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Hello Everyone,
Welcome to a beautiful 2023! Mercury retrograde is over. We have entered lunar New Year in some parts of the world as we celebrated new Moon in Aquarius and I am optimistic for a year of beauty and magick. I am grateful that The Magickal Botanical Oracle, from the brilliant mind and pen of Maxine Miller, has come out and I got to write the companion book to it. You can check it out on my website.
Still anxiously awaiting the release of the new anniversary edition of The Outer Temple of Witchcraft. Despite some websites having the new cover, I haven’t seen a copy yet, so I’ll post about it on social media as soon as I see that it's ready.
To celebrate that beauty and magick, this year is a little quieter for me while I work on some projects I have yet to announce, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be around teaching. I still have several things planned and perhaps a surprise or two near the Fall!
We have Templehearth 2023, the Temple of Witchcraft’s annual online gathering to celebrate community in the coziness of winter, at least here in the northeast. I will be offering a workshop on Returning to the Master of the Forge, co-leading the Imbolc and Temple of the Nine Mothers rituals, and an impromptu prosperity working for our Sunday check-in.
For other online classes, I’ll be repeating our Path of the Moon course, with new video recordings starting in February, offering the year long Professional Witch course as a pre-recorded event, the “advanced” classes of the Society of the Temple and the Three Rays of Witchcraft, and our foundational Pillars of the Witch’s Temple course, where you can go at your own pace, discuss, and have no homework, yet still get a great foundation in modern Witchcraft.
For in-person events, I will be a speaker at both the Sacred Space/Between the Worlds joint conference in Maryland, and the Paganicon conference in Minneapolis, with multiple classes at each. Excited to be safely out in the world again. Please check them out if you are local to the area.
Follow the links for information on all of these events.
Blessed be,
Christopher Penczak
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PROFESSIONAL WITCH
Do you wish to be a healer? A reader? A teacher? A ritualist? Many of us seek to offer our skills and gifts in service, but do not know how. Others take on the mantle of priest, priestess, or minister, and struggle to find how to work in the world. Join Christopher Penczak, who has been a full-time professional Witch in some capacity since 1998, in this nine-month course to explore how, why, and if you should enter into the world of the public, professional Witch.
We shall approach the topic from many angles, including services, ministry, and business logistics. Together, explore your motivation, vision, and how to set yourself up to be successful in this work. Understand what services you are qualified to offer and what ones you are not. Separate fact from fallacy and manage your expectations. Learn how to work with clients and students. Explore larger ministry involving activism and community building. Look at the logistics and management of being an independent practitioner in a busy, competitive world.
All classes are recorded and can be done at your own pace. Google Classroom used to release each lesson video and PDF lesson materials and for questions, feedback and sharing.
For more information and to register, please visit:
https://templeofwitchcraft.org/sagittarius/the-professional-witch/
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The Faery Queen
Who is the Faery Queen? What is a Faery Queen? What is the nature of the realm of enchantment known as Faerie? Agents of Fate, Spirits of Nature, faeries are the Elder Race that ruled the Earth before humankind, the first gardeners of the Earth. Described like the queen of a hive of bees or the ruling lady of a Medieval Court, the queen governs the many parts of her realm of enchantment. Explore the nature of the Faery Queen though mostly European fables and folklore, and look to the soul of Faerie through the eyes of magick to better know the courts ruled by the Queen, and in meditative ritual, seek the mystery of the Faery Queen.
Baneful Flower Essences
All flowers have a healing vibration, and the poisonous plants are in particular considered power plants, used to transform, renew, and heal on deep levels of consciousness. Due to their dangers, they are associated with a lot of mysterious folklore and misinformation. Restore these plant allies to their rightful place as sacred medicines and learn how to work with them safely as vibrational remedies and spirit allies. In both healing and initiation, one must face the darkness before seeing the light, and the baneful flower help us face our shadows and find the spirit within. They help restore our connection to the Earth, mortality, intuition, sexuality, spiritual contact, protection, draw boundaries and the awareness that dwells within our true heart.
The Magickal Botanical Oracle
with Christopher Penczak
and Maxine Miller
Join the creators of the Magical Botanical Oracle for a lively discussion of how the deck came to be and their collaborative process to bring the plant spirits to others through art and word. Maxine and Christopher will discuss some of their favorite cards from the deck, and explore how you can work with the deck in the form of magickal rituals, deeper meditations with the plant spirits, and of course, divination to gain answers about your current circumstance, and what to do next for your greatest good.
The Temple of the Seven Rays
Explore the concept of the Inner Temple of the Seven Rays, the nexus of the mighty ones where the sacred keys of Will, Love, Wisdom, Harmony, Science, Devotion, and Transmutation are honored. The science of the seven rays consists of a magickal correspondence system and model of the cosmos. Rooted in the Theosophical Teachings of Light and the mahatmas, we shall look at these concepts through the lens of the modern Witch and the Mighty Dead
https://paganicon2023.sched.com
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The Path of the Moon
Weaving together many strands of wisdom concerning the lore of the Moon, this course provides a framework of personal evolution and transformation, working the mystery of change, waxing and waning, building and releasing, and opening the gate of the Moon to that which dwells in unseen territories.
Understand the various lunar cycles, including the cycle of waxing and waning in four quarters and eight sections, the twenty-eight day month, and the pattern of New Moon and Full Moon Signs in relationship to the year. Beyond any intellectual framework, feel deeply and intuitively the blessings and challenges of the Moon.
Each lesson is rooted in folk names of the Moon, looking at regional variations and how these seasonal folk names relate to the New and Full Moon cycle.
Monthly Online Year-Long Intensive (13 Classes). Monthly lesson and audio download sent via email. Lesson 1 starts Feb 19, 2023, with following lessons each month to give students enough time to process the lesson and prepare for the new and full Moon rituals.
For more information, please visit:
https://templeofwitchcraft.org/sagittarius/the-path-of-the-moon/
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Templehearth
Imbolc Weekend, Feb. 3-5, 2023
Return to the
Master of the Forge
The Master of the Forge is the divine craftsman embodied in many of the blacksmith and alchemical deities. In the second degree of the Temple, we visit with the Master for greater understanding of our tools, though few remember to return. In this teaching, we will discuss the deeper metaphysics of the Master of the Forge as divine craftsman and demiurge, various forge deities, and the role between the Master of the Forge and Aphrodite Luciferia in the mythos of the Temple of Witchcraft.
The Temple of the Nine Mothers
with the Temple of Witchcraft Community
Enter an otherworldly state to seek the Nine Mothers of the Temple of the Earth. Listen to the tale of the great escape and the creation of the temples of the deep earth, sanctuaries in times of wordly trouble. Seek the wisdom, healing, and guidance of the Nine Mothers as mediated by the inner order priesthood of the Timeless Tradition. Use poetry, art, and devotion to commune with the Mothers. Enter the chambers of the Blood Mother, Bear Mother, Bird Mother, Green Mother, First Mothers, Deep Mother, Stone Mother, Sea Mother, and Star Mother to experience their Mystery.
For more info, visit:
https://templeofwitchcraft.org/templehearth/
To register, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/templehearth-2023-registration-421515864297
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The Witch Tree
A common image in Witchcraft and Shamanism is the World Tree. Considered the Axis Mundi, the Pillar of the World, it has parallels with the heavenly ladder of Jacob, world mountain Meru, and the Egyptian Djed Pillar, or Spine of the Sacrificed God. Its most famous image is of the Norse Yggdrasil. The axis is a sign of stability around which creation revolves. Go deeper into relationship with the Tree, learning the mysteries of feeding the tree and being fed by the tree. Understand how the spirit wells of each realm feed it. Read the sacred letters upon its leaves. Explore its relationship with the Serpent-Dragon of the World. Experience the Nine Waves of Creation that emanate from it throughout the cosmos. Know its various incarnations in the past ages. Understand the dangers to the tree, and how you can bring continuity to the turning universe.
Aquarius Rite: Bearing the
Phoenix of Light (Ritual)
The work of Aquarius is the work of community, embracing both the paradigm shifting rebel and the spirit of social responsibility. Aquarius creates, kindles and stirs the cauldron of community for our service and evolution. Titled the Water Bearer, this air sign is often aligned with the image of the Eagle of Zeus, and the divine light bearers, Prometheus and Lumiel. In the Glastonbury Zodiac, Aquarius is presented as the Phoenix, the divine bird of fire and resurrection, bearing the New Aeon to the world. Through this sacred rite, bear the blessings of water, of air, and of fire to our community.
https://sacredwheel.org/BTW2023/
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Mouth to Ear, Hand to Hand, Heart to Heart
Magick is said to be best passed from mouth to ear, in the presence of a teacher or group. In ritual we are often hand to hand, but more importantly, heart to heart, not in a solely sentimental circle, but in a transmission of the core of the mystery, through breath and blood, voice and gaze. The Witch in me sees, feels, and knows the Witch in you.
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