Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
A Festival May Not Be a Community – But a Community IS a Festival.

A Festival May Not Be a Community – But a Community IS a Festival.

Last updated on: October 14, 2019 at 8:02 am by Laura Tempest Zakroff

A Festival May Not Be a Community – But a Community IS a Festival. 2019-10-14T08:02:53-08:00 Laura Tempest Zakroff

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash

I’m in a relationship with Festivals – and it’s complicated.

I teach, present, and perform at all kinds of events, big and small, specialized and general, indoor and out. But I’m also an introvert who cherishes their own space and quiet time, being comfortable and under the radar, and enjoys often just observing versus participating. Events can be exhausting physically, mentally, and emotionally – not only in doing them, but from dealing with whatever drama may be circulating around them – because people. Yet events play a vital role in how my partner and I make our living – they’re a place to network, share ideas with other, and sell our work in the form of art, books, and music. So I have a keen interest in them.

I’ve been preparing for the end of PantheaCon for more than a year now. How is that possible when it was just announced a few days ago? It could have been the vivid dream I had, the logical writing on the proverbial wall, or having watched similar events in the realm of bellydance end (also largely based in California) cease to exist. Likely a mixture of a lot of things because I tend to watch how threads interweave and intuit the pattern – which is part of being a Witch in my world.

a view of my booth at a previous PantheaCon

There’s a lot of personal history for me tied up with that event. The first PantheaCon I attended was in 2002, shortly after I had moved to the Bay Area – my friend and I were there to promote Crescent Magazine. I remember reading about PCon in Drawing Down The Moon and other Pagan magazines at the time, so it was a big thing to finally be there. That first year I met a really intimidating lady who has become one of my dearest friends. Over the next several years I would participate by vending, teaching ritual movement, and presenting ecstatic dance rituals such as A Ritual for Kali Ma, Dancing with the Djinn, and the Red God Revel. In 2007 I moved to the east coast, and I didn’t attend or participate in another PCon again until 2014 where Nathaniel and I presented Dreaming the Raven: A Morrigan Ritual Dance Experience. In the years that followed, I would get a response from vending my art that blew me away and affirmed my path, met the awesome lady who opened the lid to the cauldron for my first book, teach the sigil workshop that directly led to my next book, pack the largest ballroom for Hekate at the Crossroads, and lose my voice for two weeks after taking on the goat-footed deity in A Revel For Pan. Not to mention all of the folks and faces I connected with over the years.

Some really amazing things truly, but I can also pinpoint incredible, powerful, and transformative moments at so many other events too – big and small. And especially after traveling extensively all over the country for the last several years, I firmly believe that while PCon has been influential in some ways (for better or for worse), it’s not really on the radar for most practitioners. As John Beckett talks about in his recent blog post – outside of the Bay Area and some related groups, there’s a lot more happening elsewhere. I’m probably a bit more sensitive (and annoyed) by the flawed perception of California as the taste-maker than the average person. Mainly because I was Cassandra on a soapbox for years telling the bellydance community that amazing things were happening elsewhere in the world as well, and to stop thinking of a single festival or two the guiding light for all that’s cool. It was simply not true nor healthy, to say the least.

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

Comparatively though, PCon ending is not some sign of a Pword apocalypse. I’m sure there are some folks dragging out their abused deceased equines to cry “Paganism is dying!” yet again. Sorry/not sorry, but nope.

If there is a sign, it’s that we are in the midst of a metamorphosis. That “this is the way we’ve always done things” is not a great model in times of change and revolution. That some words have lost their meaning or inclusive application – so new labels and words may need to be applied. That for any group or so-called community to stay vibrant and healthy is to foster respect and interest across all generations – balancing young and old ideas alike through communication.

There are some really incredible events happening all over to suit nearly any path and preference – and I think we’re going to continue to see an uptick in new events that will likely even be better suited for addressing the needs of their local or path-specific communities.

Photo by Mario Purisic on Unsplash

There really isn’t a mystery as to why some events succeed and others go away either – and it involves multiple elements.
Here’s my list of what should be considered for any event:
– What do people want from an event? Are they looking for social connection, fellowship, education and learning opportunities, religious or spiritual experiences, or fantasy/escape from the mundane?
– What does the event offer that is unique or special? What experience can attendees expect?
– Is the language and imagery inclusive, specific, or defining for the purpose of the event?
– How will the event get the word out so people know about it?
– Is the event both financially and energetically sustainable where all participants feel respected and appreciated for their involvement?
– Is the event designed to stay current and receptive to the needs of its intended community?

Photo by William White on Unsplash

And yes, I know I’m using that blasted word community a lot – and in no way am I referencing a cohesive, combined, monolithic over-group of people. I’m going for “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” It’s often much more fluid than rooted, but common elements pull together regardless.

The amount of common threads (individuals) is also on the rise – that you can’t describe as a “market” when it’s really a surge in consciousness. More and more people are finding themselves open to rediscovering the metaphysical, their own power, and their connection to the world around them. We can share ideas on the interwebs, but nothing can replace the in-person experiences that an event can bring.

Photo by Robert Lukeman on Unsplash

I don’t believe any one event or festival defines a community. I do know that any time you gather together individuals to share physical space, there is an opportunity for real magick to happen. For the space of a day or a few days – we emerge out of our own bubbles and bump into other people, ideas, and possibilities, convening together in that moment uniquely, unlike any time before or after. But we must venture out into that real time and space for it to happen, meeting face to face, eye to eye, spirit to spirit. Whether that’s 10, 100, or 1000 people, each becomes for that time and space a community. That is a cause for celebration – and you must be present to win.

There may be wonderful things that emerge out of any gathering, and there will definitely be hard learning experiences that hopefully forge better experiences and wisdom in the future as well. It is up to us to decide what will take flight and brought into the future, and what empty husks will be left behind as reminders of the past.

Previous Post

October 8, 2019

A Witch In Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Next Post

October 19, 2019 Welcome October, Welcome New Witches!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Books cats cauldron month community contest Events home Metaphysics Modern Practice Movement Myth & Folklore satire sigils Tradition travel Uncategorized video

Select a Month May 2026 March 2026 January 2026 September 2025 August 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 August 2024 June 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 July 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz