Taliesin Govannon

Taliesin has been a student of the occult for over 25 years, studying a potpourri of topics ranging from hauntings and poltergeists to UFOs, demonology, tarot, ceremonial magick and beyond. He has followed the path of Witchcraft for the past 20 years, partaking in everything from solitary practice to Celtic Traditional Craft; as well as leading a myriad of eclectic open circles along the way. Taliesin is currently High Priest of the Coven of Caer Ariarhod in Northeast Ohio. He's a dedicated humourist, author of the now-infamous original set of redneck Pagan jokes, as well as former humour-columnist for "The Witches Brew" magazine. He is also a free-lance writer, author of a series of probing essays on Modern Wicca recently published in a collection called "In My Own Hand Of Write", as well as a forthcoming book on Traditional Wicca for solitaries.

Beyond 101: Taking Wicca to the Next Level

For those starting out on the path, there's hundreds, if not thousands, of books to guide you. But what about *after* you've mastered the basics? On that subject, there's often a defening silence. And yet, if the Craft of the Wise is truly to become a 21st century religion, the need is great for people to step beyond the beginner's books, to dig deeper instead of just scratching the surface. In this workshop, 20+ year veteran of Wicca Taliesin Govannon shares some handy tips for deepening your Wiccan practice, no matter what your particular tradition may be. He'll also share some guideposts he's discovered towards exploring the deeper mysteries of Wicca, as well as some funny stories about the spirits he's encountered along the way.

Pagan Mythbusters!

There are some historical references that have become so commonly talked about in the modern Neo-Pagan scene that many accept them as fact. Such as the nine million people (almost always women) who were killed during the "Burning Times", and how many of those targeted were strong willed women, herbalists, and midwives. Or the cult of the Mother Goddess that stretched across ancient Europe. And how Gerald Gardner probably made the whole "Wicca" thing up, and the "New Forest Coven" that he said initiated him was probably a fiction to lend his invention credibility. Why, these things are just givens, right? > Wrong! In this informative workshop, Taliesin shares the modern research that shed light on these fallicies, and the often incredible stories that get forgotten in the shadow of these modern fables (for example: in some areas, almost all of those tried and executed as witches were men. In others, midwives were used to examine suspected witches and played an important role in the persecutions. And while there was never a universal cult of the "Great Mother", there were countless facinating local Goddesses who may just appeal to modern Pagans even more!). For those who believe that our modern Paganisms benefit much more from an honest understanding of our past than a fanciful imagination of what "would have been neat" but never were, this presentation is a must!

Religion Without Faith

"What?" you say, "How can someone follow a religion yet have no faith? Isn't faith the cornerstone of all religions?" Actually, no, it doesn't have to be. One of the (many) definitions of the word "faith" in Webster's Dictionary is "the firm belief in something for which there is no proof". Just because many mainstream modern religions cling to faith doesn't mean that everyone has to. To the mystics throughout the ages, mere faith was never enough, they had to gain *experience* of the Divine. When one has direct experiences with Divinity, one doesn't need "faith". Experience is it's own proof, which eliminated the need for "faith". In this workshop, Taliesin explains just what Experiential Religion is, and how interested people can utilize time-honoured techniques of mysticism to gain personal experience with Divinty, no matter what one's personal path is. So let's take off the blinders and experience Religion Without Faith!