Welcome to this online training course. I was at a quandary as to what to call it as it isn't geared up to any single path. That being said, if you want to carry it through to the end, it will give you a firm grounding in and a practical tool kit for the magickal arts as well as allow you to travel forward as you explore the deeper meanings of the path you walk. Much of what I have produced will sound very familiar to those how lean towards Wicca. And yet, much will be familiar to anyone who favours Ceremonial Magick. So, at the end of the day, I opted for a simple title of Magick Training Course. Not very inventive I know, but there you go.
So what credentials do I have to produce such material? I guess I can only answer that question by providing a short biography. It made sound something of a cliché but I can honestly say that I have always had an attraction to the natural world; as a teenager I used to wander in the forest for hours on my own. Sometimes fearing that I was lost, but always finding my way back out again. I can remember feeling a little foolish when talking to the elementals that live deep within the woods, not really expecting a reply, but nevertheless, hearing one deep within. At the time, I probably wasn't even aware that my questions and chats were being answered as I didn't know how to listen.
I dabbled with many different practices trying to find what I was looking for - yoga, meditation and the like. I had more than a passing interest in spiritualism as my grandmother and aunt were both mediums (and, I understand, fairly well known in their day). When I was about 20 or so, events in my life basically dictated that I went to sleep spiritually.
Then, about 15 years ago, I started searching again, still not sure what I was really looking for, when I slowly started to open up to the Goddess. I can't say that it was some sort of blinding revelation, or even anything approaching one - I wish I could. At first I recoiled with horror at the word paganism, believing it be something from the darkest depths of Satan's goodie bag. But as I questioned and read, my early prejudices were gradually overcome. Finally, one summer's day, I was driving along a motorway, heading back towards London, as the sun was setting. Before me was the most glorious sunset which seemed to fill my whole field of vision. The sun was a glorious orange-red which is impossible to describe. It was at this point that I finally gave in to the voice deep inside of me and fully accepted the existence of the Goddess and God. And so began a new phase of my life.
My search took me along the same path that has been walked by many a seeker, that of reading anything and everything I could get my hands on that remotely seemed to be occult or had the word witchcraft in the title. Finally, with great trepidation, I carried out my first ritual. Not really sure what to expect, I fell into the trap that many newcomers do. That is being more worried about the words and 'getting it right' rather than to just let go and enjoy myself. Being no stranger to mediation, the visualisations were not too much of a problem. Or at least they wouldn't have been if I had had the faintest idea what it was I was supposed to seeing. Yes the books gave clues or even told me what I should visualise, but I spent the whole of my first ritual wondering if I was doing it right. So it was, perhaps, little surprise that there were no great revelations and I was left with a feeling of, "so is that it?!" It was only as I continued to practise that I began to let go. And that is where I think it would have been invaluable for me to have had a teacher; someone I could talk to about my experiences and someone who could give me guidance with my work.
Then, in 1998 I did indeed meet such a teacher. I has been going along to a local pagan Moot for a few months when I met someone who ran a ceremonial magick lodge that went by the name of The Magicians Gate. Shortly afterwards I asked if he would be prepared to train me and there began a long and happy period of training and magickal working. Unfortunately, the Gate went much the same way as many groups do and most of its members went their separate ways. Since then I have worked with various pagan groups and my magickal partner but have yet to join a new group. I have toyed with the idea of starting one, and have taken a few steps down that road. But, at the time of writing this, I have yet to find people who I feel are on the same wavelength as me when it comes to what such a group should be about and the dedication needed to make it a success.
I have also written for several websites and, more recently, have taken over the day-to-day running of Weavings with my magickal partner and beloved wife, Garnet WindDancer, to whom this course is dedicated.
So, there is a little something about me