Paganicon 2022 Review

Bydruidinthecity

It was amazing, awesome, and exhausting to be back at pagan conventions!

There was still snow on the ground, and they had a wonderful fire pit going on the evening of the Ball. There were sessions, social rooms (waves at the Druid suite) and a fun Ball on Saturday night. I did a bit of volunteering at registration too and it was a lot of fun!

Paganicon 2022 Saturday Fire

Here are the sessions I attended and some brief notes. I’ve got some resources listed later in the post.

  • “The Aphantasia Discussion Group” facilitated by Janette from the Atchingtan Learning Center – Amazing class! I learned so much about how people experience Aphantasia and came home with a lot of ideas on how to improve my own rituals and meditations to be more inclusive.
  • “Paganism and the Hero’s Journey” lead by Beth Kinderman. We talked about the Hero’s Journey and modern interpretations that are more inclusive and appropriate for today’s world. Beth also has an album based on The Hero’s Journey – I highly recommend checking it out!
  • “Working as a non-binary in a binary tradition” facilitated by El Moondragon. It was an amazing session and will be it’s own blog post as there was so much!! El also does tarot readings so check them out!
  • “Pagan Journeys and Mental Health” hosted by Sherry L.M. Merriam and Mark J. Engstrom-Reese. both folks are licensed therapists and lead us through a series of questions and some awesome insights – from presenters and participants alike.
  • “Creative Writing for Pagans: An Introduction” by Scott Swanson was a hilarious and touching session where we learned a few new-to-me forms of poetry.
  • “Folk Magic: Spells and Charms in Traditional Witchcraft” by Kelden that was really interesting with a wonderful balance of history and practical application! A lot of what Kelden taught is based on his book “The Crooked Path” and he also blogs on Patheos at by Athame and Stang.

The Healers suite and meditation rooms were are great addition. I totally forgot how scattered my energy can be, but thanks to Jessica from The Mystic Geek for a reiki and crystal healing session to help pull myself back together!

Now its time to follow up on all my crazy ideas and see how my practice evolves. I had such a blast at the Conference! Keep an eye on the website for next year’s conference info!

Additional Research – Aphantasia

Bibliography – The Hero’s Journey

  • Barrabbas, Frater. Tarot Trumps and the 22 Stages of the Cycle of the Hero. 25 Jan. 2010, http://fraterbarrabbas.blogspot.com/2010/01/tarot-trumps-and-22-stages-of-cycle-of.html.
  • Campbell, Joseph. Man and His Symbols.
  • Campbell, Joseph and Joseph Campbell Foundation. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2017.
  • Estés, Clarissa Pinkola. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. 1st ed, Ballantine Books, 1992.
  • Frankel, Valerie Estelle. From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine’s Journey through Myth and Legend. McFarland & Co, 2010.
  • Frazer, James George. The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion. 2015.
  • Murdock, Maureen. The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness. Translated by Christine Downing, 2020.

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