The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/conventions)
Lynne M. Meyer interviews Lysa Penrose, organizer of the virtual Witchcraft-themed tabletop gaming convention ArCONa, about her practice, her game design, and why her event is raising money for bats.
As winter gives way to spring, we are in the midst of, what I term, “awards season” for Pagans, in other words convention season. Every year, the number of Pagans who attend Pantheacon, Paganicon, ConVocation, Sacred Space or others rises. We go to meet, to see, to be seen, and to discover. We step outside our comfort zone. We observe and participate in rituals that we might not otherwise experience, hear opinions during discussions that reinforce our own core beliefs, and even, if we so dare, discover what repels us.
What’s the deal with all this moss? asks the new hydroponics expert. He had heard things about the weirdos from the first Mars colony – the ones that called themselves “The Seeds” – but he figured that had all just been rumors. But now that he’s actually in their habitat, seeing thick layers of vegetation instead of sterile metal sheets lining the walls, his perceptions have begun to change. This can’t be sanitary.