A Year in the Spiritual

So that while Teaching Wiccapagocraft thing…

Yeah we’ve decided to make it a full out class.

“Class” meaning that we will be gathered together in pursuit of the same general goal of furthering our spirituality and (possibly) becoming a coven/circle/grove/ around Samhain 2013.

Less of a class in the fact that I will be doing the exact same thing all the “students” are doing because I think it will be just a beneficial for me to go through it as everyone else and share my own experiences as oppose to pretending I’m a teacher or qualified under whichever pagan degree is most popular right now.

I’m actually really enjoying putting this all together. There are about 10-18 of us depending upon what work schedules look like that week and we range from “I had a freaky experience and I want to go deeper” to 10 years in and out of the craft through various traditions. (Yeah the last one is me.) So for the most part I’m going to keep it eclectic and based in practical application. I’m advising that they read between 4-8 books in the next year (hey not everyone drinks books like their chugging soda) along with keeping the discussion group vibe and providing resources. We will have D.I.Y days where we teach how to make different objects for our use, Live Demonstrations (like crystal healing and ecstatic dance), Nature Walks (thankfully this part of Ohio has like 4 parks within a 30 minuet drive), celebrating the Sabbats, Crafts, and Movie Nights!

I’m still coming up with a full curriculum but I have till after October. (We decided to wait till after this years Samhain in order to see who’s going to stick around and who is just going to be in and out.) We also have some people who are still tentative about delving deeper, and this gives them some more time to really consider if they want to be involved at this level.

I’ll be honest, I’m very excited about the prospect of doing this! I kept reading and being told that when “the time is right” and “teacher will be given to you”. It never occurred to me that I’m my own damn teacher just as much as anyone else is and that simply being involved with a group would mean we could teach each other. I’m really excited for one of our members Crystal Healing demonstration. I’ve never had much luck with crystals myself, but she’s shown proficiency in this and I can’t wait to have her try it out on me. I’ll be doing an example of simple healing salves and lip balms.

I’ll probably be blogging about this from time to time, looking for advise and assistance with resources if people are willing to offer.

Expanding Concepts-Honor

A few months back when i first started this blog, I wrote a brief, generalized article on virtues which I think the pagan community and modern society in general need to pay more attention to. I have for some time now considered expanding each of the virtues to create a more in depth concept for both my own and others consideration. Obviously this will take a long time, a lot of research, and effort, all of which I am willing to put it. That being said, I don’t want this book to be based strictly on my own opinions. I want to hear what others, especially other pagans, wiccans, witches and druids, have to say on the subject. I want you to be detailed and really give me the in’s and out’s of why you feel the way you do on the virtue under discussion.You will of course be given credit for your input and, while I can not promise any monetary compensation, I am more than happy to include blogs and books by participants in my related reading section as long as they apply to the subject at hand.

To give a bit of context, a chapter outline would go as follows:
Definition-the literal definition as well as layman terms and concepts relating to the virtue.
Cultural Significance-how different cultures view the virtue and how it has been upheld or ensured.
Examples in Mythology-what myths, as well as mythological characters, exhibit this virtue and in what manner.
Examples in Modern Literature–what modern characters could be described as exhibiting this virtue and how.
Examples in Media-are there any characters in movies and tv that held define this virtue for a modern audience.
Symbolism-are there any signs, symbols or attributes which relate to this virtue.
Rituals-rituals of either ancient or modern invention which help a person become imbued with the virtue.

I am looking for any and all input as well as lengthy discussion to help flesh out ideas. Remember that this work is still in it’s infancy and because of time constraints it may take a while to finish. When the parts are completed I intend to offer them on my website. If you give input that I use either by quoting you or by which helped me develop my writing, you will get a free PDF copy.

The first virtue I would like to put up for discussion is one of the most important: Honor. What does honor mean to you? How does one define it? Is it different for a man than for a woman? How does one gain honor? How does one loose it? What examples can you think of? Feel free to include anything you can think of.