Have you been to a Pagan conference?  Back when Pantheacon existed, it was the largest Pagan conference in the world, and was also an important part of the start of the Naturalistic Pagan movement, including this page.  I’ve found Pagan conferences to be an important part of my life, and an irreplaceable source of spiritual power.  A large group ritual, if done well, takes you to a mental state that can’t be described.

Sorry that some of these have already happened.  Next year, I hope to get this post out in January, to allow planned for whatever ones you can get to.  Here are links for upcoming conventions: Spirit Northwest (Portland OR, April 23-26), Mystic South (Atlanta, GA, Jul 17-19, 2026). , and Pagan Spirit Gathering, (White Lake WI, June 14-21).  For instance, I just got back from Convocation – the local Pagan Conference here in Michigan – wow, it was great!  Many of the talks and rituals were fantastic.  That included wonderful talks by John Beckett (blog Under the Ancient Oaks, here), Jason Mankey (blog Raise the Horns, here), and the Naturalistic Pagan talk by Gossamara & I, in addition to a powerful group ritual!  Plus, coming up at the Spirit Northwest Conference, my friend is presenting!  Andrea Joy is an excellent presenter and also very active through the Earth Based Spirituality Action Team in helping our world (see description at left).

Many of us can feel alone and isolated – especially as Naturalistic Pagans, making up a small subset of the already small Pagan community.  But at a convention, you are surrounded by people who find the wonder and joy in our world along with us!  Sure, many – sometimes most – may see that world a little different than us, but that’s OK, because that’s not what a Pagan conference is about.  It’s about enjoying and feeling our incredible community.  In addition to the community of wonder, the many vendors too affirm the wonder around us.  There are few other places were so many natural and real things are accorded the sacred honor and celebration they are due.  For instance, the many beautiful geologic specimens are recognized by everyone as so much more than “just a rock”, but rather the bones of our Mother Earth, things to be held with reverence, to give us power of various sorts, to help us feel whole.   I guess that’s a lot of it right there – here are so many others who refuse to see so much of our natural world as “just” anything.   

Where else can I see prominent statues of the gods of our Ancestors, of Greek, Roman, and so many other pantheons – gods who’s ideas sustained the hope that helped get us here today?  Do you need powerful ritual tools, and items for your  Altar or Focus?  I’m sure I saw dozens of ancient goddess statues (such as the goddess of Willendorf or Lespugue) – while their exact use can’t be known for certain, they too were clearly objects of reverence that were made and used by the Ancestors of everyone alive on Earth today.  And that word!  “Ancient”.  We call things “ancient” that are 2,500 or 3,000 years old, yet these goddess figurines are ten times as old!  It’s as if we need a new word.

Every time I make it to a Pagan convention, I learn something – often something surprising.  This time, I learned a lot, ranging from the convoluted history of Paganism in the United States (from Jason Mankey’s interesting presentation), to the steps that are helpful in healing from toxic religion (from John Beckett’s very useful presentation), and more!

Many of the most powerful spiritual experiences I’ve had have been in rituals with other Pagans – rituals where the fact that some of us saw the ritual a bit differently was unimportant.  Each of us can raise some power, but dozens or more of us together can bring up power beyond what I can myself.

See all of Dr. Jon Cleland Host’s posts.