michelle belanger

A few weeks ago I attended Gather 2019, a “pan-spiritual” conference. I never know how to classify it, but pan-spiritual seems to work, it’s not really a pagan conference, though many attendees might fall into that category, nor is it really an energy worker conference, though many attendees might fall into that category. You have pagans, Buddhists, Catholics, and Satanists; monotheists, polytheists, atheists; energy workers, spirit mediums, sorcerers; psychic vampires, otherkin, and other fringe freaks (said with true love). I have never attended a magick oriented conference that manages to actively encompass so many diverse backgrounds.

I’ve been attending Gather almost as long as they’ve been occurring, I missed a few at the beginning, but this was the 19th year of Gather, and I continue to be impressed by it. Now, I will admit my bias, I am associated with the organization that arranges Gather, House Kheperu. If you’re familiar with their system, I’m the Ally Guardian, if you’re not, it’s easiest to say I’m allied with them, and while not a member of the House, I work with them in most ways a member might. This year I co-headed programming, meaning I sorted through all the class submissions, made the very difficult call of what classes to accept and decline, and helped set up the schedule. So I’ll admit, I’m in a place to be biased about Gather, but I’m also tied so closely with the House and Gather because how much the early Gathers impressed me.

This year the theme was Unleashing Your Potential, and I think Gather itself has been doing that in the last two years. Gather is held at The Hotel at Oberlin (that’s the actual name), in Oberlin Ohio. It’s a beautiful hotel, in a remarkable town, and I’d yatter more about the community but this entry will be long enough as is.

We were very excited to have Ivo Dominguez Jr. as our featured presenter. In fact the first class I attended this year was Ivo’s class “Energy Fitness and Conditioning Practices.” I enjoyed this class immensely, the basic concept being that energy work is work, magick is work, and just like with physical exercises that you need to actively do energetic work to keep yourself in good form. At events like this, it’s not unusual to see someone burn themselves out, doing too much beyond their normal limits (like running 5km when you might only jog 1km every week). The class dealt with exercises that you can do to help prevent that and strengthen yourself.

On a slight aside, I just want to say if you ever get the chance to attend one of Ivo’s classes do it, and if you ever get the chance to actually talk with him, do it. He is a genuine pleasure to talk with, a fascinating person, and I’m lucky I got to spend so much time with him. Also he is approachable and grounded. I’ve been to conferences where the guest presenter is there just to sell books; they teach their class, they sit with their books, and they vanish. Ivo wasn’t like that, he attended classes like anyone else, he stayed for the after Gather lunch. As much as he was our guest presenter, he was also like the rest of us, enjoying a weekend of great conversations and classes.

The second class I attended was my own, “Tantric Tech and the Tarot” focusing on the Chariot, Death, and the Moon. This is the fourth (!) time I’ve offered a form of this class, each year dealing with a different set of cards. In this class I explore the deeper esoteric meanings of the cards as used in the BOTA and Golden Dawn outside of divination. I also offer the rough equivalent of a jenang, a basic Buddhist Empowerment, using the figures of the cards, rather than traditional deities. This is an extension of, and now a driving force, behind my own deep personal esoteric work with the tarot.

That was the last class of the night, but as usual I was up until around 0500 talking with friends I haven’t seen for months, and interesting new folks I just got the chance to meet. As much as I love the variety of scope of classes at Gather, it’s these in between and after hour conversations that really make it a great event.

Despite being up until 0500, I woke up and attended a 1000 class: Oneironautics 101 by Duende. It was an introduction to dream work, and the hypnopompic and hypnogogic states. Despite being early, it was an enjoyable class I’m not sure how much I’ll manage to make use of, because as folks might know dream work just seems to be beyond me, despite trying everything forever. (Perhaps a bit of hyperbole) But nonetheless it was interesting and has me rethinking some of my dream issues.

Then I had the second class that I taught: Dealing with Your Demons. It was a redux of a class I did years ago on how to use magickal techniques for working with demons and spirits, and how to apply those techniques to our “personal demons,” our psychological structures and baggage and all the internal stuff that makes our life difficult. It was well received. It was also one of the classes that was recorded, so if you’re interested in the class but didn’t attend you can purchase access to the recording (more on that below).

The next class I attended was Integrating Initiations with Dani and Hrafn. It is a class I wish was better attended, because conversations after Gather showed how much it was needed. The class looked an initiatory experiences, spiritual awakening and emergence, both informal, and formal, how they impact the individual and societal group, and how to navigate the upsets, mental, energetic, social, and otherwise. It had some good solid advice and perspectives, both presenters have been part of initiatory magickal traditions, and one presenter is a licensed therapist. If you’ve never been to a large event like Gather you might not realize it, but in a lot of ways if you’re open they’re initiatory experiences, and there are always people who have issues getting back into the swing of things afterwards.

The second Ivo class I attended was Castings & Containers: Choices In Creating Sacred Space. This was one of the two classes I was most excited for. I greatly enjoyed, and recommend, Ivo’s book Casting Sacred Space. In fact one of the techniques from that book was used during a ritual at Gather several years earlier that I was one of the ritualists for. This class was less on specific techniques for creating space, like in his book, and more on the different types of space, how to make it in different ways, and why would you want space that is more a fortress than a crossroad or a lense.

Cat’s Minor Meta-Surgery class was the other class I was very excited for. Meta-Surgery is a phrase we use for intentional alterations to the energy body. In this case the class covered the basics, what it is, why would you do it, how do you do it. This class focused on making a very simple augment for the finger. We had an experiment of sensing three items concealed in fabric or a box with our hands, then creating this extension to our finger, and then using that longer appendage to reach into the wrapping/box around the items and sensing again. While the class was nothing particularly new to me, I really enjoyed it because Cat is a blast (the only person I know who refers to an energy ball as “that motherfucker” and check out her amazing energy body artwork) and meta-surgery isn’t really talked about a lot, so was curious to see her present on it.

The last class I attended was Ivo’s third class on Sunday morning, The Consequences of Magickal Action: Aftercare and Healing. A great class to finish Gather with, looking at all the different issues that can arise in magickal work (especially intense and closely grouped workings, like at a conference like Gather…). Very practical, down to earth, take care of yourself advice, but needed.

I was a minor part of the closing ritual at Gather, where I spoke about the Questions of the weekend, and challenging others with them. The theme was unlocking your potential, and for me, the question that I kept coming back to in that regard is “Who are you?” We think of ourselves in relationship to other things, we’re children, siblings, lovers, we identify as our job, our hobbies. When all of these things are gone, when you take away all these supposedly defining traits: who are you? Want to unlock your potential? Know who you are.

Then, suddenly, Gather 2019 was over. I’ve already booked off the dates for Gather 2020. As I have stated, and I’ll state again, Gather is my favourite magickal conference/convention/event, and the only such event that I will rearrange and fight everything in my life to make sure I make it down. If you were unable to attend, you can buy digital access to the recorded classes here.

To the folks I met at Gather this year and came to my blog, welcome!

To folks reading this who are interested or curious in Gather, I hope to see you there for Gather 2020.