For Children

Note: this is currently a closed group. If you are interested in joining in the future, please contact me at info@carolynhuntrituals.com. For more information on working with children, please refer to Starhawk, Diane Bake and Anne Hill’s excellent book Circle Round Raising Children in the Goddess Tradition. Thank you!

This group for children age 7-10 gathers for the 8 major Wiccan holidays. Each session includes a snack, a craft or game devoted to the theme of the holiday, a story about the holiday, co-creating an altar, and a brief ritual with singing and candle-lighting.

Location: Berkeley
Day: The Wednesday afternoon before a Wiccan holiday
Time: 4:00 to 6:00pm
Bring: a snack to share, a candle and holder, and a jacket if we’re outside

There are 8 major holidays in the Wiccan solar calendar (Sabbats), spaced approximately 6 weeks apart. The 2 Equinoxes are Spring-Ostara and Fall-Mabon, and the 2 Solstices are Summer-Litha and Winter-Yule. The cross-quarter holidays occur in between an Equinox and a Solstice, and include Samhain in October (the new year), Imbolc in February, Beltane in May, and Lughnasadh in August.

For 2010:

Mabon: Wednesday Sept. 15

Samhain: Wednesday Oct. 27

Yule: Wednesday Dec. 15

Introduction to Feminist Wicca for Women

Wednesday October 20, 2010–November 17 (plus Full Moon ritual on Saturday November 20, 2010)

6:30 to 9:00pm in Berkeley

For spiritual seekers and pagans interested in Feminist Wicca:
Have you wondered whether Wicca might be the path for you? Have you desired a safe space to ask spiritual questions in a group of supportive women? Join this beginner’s exploration of a beautiful tradition of service, healing, and personal transformation. The skills you gain will enable you to fully participate in public rituals and other Wiccan events, and to define and refine your personal spiritual practice. A session with the teacher will allow you to discuss questions, issues, or revelations that arise during the course. This course is designed to stand alone or to serve as the foundation for a year-long apprenticeship.

Week 1: Overview of the Modern Pagan and Goddess Movements
Week 2: Intention, Attention, and Ethics: Magic’s Heart, Soul, and Mind
Week 3: Altar-Building and The Four Sacred Elements
Week 4: Cycles of the Moon and Sun
Week 5: The Goddess Invoked
Final Week: Participatory Full Moon Ritual

Apprenticeship in Feminist Wicca for Women

“The year and a day apprenticeship was a life changing journey of growth and discovery, where I was able to find and become my most authentic self, supported by the bonds of sisterhood. Carolyn is a truly amazing teacher, whose knowledge and wisdom are matched only by her kindness and open heart.”
–Recent Initiate

Dates: The second Saturday of the month, starting January, 2011 for 12 months (10:00 to 4:30pm), plus Sabbat rituals, and individual session with instructor.

Minimum: 3 students, Maximum: 6 students

Purpose
In this Apprenticeship, we experience the Wheel of the Year together—the planting, growth, and harvest of our dreams, desires, and aspirations–and, enjoy the bonds of sisterhood. We tune into the mysticism of Nature and the Goddess, align with the divinity of our own beings, and expand our compassionate political consciousness. We learn together in a workshop format (individual check-in, lecture and discussion, visualizations and ritual) and celebrate Full and Dark Moon and Cross-Quarter holiday rituals. Students are encouraged to participate in and help present public rituals on the quarterly Sabbats and to complete up to 3 hours of assignments each month.

Completion of apprenticeship creates the possibility of initiation (depending on the candidate’s readiness as determined by the teacher) into the Dianic Wiccan spiritual tradition (as it has been developed by Z Budapest and passed through Ruth Barrett and Felicity Artemis Flowers).*

My approach combines 3 basic types of learning—group connection, intellectual inquiry, and experiential participatory ritual. Each class will include a check-in where we talk about our own individual processes and growth, a lecture/discussion on the topics listed below, and some form of guided visualization or ritual.

Prerequisites
1. Introduction to Feminist Wicca class or comparable education/experience (familiarity with spell-casting, Wiccan ethics, women’s circles, and the Dianic tradition).
2. Desire and commitment to pursue a Feminist Wiccan path.

Exchange:
$1,000 for the Year, to be paid in 2 semester installments of $500. ($250 deposit due July 1, 2010)

Commitment

Joining this Apprenticeship represents significant emotional, psychological and logistical commitment. We are together for 6-9 hours/month (with approximately 3 hours/month of homework) and so I encourage everyone to be on time and to do your best to show up physically and emotionally.  Likely, during your process, you will experience a range of emotions appropriate to deep personal transformation. Your commitment to Apprenticeship means a willingness to be present with these feelings and to express them appropriately.

Initiation Criteria

Part of the “goal” of this experience is Initiation into Wicca at the end of the Year, I will consider the following criteria when assessing your readiness (adapted from Deborah Bender):
1. You have studied with the teacher for a year and a day.
2. You are familiar with the basic beliefs, practices, ethics and traditions of Feminist Wicca and have completed assignments.
3. Your life circumstances are consistent with initiation, i.e. there are no serious mental or other health issues that conflict with your ability to be present and ready.
4. You desire initiation.

Readings
Please purchase the following books (they can often be acquired second-hand). We will read and discuss selected chapters as we move through the Year.

1. Starhawk The Spiral Dance (New York: Harper & Row, 1979)
2. Budapest, Z. The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries (Oakland: First Wingbow Press, 1989)

Class Schedule (subject to change)

Lighting Your Path in Feminist Wicca

The Ancient Goddess: Marija Gimbutas and Archeomythology

Spring Equinox Workshop (Ostara) and Ritual

Beltane Workshop and Ritual

Women’s Blood Mysteries

Summer Solstice (Litha) Workshop and Ritual

Volcanic Virtues: Anger and the Sacred No

Llammas (Lughnasad) Workshop and Ritual

Song and Chant Workshop

Fall Equinox (Mabon) Workshop and Ritual

The Sacred Erotic

Reclaiming the Other: Feminism and Anti-Racism in Dianic Wicca

Samhain Workshop and Ritual

Herbal Magic

Winter Solstice (Yule) Workshop and Ritual

Sacred Symbols: Pentagram and Spiral

Sacred Sons of the Goddess

Priestess Training Program in Feminist Wicca