Elysia Gallo was supposed to be my distraction for the surprise party I threw for Z’s 70th birthday at Pantheacon. When Elysia missed her flight, Deborah carried the plan off without a hitch and delivered a very surprised Z Budapest to her own party. Lots of photos were taken and are now appearing on the Facebook pages of attendees like Selena Fox and members of the Susan B. Anthony Coven No.1. We’ll put some up on Z’s Facebook for you too.
All-in-all Pantheacon was a great event and we highly recommend it. If you’re looking for a solid Pagan experience that offers you lots of possibilities to expand your awareness and enjoy a good time, there’s none better than Pantheacon. We’ll see you there again next year!
Maypole at A Pagan Odyssey Beltaine Festival
The next big Pagan event we’re going to attend is the Beltaine Festival, A Pagan Odyssey. It’s Connecticut's oldest Pagan festival. This Festival is educational, spiritual and offers attendees a chance to experience a Pagan community at its finest. They sponsor well-known teachers, leaders and elders for lectures, hands-on workshops and classes. We’ll be there from April 30th through May 2nd.
This year’s Pagan Odyssey keynote speaker is our own Z Budapest, who spreads her Goddess loving arms over to the east coast of the United State, and challenges the women of the Pagan community to, “come out of your homes and get back to the land. Come experience mamma Earth the way the Pagan traditions were meant to be experienced.” We highly recommend that you stay on the Festival’s site for the duration to fully experience it!
A Pagan Odyssey is a family friendly, drug free, community driven Pagan festival nestled in the beautiful woodlands of Oxford, CT. And it’s huge!
The Festival includes everything! Concerts will be performed by Joseph Firecrow, Imakhu, Fleetwood Macked, Stone the Hostess, Hannah's Field, Hecate's Wheel, Adala, Featherscale, Hauk, Which is of Da'ath and many more. Most these performers have videos up on Youtube that you can check out to get a feel for their music. We’re personally looking forward to Fleetwood Macked!
The list of presenters at A Pagan Odyssey is long indeed. We recommend you go to the official website to see who all is going to be there … www.paganodyssey.com. We’re going to try and get lots of photos to share with you on Z’s Facebook page and here on Pagan Examiner.
Our good friend ,master herbalist, Susun Weed will also be appearing at A Pagan Odyssey. We’ll actually be at Susun’s Wise Woman Center the weekend before on April 23-25, 2010 when Z teaches the Dianic priestesses about divination and its importance to the Women’s Spirituality Movement. You can get more information about that event on Z’s website (www.ZBudapest.com). You can also get information on Z’s Blue Stocking Tour there as well.
We’re looking forward to seeing the beautiful wolves that come to A Pagan Odyssey. These majestic animals help promote the support for the Wolf Conservation Center in New York.
White wolf at A Pagan Odyssey's Beltaine Festival
There’s just so much to do at A Pagan Odyssey with May Pole festivities, a huge variety of dancers, musicians, performers of all types … love the fire performers! There are drum circles, bon fires, healers, divination readers, and lots of vendors. Z will be doing Tarot Reading too! And we hear the food is very yummy!
All-in-all, A Pagan Odyssey’s Beltaine Festival must not be missed! Especially not this year because we’re going to be there! And we’re taking lots of photos … maybe yours will be among the ones we use when we review our experiences of the Beltaine Festival. You have to join us there and be part of the festivities to get your photo snapped!
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