Everyday Witchcraft: Simple Steps for Magical Living

Fun, simple, and easy ways to integrate your spiritual beliefs as a Pagan with your everyday life.

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Pantheacon: A Gathering of Kindred

I just came back early last week from one of my favorite places on earth. No, not Disney (which I'd never survive), but rather Pantheacon, the huge Pagan convention held every year in mid-February in San Jose, California. Since I live in upstate NY, all the way across the country, I don't make it to PCon as often as I'd like to, but I went in 2008, then 2011, and this year in 2015. And as always, I had a blast, met up with lots of fabulous people (including my beloved Llewellyn editor Elysia Gallo, publicist Kat, and photo-bombing publisher Bill, seen in the picture above), and got really really tired.

I'm almost recovered enough now to talk about it. Although returning to the snow and bitter cold after the lovely weather in CA hasn't made it any easier to bounce back. Sigh.

One might wonder why there is no way I could manage Disney, with its crowds, people dressed up in odd costumes, and sometimes overwhelmingly frenetic energy, and yet I thrive at Pantheacon, which let's face it, has crowds, people dressed up in odd costumes, and sometimes overwhelmingly frenetic energy.

The difference, I suppose, is that these are MY people. I think of most Pagan peeps as my kindred, regardless of how different their practices might be from mine. I absolutely love the chance to gather with those of more-or-less like mind, since I rarely get that here in rural New York State. There are a lot of things to like about Pantheacon, but for me the biggest reason I go is to connect with folks I never get to see otherwise, like all the lovely people from Llewellyn, other Pagan authors, and some of my fans. (Yes, I have fans. Really.)

I also get to go to go to a ritual put on by someone other than myself, in this case the dynamic and fabulous Selena Fox. (Her Brigid Healing Ritual is always different and always amazing. If you can get to one, I highly recommend it.)

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As an author, I always get a boost from hanging out with other authors, and this year's Llewellyn gathering put me in the same room with a bunch of amazing ones.

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Of course, I also got to take part in a new book event with three other Llewellyn authors, which was a blast. (Do I ever get tired of celebrating a new book coming out? Er, no, I don't.)

The con isn't perfect. Events can be crowded and people can't always attend everything they'd like to. There are the usual issues with disorganization and personality clashes, as well as occasional problems with the hotel (the lovely Doubletree, which tries its best but sometimes falls short, especially when trying to feed the masses all at once), but in general, I think that the positives far outweigh the negatives. And that's without even mentioning the wonderful goodies to be found in the Vendor's Room.

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I swear--they're not ALL for me. I had to bring back things for the cat sitters and a few friends too. (Okay, they're mostly for me. Nevermind.)

The con is overwhelming and exhausting, and I doubt that I could do it every year even if I lived closer. But I always come home energized in spirit, and happy to have spent a few days hugging and being hugged by numerous luminous Pagan peeps. Hopefully I'll carry that energy forward through the rest of the cold and snowy Northeast winter, warmed by the California sun and the magical hearts and souls of my kindred.

 

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Deborah Blake is the author of Everyday Witch Book of Rituals (Llewellyn 2012), Witchcraft on a Shoestring (Llewellyn, 2010) as well as The Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook (2010) and several other books. She lives in a 100-year-old farmhouse in upstate New York with five cats who supervise all her activities, both magickal and mundane.

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