TWH – The Wild Hunt spoke with four Pagans, who attended the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) from Oct. 16 to 18.
Holli S. Emore serves as Executive Director of Cherry Hill Seminary. Dree Amandi, a Cio Amore Witch is a Pagan Minister-In-Training at Circle Sanctuary. Rev. Selena Fox serves as Senior Minister of Circle Sanctuary. Twila describes herself as a Pagan Animist.
This is the first part of a two-part series on the PoWR and Interfaith work.
Due to the pandemic, the 2021 PoWR took place entirely online.
Advantages of a virtual conference
The absence of travel costs removed a major economic barrier (travel and lodging) to participation.
Holli Emore said that she had wanted to attend a PoWR since she first heard about them in 1993. She had only been able to attend a few. If she had to travel to attend, Emore would have been unable to attend this year. She is grateful to have attended “without either leaving home (with the accompanying travel cost) or exposing myself to COVID.”
For Emore, Fox, and Twila, another benefit of a virtual conference was the recording of many sessions. The technology that enables online conferences can easily be adapted to record sessions. Many people at conferences find themselves wanting to attend several sessions that occur at the same time. A recorded session allows people to observe session that they had missed. Twila hopes that “they continue offering recordings in the future.” She felt that these recordings increased access.
In virtual events, many people find personal networking to be difficult. Fox found ways to network in a virtual environment. She said, “I enjoyed being able to network with others during sessions, at the Circle Sanctuary virtual exhibit booth, and in social lounges — especially the Pagan Lounge.”
Disadvantages of a Virtual Conference
Conferences are more than panel discussions. Emore remembered people-watching at an earlier PoWR.
She said, “I could have just stood in the halls and exhibit spaces watching people go by all day. It’s very humbling to realize just how very much spiritual diversity there is in the world … There is a constant parade of humans in their native or ceremonial attire. Everywhere there is music, voices speaking scores of languages, the aroma of wonderful Indian food that the Sikhs provide as a free lunch every day, the art and displays, and more. You cannot begin to imagine who all you may meet, from the very famous and prestigious to a new contact for something important to you.”
Holli Emore
Holli S. Emore
Twila said, “The entire virtual platform changed the experience of Parliament. You didn’t have the in-person networking events, you didn’t have the art displays, you didn’t have the religious altars, and you didn’t have those random encounters that you experience at in-person events.”
Amandi spoke about the technical barrier of poor internet service in parts of the world. She said, “Any virtual event definitely highlights the need for this country [the US] to make more strides in providing high-speed and consistent internet capability for all.”
What is a PoWR like?
Fox was a panelist in four sessions of the PoWR. She also helped to facilitate a ceremony “Circle for Planet Earth.” Fox felt that she renewed friendships and made new connections. She also found new ways to experience and present at large conferences.
Selena Fox at PoWR in 2015 – Courtesy of Selena Fox’s Facebook page.
Twila viewed the PoWR as a learning opportunity. She said, “You are only as knowledgeable as the information you learn and the experiences in your life.”
She described her first PoWR as “a vast treasure of knowledge and experience from so many different people.” Twila described the PoWR as an “interwoven intricate tapestry of art, knowledge, people, religion, culture, and food.”
She is grateful for meeting with “with so many people from around the world that I would never have had the opportunity” to do so.
For Amandi, PoWR offered ways to observe different spiritual practices. She said, “As a Witch, I really resonate with practices that involve ritual and it isn’t often that I get to see what that looks like for other faith paths.”
Amandi said that she was “entirely overwhelmed. There are endless offerings from start to finish and although it is impossible to attend even half of them, I was certainly inspired and refueled with energy to continue learning and teaching far beyond the Parliament.”
She said, “I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait to head to Chicago for the next PoWR.” Amandi said that “it was powerful, moving, and inspiring.” She added that she was deeply grateful to have been able to present and attend.
Pagan Participation at the PoWR
Emore urged people to “Go to the Parliament if you can. Don’t deprive yourself of such a rare jewel. Don’t think that because you are Pagan you will not learn from or enjoy those in other religions or belief systems. Pagans may be very distinct and different from most of the world, spiritually, but we are embedded in it … Of course, it is also a source of pride, or should be, for all Pagans, that we have been so visible, not only in presentations but for many years in the top leadership as board members and staff.”
Fox authored a report describing the problems that Pagans encountered at the 1993 PoWR.
Circle Sanctuary has summarized its participation in the PoWR.
Circle Sanctuary’s Ceremony for Planet Earth ceremony is available on YouTube.
Parliament of the World’s Religion has its own YouTube channel that features a variety of presentations from past conferences and other content spotlighting presenters that were scheduled for 2021.
YouTube also features videos posted by other organizations, participants, and attendees.
PoWR’s subscription member hub features access to exclusive content that includes an audio, photo, and video library. Unfortunately, none of those resources are immediately accessible due to a website crash. PoWR is currently working to restore the content.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
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