2012 Pantheacon Conference: Unity in Diversity February 17th-20th, San Jose, CA The 2012 Pantheacon Conference is held at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, CA from Friday, February 17th through Monday, February 20th. This year there are over two hundred offerings spanning 15 different traditions, and diversity is a large focus. Daniel Foor will be guiding a ritual at 9pm on Friday night "Healing Ritual for the City of San Jose". On both Saturday and Sunday at 3:30pm, Orion Foxwood of our Voices of the Earth project will be presenting Awakening Living Memory: Magic and the Art of Conscious Creation and Entering the Luminous Landscape respectively, and on Sunday at 11:00pm, Chandra Alexandre of our 2011 Annual Conference and Voices project will be presenting Kali Puja: Mysteries of the Dark Goddess. Throughout the conference, we will be hosting an Earth Medicine Alliance community room (#265) with various offerings and great company and ambiance. Hope to see you there! |
Graham Harvey is a professor of Religious Studies who has taught at the University of Winchester, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and Open University. He is the author of numerous books and journal articles on animism, shamanism, paganism, and indigenous religions (www.grahamharvey.org) and (www.animism.org.uk), and his book Animism: Respecting the Living World helped inspire the founding of the Earth Medicine Alliance. For our 2011 interview click here.
For our full archive of interviews through the Voices of the Earth Project please visit:
www.earthmedicine.org/voicesoftheearth
|
|
Ancestor Honoring Ceremony
Mar 18th, 11am-3pm
Oak Knoll Cemetery
Livermore, CA
Places of burial are seen as sacred ground by both secular and religious cultures worldwide, and conversely, desecrated graves are seen as potential sources of spiritual disturbance. By assuming communal responsibility for honoring the local dead, we can enjoy nourishing relationships with the ancestors and support our communities to be places of spiritual vitality and health.
This community teaching and ceremony will focus on ways to honor the ancestors of place and will be held at a historically desecrated and abandoned cemetery near a public high school in Livermore, CA. Oak Knoll Cemetery was the final resting place of about ninety early settlers from 1873 to 1931; however, there are no longer any grave markers or monuments. The area is now a public park in a state of disrepair and a popular destination for ghost hunters.
Upon arrival, we will clean up any garbage from the area, and discuss in circle beliefs and practices regarding the ancestors. We will then offer an inclusive, heart-centered ceremony to convey our respect and goodwill to the spirits of place. No prior experience with ritual is necessary and the offering will be interfaith and welcoming to people of all backgrounds.
We'll gather from 11am-3pm (2:30-3pm time for group lunch after ceremony, bring your own). We'll still gather in light rain and cancel for severe weather. Please bring a simple natural offering (e.g., flowers, cornmeal, tobacco, ash, spirits/whiskey/etc.) to contribute to the ritual. $40 suggested contribution. Confirmation in advance is helpful.
|
|
Ways to Get Involved with the Alliance
The Earth Medicine Alliance is a community-oriented endeavor focused on helping humans to heal and enliven our relations with the rest of the natural world. One of the best ways you can support our work is by making a donation to support our efforts. The Alliance is a fully tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit, and we run entirely on volunteer effort.
To inquire about becoming part of our team, email Daniel Foor at danieljfoor@gmail.com. We are committed to having fun and supporting each other in our efforts.
Alliance Wish List and Current Needs:
- Voices of the Earth Project. If you have technical skills with conducting or producing refined interviews in a web archive format we welcome that support. We're also open to suggestions for earth-honoring elders and teachers in the Bay Area to interview.
- Web maintenance and refinement. We are in acute need of a webmaster who knows or who can learn Joomla. This person would need to be self-directed and enjoy the task of improving the quality/appearance of the site.
- Board of Directors. We are a working Board of seven, and we have space for others if it's a good fit. If you have prior experience serving on a non-profit board, and especially if you have fundraising, marketing, business, or other such practical skills, please feel good about contacting us.
- Making new connections. Are there family or friends in your life or public figures (e.g., religious leaders, teachers, ritualists, earth activists) who you feel would benefit from knowing about our work? If there is any way we can support you in this sharing, please be in touch. We also have a Facebook page (search for Earth Medicine Alliance).
|
