Maybe I’m Not a “Witch.” Maybe We’re Excluded for a Reason.
There was a fun witchy banner I scrolled upon with this happy, inspiring message of “Pagans and Witches Unite!” It then featured Stregheria, Feri, Cultus Sabbati, Luciferian, Haitian Vodou, Santeria (Lukumi), Palo Mayombe, Wicca, and then a catch-all “Indigenous Shamanic Paths.”
No special call-out to Asians?
And by “Asian” I really do mean continental, islander, north, south, east, west, there was NO representation there at all. For the largest most populated continent in the world, making up more than half the global population of magical traditions and practices, people just decided to tuck all of that under “Other”?
It seems like Asian magical traditions are always getting left out.
I was invited as a Guest of Honor Headliner to speak at this year’s ConVocation, and this is my recap of the event, as it was also my very first time (1) attending ConVocation and (2) attending a pagan event in the Midwest. ConVocation is a pagan conference that has been going strong in the Upper Midwest since 1995, and truly what sets it apart is how community-oriented it is.
Photo via Barb Milburn Stenger of Celtic Readings (celticreadings.com)
My write-up is coming out a bit later than planned, as I had initially hoped to include some of the official event photos from David Loken-Rozian‘s 2025 ConVocation album onto his Flickr. Since the album isn’t available yet, I’ve decided to go ahead and post this recap, so apologies for lack of people pics. I don’t know why I always forget to take photos of people at events; I have a dozen photos of snow and trees, food, rocks, and clouds, but none of people. Argh.
This video lecture is on what happens when we die, from a Mahayana Buddhist perspective. We also cover East Asian funerary customs, Buddhist beliefs and practices.
I wanted the video talk itself to be more philosophical and to provide a concept overview.
However, one of my key objectives for putting this out there publicly is to help Diasporic Asians who feel culturally removed from traditional Buddhist practices, but who then find themselves in a situation where they must provide a Buddhist funeral or engage in practices to help honor the departing or departed Buddhist elder.
When you’re in the midst of grief, you don’t want an exploratory ruminating video on concept; you want a checklist. You just need somebody to tell you what to do because you don’t have the mental bandwidth to think. So in that spirit, here is a checklist:
It goes without saying that the above-linked downloadable checklist is a loose guide of general recommendations only. Always prioritize family tradition, your culture’s specific Buddhist traditions, and what makes the most sense for you.
If you got here through the QR code on the box of Fu talismans at ConVocation 2025 that promised to explain what the talismans were, hello! Since this will be a publicly accessible blog post, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, hello, too — this is just going to be notes to de-mystify a Thing that I’m going to be distributing during two of my lectures.
Here’s what the full sheets look like, outer casing and interior where the actual empowered Fu 符 is. Because of the way it’s going to be folded, you’ll note that the left outer casing view has the Ba Gua printed upside down per that view, but once folded into the final talisman, it’ll be right side up aligned with the interior Fu 符. Same with the 64 stylized sigils (explained below) for medicine, healing, and healer.
StaarCon has the personableness and small-group-feel of the Omega conference, some of the razzle-dazzle characteristics of the iconic Readers Studio, and the ability to attract big personalities the way NWTS does. Oh, and because video recordings of all master classes are available all year long and there is the post-conference tarot lounge events and virtual gatherings, it’s reminiscent of Ethony’s Tarot Summer School at the Tarot Readers Academy (my blog posts on it in 2016 and in 2018). So if you’re looking for that tarot conference with a little bit of something for everyone, then that’s StaarCon.
Accelevents Attendee Portal StaarCon 2024
I was invited back as a keynote for StaarCon 2024, my first time attending in person (the 2021 conference during the pandemic was virtual only). What’s unique about StaarCon is its hybrid model, with the virtual event managed by Accelevents. Meaning you can elect to attend in person or attend virtually from the comfort of your own home.
For the price of admission, you’re getting access to a wide array of master classes on tarot techniques, tarot adjacent studies like astrology, crystals, and sound bath meditation, in-depth targeted explorations on how to read the cards, powerful and transformative guided visual journeying sessions for connecting with an animal totem or quantum healing, tarot business essentials, more academic-driven workshops, to creating and selling your own deck, just to name a few of the topics covered this weekend.
2019 Masters of the Tarot Conference. Left to Right: Me, Mary K. Greer, Terry Iacuzzo, Rachel Pollack, and Joanna Powell Colbert
I was first invited to present at the Masters of the Tarot Conference back in 2019. The Conference takes place every July at the Omega Institute in upstate New York, and was founded by Rachel Pollack and Mary K. Greer.
Opening ceremonies and introductions happen on Friday evening, with a starter workshop or master class as your night cap. Then the keynote speaker events begin first thing Saturday morning and go until Sunday noon. Interspersed throughout are discussion panels for Q&As and moderated topical conversations. The event ends with all of us having lunch together.
From the 2019 Masters of the Tarot Conference. Photo courtesy of Joanna Powell Colbert (IG: @joannapcolbert)
I’ve had an incomplete draft of a post-event write-up since July 2019 that I never got around to finishing and posting onto this blog. Sigh. And now the 2023 Conference has come and gone, which was the second time I’ve presented at Omega.
So this blog post is going to cover both the 2019 and the recent 2023 events.
Whew! NWTS 2022 was a blast! This was Michelle and Roger of SoulTopia’s inaugural year as the organizers of NWTS, the Northwest Tarot Symposium in Portland, Oregon. And wow, what a comeback for NWTS, thanks to SoulTopia’s tireless efforts, persistence, and stewardship. This year, the tarot community really showed up for an impressive turnout, to the point where we might’ve outgrown the Monarch Hotel! Time for a bigger even more spacious venue? =)
Anyway, this is a casual recap of the event from my vantage point.
benebell wen 