Biographies of the Diotima Prize Winners have been posted along with the winning essay.
Congratulations to you both!
With 84 registrants for the conference, and between 27 and 34 attendees per session, the Pantheon Foundation declares this conference a success. We feel very full of mind and heart after listening to all the presenters and attendees discuss each of the topics with rich informational exchange, fantastic presentations, and some great questions emerging, such as “What gives you the strength to keep on keeping on?” and “Where do we go from here?”
Ideas for next steps on our end include starting a weekly round-up of Pagan Activist blog posts from our presenters and wider community, an annual Journal of Pagan Activism Studies, and future online classes and discussion groups featuring some of our presenters from this Conference as well as other Pagan Activist leaders. You’ll be able to learn more about these initiatives if you join our newsletter here. And, of course, we are really looking forward to next year’s PACO! How about you? What are you moved to do, coming away from this experience?
The Foundation thanks all of the attendees for their presence and thoughtful discussion. It is our honor to serve you.
We bow in gratitude to all of the presenters: Celia Alario, Andy Conn, Laurie Lovekraft, Starhawk, Heather Greene, David Salisbury, John Medellin, Tim Titus, Stephanie Ivy Whiteside, Khi Armand, Crystal Blanton, Xochiquetzal Duti Odinsdottir, Black Witch, Elena Rose, Lou Flores, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus, Dee Schull, John Beckett, Soli Zat Johnson, Rhiannon Laakso, Rion Roberts, T. Thorn Coyle, Alley Valkyrie, Ankhira Swordplow, Carolina Amor Boggs, Byron Ballard, Christina DiEdoardo, Cara Shultz, Christine Hoff Kraemer, Shauna Aura Knight, Rabbit Matthews, and LaSara Firefox Allen.
Special thanks goes to the organizers Xochiquetzal Duti Odinsdottir, and Yeshe Rabbit Matthews, who made it all happen.
Thanks again to everyone for attending PACO 2014. The social feed for the Conference is are using the hashtags #PACO and #RITEaction for the whole event, as well as hashtags for the separate panels: #PACOECO, #PACOMedia, #PACOPOC, #PACOGender, #PACOCare, #PACOBuild, #PACORights, and #PACOConsent.
May the work be blessed!
)O+
sam webster, e.d.
Gentle Pagans,
It is with very great pleasure that I can inform you that we have been granted 501(c)3 public charity status by the IRS.
All donations to the Pantheon Foundation or its projects or organizations back to November 17 2013 (yes, one year ago) are now tax-deductible.
If you have donated, we will be getting documentation to you before tax time for your next filing.
Stay tuned for more exciting announcements this week, and be sure to register for our Pagan Activism Conference Online coming this weekend!
Now the Work really begins!
)O+
Sam Webster
Executive Director
Pantheon Foundation,
a 501(c)3 Pagan religious non-profit corporation
As a nonprofit organization with a national focus, the Pantheon Foundation seeks to create events & offerings that will be accessible to all Pagans. Our forthcoming Pagan Activism Conference Online (PACO) is a good example of this. At this event, you will be able to welcome accomplished and respected Pagan Activist leaders into your home via video conference, regardless of your location.
Think about it: when was the last time you sat down for a chat at your kitchen table with the likes of T. Thorn Coyle, or Starhawk? At this event, that is exactly what you will be able to do.
People at PACO will be connecting from all over America Nov 21-23 to hear from some of the brightest, most forward-thinking voices for change in the Pagan community. There are 9 sessions in the Conference, focused on Earth Activism, Activism Among Pagans of Color, Gender & Sexuality, Online Media Activism, Sexual Consent, and more. Each panelist will be making a brief presentation during their session, and then the floor will open to broader discussion, Q & A, and resource-sharing.
Think of it, you could be sitting there, with your cup of tea and your cat in your lap, chatting away with some of the folks whose work you have come to respect, right in your own home.
In addition to the video aspect of each session, there is also a chat window available for your use, so that you and the other attendees and presenters can share links, ask questions, raise points, and converse during the session. Allowing for multiple points of contact is our goal here. The conversation is richer and more dynamic that way.
Take a peek at the list of presenters and panels here. Would you like to invite any of these folks to your home for tea and a conversation? Then purchase your PACO ticket and put on the kettle, because we’re coming over!
YES! Read on!
The Pagan Activism Conference Online organizing team is getting excited for the upcoming event, Nov 21-23, 2014. We have lined up some awesome presenters (Keynote speaker T. Thorn Coyle, Starhawk, Shauna Aura Knight, Crystal Blanton, David Salisbury, Cara Schultz, Byron Ballard, and others) to speak on a wide variety of issues relevant to the welfare of the Pagan community and our collective future.
(To complete calendar listing)
The Pantheon Foundation’s mission is to provide infrastructure and institutional empowerment to our oft-marginalized religious population by providing fiscal and organizational support, sponsorship, and tools to Pagans and Pagan organizations. This conference is but one example of the ways in which we are trying to do that.
We’ve had a few sensitive queries about the ticket cost of PACO, which was formerly listed at $100 per ticket for the whole weekend conference and $20 per individual panel. A few folks have let us know that this cost is just too far outside the means of an activist’s budget for their comfort.
We’re really glad you spoke up. We get it. The economy is tough on everyone right now. Our desire is to provide you with the tools to build the world you want to live in, not for finances to keep you from accessing those tools.
As a result of your feedback, we have decided to cut the ticket cost for this event dramatically, to allow more people to attend. Starting today, tickets for the entire event will be $40 instead of $100, with individual panel tickets being $10 instead of $20. Those who purchased tickets previously will be contacted to see if they prefer to bring a friend, or to receive a pro-rated refund.
The proceeds from this event will still go directly to our presenters, to support their good work. We hope that taking this dramatic step will make it more accessible to all, and that you will be able to join us.
And for those for whom the cost of a ticket is still out of reach, don’t forget that we are giving away two free tickets next week via lottery. Just send your name, phone number, and email address to pantheonfoundation@gmail.com with the Subject “PACO Free Ticket” to be entered in our drawing. Winners will be announced Monday, Nov 10.
Thanks for your feedback, patience, and openness about your needs. It’s so important to us, as we grow, to hear how we can best serve you. And it’s our hope that with dialogue, support, and events like these, we can build a better Pagan future together. #PACO #riteaction
It is with great pleasure that I announce the winner of the Diotima Prize!
The Selection Committee was impressed with the applicants’ thoughtful and articulate essays, and the Foundation is very pleased to be able to support these students as they continue their academic work and training.
The Winner of the 2014 Diotima Prize is Tiffany Andes of Iliff School of Theology, Denver, for her essay “Walking the Path“.
The Runner-up of the Prize is Janice Stashwick of Meadville Lombard Theological School, Chicago, for her essay “Unity in Diversity”.
Ms. Andes will receive the $1000 prize, and both applicants will have free attendance at the Pantheon Foundation Pagan Activism Conference Online, and receive a copy of Pathways in Modern Western Magic by Nevill Drury, published by Concrescent Press.
Finally, the Foundation will be holding a reception at PantheaCon in San Jose, CA (February 13-16, 2015) to report on our year’s progress and to honor the prize recipient and runner-up, along with the Foundation’s supporters.
A special thanks is due the selection committee members Rev. Dr. Bonnie Dlott, Christina Gargiullo, M.Div, Christine Hoff Kraemer, PhD, Hayden Reynolds, PhD, who read the excellent essays and made the difficult choice between them.
With congratulations,
)O+
Sam Webster, M.Div, PhD(e)
Executive Director
Pantheon Foundation
The Pantheon Foundation invites you to the upcoming
Pagan Activism Conference Online (PACO)
Nov. 21-23, 2014
Price Reduced: $40 for the entire conference
This innovative Conference, in service to the national Pagan community, will take place entirely online, allowing for participants from every region of the US to attend. PACO will provide valuable, insightful information from experienced and innovative Pagan activists and community voices. Our interactive presentations and discussion panels, regarding infrastructures that serve Pagan organizational and individual activism, feature some of the most experienced and accomplished leaders in their respective areas. Check back frequently, as guests are still joining.
The goal of the Conference is to equip Pagan activists from all over the country with the tools necessary to advance the goals and aims of their own activist efforts, and to build bridges between Pagan activists for mutual support. Care to join us? You can come for the whole conference, or else attend single panels, as desired.
Click below or see the calendar listing to purchase your tickets
Whole Conference Ticket–New Pricing: $40
Today is the beginning of The Wild Hunt’s 2014 Fall Funding Drive, a fiscally sponsored organization of the Pantheon Foundation.
We’re asking for a base budget of $12,500 dollars to run for another year, and we’re hoping that you will help us not only meet this goal, but surpass it and allow The Wild Hunt to do even more. The more we raise, the more we can do. Want to see more regular columnists? Want to see more staff writers? Then founder Jason Pitzl-Waters would love to see us push well past that base goal in the coming month. There are many thousands of readers out there, and it would only take a fraction donating to not only fund us, but help us greatly expanding the coming year!
Here is the direct link to the Indigogo Campaign.
See more at: http://wildhunt.org/2014/09/the-wild-hunts-2014-fall-funding-drive-begins.html
At the recent All Pagans Organizing meeting held August 16 in the East Bay (other locations coming soon!) the Pantheon Foundation volunteered to take on the responsibility for establishing and maintaining a calendar of events for Bay Area Pagans, and anyone else who wishes to have their Pagan (broadly construed) events listed.
The primary maintainer of the Calendar is Molly Blue Dawn, who will be converting her regular event list email into this new tool and moderating the submissions so we are not flooded with spam.
It can be accessed here:
http://pantheonfoundation.org/events/
Or by clicking on the “Calendar” link in the left-hand navigation.
Events can be added to it here:
http://pantheonfoundation.org/events/community/add
Or by clicking on the “Submit an Event” link in the left-hand navigation.
When possible please include an image, and also designate a short description along with a full detail text. This will appear on the initial listing and, when clicked on, take the visitor to the full detail.
We are also experimenting with various directory tools to coordinate Bay Area Pagan resources. We will have one functioning by the end of September. Meanwhile, enjoy your new calendar!
The Pantheon Foundation is delighted to be able to serve our community in this way. If you any questions or suggestions, please write me at: SamWebster11@gmail.com
Sincere regards,
)O+
sam webster, executive director
pantheon foundation
To all Second Year (and later) Master of Divinity Students:
The Pantheon Foundation, dedicated to building 21st century infrastructure for Pagans, calls for you to apply to receive the Diotima Prize. By the power of the Pagan community’s generosity a $1,000 has been crowd-funded to support your studies this year. Send us a 1,000 word essay on the nature of Paganism and Pagan ministry, and the author of the best, selected by our committee, will be awarded this year’s prize.
Details available here: http://pantheonfoundation.org/projects/diotima/
All materials must be received by Sept. 1.
Awards will be announced to the recipient by Oct. 31.
Applications are to be sent to: scholarship@pantheonfoundation.org
The Selection Committee is chaired by Pantheon Foundation’s Executive Director Sam Webster, and includes Rev. Dr. Bonnie Dlott, Christina Gargiullo, Christine Hoff Kraemer PhD, and Hayden Reynolds, PhD.