Here is a link to a "grid" so you can see at a glance what is going on. Additional details follow below:
Friday
Registration desk open 11 am to 10 pm
Opening Ceremony
noon
Vending / Marketplace
1 pm to 8 pm
Magical Mercantile Tour (1 pm-4 pm)
Come visit some of the most frequently sought-out Pagan commercial and magical community spaces in Montreal. The Mélange Magique, located downtown, is a well-known magical and occult shop, and the hostof the Montreal Pagan Resource Centre (MPRC) and Crescent Moon School (CMS). Charme et sortilège is located in the Plateau Mont-Royal district and is a well-known store among the growing Francophone Pagan community. Please contact Marisol to reserve your spot marisol.charbonneau@sympatico.ca
Transgender Pagans (1 pm)
Recently, there was a public women's Pagan ritual where transgendered women were excluded because they were not female-born. How do cissexism/transphobia, body essentialism, exclusion, and anti-oppression work both in our community and in our liturgy.
Conflict and Resolution (2:30 pm)
In managing conflicts between ideologically-separated groups, organizations, and people, how can we bring positive interventions and find enough common ground between them? What models exist?
Multifaith Welcome and Talk (4 pm)
Laura Gallo of the Concordia's Multifaith Chaplaincy will formally welcome all present at Gaia Gathering to Concordia University on behalf of the many multifaith chaplains of the department. She will introduce to the attendees to the importance and role of multifaith chaplaincy and the role it plays here in this university.
Main Ritual and Meet'n'Greet (8 pm)
Join us as we officially open the 6th Gaia Gathering, celebrate our linguistic and cultural diversities, and start to get to know each other as we build our community net over the weekend. This ritual was collaboratively planned by the Montreal community and coordinated by Mark Hughes. Following the ritual there will be a Meet and Greet facilitated by Pagans from the West Island of Montreal, coordinated by Meri Fowler.
Saturday
Registration desk open 8 am to 6 pm
Vending / Marketplace / Hospitality / Art Show
9 am to 6 pm
Keynote: Arin Murphy-Hiscock
10:30 am to noon
Panels and Roundtable Discussions
9 am to 5:30 pm
The Value of Personal Gnosis
How much value do we place on personal gnosis (knowledge acquired directly from deities and spirits), obtaining and sharing it, compared to the other pillars of Pagan spirituality? These being: lore, tradition, and modern inspiration (ecology, feminism, activism and creativity).
Mental Health and the Pagan Community
How do we react to the presence of mental illness among us, and how can we help? What accommodations can be made and what resources are there to support our community? How can our leaders avoid burn-out, and how can the community support them in a way that prevents burn-out?
Canadian Pagan Media
Why are most of the 'big name' Pagan authors American (and to a lesser extent British)? Who are our Canadian authors and podcasters, and how can we help support them? With the evolution of the Internet, how are Pagans using blogs, podcasts, and other media to get their ideas out to the public? Join our panel of authors and podcasters.
Celebrating in French
This panel discusses the challenges Francophone Pagans face within their own spiritual practice, but also when interacting with Pagans in their own community and beyond. What documentation is available for Francophone audiences? What direction is the Francophone Pagan community taking? Is there a common ground to be found with other linguistic cultures in terms of spiritual expression?
Event Organizing
This panel of organizers offers advice on everything from designing, fund-raising, managing volunteers, and publicizing your Pagan event.
Priest/essing our Craft
This panel seeks to define the qualities a person needs to be able to take on a leadership role in the Pagan community. What does it mean to be a Priest/ess in our covens, groups and communities? What are the risks and challenges, and what skills do we need to cultivate? Do we have a need for a Pagan chaplaincy to make clergical services available in our communities, and how can we support our leaders in that endeavor?
Impact of the Internet
The Internet provides us with more access to people and information, but it also allows reduces in-person contact with real people. How can we use the Internet to our advantage and what is there about the Internet that should we avoid? How has the internet and social media changed Pagan communications? How has technology influenced our spiritual practice?
WORKSHOP: Herbal Myths, Legends and Magickal Lore
Have you ever wondered why an herb has its particular name, why it is used in a certain way, and how it came to be used in magick? Well, every name has a story and so do a lot of the herbs. Herbs have been used in magick and medicine in every culture for centuries and often in different ways. This rich folklore and history is where the herbal myths, legends, and magickal lore come from. Join Amy for an insightful discussion and more than a few good stories about how herbs came to be the unsung heroes of our culture and are a part of our magick in everyday life.
WORKSHOP: Voodoo Traditions
Probably the most misunderstood of spiritual paths, even by the pagans who enjoy and interact within it. What is voodoo, where does it come from, why is there Catholic iconography in it? All these questions plus many more will be answered. As well, accouterments of the practice will be on display and explained. The best way to understand something is to smell it, taste it, and feel it. This workshop will also have an interactive working within it, with drum calls and songs that are part of the way to call the spirits of the tradition.
Academic Stream Presentations
Invoking the Sacred and the Silent: Language and Meaning in the Elementary Art Classroom
Sidereal Astrology and Festival Dates
Text A: Liturgy or Literature
The Changing Image of God: A Study of the Goddess Movement
Attachment to God: A Comparison of State of Mind Using the Adult Attachment Interview
Revisiting ‘Shamanism’
CONCERT: Dragon Ritual Drummers with Triskalia
Doors open at 7 pm. Concert starts at 7:30 pm.
The Dragon Ritual Drummers will celebrate their 10 year anniversary as of 2010. Based out of the Niagara Region, they began their journey as favourites in the pagan festival circuit in Ontario, Canada. They have since moved on to play at pagan festivals and large mainstream events all over North America. The troupe includes Utu, Flint, Adrian, Drago, Naresh, and Eion.
All members play a variety of instruments including tribal drums, string instruments, as well as brass and archaic reed instruments heard in the ancient hills and valleys of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Their music and performances are creative, intense, and powerful. They bring the audience to their feet dancing as they are swept away in the intense beat of music inspired from around the world and through the ages.
Sunday
Registration desk open 8 am to 6 pm
Vending / Marketplace / Hospitality / Art Show
9 am to 6 pm
Keynote: Lucie Dufresne
9 am to 10:30 am
Panels and Roundtable Discussions
9am to 5:30 pm
Circle Repair
How do circles, covens, groves and other group prevent potentially damaging situations or repair the broken trust and fractured dynamics after a fall-out?
Documenting our Pagan History
Our communities are constantly evolving in terms of culture, population, and the response to crisis. How do we chronicle these events that make-up our modern history? We have discovered such wisdom in ancients texts, but what can we learn from the legacy of our modern-day elders? How do we preserve our recent history so that future generations can benefit?
Pagan Evolution after Quebec's Quiet Revolution
Anglophone and Francophone Pagans often differ in the ways they lived and practiced their religion. These differences are deeply rooted in Quebec's unique cultural and religious past. This panel explores the impact of salient events in Quebec's recent cultural history, and how the Quiet Revolution and the subsequent de-Christianisation of Quebec's Francophone population have impacted the way Francophone and Anglophone Pagans understand and live their faith.
Song and Chant Share
This is an opportunity to share songs and chants and other music from our communities across Canada
Pagan Community Stance on Sexual Abuse
This panel provides discusses what we as Pagans mean by the term sexual abuse, and whether it is possible to create a statement that a consensus would agree on. This discussion features a document that was written, discussed, and spear-headed by Dr. Brendan Myers and The Wild Hunt blog (thewildhunt.org).
Ancient and Modern Mythology
Would you call upon Robin Hood as the God deity? Do you find more power in calling down the spirit of the Dagda, or could you call upon the power of Superman as an archetype? Can Pagans still find power and relevance in published works from the last few centuries? How old does mythology need to be to be considered a valid mythology?
Translating English Sources into French
With so many Pagan books published in English, is there a market for them to be translated to French? What are the challenges to translate these documents? This panel explores the challenges inherent in making the current Pagan documentation accessible to the Francophone population.
Gaia Gathering VISIONING
Join members of the National Board as we discuss if the current formula that we developed for Gaia Gathering over seven year ago is still working, and collectively envision what future conferences might look like. We'll then brainstorm ways to help achieve this vision, as well as identifying and suggesting ways to overcome current obstacles.
This is your opportunity to get involved in the vision of the Canadian National Pagan Conference, and to share your thoughts and observations on the Montreal conference as well as any past ones that you have attended. The results of this visioning session will be presented at the AGM on Monday as suggestions to the incoming board of directors.
WORKSHOP: The Eight Paths of Power
Also known as the "Eightfold Way," the Eight Paths of Power are a series of 8 different techniques used in Wicca to perform magick. As detailed in Gerald Gardner's Book of Shadows, they are: Meditation or Concentration (Called, for short, "Intent"), Trance; Projection of the Astral; Rites, Chants, Spells, Runes, Charms, etc.; Incense, Drugs, Wine, etc. "Intoxicants"; The Dance and kindred practices; Blood Control (the Cords), Breath Control, and kindred practices; The Scourge; and The Great Rite.
WORKSHOP: Myth, Magic and the Spoken Word
Join Hobbes, storyteller and bard, as he explores the role that story and myth plays in spiritual development. Are myths pure entertainment, or do they contain the unspeakable truths that can only be experienced through the fantastic? As practical, real-world people, how do we come to terms with building relationships with mythic creatures and deities that most people regard as fantasy and fictional? Is there a middle ground, and if so, how do we secure our foothold in it? Hobbes will explore the role that myth plays in our community, our identity, and how it helps us understand the mysteries of the Divine.
Academic Stream Presentations
Semiotic Epistemology: Human Communication Repaired
D’une langue genrée à une liturgie ambiguë : l’expérience queer néo-païenne
Paganism and the Aftermath of the Quiet Revolution
Steam Pagan Banquet (7 pm $35)
What happens when you mix Steampunk with Pagan fashion? You get SteamPagan of course! How would pagans be attired in a steam-powered society? We leave it up to your creative genius to decide how you would present your SteamPagan side! Note: Dressing up in SteamPagan attire for the banquet is completely optional.
Pagan Idol (9 pm, free, 18+)
Pagan Idol is an open mic session where people are invited to entertain us with their talents.
Sing! Tell stories! Tell jokes! Perform magic before our very eyes! You can sign up for Pagan Idol at the banquet!
Raffle drawing
Local Pagans and business have donated goods and services that will be raffled at the banquet. Every full weekend registration automatically gets you three entries in the raffle and every full day pass gets you one entry. You can also buy additional tickets at the registration/information desk for $2 each or 3 for $5.
Monday
Registration desk open 8am to 1pm
**All Monday events take place at the YWCA Holden Fisher Hall, 1355 Rene Levesque West, H3G 1T3**
Tea and coffee from 9 am.
Pagan Canon (9 am)
A canon is a collection of writings that a religious tradition considers sacred, divinely inspired, or foundational. What texts, poetry and writings do we consider sacred? Is there a Pagan canon or tradition-specific canons? Where do sacred texts overlap between traditions?
Community Leader and Clergy Burnout (1 pm)
Many of our communities hinge upon the efforts of the few to provide services, organize events, and plan rituals that the community members can take part in. Sometimes these people receive the support they need, but much more often, they are left to do the work on their own, which is the well-worn path to burn-out. How can we better support our community leaders and clergy to prevent burn-out? More importantly, how can we help them recover from the burn-out they‘ve already experienced?
Annual General Meeting and Brunch (10:30 am)
Join us as we decide where the next Gaia Gathering will be held, elect new officers for our national board of directors, and review the reports from our out-going board of directors and local conference committee. A summary of the suggestions coming out of the visioning session on Sunday will also be presented. This is your chance participate in some important decisions and to learn more about ‘the inner workings’ of the conference. Everyone is welcome to attend, however only those who have paid the full conference registration rates are considered members with voting rights.
Tea, coffee and morning snacks will be available at the start of the meeting. We will take a brief break for a buffet-style lunch around 11:30 am.
Closing ceremony and ritual (3:30 pm)
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