Wicca is a Pagan religious Path that includes honouring the divine, as well as the use of ritual magic for empowerment and bettering of our lives. This 1-day intensive course is for beginners & seekers – to all those interested or curious about Wicca & Witchcraft and like a simple, down to earth, friendly introduction…the whole lot in one day..!
Please attend with an open mind, and flexibility of time. We go into the woods to be away from the machinations of urban society, and to attune to the rhythms and energies of nature. Try to relax, ground, centre, earth and be open for the duration of the course. Allow a bit of time-buffer towards end for questions/ answers & conversations. Afterwards, we’ll go to the Woodman’s pub (indoors) and continue with some socials and carry on conversing about wicca and related matters.
VENUE: Course will be held in outdoor woodland setting (Queen’s Woods, where usually hold our outdoor Wicca rituals). we’ll meet at nearby Pub (Woodman’s) and walk together.
Nearest Tube: HighGate (northern line) – then 1 min walk to the pub.
Contents—————–
This is a basic introduction course. Brief explanations will be given as well as demonstration on consecrations, circle casting, calling elements; You’ll learn how to properly say/ pronounce wiccan words/items, as well as some work on invocations & God/Goddess charges;
• Intro: Origins of Modern Wicca; Wiccan Law & principles;
• Energy: Connecting to nature; Chakra & Tree meditation;
• Altar & Ritual tools – athame, wands, sword, scourge, pentacle etc
• Sweeping/ purifications; Consecrations with salt & water/ incense; casting magic circle (words/ demo);
• Elements & Quarters; Symbols & qualities of Air/fire/Water/Earth in wicca; pentagrams/ triangles; invocation words (demo); Transpersonal work (4 functions).
• God & Goddess in wicca: Horned Gods- Hern, Pan, Cernunnos; Moon Goddesses – Maiden/ mother/ Crone; what are God/Goddess invocations & charges? who can use the energies? Empowerment; Importance of devocations;
• Magic & Spellcraft in Wicca- healing spell; cord & candle magic;
• Esbats & Sabats- Wheel of the year – related seasonal myths & rituals explained (Imbolc, Spring, Beltane, MidSummer, Lammas, Autumn, Samhain, Yule); Full moon/ new moon rituals;
• Initiations & Coven life – brief outline of degrees, how to approach covens, hierarchy; who is suitable; rejections; non-initiatory covens; Projections & attractions to god/goddess energies; abuse of power (warnings);
NO Recording / photography—————— .
Tutor may take some photos with permission for publicity purpose. Your faces can be blurred on any photos to be used. Let Mani (Tutor) know)
Weather———————-
We can not predict weather ..but we can be prepared.
• Please wear plenty of warm clothing (it actually gets cold when you sit down on the ground for long). If it’s raining much, tutor will bring a tarpaulin sheet cover.. so we don’t get wet (too much)
What to bring———
• For your own comfort, please bring any food/drinks lunch (Please avoid eating during course delivery!). Bring flask of hot drinks. Bring comfortable cushion/ mat to sit on, as well as a blanket / throw to wrap up .. (or if it’s just cold). Please wear warm coats, socks scarf..
• We’ll have some wine for ceremonial parts of the course & for a bit of social after.
If you have any questions/concerns, please do contact me via private message on meetup. Thanks.
Bright Blessings
-Mani Navasothy
Gardnerian Wiccan High Priest / Author
Link to my meetup event: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Pagans-Magicians/events/254038294/
An outdoor experiential course suitable for all beginners, and those following the Pagan or Wiccan path, with an interest in ceremonial / ritual working with Horned God forms and Moon Goddess forms. Such work is transformative and deeply empowering.
1 day course -Ceremonial work with Horned God & Moon Goddess for magical empowerment – 2nd June 2018 – by Mani Navasothy
New date: Saturday 2nd June 2018
Course Contents
• God forms in Wicca: Cernunnos, Hern, Pan, Green Man, Dark Lord (Death), Sun God, Odin, Osiris …amongst others. The symbology of Horns, hooves, antlers are explained, as well as some discussion on the demonising (Pagan god seen as satan/ devil) of the god by non-pagans. We’ll deal with any hidden fears, old conditionings and prejudices, and work transpersonally to reconnect with the Horned God of Wicca and his empowering wildwood energies. Chants will be taught and used.
• Moon Goddess in Wicca: We’ll explore the Triple-Goddess imagery used in Wicca- maiden, mother and crone, as well as the various other significant examples used in wiccan wheel of the Year.
• Wheel & The God-Goddess cycle of the Year : explained with diagrams and notes- ie the maiden Persephone’s abduction at Autumn, motherhood, rejuvenated Bride arriving back to land at Imbolc; Marriage of God & Goddess at Beltane; the sacrifice of the God at Lammas; coming of Dark Lord at Samhain; Birth of Sun-child at Yule and more.
• Invocations, evocations and Charges of God & Goddess : What happens after circle is cast and energy raised in a coven? How are the god & Goddess brought into the Circle? Who carries those energie? What is the Drawing down of the Moon? And Sun? How does working with God & Goddess empower Witches? All will be explained.
• Examples of invocations (use on your own at home or group rituals).
• Use of masks/ crowns/ horns & props – for working with wildwood God & Goddess energies.
• Divine Masculine & Feminine pathworking with various symbolisms (transpersonal created to work with intuition & subconscious mind for empowerment) – to meet the God and Goddess.
Respect & Confidentiality:
During the course, Please refrain from chit-chats or constant interruptions. All personal matters shared in our sacred space must be kept confidential. please avoid using mobile phones during course delivery.
Fee:
Use these secure paypal links to pay for your confirmed spot:
meeting Time: 11.00 am meeting at Woodman ‘s pub garden. Please arrive early for coffee/ snack and some meet and greet with fellow students. Course begins at 11.30am in woods..
Lunch:
Please bring packed lunch. Or you can walk to `Queen’s Woods cafe’ (this is about 5 mins walk from our course-spot in woods). Lunch break is 45 mins. There will be 2 other short breaks. **Please arrive quickly after breaks so we can re-commence the course**
Rain/ weather:
Course will run with tarpaulin cover over our seating area. Come dressed appropriately for (insects abound in summer time).
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What to bring (optional)
• Please bring food/drinks/ lunch (Pls avoid eating during course delivery);
• Bring comfortable cushion/ blanket / throw to wrap up ..during meditative work (or if it’s just cold).
• Please wear outdoor appropriate clothing/ shoes.
• Strictly no drugs any time!
• Note books/ pen .
In deeds may we be noble once more…! ( A Solar Oath):
Good morning all.. There is so much positive, creative, wonderful, affectionate, loving, kind, generous, divine things to be thinking about and doing in the world.. 🙂
Yes there are worries.. and sadly human nature is such that…there is a compulsion and need to want to talk about it. Simmer and fester..and chase our own tails..! 😦 (That’s actually not human nature.. It’s a wounded Inner-child behaviour).
One of the key magical principles.. – even by all that airy fairy quantum probability/ observer/ collapse wave function thingy! – is that what we think and pour energy into starts to manifest…!!
So make it a good thought eh? 🙂 Have a great day! 🙂
Am posting a part of the Solar-prayer/ invocation I wrote/ used at a recent Midsummer ritual:
“Great One of Heaven, Powers of the Sun
We worship thee in thy ancient names
Sooriya, Sol, Lugh, Ra and Horus
Rise up in our skies.. and illuminate our lands
….
….
Bring us clear Visions.
Illuminate our souls.
Set free all spirits that seek liberation.
In our dreams, may we soar to new heights.
And in deeds may we be Noble once more.
May our hearts be full of honour.
And may we forever shine in your splendour.”
A I am a Futurist, as well as a Past-tourist. And all these are material things..Stonehenge, Glastonbury Tor, St.Pauls, Machu Picchu, Temples in India, Mayan Pyramid etc etc.. They were all built by people.. People who also built houses, bridges and castles and cathedrals..
Preserving a scared-site-based-monument for the future..while preventing the present from having full access does not serve the future. If the energies at sacred sites are true.. then I like to believe those are `of the place’..and not of the objects placed on those places.. (am not forgetting that `invoking energies’ into an object repeatedly over time can instill a vortex of sacred energy into that object. States in Hindu temples are an example where I have actually witnessed this process!).
So even in their final crumbling moments the objects / monuments can still manifest some thing important & enlightening for all . And when they have gone to dust…(if the energies are true), something new and magical will still rise in their place.. People of the present might build new things.. And that too will be perfectly okay..
Why?
If one bunch of people/community can create something 5,000 yrs ago.. and it’s now seen & viewed as magical and sacred…. there is no reason in- my view- why another bunch of people in modern day can’t do the same..!
After all.. are we any less magical than those who lived and died 5,000, 10,000 or even 50,000 yrs ago? That is the real question under all this ..for me at least!
***Please DO NOT copy or use my graphics elsewhere. I DO NOT and NEVER have given permission to Anyone!!**
How many initiated Wiccans or otherwise, have been using the so called `invocation and devocation’ pentagrams in wiccan/ witchcraft or magical circles? Quite many thousands, I imagine. Back in my early `initiate/ first degree’ days (almost 2 decades ago now), I was taught those invocation pentagrams, and used them (still do) when standing in one of the quarters (North, East, South or West) and calling a respective element (Earth, Air, Fire or Water).
To be honest, it was hard trying to remember which way to `draw’ those pentagrams, as they differed for each quarter/element. One easy solution was taught to me – that for Air and Water (East and West), one started drawing the pentagrams `towards’ the altar. But for Earth and Fire, this was not possible..
Well, last year, while talking about this in a shamanic ritual, I was doing a fire invocation pentagram with an actual flaming torch (outdoors, in the woods).. and explaining it to someone. An astrology friend said, `well, you know why don’t you? it’s because Leo is there!’. That’s all he said, and that’s all he needed to say. In a flash the whole thing clicked in my head, as I worked / visualised the related images. And as soon as I got home I drew it all up and looked at it to make sure – and then wondered – `why on earth had no one told me about this in my old coven days? and why have I not read about this full explanation for some 15-20 years?’
And I resolved to share what I had learnt/ worked out openly. hence this blog post. (but even this took me months to get down and actually do.. because of my laziness of having to sit and do all that explanation *fully*).
It’s not just this stuff that is lurking in my mind as one of many `do blogs’ ..There are plenty more magical things I have learnt, worked out, reverse engineered or just created by trial and errors or experimentations (magical).. that require sharing.
This morning, I woke up and had (out of the blue) just one thought.. that my subconscious had surfaced.. and it was.. to begin that sharing!
(ps. I had since then learnt, some of this stuff comes from or practised by the `Golden Dawn’ western magical tradition practitioners).
So here it is..the full explanation…starting with astrology.. (there are still some questions..which I will pose and hope someone can answer).
1. The 3-Dimensional view of our Earth & the Sun.
3D look at Sun-Earth & zodiacs. Wiccan Elements Invocation Pentagrams explained (c) Mani Navasothy 2015. http://www.quantumphoenix.net
Above is a graphical representation of what the Earth & Sun will look like, if viewed from space, from a point of vie `above’ the plane of the ecliptic (ie the orbital plane of planet Earth around the Sun). As you can see, the Zodiac signs are star systems far away, but they can be `projected’ onto a sheet in each of the 12 directions where those systems exist.
2. Making Earth the Centre.
3D look at Sun-Earth & zodiacs. Earth as centre of heavens. Wiccan Elements Invocation Pentagrams explained (c) Mani Navasothy 2015. http://www.quantumphoenix.net
In astrology, we draw charts of the Sky, as if they are seen from the Earth. So Earth is placed in the centre. You can see from above graphics, how – slightly shifting the Sun-Earth pair gives rise to this. And because the zodiac systems are so far away in relative terms to the Sun-Earth distance, the view of them do not change. In this graphics, watched from the Earth, the Sun will appear to be set against the Zodiac sign of Aries. (ie Sun in Aries).
Astrology Chart as representation of Earth view of heavens. Wiccan Elements Invocation Pentagrams explained (c) Mani Navasothy 2015. http://www.quantumphoenix.net
3. Astrological Chart – a graphical representation of the Sky
In the pic above, I have `got rid of’ the details and 3-dimensional elements, and only left-in the Earth, Sun and the positions / directions where Zodiacs are. This is a `view from the `top’ (above the Ecliptic plane). And this is what it means when we see or draw an astrology Birth chart. Note: The fist sign of the Zodiac – Aries- is drawn in the `rising sign’ position at Spring Equinox.
Note: This is the starting point now, for the invocation pentagrams!
In astrology, each sign of the Zodiac is assigned one of the 4 elements (Air, Fire, Water, Earth). I’ve grouped and shown these in the 4 corners of the diagram. (not in any order or direction). In astrology, there are qualities that are assigned to signs. The qualities are Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed. I have highlighted the `fixed’ signs.
As you can see, Leo is the fixed Fire sign. Taurus is the fixed Earth sign, Aquarius the fixed Air, and Scorpio the fixed Water sign. Note that I kept their positions in the astrological chart.
here on it gets easy to do the invocation pentagrams.
5. Fire invocation Pentagram using astrological chart
The fire invocation pentagram is drawn, by starting the first arm of the pentagram from the `midheaven’ position, and `into’ Leo, the fixed Fire sign, thereby activating the element of fire. The pentagram is then completed by carrying on the other 4 arms of it as shown in diagram above.
6. Earth invocation Pentagram using astrological chart
Here, for the invocation of Earth energy, we start from the same (midheaven) position,, then drawn the first arm of the invoking pentagram `into’ Taurus, the fixed Earth sign.
7. Air invocation Pentagram using astrological chart
For the Air invocation pentagram, the first arm of the pentagram is drawn such that it `enters’ the fixed sign of Air..ie Aquarius (as shown above).
8. Water invocation Pentagram using astrological chart
Water Invocation Pentagram in Wiccan ritual explained (c) Mani Navasothy 2015. www.quantumphoenix.net
The first arm for the water invoking pentagram is drawn such that it enters the fixed water sign, ie Scorpio.
Note: I have shown these (Fire, Earth, Air water) `not in the order’ of invocation, but in a way that initially shows you the symmetry of them.
Of course in Wicca / Witchcraft circles, the order of invocation, is
Air/ East,
Fire/South
Water/ West
Earth/ North
I hope you found these full visuals useful and finally can see why the invocation pentagrams are drawn the way they are done. It is purely based on astrological convention of drawing the chart, relative zodiac positions on that chart, and where on that chart the fixed signs for each of the elements are situated.
The most important thing to have in mind is that it’s all just `conventions’ created by a magical system, and that in space there are only relative positions… there are no ups, downs left and rights; And that in magic, you – as the practitioner who is exercising the Will- has the choice and say in how and what you do!
Copyright /sharing note: As an artist, magician and an educator, I work very hard to create these visual aids to help others. Am happy for anyone to share this on social media/ reblog above blog, provided copyright note (c) Mani Navasothy / http://www.QuantumPhoenix.net remains. No publication of these graphics in any book /course / training allowed without express written (and magical) permission from myself. Thank you.
These monthly Wicca & Witchcraft monthly Circles are ideal for YOU – if you have an interest and like to participate in an outdoor Wiccan ritual with like-minded magical people.
How our event is organised
1. Meet n greet at a pre-fixed public place (Cafe/ Pub/ station – this may change so check each event carefully)
2. Walk together to the woods and to the exact ritual spot (this also changes depending on other factors on the day).
3. Set up altar & do ritual (see below for ritual format)
4. Feast & socialise
5. Tidy up & departure
6.Back to Cafe/ Pub for warm up and social and chats.
****** Please read the POLICY at the bottom ..about Photography/recording/ research /Journalists etc*******
The ritual (Wiccan format)
• Sweeping
• Opening Prayer / Path working
• Consecrations with salt/water & incense
• Magic Circle Casting
• Calling of elemental quarters – with invocations & symbols
• Energy raising with chant . brief circle dance
• God & Goddess work (some times invocations)
• Magical work / spell-craft
• Blessing of cakes & wine
• Some training work/ wicca discussions (if time permits)
• Closing of energies
• Socialising / feasting
• Tidy-up & departure
These Wicca Circles are facilitated by Mani Navasothy (Wiccan High Priest with 19 years of Craft & Coven experiences in London). Some times we get assistance from other wiccan friends (initiated, solitary, hereditary etc).
Come and join us..! Please wear sensible outdoor (warm, waterproof) cloths, and shoes. Please bring some food & drinks/wine to share at the feast after ritual..
There will be opportunities to talk to Man and ask questions afterwards at social..
Meeting details
Date: Saturday 8th November 2014.
Meeting time (at Pub) – 4pm.
Meteing Venue: Woodman’s Pub. (This is 3-4 minutes walk from the nearest Tube station.. The Pub is on the main road..on corner of Archway Road & Muswell Hill).
Nearest Tube: High Gate (Northern line).
Ritual venue: Queen’s Woods (North London).
*We gather in the Pub and all walk together to the ritual spot. We regret we can not give extensive instructions to the ritual spot…because it is difficult to guide people to a spot in a wood full of trees.. We know it by sight ..so best join us at start ..in the pub..*
More details, training videos, wicca articles – on our website http://www.WitchcraftAndMagic.org/ You can also join our e-mail list there for exclusive news, updates & more.
Bright Blessings
Mani Navasothy
———————————————– POLICY (PLEASE READ THIS):
-No audio/ video recording at any time!
-No photos during ritual (but before & after is okay..subject to individual permission)
-No photos of others without YOU asking them clear permission.
-No `observations’ or `note taking’ by research students/ Journalists.
-Mani (organiser/ Wiccan) has been in the public eye for over a decade, running many open pagan events – and has given personal & formal interviews etc for BBC, Channel 4, and others. Mani himself is an author/ publisher/ online Promoter & internet Marketer).
BUT – THESE woodland events .. are created for the sole purpose of teaching and sharing his Spirituality with other interested pagans/ beginners of the Craft.. So Mani is exceptionally protective of these events..and does not like media exploitation or intrusions…
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We Wiccans and Witches know these words well.. `Sink Down..Sink Down.. Sink Deeper and more Deep, into Eternal and Primordial Sleep..’ I had a thought few hours ago..and was driven to create this ..
Feel free to share, if it brings you peace and inspiration. 🙂
QuantumPhoenix -Esoteric blogs of a Witch 