SACREMENTO, Calif. — Activist and witch Andy Conn died unexpectedly Feb. 2. Conn was an active member of the Bay Area Pagan community, involved with the Church of All Worlds and activist movements such as Occupy Sacramento and Earth First!. His son Nick wrote in a memorial, “My father was a complicated, dynamic man that shone so bright in his short life. He was a witch, a trickster and a warrior. He was a champion of the underdog and a mentor to many . . . . He traveled seamlessly through many circles, whether they be Pagans, poets or activists.”
The circumstances around Conn’s sudden death have not been released by the family. However, they have established a memorial campaign to raise funds to pay for his services., which has raised more than double the goal amount of $2,000. His son announced that Conn’s body would be cremated, and they would have memorial service for “all of Andy’s friends.” That date is not yet set. What is remembered, lives.
We will have more on this story in the future.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — PantheaCon, the largest indoor Pagan and polytheist conference, will have its doors opened this weekend. The event officially begins Friday, Feb. 16 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, California. The event attracts nearly 3,000 people from around the world, and offers a full weekend of workshops, lectures, entertainment, and rituals. This year’s theme is “Sustainable, Caring Community: We are tribes of choice. Justice, kindness and resilience shape our many forms and many spiritual paths. We celebrate it all. In caring comes strength.”
Sponsored by Ancient Ways, PantheaCon began as a small, local event, but quickly expanded under skilled, experienced management and teamwork. Today, the conference fills nearly the entire hotel, including 48,000 square feet of “function space,” guest rooms and hospitality suites. There are only a few people roaming around the hotel, outside of the staff and personnel, who are not with the conference. The event wraps up Monday, Feb. 19.
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TWH – There will be a partial solar eclipse Feb. 15. It will be mostly visible from “southern South America, including parts of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and in Antarctica.” According to sources, “the eclipse will also be visible from some areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.”
Diotima Mantineia of Urania’s Well offered her insight into the astrological influence of the upcoming phenomenon. She writes, “It’s a raucous and rebellious new moon chart, with Mercury the trickster ruling as lord of the eclipse. Don’t get too comfortable—life is demanding change, and it could be a wild ride.” Mantineia gives a detailed assessment on her blog.
If you aren’t able to see this week’s eclipse, the next one will occur in July 2018, but it will reportedly be mostly over open waters. Then, in August, another partial eclipse will occur and will be visible from “many countries in the Northern Hemisphere.”
In other news
- As reported yesterday, Arthur Hinds will be holding a memorial event in his home state of Georgia to honor his wife Kathryn. As he said, it will be “a pie party to end all pie parties.” Since that announcement, people outside the region have decided to host their own pie parties in honor of Kathryn Hinds at the same time. Writer Cara Schulz is hosting one in Minneapolis Mar, 18; it will be held at the Doubltetree Hotel in Park Place during the Paganicon conference.
- A new merchant site dedicated to Pagan and other magical crafts has opened for business. Pagan Markets, as it is called, caters to artisans of magical products, who might be experiencing difficultly on mainstream merchant sites. Currently the site has 74 sellers listed.
- Ardantane founders and authors Amber K and Azrael Arynn K have published a new book, Healing with Healing with the Gods and Goddesses: Divine Allies on Your Journey to Health. “When faced with illness or injury, people throughout the ages and all over the world have asked goddesses and gods of medicine, health, and healing for their help. You can do the same,” reads the book’s Amazon blurb.The two have penned more than a dozen books on magical practice and Witchcraft between them over the past three decades.
- The Centre for Pagan Studies blog offers interviews with well-known Pagans. This month they posted an interview with witch Julia Phillips. “I grew up in a haunted house with family members who were both aware of, and interested in, the supernatural. It was therefore no stretch of the imagination for me to accept that there are many things in this universe that are not currently explicable,” Phillips told interviewer Richard Levy. The interview goes on to talk about her practice and work.
Tarot of the week with Star Bustamonte
Deck: Cat’s Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin, DVM, published by U.S. Games Sysyems, Inc.
Card: king of wands
This week calls for bold and decisive action. If you have been putting off following what your intuition and aspirations are calling you to do, now is the time to listen. Be prepared to be in the spotlight, and try to enjoy it!
Decks provided by Asheville Raven and Crone
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