Collection of Ephemera from MGW 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nDespite that overall positive\u00a0experience, I had been a bit on the fence about attending this year and my level of involvement. \u00a0Due to watching a shitstorm of P-word drama unfold online, I started to have reservations \u2013 not at all because of the people directing the event, but because of the cacophony outside. In the long car ride back from PantheaCon, I had talked it over with Nathaniel, and decided no, taking it off of my digital calendar.\u00a0 And because the universe has a divine sense of humor, that very evening when I got home, I received a\u00a0message\u00a0from one of those good friends that changed my mind. It pretty much cemented the message that I\u2019d been receiving \u2013 that in order to combat that cacophony, people need movement and different perspectives. Back on the calendar it went.<\/p>\n
And I\u2019m really, really, really glad I did.<\/p>\n
Technical notes: The venue was a definite upgrade \u2013 spacious, friendly, beautiful. \u00a0Alas, no longer a quick walk to downtown, but it was a very short drive (or slightly longer walk along a beautiful lake) to downtown Oly.<\/p>\n
Due to traffic, we arrived after the opening ritual started, but that meant time to unwind and have some lunch before the first panel of the day, Plenary Session: Building Polytheist Community<\/em>. Lots of interesting points here, but I took down\u00a0the most amount of notes from Syren Nagakyrie\u2019s part of the presentation, specifically that community does not and should not have a static \u201cpinnacle\u201d that it\u2019s trying to achieve to follow with regular maintenance and general support, but to understand that it\u2019s constantly growing, changing, dying, evolving, reforming. \u00a0John Beckett brought in a quote by Gordon White about starting simple, that we often try to complicate things too early, too quickly. \u00a0Excellent observation. His point of \u201cputting the Gods at the center\u201d resulted in my nearly subconscious drawing of an atom. \u00a0Though I\u2019m not sure how much I agree with that concept, unless it also includes the nuance of the Self Divine \u2013 definitely something to mull over. \u00a0Another crucial point that was made: decisions and communities are made by those who show up. \u00a0Showing up means getting involved in some way \u2013 which brings up one of my pet peeves \u2013 people who complain about events, but don\u2019t actually bother to participate or offer some way to make it better. \u00a0Put up or shut up. If you don\u2019t like it, then work to build your own in the way you can. \u00a0Otherwise, bitching online about it is pointless and useless, and only about drawing attention to your self, not building community. \u00a0(Ahem, soapbox rant entirely presented by me here, not the panel.)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\nAfter that, it was time for my own presentation: Sigils in Motion: Sacred Movement<\/em>. \u00a0The room was enormous, which ended up being a good thing to accommodate the 40-50 people who showed up. \u00a0From the feedback, it seemed very well-received and inspiring to a lot of people, so that makes me really happy.<\/p>\nAfter a quick dinner downtown, Anaar and I made it back for Gwion and Phoenix\u2019s Rhiannon \u2013 A Devotional to the Great Welsh Queen<\/em>. \u00a0It was a lovely experience, and I learned some new aspects of Rhiannon that will have me thinking for a while. Afterwards, we \u201cprepped\u201d for the Mankeys\u2019\u00a0Dionysian Revival Ritual<\/em>. \u00a0It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the evening, with my favorite part being Ari playing the part of Persephone at the well, as I\u2019m a huge Persephone geek. (surprise!) \u00a0Short on sleep, I didn\u2019t make a late night of it.<\/p>\nSaturday brought something new and different to MGW \u2013 having one day of vending! \u00a0As an event producer myself, as well as a presenter, artist, and vendor, I believe that vending does bring multiple excellent elements to an event. \u00a0It helps directly support artisans in the community (makers, artists, writers, etc), vending fees can help offset venue costs, and it allows for a good atmosphere for people to meet and talk about what they do. \u00a0The downside of having it one day was that we spent most of the morning setting up, and then once I was done, I just wanted to sit and soak it in for a bit \u2013 resulting in me missing all of the daytime panels, several of which I was really interested in. \u00a0For next year, if the vending expands to the entire event, set-up can happen before the panels kick-off, and not break down until the end of Sunday, which makes scheduling time to attend things easier. \u00a0All that said, I didn\u2019t have any expectations, so I was beyond pleased with the response to my artwork and having many great conversations with folks along the day. \u00a0So even though I missed planned panels, I was able to talk extensively with folks I may not have had a chance to otherwise.<\/p>\n
For dinner I had a steak as big as my face, and I needed it to have stamina for our presentation of the De-Possession Ritual. \u00a0Folks might not have known (I don\u2019t think there was a group bio in the program), but Anaar, myself, and Gwion & Phoenix all come from separate traditions. \u00a0We had a common point of inspiration back at PantheaCon, and this presentation was the result of it. \u00a0We each brought our own flavor to the overall ritual, with the distinct intent to keep things fluid with a light outline, letting\u00a0the attendees help us shape how the evening would go. \u00a0It felt very much successful, and it was wonderful to work with everyone \u2013 I expect there will be more collaborations in the future. \u00a0My only sad point was that many of my friends were presenting the Antinoan Devotion opposite of us on the schedule, so we missed experiencing each other\u2019s rituals. Doh.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, got to get some good socializing in with folks, but alas, staying off campus with family meant heading out a bit earlier (and more sober) than I would have liked. \u00a0Next year, definitely staying on campus!<\/p>\n
I had plans to attend panels on Sunday, but when Sunday rolled around, my body and brain wasn\u2019t having it. \u00a0Headed over for hugs and seeing some friends off, then started back home. \u00a0I was asleep in bed with cats piled on top of me by the time the last panels started.<\/p>\n
I really love the size and feel of MGW \u2013 it helps you become more familiar with really fascinating people, and the format is not so overwhelming \u2013 despite it being hard to choose between 2-3 options. \u00a0I missed attending the tea room and the healing room, which I have heard great things about. \u00a0In contrast to the first year, it\u2019s funny that the majority of things I attended this year were rituals versus workshops like last year, and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how that plays out in my own life. It is definitely a worthwhile and beautiful event to be a part of it! \u00a0And I think everyone who attends is truly made to feel a part of it.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The subtitle is mine, not the event\u2019s, but it sure does make for some hilarious movie trailers in my head. First, here\u2019s what I wrote about last year\u2019s event. What I remember most fondly about it is the quality time I got to spend with one of my best friends Anaar, and meeting a wonderful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,72,14],"tags":[24,86,85,84,76,87,26,27,43],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","category-movement","category-tradition","tag-community","tag-event","tag-festival","tag-many-gods-west","tag-manygodswest","tag-p-words","tag-pagan","tag-polytheist","tag-ritual"],"yoast_head":"\n
Many Gods West - The Returning<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The subtitle is mine, not the event's, but it sure does make for some hilarious movie trailers in my head. First, here's what I wrote about last year's\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/08\/many-gods-west-the-returning.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Many Gods West - The Returning\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The subtitle is mine, not the event's, but it sure does make for some hilarious movie trailers in my head. 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