Covenant of the Goddess prepares for its first Merry Meet conference in Atlanta

For Immediate Release

In two weeks, Covenant of the Goddess will be hosting its yearly convention, Merry Meet, in Atlanta Georgia, from Aug. 21-24. The event is not only a festive learning experience; it is also the all-important annual business meeting for the 39-year-old nonprofit Pagan organization.  

The first Merry Meet was held in 1981 in California. At that time, the organization was still young and building its network. Since that time, Merry Meet has been held in a variety of different cities and venues across the country. The exact location is chosen by a bidding process two years in advance. Last year, the event was held in the historic city of Salem, Massachusetts. Next year, Merry Meet will be in Ontario, California. 

The event's organizers are typically members of a CoG local council or simply area members. This year's event is being organized by Dogwood Local Council (DLC), based in Atlanta, GA. Coincidentally, 2014 marks DLC's 20th anniversary as an organized local CoG representative, supporting Wiccans and Witches in Georgia and Alabama.

Merry Meet 2014 will be hosted at the Crown Plaza Ravinia in Dunwoody, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Outside of the CoG business meeting, Dogwood has planned two days worth of workshops, a drumming ritual, a masquerade dance, and a Kirtan concert. Local vendors will be also be on hand with a variety of products ranging from handmade soaps and besoms; to tie-dye clothing and crystal potpourri. 

In addition, DLC is hosting a Leadership Institute, as is traditional, on the day before the conference.  Held at the beautiful Chattahoochee Nature Center, the program, called "Standing on Common Ground," will focus on the importance of interfaith work. During the day, several of CoG's Interfaith representatives (including, Rachael Watcher, Don Frew and Macha Nightmare), along with members of Atlanta's interfaith community, will be sharing their experiences and wisdom.

DLC has also invited special guest, Circle Sanctuary's Rev. Selena Fox, to attend the leadership institute and conference. She will be sitting on the interfaith panel, speaking at the hotel during dinner, and offering a workshop on Saturday called Pagan Death Passages.  

In conjunction with Merry Meet, Selena will also be offering a second workshop on cauldrons at Phoenix & Dragon bookstore in Sandy Springs. Although this is not an official part of CoG's conference, bookstore owner Candace Apple, has invited Merry Meet guest to attend the Thursday night event. She is also giving every registered Merry Meet guest a $10.00 gift certificate to be used in her metaphysical store.

Members and non-members are invited to attend. Passes for Merry Meet are still available through DLC's website. Tickets to Thursday's Leadership Institute are $50.00 and include lunch. Day passes for the conference are $100.00 per day and are all-inclusive. See the site for more details on each day's events.

For more information about DLC or the upcoming Merry Meet Conference, go to its main website. 

For more information about CoG or any of its local councils, go to www.cog.org

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