Entry viewed times. Posted in Religion and Spirituality
4 Responses to “Ecumenicon Interfaith Conference 2008 - My First Ecumenicon”
You are reading the journey through the daily life of a native pagan spirit and survivalist in the back hills of Maryland. Within these pages you'll find information regarding the struggle of a young 20-something divorced aries supporting her disabled father, her spirituality with a Druid Grove, various posts regarding web development, and the custody battle of her baby sister.
There are currently 10 Users Online. The most visitors I've ever had online at once is .
My top commentators this month are:
This was too funny, I had to share:
Tarot for Recovering Pagan Fanatics
THE NEOPHYTE
A priest and priestess stand facing one another, performing the Great Rite symbolically by plunging a dagger into a chalice. In the circle surrounding them, a neophyte covers her smiling mouth, trying to suppress a giggle.
Divinatory Meaning: Innocence. A new beginning. There was […]
April 18th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
HI- Tchipakkan here! I did the Palmistry 101 workshop. Yup, it didn’t do much to teach one how to read palms- indeed, I worked hard not to get into the actual teaching, but kept sliding back into it because I like it so much.
101 classes are meant to be introductions. They are supposed to tell people what the subject is about, and what kind of things one can expect of it. 200 level classes would actually teach palm reading- and stick to one style, and in only 90 minutes, probably only one topic. They’d also be aimed at people who really don’t know much about the subject. 300 or 400 level classes would assume some basic knowledge and go into more depth and cover less basic areas.
The Ecumenicon Fellowship is trying to create an organized collection of classes that will allow someone who goes through one of the tracks to actually have accumulated enough information that we will have actually given the students some real and valuable information. It’s also stressed that these classes are supposed to be springboards which (we hope) will inspire the students to go out and look more deeply into the subject. The Fellowship is also exploring the possibility of on line courses, but of course, that’s complicated. I know that if I were going to teach one, I’d want to get paid for the many hours it would require to be a good course. I don’t mind donating time one weekend a year, but for hours a week for 8 to 12 weeks? Not for free.
So- have you looked further into palmistry? Did I inspire you to try more? (convince you that it would be worth the effort?)
Tchipakkan
April 20th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Dear Lady Tawodi,
I’m the Ecumenicom teacher that taught Herbalism . I don’t think you’re a snob and, since I’m not part of Ecumenicon’s ‘inner circle’ because I live in upstate NY, I just saw your review. Personally, I don’t think my classes were perfect and I do welcome your comments, as this is the first time I presented that material. Herbalism is an abiding interest of mine, however, this is not my main area of practice. I was required by Ecumenicon to provide course material of my own devising to support the classes that I was giving. I thought that I was being generous by compiling and providing illustrated texts to each student for them to take home, at no additional cost. I also thought that bringing fresh plants for identification was a nice touch.
In my experience, in the alternative spiritual community usually takes an opportunity like this to promote their own book/weekend intensive/career. I will also say that I think Herbalism is not just a philosophic spiritual path. Practice does rely on information and I felt that the most up-tp-date information is on the net. I also encouraged everyone to continue researching on their own. As a Discordian, I really don’t believe in being the kind of Grand High Poobah that deigns to pass down knowledge in the manner that you describe. I was deliberately trying to make all my students feel that they could go out and do it themselves. Yor observations were likely all to accurate, but perhaps the wording could have been kinder. I will take your words to heart and try to incorporate more of myself in future classes.
Shulameet
April 20th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Lady Tawodi -
Please send to me a copy of the offending text. I am a member of hte Trustee group, and also the Conference on-site liason. I would appreciate your input so that we can continue to grow and prosper. If there are others who are saying that you are a snob, and that you only give fault, send the list to me. I will get things straightened out. That I promise you.
I am not usually in the habit of having to apologize for my fellow congregation members, but allow me to apologize publicly for the rude and obnoxious attitudes that you have expressed. I will certainly not be the person to say you don’t know what you are talking about, since I see many ways that the conference could improve. It is very hard to get people to volunteer for anything.
I appreciate (even though I have not read yet) the review and the constructive criticism you have given us. If others of our organization cannot be appreciative of the work you have done, please feel free to forward to me all such work dirextly at: ecusec@hotmail.com.
Thank you,
Lawrence Obern
Trustee,
Nomadic Fellowship of the Gramarye,
Ecumenicon Fellowship,
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:45 am
I seldom read blogs and thus almost never post on them. However, i will to post a comment to your “My First Ecumenicon, ” which I read about 4/18
I neither taught nor voluteered at Ecumenicon Interfaith Conference. I did attend it attend it this year, and I did have a good experience at the event.
It was held at the Best Western hotel in Baltimore, which isn’t one of the five star hotels in the inner harbor, but it was a close hop from my own Baltimore home, and the hotel had *free* parking! The hotel meeting rooms were rather typical hotel meeting rooms with round tables and stackable metal chairs.
Due my personal schedual, I wasn’t able to get there until Saturday. I missed the classes by Alexei Kondratiev. (Dang everyday life!) Alexei is a brillent scholar and has spent years studing Celtic mythology, folkore, ritual, etc. His book *The Apple Branch* is a classic!
I first heard Alexei teach in NJ at an Eostericon, circa 1985.
We had him at the Chesapeake Pagan Gathering in MD last summer. He will be teaching again at CPC 2008 in July.
I missed most of the other stuff you mentioned, including the opening interfaith circle. Actually it sounds like some interfaith things I’ve seem before–not really Wicca, but an interfaith blending of paths.
Jane Sibley is always good, but I missed her class this time, too.
To be honest, I was relaxing from being very busy with an an older relative, helping with some family stuff from the past couple of months–so my personal perception of Ecumenicon was that it was a delightful place to recharge with likeminded, spiritual folks.
I chatted alot with people and bought a $40 tome, a little booklet, a hand knotted rosery, earrings for my niece’s bithday, and buttons from Nancy’s Buttons.
I did attend the same herbalism class as you did. And I will state that now that the teacher is a good friend of mine, and fresh Maryland herbs she brough for folks to examine were from my yard on Saturday morning–so I am probably not an unbiased participant.
Nevertheless, the information printed out from Wikipedia was only *one* souce used by the teacher on the handout.. She also took stuff from a particular doctor’s website and likewise mentioned some books. Indeed, there were two books she brought in and showed as source material. She also mentioned another book that she had meant to bring, but it didn’t quite make it on the trip from upstate NY.
I think that it was from Wikapedia that the teacher down loaded the color photographs of the dozen or so plants she covered in the herbalism class. For purposes of identifying plants, these color photos seemed to be a valuable addtion to a handout about basic information on plants covered in a herbalism class.
As for presenting her own core knowledge, she began by discucsing how she had havested wild herbs from her yard and made “lawn salads.”
By the way, the Ecumenicon room with food and beverages was the best Con suite I’ve ever seen in 30 years of attending cons. I understand that is because so many Ecumenicon volunteers brought such wonderful food. When I began to feel that familar ‘you haven’t eaten on schedual icky feeling’ I was able to find some bannas that balenced me quickly. Thankyou whoever brought bannas. (Ah, I will admit I found the homemade soup was wee bit spicy for me, but my husband loved it.)
I am glad that you said that you found that Ecumenticon interesting experience–in spite of the fact you often find such religious conferences, including WABA-PLC, boring. To each her own, I say.
The best to you!
Myth Woodling, CPC