The hosts of Spirit Northwest, a Pagan-oriented conference in Portland, Oregon, invited registrants to set up altars on the mezzanine of the hotel. Two organizations, NCLC and the Washington County chapter of CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) participated in the Altar Walk.

By serendipity, the CUUPS altar was composed of three chalices representing Earth, Air, and Fire. Our Local Council’s altar, which faced the CUUPS altar, was dedicated to the Romano-Celtic Goddess Coventina. She is the tutelary goddess of CoG and matron of a Northumbrian sweet water spring. Coventina’s altar held three tabletop fountains (one flanked by Ents), images of Coventina, and information about Coventina’s Well at Hadrian’s Wall.

Altar photographs by Rita Rippetoe.