#paganicon

I haven't attended an in-person Pagan or Witchcraft event since 2003.

Every year I go "I should start doing witch stuff in person" or "I should start going to conferences," and then I don't.

I just realized tomorrow is the last day of the Paganicon preregistration discount rate. Full weekend rate is $75, then Tuesday it goes up to $90.

if anyone wants to help us get there, that would be tight as hell and we would appreciate the fuck out of it

$150 for two tix $40 for gas (optional: $180 for a hotel for two nights $$$ for food and items)

Have you ever gone to a convention where you left the event simultaneously emotionally charged AND exhausted?

And the next day (usually a Monday), did you wake up feeling BLAH because you had to face your adulting obligations?

Its Tuesday and I am STILL feeling that as I wind down from Paganicon 2019. Even though I only dipped my toe in the event (left by 6-7ish and went home each night) I was blown away by my experiences and the connections I made.

I created a 3-card Tarot spread to help me process my experiences. I may end up turning this into a workbook depending on how many spell slots I have later.

What was my high? The Knight of Cups speaks to the creative energies around me as well as within me. I came into this event with a few projects percolating in the back of my brain. By Sunday, I was in the "yeah, I should create that" mindset.

What was my low? 8 of Pentacles reversed was my pain exposed on multiple levels. One of which is my perfectionist nature that I need to let go of, lest it stifle my creativity. Another is the fixation with "self development ", especially when it becomes an obstacle to actual growth. One of my mentors brought this up last weekend, especially in the context of business (those who keep taking courses vs those who apply the knowledge). The third is being bonked on the head on how I need to stop seeing myself as not-ready or not-knowledgable enough (a variance of the perfectionist issue)

How do I move forward? Ace of Wands is very much a "seize the opportunity " sign here. Its "act now, you can build upon this more as you go" vs a "plan and then implement " approach.

And here I was hoping for a card that said to rest 😝

I have a stack of business cards and a pile of notes to follow up on

A couple weekends ago I went to Paganicon 2017 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. There were all kinds of amazing workshops, rituals and conversations with great people that I had which I will discuss in following posts. At the final panel discussion was about making space in the broader culture, which is especially important as many religious and other types of minorities are currently experiencing a resurgence of fear and pressure to choose blending into the background or being more assertive about who we are. One assumption that kept being made is one I want to challenge.