Traditional Wicca For The Solitary Practitioner
While once new and rebellious, Solitary Eclecticticisim is now the status quo in the Wiccan/Pagan movement. And yet, there is a renewed interest in the older Traditions..."Gardnerian", "Alexandrian", "Celtic Traditional" and the like. Some people see that these Trads have been around for over a half of a century and are curious to find out more. The trouble is, most of the information and ritual material available for Traditional Craft are geared exclusively around group/coven workings, making it difficult to adapt for people used to working alone. In this workshop Taliesin will give a brief overview of Traditional forms of Wicca, it's ritual basics, and how one can adapt these time-honoured ritual practices into a solitary framework.
Traditional Wicca For The Solitary Practitioner (2 part version)
While once new and rebellious, Solitary Eclecticism is now the status quo in the Wiccan/Pagan movement. And yet, there is a renewed interest in the older Traditions..."Gardnerian", "Alexandrian", "Celtic Traditional" and the like. Some people see that these Trads have been around for over a half of a century and are curious to find out more. The trouble is, most of the information and ritual material available for Traditional Craft are geared exclusively around group/coven workings, making it difficult to adapt for people used to working alone.
In Part One of this workshop, Taliesin will give a brief overview of the principles and ethics that serve as the base of Traditional Wiccan practice, and how one can adapt these time-honoured ideals to enrich and evolve solitary practice.
In Part Two, he goes over classical Wiccan ritual basics, theology, and celebratory calendar, and how one can adapt these equally time-honoured ritual practices into a solitary framework.
Beyond 101: Taking Wicca to the Next Level
For those starting out on the path, there's hundreds, if not thousands, of books to guide you. But what about *after* you've mastered the basics? On that subject, there's often a defening silence. And yet, if the Craft of the Wise is truly to become a 21st century religion, the need is great for people to step beyond the beginner's books, to dig deeper instead of just scratching the surface. In this workshop, 20+ year veteran of Wicca Taliesin Govannon shares some handy tips for deepening your Wiccan practice, no matter what your particular tradition may be. He'll also share some guideposts he's discovered towards exploring the deeper mysteries of Wicca, as well as some funny stories about the spirits he's encountered along the way.
Traditional Witchcraft 101
Most people have heard the words "Gardnerian", "Alexandrian", "Celtic Traditional" and the like. Indeed, for many years, these were the only forms of Witchcraft/Paganism known to the public at all. However, since the Eclectic movement of the late 70s/early 80s, a growing number of Wiccans and general Pagans have little practical knowledge of these traditions and just what makes them different from basic Witchcraft and Paganism. In this workshop, Taliesin will give a brief history of traditional Witchcraft and discuss the role that these 'old' trads are playing in the new century.
Wiccan Shamanism
Few spiritual movements have gotten as much attention, or drawn as much interest, as Wicca and shamanism. Indeed, the amount published (for both good and bad) on both subjects has been staggering. More and more, people are being drawn towards both subjects simultaniously, though are unsure as to how to proceed. This just shows one of the failings of our modern "cookbook Pagan" culture...Wicca and shamanism aren't only compatible, but Wicca is, in fact, inherantly shamanic at it's core! In this workshop Taliesin will explore the shamanic roots of Wicca, and how to make your Wiccan practice show these roots.
(Introduction To) Wiccan Spellcrafting
One of the unique things about Wicca is that, instead of marginalizing their magickal practitioners, it instead embraces magick as an intrinsic part of it's basic practice. In this informative workshop, Taliesin will go over the basics of Wiccan magickal techniques, aspects of spellcrafting, and give people the tools to create their own unique spells.
Advanced Wiccan Spellcrafting
One of the chief advantages of the Wiccan spellcrafting system is it's flexibility. It really gives the practitioner the most leeway in deciding just how to proceed in any magickal situation. In this workshop, Taliesin will go over more advanced techniques of magick including herbalism, crystals, metals, sigils, and more advanced ceremonial methods and how to incorporate them into a Wiccan framework.
Basics of Ritual
What are the aspects that make Wiccan ritual unique amongst religious ritual in general, and Pagan ritual forms specifically? What does a ritual need to have within it to make it a Wiccan rite, as opposed to a more general Neo-Pagan one? In this workshop, Taliesin goes over the basic format of Wiccan ritual, and looks at each component in detail, pointing out acceptable variations from various Wiccan Traditions. Subjects include elementals, guardians, consecrating the circle, the three-fold cast, invocations, important variations, and more.
The Wheel Of The Year
The modern Wiccan/Pagan ritual year, while drawn from ancient sources, is in fact a modern construct of the modern Neo-Pagan scene. In this workshop, Taliesin goes over where this eight-spoked "Wheel of the Year" comes from, how it was assembled, and how each holiday has been adapted in our modern Wiccan/Pagan practice. Also included are mythological cycles, astrological cycles, and synching up lunar and solar cycles.
History of Modern Wicca
While it was once a staple of most books, even a basic understanding of modern Wiccan/Pagan history is beyond many newbies to the path today, mainly due to it's exclusion from more modern works. And yet, few can argue that a group that is ignorant of it's history will most likely repeat it...and seldom the fun parts. Besides, our history as a people is a rich and lively story, and one that contains the keys to a rich theological and ritual heritage. In this spirited discussion, Taliesin will cover the major events and colourful personalities spanning over 50 years of modern Wiccan/Pagan history. (Note: this can easily be a two-part workshop. Please inquire for details.)
Blessed Be and 93
There are a thousand different sources for modern Witchcraft. And yet, the one that's often overlooked is ceremonial magick. It is well known that Gerald Gardner, the father of modern Wicca, was a member of Aleister Crowley's O.T.O. It is not as well known, however, just how many others (including Doreen Valiente, Arnold Crowther, and Alex Sanders) were students of, and sometimes initiates of, ceremonial fraternities such as the A.A. and the Golden Dawn. In this workshop, Taliesin will examine this common history, as well as the ceremonial (and Thelemic) elements that are an intrinsic part of moden Wiccan practice.
Pagan Mythbusters!
There are some historical references that have become so commonly talked about in the modern Neo-Pagan scene that many accept them as fact. Such as the nine million people (almost always women) who were killed during the "Burning Times", and how many of those targeted were strong willed women, herbalists, and midwives. Or the cult of the Mother Goddess that stretched across ancient Europe. And how Gerald Gardner probably made the whole "Wicca" thing up, and the "New Forest Coven" that he said initiated him was probably a fiction to lend his invention credibility. Why, these things are just givens, right? Wrong! In this informative workshop, Taliesin shares the modern research that shed light on these fallicies, and the often incredible stories that get forgotten in the shadow of these modern fables (for example: in some areas, almost all of those tried and executed as witches were men. In others, midwives were used to examine suspected witches and played an important role in the persecutions. And while there was never a universal cult of the "Great Mother", there were countless facinating local Goddesses who may just appeal to modern Pagans even more!). For those who believe that our modern Paganisms benefit much more from an honest understanding of our past than a fanciful imagination of what "would have been neat" but never were, this presentation is a must!
Political Pagans In The Blogosphere
Your Workshop Description: The rise of grassroots activisim on the internet (now commonly called the "netroots") is changing Progressive/liberal politics in a way not seen since the civil rights movement. The excitement created during the Howard Dean campaign is still going strong, only it's spreading beyond Presidential politics into every area of national and local government. One of the biggest organizing tools of the netroots is the web log, or "blog". Blogs are now connecting millions of progressive activists, and creating many, many more. In this workshop Taliesin will give a brief overview of blogging, as well as go over some of the biggest and best blogs for progressives and liberals. He'll also explore how we as earth-spiritual people can use these forums to promote and further issues important to us.
The Paranormal Pagan
At one time, most people came to the Pagan Religions through traditional occultism; ghosts, spiritualism, parapsychology and the like. The recent explosion in accessibility through modern media, however, has meant that a great many newer members of the Neo-Pagan community have little to no experience in these areas of western occultism. In this workshop we will explore "classic" topics like hauntings, poltergeist, demonology, UFOs and more; and look at all through the unique perspective of Earth-Centered spirituality.
Religion Without Faith
"What?" you say, "How can someone follow a religion yet have no faith? Isn't faith the cornerstone of all religions?" Actually, no, it doesn't have to be. One of the (many) definitions of the word "faith" in Webster's Dictionary is "the firm belief in something for which there is no proof". Just because many mainstream modern religions cling to faith doesn't mean that everyone has to. To the mystics throughout the ages, mere faith was never enough, they had to gain *experience* of the Divine. When one has direct experiences with Divinity, one doesn't need "faith". Experience is it's own proof, which eliminated the need for "faith". In this workshop, Taliesin explains just what Experiential Religion is, and how interested people can utilize time-honoured techniques of mysticism to gain personal experience with Divinty, no matter what one's personal path is. So let's take off the blinders and experience Religion Without Faith!
Kabbalistic Tarot
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Creating Your Own Tarot Layouts
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UFO's: Yesterday And Today
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Dealing With The Unseen: How to Live Peacefully With Spirits
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Developing Spirit Communication
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Legendary Creatures: From Bigfoot to the Loch Ness Monster and Beyond
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A Short History of Mediumship
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A History of Modern Ritual Magick
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Ritual Magick: How To Get Started
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Ceremonial Magick For Pagans
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Getting Started With The Kabbalah
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