Animism: Religion Without God(s) with Andras Corban-Arthen
Animism may be the oldest and most fundamental form of spirituality, considered by many to be the source from which most other religions have evolved. It is deeply rooted in the complex interrelationships of the natural world, and is still widely practiced among many indigenous peoples. In this program, we will explore the essence and practice of animism as an alternative to the dominant theistic, analytical, and urbanized religious models of Western culture.
Art and Altars of Africa and Beyond with Lilith Dorsey
This class will explore the traditional religious art and altars of Africa and the Afro-diasporan world. Many different traditional and modern artists will be profiled and examined. The artful mystery of veves, or sacred ground drawing and symbols for the Lwa will be explored. We will also discuss instructions for setting up your own altars and shrines to help attract love, money, peace, healing and more.
Drumming 101 with Ellis Mees & Tony Barrett
We will focus on beginner drummers by teaching them drum techniques and basic rhythms. We will also touch on ways to feel confident to join in what sounds like a complex rhythm by deconstructing the way that djembe rhythms are often compiled. The rhythms taught at the workshop can then be played at the drum circle where everyone can join in. Though this workshop is primarily geared towards djembe, all kinds of percussion instruments are welcome. Attendees will have to bring their own djembe/percussion instrument to join.
Hearth & Fire Spirits: Guardians of Households, and Protectors of Bloodlines with David Shi
Many cultures and spiritual traditions recognize that there are spirits who dwell in the households that can both help and harm the people who live there, such as Brownies, Domovoy, and Tomte. They may also recognize gods and deities that are petitioned to bless the hearth and home, like Brigid, Hestia, and Frigga. Many Asian cultures employ a variation of the “kitchen god” that was originally meant to bless and protect the family. While household spirits may not necessarily have a fiery aspect, it is no surprise that the hearth-based gods and spirits are all connected to fire. Within North Asian shamanic traditions, every family has its own household fire spirit, which can bless and protect the household and blood relatives. In this class, we will broadly explore the different types of household and hearth spirits and gods. But for those who are not tied to specific cultural deities & spirits, we will also explore the generic household fire spirit, which is general enough and practical for anyone to recognize and work with even if they are not North Asian, as well as how to employ a fire ceremony to strengthen your own household.
Land Spirits with David Shi
As long as we are physical beings living on Earth, we are surrounded by land spirits. Almost all indigenous cultures acknowledge the existence of land spirits and have different levels of working with them. When offended they can become the source of great wrath and tragedy, but when honored they can bring about great blessings and fortune. For those that work with gods and otherworldly spirits, cultivating a strong relationship with land spirits can greatly enhance those practices. This class will help you understand who the land spirits are, and how you can work with them in your own practice. David will be teaching about land spirits from the North Asian shamanic context, but hopes you will find these teachings to allow for a deeper understanding that will enhance your practice.
Runic Basics with Gavin Bone
Seminar by Gavin on the essential things you need to know when it comes to studying the Runes: including what we know about them historically and what we don’t. The influence of writers and academics from the 15th Century through to the 1980s, the four aspects of the Rune and the three basic types of Futhark and Futhorks. He also looks at the develop of Runes as a system from the 1920s to the 1980s, based on western magic influences.
Sigil Magick with John M Boye
This class is designed for those who would like to explore the purpose and methodology behind several different types of sigil designs. We will discuss bind runes, planetary cameas, compression, mantric styling, etc. We will also discuss different methods of creating, charging and destroying a sigil, as well as the use of sigils in sex magick.
Singing with Intention with Deirdre Pulgram Arthen
We use our voices many hours every day for communication, for pleasure and for emotional expression. Let’s sing together and use this session to explore what it feels like to use our voices to build a container and direct power at the same time, developing tools for using the union of breath and sound as a tool to carry intention. Songs will be fairly simple and many may be familiar. All will be taught, and you do not have to consider yourself “a singer” to attend.
Spirit Voices: The Mysteries and Magic of North Asian Shamanism with David Shi
What is shamanism? Where is it from? What are the requirements to become one? Anthropologists tell us that the word “shaman” derives from the Tungus language and traditions, but few people understand the full scope of what that means. In this class, we will explore the history and practice of shamanism. We will walk through the landscapes of North Asia—the region known as the “Cradle of Shamanism”—and the largely hidden and unfamiliar traditions of Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic shamanism, exploring the subtle and unique aspects of each tradition.This is a comprehensive lass that will explore:
· Indigenous spiritual and shamanic traditions and beliefs of the Turkic, Mongol, and Tungus peoples
· Broad cosmology and mythology of these shamanic cultures
· Shamanic tools used by these cultures
· Practical concepts and methods that can enhance your own practice
This class will largely draw from topics and themes from David’s new book “Spirit Voices: The Mysteries and Magic of North Asian Traditions”.
Spiritual Lessons from the Sci-Fi Universe with Lilith Dorsey
What does Worf from Star Trek have to do with Africa’s Ogun? What do little green men have to do with Sirius and Amazonian shamanism? How can the pitfalls to your destiny be found in the Twilight Zone? For the answers to these questions and more please tune in to this class.
Tarot Magick: Using the Cards to Manifest Change with Rhonda Alin
When you pick up a tarot deck, you hold the outlines of spellwork captured in pictures in the 78 cards. The cards show not only the hero’s journey but can also represent something like recipe cards showing the pathways to take in order to manifesting desired outcomes.
In this workshop we’ll cover:
– Working with the Major Arcana as archetypal energies invited in to support your spellwork
– Working with the Minor Arcana as action steps / functioning parts of spellwork
Tarot and our Journey to the Magickal Alchemist with Rhonda Alin
Tarot is an incredibly powerful tool for self-discovery and, when pursued, can also lead us down the road to a personal metamorphosis.
The journey of mining self for our own gold can be arduous and knowing where to begin can be challenging. First, we need to know where we are along the journey and then, we need to map the course to meet our goals.
In this workshop we will look at our journey of spiritual alchemy, from accepting the responsibility of steering the course in our own story to becoming adept at utilizing the tools available to us for our own metamorphosis.
The “Indians” of Old Europe with Andras Corban-Arthen
European paganism never died out completely – to this day, ethnic survivals of traditional pagan practices can still be found in remote areas of Eastern & Western Europe. Andras has spent over 45 years seeking out such surviving traditions, and in this program he will discuss the nature and scope of some of those practices, how they managed to survive, and the striking similarities they share with indigenous spiritualities from other parts of the world. Slides and a short video will be included.
The Bow Spread & Wildwood Tarot with Mark Ryan
Learn the strategy of the Bow Spread with the Wildwood Tarot. The Significator represents both the person asking the question and the issue itself – the Target. What is your target ? Each step of this spread deepens your understanding to the ultimate outcome… The Arrowhead, which, represents the personal intent of the reader which, aimed at the problem, becomes a powerful means by which they can come to terms with the issue at hand. What is the outcome of your flight?
The Four Keys to Trance-Prophesy: Practical Techniques for Drawing Down the Moon and Deity Possession with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone
A seminar on the basic techniques common to Wicca, Shamanism, and Spaework/Seith. Will include understanding the energies involved, spirits, psycho spiritual cosmology, and the combination of the different methods for inducing trance. This is all based on there many years of practical experience in this field whic for Janet going to back to 1970.
The Seven Ancestors with Christopher Penczak
We live in a web of relationships, of not only blood, but of place, time, and spirit. Recognize these connections and explore the role of the seven ancestors: Flesh & Blood, Milk & Honey, Bone & Stone, Bread & Breath, Spirit & Soul, the Forgotten Ones, and the Mighty Dead. Learn how to build relationships by making offerings, building altars, seeking visions and most importantly make peace with disquiet ancestors and embrace the beloved dead. Ask for their aid, blessing, protection, inspiration, wisdom, freedom, and empowerment as you aid them in their own spiritual journey.
The Sherwood Oracle with Mark Ryan (deck by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert.)
Following on from the worldwide success of The Wildwood Tarot, the creators of this best-selling deck have come together to create a new divinatory system.
The Sherwood Oracle, set in and around the famous home of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, and the Merry Men, as well as otherworld beings such as the Green Lady, Herne the Hunter, and others, will share the wisdom of the ancient world with today’s seekers.
The myths behind the figure Robin Hood are universal and amongst the oldest in the world. Although the stories and ballads are medieval, they contain material from a much earlier time, including the ancient myths of the vegetation gods and the Green Man, combined with ideas of the Wildman and the almost mythic status accorded to outlaws in the Middle Ages. The world of the greenwood is a stage upon which virtually every aspect of human experience is to be found. The adventures and heroic deeds of the outlaw band, bound together in eternal fellowship, along with the adversaries they encounter, both human and magical, make their paths one that speaks to everyone who encounters them.
The new deck, illustrated by premier artist Yvonne Gilbert, will capture the myth and mystery of the wildwood for all. The Sherwood Oracle will be published by Sterling in Spring 2023.
The Occult in WW2 with Mark Ryan
Winston Churchill, while staunchly proclaiming his disinterest and disbelief in the occult, nonetheless set up his own body of advisors, experts in the field, to help counteract the German occult attack. Churchill soon approved the setting up of The London Controlling Section. Initially this was one of the agencies engaged in deception, but it soon blossomed into something more as such esoteric luminaries as Aleister Crowley, Dennis Wheatly, Ian and Peter Fleming and Col. Charles ‘Kim’ Seymour joined. These men formed a secret enclave within the LCS, devoted to using ritual magic against the Nazis.
The quest to find a practical framework for functioning occult principals and skills did not end with the deceptive subtleties and labyrinthine stratagems that framed the struggles between Churchill’s occult warriors and Himmler’s SS. These heroic efforts appear amateur and benign compared to the machinations of the later part of the 20th Century and the early years of the present age.
Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism with Lilith Dorsey
The world of voodoo is a universe populated with sacred gods, spirit possessions, and natural grace. Despite media portrayals of zombies and wild abandon, the religion is actually a complex system of nature-inspired belief. This class will answer your questions, and introduce you to the voodoo gods of fire, love, lightning, and more.
Walking In Magick with Gina Martini
Live, breath and be in magic in all aspects of your every day life. Learn the ways to bring magic out of the circle and you’ll never go back to the mundane again.
Walking with the Gods with Gina Martini
The invocation of deity has been called the highest duty of a Priest or Priestess. It is done by using several techniques that a Priest or Priestess learns to master over the years, all to prepare themselves as a vessel for the Divine to move and speak through them. Are you called to walk with the Gods? Learn the steps to awaken this sacred craft and how develop a better understanding of invocation.
Western Sex Magick with John M Boye
Given the variety of “disciplines” pertaining to this topic, we will use an eclectic approach in discussing some of the more interesting parts of sex magick and ritual. Some of the topics we will attempt to discuss are sexual alchemy, solitary practice, rituals for couples, altered states of consciousness, cultural taboos, alternative lifestyles, and the preparation and use of elixirs, oils and powders. 18+ ONLY
Wicce, Wiccae, Wytch: The evolution of Witchcraft from the 1950s to the New Millenia with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone
A general talk by Janet and Gavin discussing the changes they have seen in the Witchcraft movement since the late ’60s, the 1980s and into the 2000s. How witchcraft has spread, how new generations have made an impact on its perception of itself and how words have changed and become associated with identity rather than practise.
Wildcrafting 101 with Diana Byron
Learn about harvesting herbs and how to forage for them in a way that is ecologically sustainable. We will also discuss ways to dry and store herbs, and how to use them to support good health all year long.
“Witch Way My Friends” with John Williams
Bring your authentic magical pagan-wiccan self to this wander through the woods. We as a group of friends will interact, be affected by natural discoveries and forces around us, share what we find and its supernatural meaning, and be guided together to an unknown conclusion that will make itself known to all of us at the end of the journey. Leaders will follow and Followers shall lead.