Being a report of my experiences at Paganicon 2012
Friday
Friday night, leorathesane and I arrived for opening ceremonies, which are less ceremonial than instructive. They felt more scattered than last year; the mini-ritual at the end might have been more helpful at the beginning.
With no other plans for the evening, we joined careswen at the "Making Your Own Way" workshop. This could have been empowering and inspiring. Instead, it was an hour of a man either overfond of his own voice, underprepared for the workshop, or both, rambling about how unique he was and how he lives "in my own Universe". Uh-huh.
After, we adjourned to the Hospitality Suite to chat with Clan Hopkins and other people who were there, until mmerriam pointed out that it was after 11 and we should go home.
Saturday
Owing to obligations at home, we arrived around 11 Saturday. We circuited the vendors' room, grabbed lunch, and parted ways for 1:00 events: Leora to the Online Privacy panel and me to the Music and Magick workshop. Leora reports that the privacy panel brought a lively debate and reminded her how fortunate she is to be able to be open about her identities in pretty much every arena of her life.
Before Paganicon, my only exposure to musical Guest of Honor SJ Tucker was an interview in Witches & Pagans in which she talked a lot about faeries, which did not inspire great confidence in me. But after my experiences in the music path at Camp, no way could I pass up any opportunity to carry on that magic. Tucker (or "Sooj", as she is often called) demolished my preconceptions and blew my mind. She is grounded and present and so. much. fun. Hands down, this was the best programming event I attended all weekend.
"Seeing the Tarot Through New Eyes" encouraged ditching standard Tarot card meanings and focusing on intuitive reading. This wasn't entirely new ground, but I got to explore our newest deck, the Tarot of Physics.
Leora spent that time in the Pagans and Copyright panel, where she championed (as she often does) Creative Commons. Rock.
We had a splendid dinner with Clan Hopkins and then got dolled up for the ball. I don't know what music was playing when we arrived, but it was glorious. Then Murphy's Midnight Rounders took the stage. I'm not a big fan of this band, but as part of a wider musical program throughout the weekend, I wouldn't have minded. However, their continued status of the only local act to play Paganicon is, I feel, both a slap in the face to other local Pagan musicians and a dis of the diverse interests and identities of the Twin Cities Pagan community. Plus, their music isn't danceable, making them a strange choice for a ball.
My mood improved when Sooj took the stage. The size of the voice that comes out of that small body defies the laws of physics, and her lyrics crackle with the life and sex and death and chaos that make Paganism the wholesome family religion we love.
After Sooj's first set came the costume contest. Contestants were chosen by Paganicon board members wandering the ball in search of "worthy" costumes. From ten finalists, crowd approval crowned two winners: one male, one female. O, costume contest, how do you vex me? Let me count the ways:
1. One man, one woman. What of those who eschew that overly simplistic binary; who are both, neither, or something(s) else?
2. Other people appointing themselves arbiters of which gender categories people "belong" in.
Worse was to come. Male contestants were instructed to step forward to be cheered. That was all. Come the women's turn, first the crowd was urged closer for "a better look", and then the emcee exhorted the contestants, "Come on, ladies! Pose!" I despaired to think, in a family of religions that prides itself on equality and empowerment for women, that such objectification was even conceived of, let alone accepted by the crowd.
Sunday
On Sunday morning we arrived at 10 and collected 10 other people for the nature walk we were "leading" in Theodore Wirth Park. Folks sketched trees, climbed trees, prayed to trees. They talked to ants and practiced tai chi. They consulted guidebooks and then ignored them. It just felt good to be outside.
We popped back in time for "Death and the Pagan" (I choose to read the name as a clever pun, even if magentamn didn't intend it to be). I appreciated this thoughtful discussion, which further woke the call I may be hearing toward death priestessing.
After lunch we contemplated, despite our reservations regarding his work, Plant Familiars with author Guest of Honor Christopher Penczak. But the room was SRO, so we withdrew to the Hospitality Suite. I did a Tarot reading around death priestessing, in which I drew the actual Death card. In my notes on the spread I wrote, "Ha ha. Very funny."
Closing ceremonies failed to bring closure, though I liked snarking a game in which displays of "psychic ability" were indistinguishable from random chance. Then we retired home, fed the cats, and took a magical nap.
Despite the snags, I greatly enjoyed Paganicon 2012. For 2013, mmerriam promises Morris-dancing bears. It gets better every year.