Guests of Honor

Selena Fox

Selena Fox is a psychotherapist, teacher, writer, photographer, ritual performance artist, and priestess. She is founder and co-executive director of Circle Sanctuary, an international Nature Spirituality resource center headquartered on a 200 acre Nature preserve in southwestern Wisconsin, USA.

Selena received her M.S. in Counseling from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She graduated cum laude with a B.S. in psychology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1971. She received additional training in psychology at Rutgers University, Parkway Hospital, and various conferences and training programs. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, Association for Transpersonal Psychology, and American Academy of Religion. She is a spiritual counselor in private practice. She also is a staff psychotherapist at Wellspring, a mental health outpatient clinic in Madison, Wisconsin.

Selena has been a Wiccan priestess and Pagan artist since 1973. Selena's approach to spirituality emphasizes Nature communion and blends together ancient and contemporary European and American folkways, Wiccan traditions, multicultural shamanism, and transpersonal psychology. She is one of America's best known Pagan elders, networkers, and civil liberties activists. She is founder of Circle Network, Lady Liberty League, and the Pagan Academic Network. Over the years, Selena and her work have been covered by various regional, national, and global media, including Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, CNN's Larry King Live, NBC's Today Show, and various radio networks (NPR, BBC, ABC, CBC). She has spoken at a variety of international and multicultural conferences.

Selena's writings and photographs have been published in a variety of periodicals, anthologies, and other publications. She is author of Goddess Communion Rituals and Meditations and When Goddess is God. She also has created several music and guided meditation tapes. She is founder of the quarterly journal, Circle Network News, and sourcebook, Circle Guide to Pagan Groups. She was a consultant for Time-Life Books' Mysteries of the Unknown series.

Selena has traveled widely in connection with her work. She has presented workshops and facilitated community ritual experiences in many types of settings, including colleges and universities, festivals, churches, conferences, and healing centers. She lives with her husband, Dr. Dennis Carpenter, and nine cats... at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve. Her avocational pursuits include archaeology, genealogy, herbology, and ornithology.

Raven Kaldera

Raven Kaldera is a shaman, diviner, homesteader, transgender activist, prolific pagan author, and founder of the First Kingdom Church of Asphodel. His works include co-authoring "The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle" and "Handfastings and Wedding Rituals: Welcoming Hera's Blessing", and authoring "Hermaphrodeities: The Transgender Spirituality Workbook", "MythAstrology", and "The Ethical Psychic Vampire", "Pagan Polyamory", "Dark Moon Rising: Pagans BDSM", and the Northern-Tradition Shamanism Series, to name just a few. He lives and works on an organic pagan farm in Habbardston, Mass., and can be found online at cauldronfarm.com. 'Tis an ill wind that blows no minds.

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Nora Cedarwind

I’m Nora Cedarwind Young ~ Death Midwife, Hospice Nora Cedarwind Young is a Certified Death Midwife, Green Burial Educator, and Hospice Chaplain in Washington State. She teaches nationwide and educates others in the healing value of home funerals, green burial and family directed choice at end-of-life. Nora has been featured in numerous books about end-of-life and the green burial movement and end-of-life planning and paperwork, and she has had several articles published in numerous magazines and on line sites. Her article End-of-life Preferences for Wiccans, Pagans and Nature Sprituality Practioners appeared in the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. She has presented at several festivals including Pagan Spirit Gathering, Pantheacon, Daughters of Dianna, Gaias Womb, Summerstar, NW Lammas Festival, Spring Mysteries Festival,  Hecates Sickle Festival, Provender Alliance, Circle Sanctuary and the International Women of Wisdom Conference. She is most happy teaching three or four day intensives for small groups to bring the traditions home to our communities for carring for our own beloved dead. Everyone welcome. www.thresholdsoflife.org

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Mya Om

Mya Om (Michigan) has traveled around the world. A lifelong witch, she was initiated into the Craft in 1998, after studying both Dianic and American Eclectic Wiccan traditions.

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Chantel Lysette

Chantel Lysette (Michigan) is an angel intuitive who has read for hundreds of clients. She is also the creator and host of the lecture/reading series, The Angel Gallery. For more information, visit www.theangeloracle.com.

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Michelle Belanger is an author best known for her books on psychic vampirism including the best-selling "Psychic Vampire Codex" (Weiser, 2004) and "Vampires in Their Own Words" (Llewellyn, 2007). Her other works include "Psychic Dreamwalking," "The Psychic Energy Codex," "Walking the Twilight Path," and the forth-coming book, "The Ghost Hunter's Survival Guide" among many others.

A skilled energy worker, she is also the founder of House Kheperu, a magickal society based out of Northeast Ohio that formally teaches the Kheprian style of energy work. Michelle has appeared on numerous documentaries, radio, and television shows, including the History Channel, A&E, WE!, the X-Zone, and Coast to Coast AM, and her expertise on modern subcultures has been sought by researchers, college professors, and even criminal justice associations.

In addition to her magickal work, Michelle is also a talented singer/songwriter, and she has appeared on albums by URN, Nox Arcana, and Xyla. Her solo album, "Blood of Angels" debuted in 2006 and made Amazon's list of top ten New Age releases. Born intersexed, Michelle has a signature four octave range.

Kenn Day

Kenn is a working shaman and nationally recognized lecturer, with a newly published book on post tribal shamanism entitled Dance of Stones. Over the past 20 years, Kenn has developed and shared his own shamanic techniques and philosophy, while in private practice at the Full Spectrum Health Center of Cincinnati. In addition to his shamanic work, he is a Family Constellation Facilitator, Licensed Massage Therapist, Synergetic Structural Therapist, Medical QiGong Sifu and a founding member of the Cincinnati TaiJiQuan Club. Many of these diverse trainings have influenced the growth of Sheya, a self transformative practice that Kenn developed in the early 80's.  

Websites: http://www.soulsolutionshome.com/ 

http://www.shamanstouch.com/

http://www.sheya.org/

Mateyo Empie

For over 30 years Mateyo Empie has added to her inborn gifts by the intensive study of metaphysical disciplines in Peru, India, the United States, and elsewhere. A certified Polarity Therapist, ordained minister, healer, and leader of vision quests, she also weaves skillfully and throws original ceramics, holding a degree in the fine arts. She has taught self-development for nearly twenty years, concentrating on the traditions of Peru, especially the esteemed Q'ero of the high Andes. When not in Peru, Mateyo lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this world, she regards the Plant and Stone People as her most important advisors.

Website: www.shamaniccenter.org

Jacki Smith

Jacki Smith has been a crafter of magical products since 1992, and an initiated Witch since 1988.  The current trend in spiritual tools can be traced in part to the groundbreaking products that she developed over 17 years ago through her company, Coventry Creations.  Jacki’s Blessed Herbal Candles are a staple throughout the pagan community and are becoming commonplace in mainstream America.

Her 2 self published books, Coventry Magic and Hoo Doo 101 double as her course books for the classes she has taught all up and down the east coast and at Convocation for the past several years. These books are a culmination of many years of study from many paths and use very down to earth concepts to help you take control of your magical outcomes.

Jacki can be reached through Coventry Creations – www.coventrycreations.com or emailed at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jason Mankey

Jason Mankey has been a practicing Pagan for the last ten years. In that time he has developed a very special interest in the history of paganism and the gods who are a part of it. Jason hails from the Lansing, Michigan area where he is semi-active in the local community. He is currently working on his first major book, The Horned God.

Website: www.panmankey.com

Andrieh Vitimus

Hands On Chaos Magic (Llewellyn 2009) author Andrieh Vitimus is has been a practicing magician for over 15 years in multiple systems and holds a cognitive science degree. He holds the rank of Houngan asogwe in Haitian Vodou.  He is a Usui and Karuna Reiki Master Teacher, a licensed hypnotherapist, and a member of the Illuminates of Thanateros.  Contact him at http://www.andriehvitimus.com

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Musical Guests

Dana Piper

Dana has been playing hand percussion since 1990…... the same year he ‘found' nature spirituality. He is a professional massage therapist of 20 years and has a small photography business. Other passions include Sharon (of course), glass blowing, world travel, fire spinning, the Human Awareness Institute, hugs and just living life fully. Dana has studied Latin, African, and Middle Eastern drumming from numerous teachers. He has led drum circles and taught drumming for many years in many venues including ConVocation, as well as having played in concert settings as well as in the recording studio. Dana has also been a teacher of basic and advanced sports massage for over a decade. His massage trainings are Sports Massage, Applied Kinesiology, Myofacial Release, Shiatsu and Full Term Pregnancy (and now has assisted in childbirth).

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DJ Tommytoony

Thomas Downey, a.k.a. DJ Tommytoony has been a professional DJ for over a decade and a deranged Toon-atic for most of his life. This is Tommy's forth appearance at ConVocation. He has spun tunes at ConFusion, ConClave and PenguiCon as well as various clubs and hundreds of weddings and parties across the state. He is an ordained minister and President of the Church of Secular Humanism of Michigan, and founder of the First United Electric Church of Music (can I get an "amen"?). Tom would like to thank the ConVo staff (I get it now), Dave (table dancing abilities), Robbi (padawan), KitKat (assistant in chaos and CD sacrifices), and "the fans" (sic) for their continued support