Oberon Zell-Ravenheart

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is a renowned Wizard and elder in the worldwide magickal community. In 1962, he co-founded the Church of All Worlds, a Pagan church with a futuristic vision, and he has been involved in the founding of several other major groups and alliances. First to apply the terms "Pagan" and "Neo-Pagan" to the newly emerging Nature Religions of the 1960s, and through his publication of Green Egg Magazine (1968-2000), Oberon was instrumental in the coalescence of the modern Pagan movement. In 1970, he had a profound Vision of the Living Earth which he published as an early version of "The Gaia Thesis." Oberon is the primary artist of The Mythic Images Collection (www.MythicImages.com), producing beautiful altar figurines of Gods, Goddesses, and mythological creatures. His first book is Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard (New Page Books, 2004). He is Founder and Headmaster of the online Grey School of Wizardry (www.GreySchool.com). Living in NorCalifia, Oberon is lifemate to Morning Glory and senior member of the Ravenheart Family.

2012: Year of The Awakening

As the popular mythology and anticipation around the year 2012 builds, with speculations and predictions ranging from Judgment Day to the destruction of the planet, magickal people around the world are focusing on the pivotal moment of Winter Solstice to catalyze a global Awakening of planetary consciousness.

Gaea, or Mother Earth, is the oldest and most universally-acknowledged religious archetype in all of human experience, intuitively recognized throughout the world even by small children. Over 40 years ago, Oberon had a vision that eventually became known as the Gaea Thesis: that all life on Earth comprises the body of a single living being—Mother Earth (Gaea) Herself. In positing Gaea as a single vast planetary organism, we cannot avoid the implication that such a complex entity must also possess a concomitant awareness, sentience, indeed—consciousness.

Teilhard de Chardin proposed in The Phenomenon of Man a future coalescence of planetary consciousness which he called the "Omega Point." Perhaps the emergence and rapid evolution of the Internet and World-Wide Web are already providing the seeds of a technological Noosphere of global consciousness through which this Awakening will inevitably manifest. We might equate such an event with the awakening of consciousness in our own minds, as the billions of neurons in our brains link up synergistically. Just so shall we participate in the Awakening of Gaea Herself. What shall we choose—Apocalypse or Apotheasis?

Esoteric Education: Restoring the Wonder

(Panel/discussion forum with Headmaster Oberon and other Grey School faculty)
Once upon a time, education was imbued with a mystique of learning arcane lore and forbidden knowledge. The earliest schools were schools of Wizardry-such as Plato's Academy in Athens, and the Pythagorean Mystery School. Today there are many correspondence courses and online schools of Witchcraft, Magick, and Wizardry—such as the Church and School of Wicca, Mystery School, Witch School, and the Grey School of Wizardry.

What do such schools have to offer that cannot be found in the public education system? And is it really possible to learn magick online? What are the differences between Witches, Magicians, and Wizards—and what kind of training do they each require? Learn about the Grey School's system of color associated with each of the Wizard’s paths. Where did these come from and how are they taught? What color of Wizardry are you most attracted to, and how can you go about learning it?

Since the early '90s, Oberon has been addressing the needs and concerns of the next generation, resulting in his Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard (2004). Then Oberon created the online Grey School of Wizardry to continue these studies. Headmaster Oberon and other Grey School staff will present how all this came to be, where it is going, and how you can be part of it.

The Once and Future Religion

(Panel/discussion forum with Oberon and other Pagan Elders)
The two thousand years allotted by their own mythos for the reign of Christianity has now ended. After an Age-long exile, Paganism is returning to the world. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Avatar movies are only a few examples of how the new Pagan Renaissance is impacting the popular culture-especially the next generation. Joseph Campbell said it is time for a new myth that includes the whole Earth and everyone on it. Paganism and the Gaea Thesis offer such an all-embracing mythos. This Millennium can be ours, if we can seize the day.

In the first century CE, early Christianity bore a great resemblance in form to contemporary Neo-Paganism; 1,100 years later it was conducting the Inquisition and Crusades. How can we plan now so that our descendants will not betray our noble visions? More immediately, how can we cope with our exponential growth? Temple buildings, lands, full-time paid clergy. Legal and media issues. Securing our rights and thwarting our persecutors.

Drawing upon nearly half a century of experience as a group founder, magazine publisher, presenter and leader in the worldwide Neo-Pagan community, Oberon leads an informal interactive forum-style discussion concerning our identity as modern Pagans, our history, and our future. Come prepared with questions to raise, issues to discuss, ideas to present, visions to offer.