Here's the big plan I mentioned in my previous post.

So, even before I got the terrible news about my mother, I was having second thoughts about attending Pantheacon.

I mean, it is a wonderful experience, a chance to meet new people, be exposed to a multitude of different polytheistic faiths, and it would be a great opportunity to get the word out about our group and what we’re doing. Plus, it’s been a very successful avenue for networking, since most of us are scattered across the globe and the only chance we can get together face-to-face is at something big like this.

But on the other hand, there were some problems. First, it’s extremely expensive to attend. This meant that a lot of important people that I was really looking forward to meeting weren’t going to be able to make it this time around. Even I was going to have to scrimp and sacrifice and just barely squeak by to make it. Secondly, a lot of compromises were demanded. Because it was taking place in a hotel we couldn’t have a fire, candles, incense and other features which are essential for our style of worship; additionally, last year there was the issue of noise: the group that our ritual was placed next to complained because our Dionysia was causing too much of a raucous for them. (What did they expect from worshippers of Bromios?) I’ve had some difficulty getting reliable and timely information from the Pantheacon staff. (They are wonderful people who have done amazing work, but I can’t help but wonder if the convention has just grown too big and successful for them to manage properly at this point.) And lastly, while there have been a number of activities of interest to Greco-Egyptians the last couple years, this time around there just didn’t seem to be that much.

So I had been thinking – is it really worth all the effort to go, especially since my primary motive for doing so was a desire to take Neos Alexandria to the next level, to help it transition from an online group into a community doing real rituals in the real world? Pantheacon was just a stepping stone towards that goal: I figured it’d be easy to piggy-back off of them, use the event as a way for us to get together and do our own thing in between all of the other workshops and rituals. It was an established event that a lot of us were attending anyway: most of the work would already be done for us.

But here’s the thing: as wonderful as Pantheacon is, it isn’t necessary for that goal. I think we could put together a gathering on our own. Hell, it would already cost a lot of money and require hard work to put together something through Pantheacon – why put up with all of the frustration and compromises, when what we’re getting out of it is so minimal?

So this is what I’m proposing:

In June of 2009 we will hold the first Neos Alexandria retreat in Eugene, Oregon. That gives us almost nineteen months to plan this thing – plenty of time to save up and iron out the details.

The retreat would be three or four days, spread over a weekend, that way most people wouldn’t have to take extra time off from work. (The major events would take place during the weekend, that way if people needed to come late or leave early, they wouldn’t miss anything vitally important.) During those days we’d perform a series of rituals together. There would be at least one major ritual honoring all of our gods and marking the transition point establishing Neos Alexandria as a distinct, real world religious community as opposed to simply being an online group. We would also perform a series of smaller devotional rituals to honor individual deities, which could be led by people wishing to show special devotion to their patrons. In addition to that we could have workshops, discussions, interactive rituals and events, as well as just spend time getting to know each other and fellowshipping.

Why, you may be asking, should this be held in Eugene? Well, it has to be held somewhere, so why not Eugene? In all seriousness, though, Eugene is the perfect spot.

A lot of our members already live on the West Coast, and Oregon is smack dab in between Washington and California. It’s also centrally located with easy access to mountains, forests, campgrounds, and the Pacific coast if we wanted to get out and worship in nature. Eugene has numerous parks, wetlands, several forested hills, and the gorgeous Willamette River, all right there in the heart of the city. (To make it even more special the Willamette River flows in the exact same direction as the Nile, which lends it added symbolism. Many pagans here in town already perform their rituals at its banks, confirming its holiness.) If we didn’t want to do all of our rituals out in the open, there are lots of places we could rent, such as covered gazebos in the park, a house that’s preserved by the historical society and used by lots of groups, or even the convention center. There are dozens of hotels (ranging from dirt cheap to ultra-swank). Everything is within easy walking distance or accessible through the city’s wonderful mass transit system. There are clubs, fine restaurants, theaters, museums, an active arts scene, bookstores and a most amazing library, if people should seek other forms of entertainment during their stay. (We could even rent out the art house theater and have them play some Greek or Egyptian themed movies for us!) There is an airport (though it might be cheaper to fly into PDX and take a bus or train into Eugene) a Greyhound and Amtrak station, which means that you could come directly into town, and not have to worry about connections. Eugene also has a very strong liberal, counterculture community, which means that we could walk down the street, crowned with garlands and in full ritual attire, and no one would bat an eye or hassle us.

Another benefit to having the retreat in Eugene is that Oinokhoe and myself live here. Oinokhoe has exceptional organizational skills and has volunteered to help us get things set up. We’ll take care of all the planning: scope out different locations for ritual; take care of the paperwork and any permits necessary to do the rituals out in the open if need be; help people make reservations ahead of time; coordinate arrivals and departures, even picking people up from the bus or train station or helping them get groceries and ritual supplies.

And, furthermore, since I won’t have any travel expenses, all of that money can go towards organizational stuff – renting space, buying supplies, and even helping people with food, lodging, and the cost of travel, because I would hate for financial crap to keep anyone from coming to this.

I think that this could be a major event. A rare chance for us to get together and worship the gods collectively. From my experiences with Pantheacon, I know how important it can be to finally meet people you’ve only known online for years face-to-face, and the deep, lasting friendships that can create. This would also be a way to show your commitment to the gods and to the idea of Neos Alexandria – a way to take all of this to the next level. Yes, it will require commitment, and sacrifice, and some expense – but we’re planning this far in advance, and if you were able to put aside even $25 or $50 a month, you’d have the money saved up by then. And if we helped each other out, shared rooms, and food, and maybe even found a way to travel together – it would cut down on the cost even more, and maybe make it possible for some of our more struggling members to attend, further helping to slidify the bonds of community.

And perhaps the best part of all, we wouldn’t have to compromise on anything. We could have a fire-pit and burn our offerings properly; we could have candles and incense and statues and a huge feast and festal crowns and actual processions, with dozens of people, and raise our voices to the gods with our brothers and sisters of Neos Alexandria. This is a chance to have what we’ve all been dreaming of – a chance to make it real.

So, over a weekend in June of 2009 I’m going to be honoring the Alexandrian gods here in Eugene – who’s with me?