Wicca And Witchcraft Course, Dublin, 2005

Nevyn

WICCA AND WITCHCRAFT COURSE, DUBLIN, 2005

Barbara Lee, High Priestess, Elder of the Craft

I have been teaching courses on witchcraft on an annual basis each Spring since 1996 in the form of series of lectures, and running a coven in the Dublin area since the end of 1982.
The lectures are meant as an easy introduction to Wicca, witchcraft and paganism. The history of the Old Religion and why it disappeared is explored. Basic ritual and magical techniques are covered. Each evening there will be a lecture, group discussion and exercises. Some homework will be set.

At the end of the course the participants should have an idea of what they are exploring, and should have learned if this path interests them or if they need to look elsewhere. Each person develops differently so these courses are just to open a door for them and provide some direction if it is needed.

Format of Lectures
1. Introduction - Ethics & Beliefs
2. History 1 - BC, roots of the Goddess Cult in Europe, Craft Deities
3. History 2 - AD, Christianity, Burning Times, Politics, The Birth of the Modern Craft
4. The Sabbats, The High Priest & High Priestess, The Solitary Witch
5. Magic Circle, Ritual, Working Tools, Power, Drawing Down the Moon and Sun
6. Initiation, Reincarnation, Astral Projection, Pathworking
7. Ritual Magic
8. Divination (concentrating on Tarot, Runes & Palmistry)
9. Spells (a hands on workshop)

This will finish with an outdoor ritual held in a sacred site in the Wicklow Mountains.

Each Lecture will have a meditation or pathworking accompanying it, & there will be a certain amount of written work to do at home. The format of the lectures is reviewed and updated each year, bringing in new ideas and training.

Cost of next series of lectures will be €170, to include all materials and commences on Monday 4th April, 2005, it will run each Monday night, excluding Bank Holidays

Terms and Conditions.

The lectures are open to anyone regardless of experience but all places must be reserved in advance by contacting me directly. Nobody will be permitted to join the course 'on the night'.
The lectures will be held on Monday nights from 8 to 10 PM in a rented private room in Dublin city center, at Be Inspired, the Holistic Sourcing Centre on 67 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2.

To attend the course you must be able to attend lectures in this location.

For more information you may phone me at 087 2500064
email b.lee23@ntlworld.ie

It is a good course but places are limited.

Talliesin

I'm really looking forwards to this. Doing it should fit well with some concerns of mine about getting back to basics with Witchcraft (on which perhaps I'll say more later, if I have more time for looking at boards, which I don't really right now).

I've heard very good things about it from people that went to Barbara's course previously, from complete newbies to some more experienced that I am, so it definitely seems promising.

Rothen

Since it is wicca orientated I would not go and I dont think people should have to pay with money to learn witchcraft.

Talliesin

That depends on what you are paying for.

There are a lot of books available about Witchcraft, almost all of which cost money, and almost all of which are intended to make a profit for those involved (whereas the last I heard this course was hovering around the break-even point). Some of these books are good enough to be worth paying for, though of course none of them make you a Witch, they are books about Witchcraft. This course is along similar lines and I have to say I've heard a lot of good things about it and have a great deal of respect for Barbara Lee. For that matter I've heard it spoken well of by people who don't get on with Barbara, which I suppose makes it high praise indeed in a round-about way.

Anyway, this is just to clarify a point about promotion of any events in this forum, there's a reason why the rules only let the moderators do so, and while our doing so does not constitute endorsement we do check things out a bit at least (easy in this case since the course is well-known in the community). Really, if it was a become-a-witch-in-10-easy-steps course or there was the slightest hint of initiation being charged (initiation and money changing hands are two things that just cannot happen together) for it wouldn't me mentioned here (except possibly as the target of a rant).

Of course my saying I'm going this year is endorsement of sorts, but it's also true.

NeilJ

The money for the course goes towards speakers, materials and general expenses etc. From what I've heard I'm amazed Barbara's not making a loss running these courses and I know for a fact she's not by any strech of the most warped and twisted imagination rolling in it as a result of running these courses.

Neil

BEAT

I have been seriously contemplating starting up my own little school, maybe in a corner shop at first to see if it catches on and if it comes at a greater demand broadening to a larger location.
I think there is a need for it as more and more people are looking for information and others of like mind and finding it hard to find them.

I am only afriad of the bible beaters driving it away and making people afraid to come and be known amongst each other. Its amazing the uproar some people will make about such things.

Nevyn

I think there is a need for it as more and more people are looking for information and others of like mind and finding it hard to find them.

Maybe a Moot or disscussion group could be a better starting point.

If you are living in a very christian area there well maybe people and groups and covens working not far from you but they are working quietly away.

I would suggest trying http://www.witchvox.com/ which has a lot of listing for pagans and groups world wide.

Plus a lot of traditions require you be be a 3rd degree working with a magical partner that is at least a 2nd degree to set up a coven or classes or two 2nd degress working under an elder's guidance.

Talliesin

BEAT wrote:

I have been seriously contemplating starting up my own little school, maybe in a corner shop at first to see if it catches on and if it comes at a greater demand broadening to a larger location.

Getting an appropriate course together could be quite tricky. If the way you teach pre-initiate stuff to people preparing for First is adaptable then it might be able to build on that, but otherwise there would be quite a lot of work before you even get started. It would also be quite different to teaching in a coven setting. You might want to limit the course to people that are at least considering going further with it, otherwise you will get people who are just curious and you will have an obligation to cater for both the merely curious and serious seekers who are undertaking the course as part of their seeking (even if you charge no more than covers your costs, they've paid their money and you've a duty to cater to them).
Even if there is only people with a degree of commitment or at least sincerity on the course you still can't expect to see the same degree of commitment from someone who has sought you as a teacher in a coven context and that could make the teacher role quite different to what you might be used to in such a context, especially if you are a Second who has been doing some teaching rather than the HPS or an experienced Third.
Finally, your tradition will have ways of teaching that were passed down to you, whereas unless your Elders taught a similar sort of course or school you'll be doing more of this from scratch.

BEAT wrote:

I think there is a need for it as more and more people are looking for information

Information is easy to find, the problem really is finding good information and knowing that it is good when you find it. Barbara Lee's reputation amongst the community here in Ireland is solid and her lineage and experience is so well-known that even a relative outsider to the community who doesn't go to moots or anything would have little difficulty in finding bona fides. With other teachers it can be difficult for someone coming from outside whatever tradition they work in to ascertain that they are qualified to be teaching what they claim to be teaching. As such you need to have been around your local community long enough that if you were a fraudnerian someone would have called you on it long ago or else people won't know that it's worth going to a class you run.

BEAT wrote:

and others of like mind and finding it hard to find them.

Moots are better in this regard than classes. You go to classes to learn and to work at learning the material, sure you do it in a friendly and informal atmosphere and you may go for a pint afterwards (guess who of all the people on the course above has gone for a pint after every single class ) but it takes more commitment of time and money than merely being "like-minded". With a moot you would also have other Pagans coming which maybe isn't what you want but to my mind it's a good thing to meet people who are of similar but still diverse paths and if there are enough people interested in the Craft around then you'll still meet plenty of them if that is all you are interested in. Finally it would be an opportunity to meet people who are more experienced than yourself who would be less interested in classes.

BEAT wrote:

I am only afriad of the bible beaters driving it away and making people afraid to come and be known amongst each other. Its amazing the uproar some people will make about such things.

You're in the States, aren't you? In some Bible-belt areas this can be a problem, though these days bullets going through windows on either of the coasts is pretty rare. Even here in Dublin we've had the occasional nutter (we've had the occasional Pagan nutter for that matter and frankly while I've little time for Christians trying to "save" me I've far less for Pagans trying to do so) so it's not to be discounted, but a bit of safety common-sense should see you okay in most of the US.

Talliesin

While this thread has woken up again, I'll just say now that half-way through the course it has been absolutely excellent so far. I've learnt a lot and had what I already knew greatly solidified.

Celtic Interest

Hello All

Can anyone tell me if there are similar courses to be found and if any groups in north county Dublin, feeling out on a limb, and some guidance needed


Thanks :-)

Nevyn

There is a listing in this forum of local pagan meetups and moots where you can meet people and find out what is going on in and around Dublin.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=255432

www.witchhvox.com has a irish section with listings for people and groups in and around Dublin too.

http://www.witchvox.com/vn/gr/iexx_gra.html

Talliesin

Also, the course mentioned in the OP will quite likely be happening again next month. Different location, same contact phone number.