2009 Spirituality Track Line-Up

We've been very busy since September. The cultural theme chosen for 2009 is the Pacific Northwest.  Here's our tentative panel proposals:

- Introduction to Guided Meditation

- Guided Meditation

 These two have been staples in the spirituality track for some time now and since everyone seems to enjoy them, we'll be offering them again.  The first panel is designed to give folk who either have trouble meditating or who have never tried it the tools to be potentially successful in the guided meditation. The guided meditation takes you on a journey to look for your power animal.  You might be surprised at who you meet!

- Anthropomorphics Through the Ages - Pacific Northwest

As we mentioned before, our topic this year is the Pacific Northwest.  It provides an extremely diverse discussion ground for animal symbology, anthropomorphic folktales, and totems.  We'll be looking at some unusual creatures such as Salmon, Coyote, Whale, and Seal as well as the more obvious Wolf, Bear, and Raven.

- Bear Necessities

Our real world totem focus this year is bear, with an emphasis on the species found in the pacific northwest.

 - Mysterious Mythicals - Bigfoot

He's big, he's hairy, he may or may not be part human...the Pacific Northwest is one of the areas from which the Bigfoot legends originated. We'll be talking about the wendigo, said to be either a weremoose or a mysterious cross between a moose and a human being, and about the more traditional Bigfoot as seen in the sequoia forest as well as some of the lesser known sitings such as the Florida skunk ape.

- Totems of the Northwest Pacific

 Not your average totem discussion!  We'll be looking at traditional totems as they were developed in the Pacific Northwest:  what animals were used, the order in which they were carved, the stories they tell according to pose and position on the pole.  Included will be some sort of carving media (TBA, most likely soap bars), the means to carve them (per approval of staff), and paints.  You'll be asked to carve and decorate your own in the traditional style.   We would like to be able to assemble this into a true totem and put it in the charity auction.

- Creative Mythology

A look at how mythology --- specifically how our furry mythology --- gets created and adapted to our own needs and how it changes with the times.  We'll be discussing Joseph Campbell's creative mythology concepts as they apply to furry fandom and constructing a collage to represent the furry fandom mythology.

- Creating a Pocket Shrine 

Back by popular demand!  A review of the basic concept will be given and the focus will be on a different set of techniques TBA.

 Watch this space for more as it develops.