Elements of Magic – Embodiment and Ecstasy at the Crossroads
sisalfierce and Gwion
Of the many paths we each follow, we find ourselves, at this very moment, standing together at the crossroads. Look back – Hekate’s torches burn brightly, illuminating where we have each journeyed from. Look ahead – Her torches illuminate the myriad paths we can choose, now.
And we have not arrived at the crossroads alone; our allies are with us. Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit surround us, speak to us, and move within us and through us.
Here, the Elements ask us to consider: How does Breath inform our voices at the crossroads? How do we tend to the inner and outer Fires, for ourselves and our communities? Can our shared stories, carried in the Waters of life, point the way to the path ahead? What is it to remember that we are not just of the Earth, but we are the Earth itself?
Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit; these are the paths that have led us to the crossroads. They honor us – will you honor them in return by embodying them as we explore the Elements of Magic? We will sing and move and join in ecstatic practices – for our path is to live an ecstatic life. We will trance, do spellwork and embrace Mystery – for ours is a mysterious path.
We invite and encourage those who have never taken Elements of Magic, and those who have taken it a hundred times before, to meet at the crossroads – fully embodied, together. Path participants are asked to bring a journal and an open and willing heart. This path is a Reclaiming Core Class, suitable for all levels of magical experience and physical diversity. If you have not yet taken Elements of Magic in a Reclaiming community or camp, it is highly encouraged that you will take the Elements of Magic path.
Returning
with Sayre and Juniper
Where are we going?
As individuals, as a community, as a nation, as a species, as a living Earth?
Who sustains and nourishes us?
To whom do we owe our lives?
Join us as we walk paths made by the footfalls of our human lineage, examine the countless crossroads they have come through, and consider the worlds their choices have built.
Join us as we delve into the marrow of our bodies, taste the blood of the ancestral lines from which we are woven, unwind the legacies we have been swaddled in, and deconstruct the traditions that build the world around us. As we examine the remaining fragments of our ancient stories – the shards of hope, the nails of grief, the seeds of possibility – and choose what to carry with us as we reimagine our futures, rebuild our place in the wider world, and create a path towards home.
Join us as we slow down, connect to the net of timeless relationships; to this living Earth that called us into being. We will receive ancient breath and deep molecular wisdom from plants, animals, and bacteria that called into being the countless generations of humans before us.
Join us as we hone our questions, choose paths, and dare to name what we love.
Mapping the Crossroads: Listening to Hekate’s Voice
Matthew and Teri Parsley Starnes
Samhain approaches, and the veils between the seen and unseen worlds thin. We stand at the crossroads with Hekate, listening with hearts open to the pain and beauty of the worlds. We are called to the place of choosing, where we hear the voices of the land, the stars, and the web of connection, knowing that we face crucial choices for ourselves and for the worlds. We see ourselves as our own allies, and seek to know who comes with us to the crossroads. Using the Witch’s tools of divination—including the Tarot, astrology, runes, and other forms—we will discover the landscape of our crossroads and create a map to better navigate this terrain. We seek to know: Who is the Seeker at the crossroads? What are the choices we face? Who comes with us—our ancestors, our allies, our connections? Who do we meet there? Who aids and guides us moving forward? How will we choose to bring this work into our lives? With Hekate lighting the way, we seek guidance for the choices we face, for ourselves, our communities and the worlds. The work of this path will be political and personal, revolutionary and life changing. We seek to dismantle systems of oppression and injustice through an invitation to our ancestors who are part of this work.
Participants may want to bring their own divination tools. However, you do not have to be familiar with a system of divination to take this path. We will be crafting our own maps of the crossroads through fabric arts. Fabric and other materials will be provided, but you may wish to bring your own crafting items, charms, paints, etc.
The teachers recommend that participants have previously taken a Reclaiming Elements of Magic class, or have an equivalent grounding in magical practices.
Alchemy of 7
Cat Dancing
At the crossroads, Hekate holds her torches high. At her feet, the cauldron of all possibilities. The alchemy of magic brews in the center, the web reaches out to the furthest edges.
Magick brings together all of who we are individually and collectively as a community, Hekate adds the spark of transformation.
The 7th teacher, Cat Dancing, desires to ignite your passion and challenge you to stretch beyond. Trickster, Coyote, Cheshire Cat, connection with the Fae and Spirits of the Land and a sprinkling of glittering faery dust will be interwoven in all 3 paths by the 7th teacher.