On February 20 through 23, 2025, ConVocation will celebrate its 30th year as a Michigan convention for magical people. First founded in 1995, ConVocation has been hosted in various hotels around southeastern Michigan before finding its new home in Ypsilanti in 2024. Moira Payne, ConVocation 2025’s Program Chair and President of the Magical Education Council of Ann Arbor, hopes this new home will be permanent.

“We needed a new convention center that could accommodate our growing attendance,” Payne told me in our interview. “And the Marriott Ypsilanti Eagle Crest is the perfect fit. It’s a hotel designed around a convention center, with surrounding hotels to accommodate overflow guests once our hotel block is booked up. The hotel staff have been amazingly supportive, even coming in to attend panels.”

“It started out as an event for Pagans,” Payne recalled, “but now it’s really for all people interested in the magical arts. A relative of mine who is Christian went last year, and she found her people. She found people who were talking to each other about channeling Mother Mary.”

With an astoundingly diverse schedule featuring over 250 classes, including full programs designed for children and a separate track for teens, ConVocation really does feel like a small village. There are drum circles and rituals throughout the weekend and two masquerade balls. The first is for the children followed later the same evening by a masquerade ball for adults where attendees go all-out on expressing their magical selves in costume and dance.

“We have a Divination Den now too,” Payne told me. “In a lot of other townships, we weren’t allowed to do that—many have bans on ‘fortune telling’ for money. But Ypsilanti doesn’t, which is another reason why this location is perfect. We’ll have a room full of diviners practicing different spiritual arts, in addition to the vendors’ hall. People love it.”

“We have a room designed for neurodivergent accessibility,” Payne continued. “It’s a sacred, quiet space. We also have a Chalice Well Room—that’s an alternative to a 12-step program for addiction recovery. They hold open and closed meetings and programming throughout the conference for those who are struggling with substance abuse or who know someone who is.”

“We have a designated nursing room available with a space to change babies and activity programming for children aged five and up. We also have a gaming room for low-key social engagement. There are options like Cards Against Humanity for more casual play with Dungeons and Dragons in the evening. Last year that was a real hit with teens and adults alike. It was heartwarming to see them all playing together.”

Payne also describes a team of “guardians”—convention volunteers who are trained in energy work and spiritual arts to provide grounding and spiritual first aid to attendees. “They’re not security staff. They’re not armed. But they’re there to keep attendees safe–physically and spiritually.”

The 250+ classes are taught by magical practitioners from across cultures and across the world, for audiences ranging from elementary school and family friendly workshops to adults-only classes addressing the most advanced and sensitive types of magic.

This year’s guests of honor will include renowned witchcraft author Christopher Penzack, Priestess Stephanie Rose Bird whose work on folk tales of the African diaspora has been exhibited around the world, Benebell Wen who debuted her fusion of Eastern Buddhist and Daoist occultism with Western occultism in The Holistic Tarot, and award-winning authors Devin Hunter and Matt Auryn. Metaphysical publishers Llewellyn and Crossed Crow Books will also be in attendance.

First founded by a small group of local magical practitioners inspired by the example of Pantheacon on the West Coast, the goal of ConVocation has always been to bring magical people of all stripes together for a weekend of community and co-building unlike any other. It’s now organized by the Magical Education Council of Ann Arbor, whose President credits Crazy Wisdom’s Witch’s Night Out with her involvement in the MEC and ConVocation.

“I came to Witch’s Night Out,” Payne recalled in our interview, “and it was snowing. Very few people showed up. But those of us who did got to talking about ConVocation. I was amazed to hear about these people who were creating a full magical village for four days.

“My first time attending, I was nervous,” Payne laughed. “For months we’d been hearing stories and seeing pictures on the convention’s Facebook group. Four of us who met through Witch’s Night Out attended together. We ended up each agreeing to go to different classes and take notes so we could report back to the others!”

“It was overwhelming in the best way to be out in Troy, Michigan, and have a thousand witches and magical people gathering. There were rituals throughout the day, a vendor’s hall, and of course the masquerade ball. Christopher Penzack was there too, and he was one of my favorite authors. It was like a family camp for metaphysical people.”

Payne says she left her first ConVocation overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. She and her friends promptly resolved to attend each year, often showing up on Wednesday, before the convention began, in order to “get into con mode.”

“Over the years, I found community at ConVocation. I met some of my best friends. And when I was offered the opportunity to get more involved by joining the board, I jumped at it.”

One important reason behind ConVocation’s choice of new location is the hotel’s willingness to accommodate Pagan values. “We told the hotel, ‘we can only do business with venues that allow hospitality suites.’ These are our community values: we want to be able to feed our community. Nourishment is part of that. The hotel also worked with convention to create an affordable grab-and-go menu, which is much more affordable than standard hotel restaurants and mobile so it can be picked up quickly and taken to classes.”

“Accessibility is important to us. That’s one reason we’re not at a campground; there are many outdoor Pagan festivals, but some people can more easily access and navigate indoor spaces. We also allow volunteers to earn admission with their volunteer hours, so they don’t have to pay the ticket price. The children’s track allows parents of school-aged children to do their own thing during the day, then pick the kids up for lunch and dinner and attend family-friendly activities at night.”

Crystal Thomas, a member of the Witches of West Michigan, shared with me about her experience attending ConVocation for the first time in 2024. She said that ConVocation’s mission of accessibility was successful in allowing her whole family to attend the convention, despite initial anxieties about childcare for her four children.

“I first heard about ConVocation through this social gathering of the Witches of West Michigan,” Thomas told me. “I heard that anyone who could go, should go. And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a strong recommendation!’ Before that I had never been to a convention outside of work conferences, other than the local Pagan Pride.”

“When the schedule came out and we began to select our classes, I noticed for the first time that there were classes for all age ranges. Elementary school, teenagers, adults. The classes were advertised for children five and up. Before looking at the class schedule, I had no idea this was a family-friendly and family-encouraged event. So, I got tickets for my four children (aged seven and up) as well.”

I asked Thomas what the energy was like when she, her husband, and four children walked into the convention hotel.

“The energy was fun,” she told me. “There was always a line at the elevators, but getting into them was a great way to bond with strangers. I made friends in every class I took. Everyone was so warm and inviting. This was the first time I’d ever brought my children to a busy environment like that. I have social anxiety, but never once did I feel a sense of anxiety or worry.”

“At opening ceremonies,” Thomas told me, “Everybody comes together. There’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. The organizers really lay out what to expect, where things are. It’s very good for people who have never been there and don’t know what to expect across the four days. They laid out where resources are, what to do in an emergency, how to get hold of people who could help you if you had a problem or were in distress.”

Thomas told me that amid the wide diversity of programming, she took every yoga class and every foraging class that she could.

“The foraging classes by Lucille of Lotions, Potions, and Notions were absolutely amazing. We’re friends on Facebook now. My practice resides in nature and in empowering myself to let go of the expectations of the modern world. I prioritize going within myself and listening to my body and the Earth. I’m working really hard to ignore society’s need for constant activity and change and get back to the heart of being one with this Earth and with myself.”

When asked if there was anything new attendees should know, Thomas told me, “My husband and I both agreed that moving forward, we would schedule times for breaks instead of booking ourselves back-to-back for classes. Give yourself time to recharge, because it’s so busy, and there’s so much energy. It’s a fun kind of work that leaves you excited to do it again; but, give yourself time to rest and recharge at some point during the day.”

This matches with what attendees of many other conventions have told me: while the programming is amazing, sometimes the real magic happens in the time between the organized activities.

“I also want to let people know,” Thomas shared, “that the children’s program is really good. Don’t be afraid to bring your kids, because my kids had a blast, and it didn’t take away from my husband and I’s ability to take our own classes and activities. ConVocation has a structured program for kids to be educated, entertained, and safe. Afterward, my kids asked, ‘Are we gonna do this every year? Because it’s amazing.’”

“They participated in the children’s ball with its costume contest. They took classes on astrology, learning about the stars, crocheting, and had a fairy tea party. It was amazing for me and my husband, because we could go and take classes on our own or together and not worry about our children being taken care of. If your children need you, they text you immediately, and you are nearby and can easily get to them. It was an amazing setup that felt very safe and inclusive.”

I asked Thomas whether her family used some of the features that are new at the Ypsilanti location, such as the Divination Den and the hospitality suite.

“We used the hospitality suite,” she told me. “It was great because even though we brought our own food and they did have a warm pay-and-go buffet downstairs, the hospitality suite provided more convenient snack options and drinks. We donated to make it easier for them to afford that next year, because we think it’s such an important community resource.”

As I spoke with Thomas about her recent first-time attendance experience, I couldn’t help but think that the convention’s board would be proud of how well ConVocation’s mission is succeeding.

Moira Payne shared with me that work has already begun on ConVocation 2026; each convention is 18 months in the making. I asked her if she had any tips for first-time attendees.

“Book your hotel room as soon as possible,” she advised me. “They sell out very fast. That’s one reason we chose this location: there are other nearby hotels where people can stay when the main hotel becomes booked up. But there’s something special about staying at the main hotel, and being fully immersed, seeing what people get up to after hours. We sell out all the rooms in the hotel, so it’s a true hotel takeover.”

“It’s inspiring,” Payne told me, “How much there is to know. And how little we already know. There’s such a wealth of knowledge here. I really enjoy seeing how other people journey into their spiritual seeking. People fly in from all around the country, even from around the world for this. It’s such a joy to see their eyes light up…to hear them talking to like-minded people.”

Payne also shared that this year’s ConVocation is holding a food drive for Pagans in Need, a network of Pagan-run food pantries with physical locations in Lansing and Kalamazoo. Non-perishable food items will be accepted at ConVocation for donation to Pagans in Need. Pagans in Need’s website includes options to donate, volunteer, and submit service requests at any time.

Pagans in Need’s mission statement notes that you don’t have to be Pagan to receive food from them, but that their program is intended to serve people who might be turned away from other food resources due to their religious orientation. This is something I’ve seen happen to Michigan Pagans with my own eyes this past year, as many Michigan churches require people to be congregation members in order to receive their food assistance. ConVocation’s decision to partner with this charity reflects their commitment to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.

As our interview about ConVocation concluded, Payne reflected on that Witch’s Night Out at Crazy Wisdom over a decade ago.

“Crazy Wisdom is home to me. I go in there and it’s just the smell of home. It’s everything good. Witch’s Night Out was the beginning of so many things for me. Crazy Wisdom has been so supportive of Witch’s Night Out, creating a beautiful space for relationships through which people can connect. I’ve seen students come in from the nearby university who are just finding themselves, or who are doing academic research on alternative spiritualities. It’s all right there for them. And it’s such a gift to the local community.”

“Everything started with Witch’s Night Out for me. And now look at what it has become. As part of the Magical Education Council, as part of the ConVocation Board, I have the opportunity to help build spiritual community for the long-term. We’re always imagining ways we can add more services for our community, ways we can do more and be more. And that, of course, attracts more people.” Payne laughed. “That’s why we need a whole hotel complex now.”

“As these events become stronger, our community becomes stronger. And then we can do more for the world. I remember once, I was taking my son to the grocery store, and a woman saw the bumper sticker on my car about me being a witch. She frowned and asked my son, ‘Is your mommy really a witch? Does she curse people?’

“No!” My son exclaimed. “My mommy heals the world.”

“To me, that ultimately is what this is all about. We get together and have a good time and find a sense of belonging. But what are we gathered around? The connection with the Earth, our footprint that we leave for future generations. It’s about the good that can come from connections between life-minded people who are focused on making positive change.”

Those interested in attending ConVocation 2025 can find the Registration button and hotel information at ConVocation.org/home. You’ll also see a menu of links to more information about the event’s many features on the left-hand side of the website. The Facebook page, Facebook.com/ConVocationMichigan also posts regular updates about the event and can be used to meet and discuss with others who are planning to attend this year.

If Pagans in Need’s mission calls to you, Pagans in Need posts regular updates on their activities and welcomes community members to subscribe to make small monthly donations on their Patreon, Patreon.com/PagansinNeed. Service requests can be submitted and information about volunteering can be found at PagansinNeed.org.