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, producing beautiful altar figurines of Gods, Goddesses, and mythological creatures. He is the author of Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, Companion for the Apprentice Wizard, Creating Circles & Ceremonies, A Wizard's Bestiary, and Green Egg Omelette. He is also the Founder and Headmaster of the online Grey School of Wizardry. He has a weekly talk show on Blogtalk radio called "Over to Oberon & Ariel," each Wednesday night from 9:00-10:00 Central Time.

2012: Year of the Awakening

In the past half-century, we have seen many dates come and go predicting "the end of the world as we know it:" 1966, 1982, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2011, and now 2012. 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. What is the actual astronomical and astrological basis for this date, and what are the prophecies concerning it?

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. In 1970, Oberon Zell 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. And She is Awakening.

We may equate such a phenomenon 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. Perhaps the emergence and rapid evolution of the World-Wide Web is already creating a technological envelope of global consciousness. What shall we choose - Apocalypse or Apotheasis?

Create Your Own Goddess

This is Oberon's most popular workshop. Working with special air-drying clay (provided by festival), you will learn the proportions and techniques for sculpting an original Paleolithic Matrika in the authentic style of the famous so-called Stone Age "Venuses." You will come away with a wonderful votive figurine for your own altar, and learn how to make more for friends and coveners. Confuse the Hades out of future archaeologists!

The 3rd Phoenix Resurrection of the Church of All Worlds

Founded in 1962 by Oberon Zell and Lance Christie, the Church of All Worlds (CAW) became the first Pagan church to achieve full legal recognition in the US and Australia. It was also the first to identify as "Pagan." Through the publication of 136 issues of Green Egg magazine over a 32-year span, CAW was a major catalyst in the growth and unification of the worldwide Pagan community, and its influence was acknowledged in Margot Adler's classic Drawing Down the Moon and many other books on the history of the Pagan movement.

Some of CAW's best was to be seen in its Starwood CAWmunity. But in 2000, Green Egg ceased publication, and in 2004 the Ohio-based Board of Directors attempted to dissolve the CAW itself. But just a year later, with Oberon back at the helm, CAW had once again arisen from the ashes to become stronger than ever, and Green Egg soon reappeared as a beautiful e-zine.

What is it about CAW that has enabled it to periodically self-destruct and then reconstitute itself for a new generation? This year - 2012 - is the 50th anniversary of this most unusual Pagan Church. Come learn the history and secret of "The Ultimate Conspiracy."