We three met and ate pizza and had tots of a maple-flavored whiskey. We laughed and gossiped and commiserated with the recent accident that broke her ankle. Hours in that welcoming place, witches comparing notes and stories. I think I could literally sit at the Morrison’s feet for a very long time, soaking in the wisdom, the courage, the verve. But as the night stretched into early morning, it was time to go back to Cockeyville and leave that beloved friend and teacher behind.
The bed in the hotel was very tall and covered with enormous pillows, which helped me feel like one of the Little People myself. I piled the pillows onto the comfy chair and settled down for some rest and good sleep.
The conference began on Friday and sleeping in was a distinct possibility, thank goodness.
My first commitment was a panel discussion, an introduction of the Mythic Track headliners. What a remarkable group I was part of! I knew them all from previous festivals and conferences and the possibility of learning from them and spending social time with them was delicious. Michael Smith and I serve on the board of Cherry Hill Seminary together so we have a chance to banter at monthly board meetings. Ivo Dominguez is one of the organizers of the Sacred Space conference where I’ve taught for three years now but we rarely have sitting-down-together-time. Raven and Stephanie Grimassi taught at Pagan Unity Festival last year, where I was also teaching.
See what I mean? Stellar. Rock stars all in the Pagan world.
Jason joined us for the discussion and we had a funny, informative discussion which was good, since only one person showed up for that intro panel. Bless her! (To be fair, we were opposite a very hot author panel and one of the first events of the con, so it was perfectly understandable.) And besides, we had a great time.
My first class was a shorter version of a workshop I’ve done several times–The Spirit-Haunted Landscape. The room was full, the audience enthusiastic–off to a good start!
Then…the shopping. There were rows and rows of stalls with some of the most luscious high-end merchandise I’ve ever seen at one of these events. Clothing, jewelry, handmade soaps, books and cds, even some fairy dust. I’m not much of a shopper but I acquired a handmade soap in the shape of a British police call box. It was blue and smelt of Earl Grey tea.
A supper with friends set us up nicely for the Good Fairy Ball later that evening. But first we trashed the hotel room by unpacking the make-up, costumes, wigs and jewelry necessary for Star and me to be “good fairies.”