New FB Pagan Occultism Group, ConVocation 2015, Where-The-Hell-is-Spring Update

See, this is why I'm bitchin. Not just a little cold for the season,
this is, like, moons of Uranus cold. And when you go out for the
paper in your jammies on some of these mornings you know
just how cold the moons of Uranus can get.

Let's start with the obvious first - where the hell is spring? Oh I know, I can't bitch until March - It may already be March when you read this. I'm bitching now! The forecast is for a cold first half of March. I've got important shoveling to do, and a May 1 deadline for some projects. Yes, I know what part of the world I live in... I'm still bitching!

WE're waiting reeeal hard to be able to get rolling on our plans for Tredara this year. In the meantime the weather leaves little to do but write; however we did get some travel in.

ConVocation 2015 

Just back from the ConVocation gathering over in greater Detroit. Hotel gatherings are a nice thing, and we were especially thankful for spaceship Hilton in the Martian-summer temperatures of the latest arctic blast. How can I get housekeeping service for my camps in the summer?

I want to praise the con staff and planners broadly. They run a tight ship, with program beginning on schedule, registration no more screwed-up than can’t be helped (I work festival organizing myself), and support for guests and presenters well-arranged. A fully-stocked hospitality suite was especially appreciated, and can’t have been a small budget-item for an event of over 1,100 people. My coffee-cup thanks you, my forebrain thanks you.

With over 140 programs, fun public spaces and a hoppin' dealer room (and nearly no drama) I can heartily recommend this event.

Pagan and Polytheist Occultism FB Group

This week I opened a new discussion group, Pagan and Polytheist Occultism, hoping to focus my own fun conversations on ancient magic in practical application.

It's new, but we've had some good chat already. I mention it here because readers will know the kind of topics I hope to dig into. If you enjoy FB chat, give it a look.

From the rules document:

"This group is dedicated to the discussion of traditional polytheist, tribal and Pagan techniques of esoteric spiritual practice – that is, of Pagan occultism, magic or sorcery. We will understand this to include divination, invocation and evocation of deities or spirits, spellcraft, natural magic of stones and herbs etc., trance-vision and seership, and the induction of transcendent or mystical experience.

In general the topic will focus on polytheistic cultures and systems. This begins with the remnants of Indo-European polytheism, but can include indigenous and traditional polytheisms.  It certainly includes ‘witchcraft’ both as folk magic and as heretical cult, but especially when practiced in a polytheistic context. We use ‘polytheism’ colloquially, to refer to systems in which many spirits or beings have places of important honor, regardless of whether the system contains a chief god or unitary principle. This may extend even as far as respectful traditional Christian orthodoxy. It may include Asian, African and New World systems, so long as posts focus on actual technique and magical practice in those systems. In all cases the group will support reference to sources, and can be expected to ask posters and commentators to source their ideas, even if the source is “my own opinion”."

The Book is coming along nicely. I'm probably twenty-thousand words in as I work may way through the third chapter. I'll begin posting excerpts here soon. Working title is now something like "Pagan Occultism; Spiritual Techniques for Polytheists".

Come on spring... I'm tapping my toes and drumming my fingers... but I'm not holding my breath.