Yesterday I was laughing about the uncanny realism of the convention environment that exists in the @technocoven Discord server, and today I was back at it again. I pulled myself out of bed closer to 10:00 than I’d like to admit to rush to my phone to catch the first panel (worth it!), and from there, I was zooming from channel to channel to listen to as many panels as possible.
Again, all I can say is that I’m so impressed by everything I’ve seen and heard over the course of this convention so far. There was a part of me going in that was like this might be bad because we’ve all seen some of the sketchy information, schools, and events that can come from Tumblr, but everything has been so well researched and presented, and the panelists are all so honest about their strengths and areas of expertise as well as the areas they aren’t well-versed in. At this point, if there isn’t a TechnoCoven 2021, I will be incredibly disappointed.
The Events
Just like yesterday, I wrote a review of the panels I attended after they ended to share with you! These are below the cut with the title of each panel and the presenter tagged so you can stalk them enjoy their other content.
After each event that I attended, I wrote a brief review of the panel/ritual/activity etc. to share with you all. I will place these below the cut, so that this post isn’t too long in your feeds. With the title of each event, I also tagged the presenter/guide, so that you can see what else they do!
PANEL: A Linguistic History of English Paganism with @juliet-til-death
As a person with a English degree and finishing up a master’s in the field, I was mentally highlighting this panel on the day two schedule. I’ve taken courses about the evolution of English language, so I’m familiar with the principles that Juliet presented, and the applications of these principles to the evolution of words for and attitudes toward witchcraft (such as the pejoration of terms like “witch” and “sabbath” and how these words are now seeing a reverse treatment by modern pagans) are things I love to research. Juliet’s research, professionalism, and the way her linguistic knowledge and knowledge as a witch come together was exactly what I was hoping for with this panel.
PANEL: Tea With the Gods: The Role of Mythology in Hellenic Polytheism with @thepastelpriestess
If the Q&A that Jessie participated in on day one of the convention hadn’t already convinced me that I need to binge her Tea with The Gods podcast, this presentation definitely did. The more I hear her talk about it, the more interested I am in Jessie’s ideas about our subconscious coding of myth as “biblical” or hard facts about the gods that Hellenic Polytheists like Jessie believe in and work with. I feel like that is a religion I don’t often interact with or get to see, so all of the talks she has given have been really informative. runs off to listen to her podcast
PANEL: Other Worlds and Flying the Hedge with @maddiviner
Eliza was nervous during this presentation, but she did a great job sharing her understanding of hedge witchcraft with everyone listening. You go girl! I think this was a valuable panel because, as she covered in the panel, a lot of the information out there about this practice is vague or at the very least convoluted. I loved the combination of researched history, personal experience, and her own skepticism. As she said, “Always be willing to doubt.” Wonderful!
PANEL: The Realm of the Fae with @powerpriestess
Yet another panel that attracted my interest mainly because the topic is outside my practice. Courtney’s lovely PowerPoint and enthusiasm for sharing her stories and knowledge about this topic made it wonderful to sit in on and get some insight into what working with the fae looks like. I’m excited to listen to the longer recording of this talk that she mentioned sharing.
PANEL: Ask a Witch with @nightshadeandroses, @witchofapollo, @maddiviner, and @powerpriestess
This panel was one that I attended because I wanted to listen to the panelists talks about their crafts more generally. I think I ended up learning more about the witches that are attending the panel, though! There are a handful of practices that tend to be more visible than others as far as witchblr goes, and there were so many practices and perspectives present on both sides of the panel.
PANEL: Spirit Papers: Planning in Spirituality with @loveletterstotheabyss
As if I needed another excuse to plan out a brand new journal for my witchcraft, Kris really came for me with this panel. Grimoires, Book of Shadows, and other journals, books, etc. are often “standard” tools in many practices, but we don’t talk about them as systems as often as we talk about the journals we use to keep track of our everyday schedules. I’m a bullet journal nerd, and I’m a sucker for the uniqueness that comes with a junk journal, but I’m tempted to test some of the other things she shared during the panel. Good thing I’m already drowning in journals.
For anyone who missed the panels over this magical weekend @technocoven here are the links to the videos of the panel! A friend of mine was awesome enough to record them for me! For best audio quality it is best to download them.
Thank you again to everyone who came to the panels and participated I had an absolute blast and you all kicked so much ass!
Here’s to one of the best weekends I’ve had in my life. @technocoven
TechnoCoven 2020 has renewed me spiritually in ways I didn’t know could happen. The community is continually astounding! Not only are they so accepting and encouraging, with their help TechnoCoven raised over $1000 for COVID-19 relief!
“TECHNOCOVEN is a one of a kind Witchcraft and Occult Convention hosted totally on Discord! Even though we may have to physically be apart, that doesn't mean we can't come together as a community digitally. Have all the fun of a real-life convention from the comfort and safety of your own home! Attend a selection of fun and educational panels, participate in contests and games, shop around in our vendor alley, dance the night away during our TechnoCoven ball, and more all in support of several charities that are helping out during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
I was fortunate enough to be a panelist for this convention. I was so incredibly nervous for it that I worried about it the entire week prior to the actual event, but I am beyond glad that I went through with it!
My panel was called A Linguistic History of English Paganism, and it covered how the language surrounding witchcraft and paganism has evolved along with the English language. It included discussion about ancient European practices as well as the neopagan movement!
Here is a PDF of my notes/a transcript in case you weren’t able to make it to the presentation and want to learn more!
I also had the joy of joining other panels such as the Hellenic Polytheism Q&A with @thepastelpriestess and @rosegoldtunic, Tea With the Gods: The Role of Mythology in Hellenic Polytheism with @thepastelpriestess, and The Realm of the Fae with @powerpriestess!
I was very blessed to have taken part in the group Beltane Ritual led by @nightshadeandroses and it absolutely nourished my soul. I got my new altar earlier that day as well and managed to cleanse it and set it up before the ritual. It’s something I will remember forever 💕
This convention was a memory of a lifetime, and I’m so blessed to have been part of it. Thank you to everyone who helped put this together (please go follow and support them!):
The hosts: @nightshadeandroses @thepastelpriestess @powerpriestess @maddiviner @witchofapollo and @underworldariel
The vendors: (links go to Etsy/ko-fi/PayPal/website) Belladonna Mythics, Rosy Metaphysics, underworldariel, Grimnir’s Pen and Sword, Hearth and Stars, The Crystal Glossary, Justice and Peach, Raevyn Lady’s Crown, Serene Vibes, The Human Cat Art and Divination, DeathWitchZines.
And thank you to everyone who attended and donated! You are what made this so special💕
It's now so eerily silent from the TechnoCoven server's alerts on my phone and I'm so sad ... 😭
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the panelists, the vendors, and the attendees for such a magical, unforgettable experience. I look forward to seeing you all again in 2021.
This was such an incredible event! We opened on May 1st, with a couple hundred people already in the server. I had a minor oral surgery that morning, so I missed some of the fun. I returned in time...
