Blog, Conferences

PantheaCon Day One

Day one of PantheaCon is winding down, so I thought I’d sneak in a few time to write down my thoughts on today’s journey. I set my alarm for a hearty 6am and wandered downstairs during the pre-con hours to get some internet time in. Around 7am I was greeted by my friends for our breakfast meal. I slurped down tons of Orange Juice and had eggs, bacon, and a muffin.

The Vending Hall opened for us Vendors an hour or so later, so we schlepped the products and booth materials from our room down to the ballroom. We set up the Tarot Media Company booth in record time, and had several hours to spare. We used that time to chat, create a game plan, and figure out which events we all wanted to do throughout the rest of the days.

A half-hour before the doors opened to the general populous, I ran down to Lauren Raine’s booth and handed her the “I AM a Goddess, ALL are the goddess,” book that Char put together for her. All of us goddessi wrote inscriptions in it and we enclosed a copy of the soundtrack and a poem from it. I got a bit teary eyed when I presented the book to Lauren, and told her how much having worn the Lilith mask changed my life. We bonded almost instantly and she told me more about her current mask-making journeys. We promised to connect again later this weekend.

I spent the next three hours sharing the Tarot Media Company’s products with attendees and having good conversations with many of them. I signed up for two hours of tarot readings and, while my table was empty, I handed out some business cards and had several more good discussions. Several people asked me about my class on Monday. A good sign indeed.

At 5pm, I met a very special pagan in the foyer for a hearty meal, my Uncle Mike (from my partner’s side of the family). He treated me to a special steak meal as we talked about our beliefs, what had been going on in the past several months for us, and I learned a bit more about some the history behind my husband’s family.

We departed happy and I made my way to the Circle of Cerridwen’s hospitality suite for a special class presented by Calyxa Omphalos on an Oracle Card CoCreation Ritual. Attendees were asked to make some symbols on blank cards, which were then photographed. We then went around in a spider web circular fashion and “read” from the oracle answers to questions people asked. During the creation process I designed 4 cards. Two of my favorites were “the grumpy cat” card and “a triple moon aspect” card. Calyxa told us that she would take the photos of our designs and compile them into a real oracular deck that we could purchase later this year. It’s being released under a Creative Commons license.

Surprisingly, but also not surprisingly, the cards were spot on and in a few cases those who asked questions also received their own card. We cheered when someone received “the grumpy cat” card and laughed at the implications it brought.

All in all, it was a grand night and I post this entry feeling excited, happy, elated and looking forward to what tomorrow holds! Good night dear readers and have a great evening.

Blog, Conferences

Pre-PantheaCon Musings

PantheaCon Logo
PantheaCon Logo

Happy Valentine’s Day dear readers! This is the first year I’ve flown into this convention and I must say it was awesome. My flight arrived 20 minutes early, and I lucked out by grabbing a shuttle to the hotel almost immediately upon exiting the terminal. There were no long lines to wait in, so I promptly got my room and was greeted by the rest of the PDX entourage.

This was the first time I got to really experience the transformation of the hotel from normal, every day activities to the wonders that is PantheaCon. I sat, in the lobby for most of the evening giving hugs, laughing, creating new memories, and feeling like I came home again.

After dinner and the departure of two good friends, I retired to my room to get settled in and get a “good night” sleep before the craziness of the rest of the convention.

I can’t wait to see what the first day holds! Stay tuned and hang onto your hats. 🙂