Ancient Ways

News from the Store

October 1 is the 20^th Anniversary of Ancient Ways!! All purchases will be 10% off on that day. Also look for snacks and party food in the back room.

Our used/damaged book sale of 20% off selected books is still going strong along with lots of close out odds and ends. We are also well stocked with our usual candles, incense, incense burners, lots of athames, statues etc. We have delightful new things from a new age Gift Show I went to in June; Wonderful spell books and cute black cat, witch and wizard statues, key chains etc. were sooo fun we are already re-ordering. I expect to find new things and place more orders this weekend at the SF show.

The 15^th annual

PantheaCon 2009

Feb 13 – 16, 2009

San Jose Double Tree Hotel

2050 Gateway Place, San Jose CA

We have all the function room space with 4 ballrooms full of wondrous vendors and 4 ballrooms for rituals and workshops along with 10 additional rooms. Parking at the hotel is $5 a night for attendees with their badges. Only hotel guests get in-out privileges.

Theme: Gods and Goddesses and families

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." -- Goethe

All the overflow hotels have free parking and you can reach the hotel by cab or a short walk. We expect to have a shuttle bus or van go among the hotels. Whent he Holiday Inn is full we will post other “contracted and designated” hotels on line.

1 - The Holiday Inn San Jose (408) 793-3300; $79; has 2 restaurants on site. We have an 85 room block, but will need to share it with a business group.

2 - Extended Stay America Deluxe (408) 453-3000; $95 F & Sat nights, more on Sun.; has kitchens

For Presenter applications, see www.pantheacon.com or in this store newsletter. Presentations will be “judged” to get a good variety. The Deadline is October 15. Applications received after Oct. 15 go on a waiting list. Please be brief, but detailed. See the form enclosed or go on line. Descriptions of events and personal biographies should be about 100 words; we prefer not to have to chop to fit the space available for you. Confirmations go out in mid November.

Vendor applications are included in this Newsletter and are subject to approval and space available. We will be “judging” the vendor merchandise types to get a good mix. The Deadline is October 15; “late” applications will not be considered. Vendor forms cannot be filled out on the website, only downloaded and mailed in.

TO BE A PRIESTESS, TO BE A PRIEST: a pre-PantheaCon day-long intensive presented by Amber K and Azrael Arynn K of Ardantane Pagan Learning Center, on Thursday Feb. 11, 2009 at the Doubletree Hotel San Jose.
Are you a priestess or priest of a Pagan tradition? Or do you and feel called to serve, but are unsure whether you could be a priestess or priest? This intensive workshop is for you.
What were the roles of the priesthood in ancient religions? What roles do priests, ministers, rabbis, and imams fill in mainstream religions today? What different functions do clergy have in modern Pagan traditions?
What is your special calling or vocation within the priesthood? Are you called to be a group spiritual leader--or one of the other TWENTY-SEVEN or more specialized ministries that are needed? (from Animal Advocate to Fawne Chantress to Sacred Fool... and many more.)
What does devotion to a particular aspect of deity require from you? Must you dedicate yourself to a particular goddess or god? How much special training do you need, and where can you get it? How should you present yourself to society as a Pagan priest or priestess? 
Join us and take a good look at your spiritual calling, with the help of Amber and Azrael Arynn K, authors of True Magick, Ritualcraft, Heart of Tarot, Covencraft and other highly regarded books. The program fee is $75, which includes lunch and all program materials. Make check payable to Ardantane and send to Ardantane, P.O. Box 307, Jemez Springs NM 87025... or register online and use Paypal.
Go to www.ardantane.org, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or mail your check to the address shown above. Do it today, while there's still room!
For more information, call 505-469-7777 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Cherry Hill Seminary As we go to press we have not received the planned info for Cherry Hill’s Intensive. To find out more look on their website and I expect they will have it there soon. Cherry Hill Seminary; "Distance Education for Professional Pagan Ministry" P.O. Box 5405, Columbia, SC 29250-5405 www.cherryhillseminary.org

The Ancient Ways 25^th anniversary Festival went well at Stone City Pagan Sanctuary – the 1^st annual festival at that site. (Well, except for the unexpected scorching weather on that weekend.) My highlight of the festival was in the stone circle dancing half naked by the firelight under the full moon to live music by Land of the Blind. That is a vision worth remembering.

Next year’s Ancient Ways Festival will be May 13 – 17, the weekend prior to Memorial Day. We expect milder weather next year.

Our numbers were just under last year at Harbin and it felt wonderfully secure, safe and “just us”. There was an inflatable pool for us to cool off in along with a hot tub that I didn’t need. If you have any comments, suggestions or feedback about the festival, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Web site

Yet again we have moved our web site to a format. This one will allow us to have log in forums. We expect that feature to be ready by fall. The forums will allow people to seek roommates and rides to PantheaCon. (Please remember that we cannot screen people for you. You must a wary buyer in that respect.) The forums will also include a Pagan interest Political page. (This will be moderated to keep out obvious ads.)

Elist for the Newsletter

We are starting a switch to an email list for people who wish to just be reminded that the new info for the quarter is ready and not waste trees on a snail mail hard copy. I hope to have a sign-up area on the form for that. But you can do that sooner by sending your email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

We now have an up dated Oil List of over 150 different oils. We have many essential oils for those who can afford them. We also have many of the famous magical oils mentioned in historic texts. Please see the new Oil List in the Store section of the website. We had to increase the over all prices for our basic oils; this is the first increase in over 15 years. We thank you for your understanding in this price increase. This price increase takes place Oct. 15, 2008.

 

 

 

Feb 13 – 16, 2009
President’s Day weekend

San Jose Double Tree Hotel
2050 Gateway Place, San Jose CA
(408) 453-4000

We have all the function room space with 4 ballrooms full of wondrous vendors and 4 ballrooms for rituals and workshops along with 10 additional rooms. Parking at the hotel is $5 a night for attendees with their badges. Only hotel guests get in-out privileges.

This year’s Theme: Gods and Goddesses and families

Important Dates for PantheaCon 2009 On line Registration for the Con is open and closes Feb. 1; then you can register on site.

Up to date information is available at the PantheaCon website: www.pantheacon.com

Last year’s Greening of the Con went well and we made over $2000 to offset carbon.We will provide the opportunity to donate to a carbon offset group again on site at PantheaCon.