Lots of juicy magick coming up this fall. I've got two ritual workshops I'll be teaching at Observatory: one on Autumn Descent & The Eleusinian Mysteries on Sept 27th, and one for Samhain on Nov 1st. Drop me an email if you'd like to come to either or both of those. And tickets are selling fast for the Occult Humanities Conference at NYU on Oct 18-20th, so be sure to grab yours ASAP. Full info on all below:
Autumn Descent & The Eleusinian Mysteries: A Ritual Workshop with Pam Grossman
Remedios Varo “Arquitectura Vegetal” 1962
Date: Friday, September 27th
Time: 7:30-9ish pm
Place: Observatory in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Admission: $20
Presented by Phantasmaphile
***You must RSVP to phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com if you’d like to attend, as space is limited
Persephone’s descent into Hades, and Demeter’s subsequent mourning, were celebrated in late September in ancient Greece via a 9-day long series of elaborate rites called the Eleusinian Mysteries. Though relatively little is known about these rituals to this day, they mirrored the changing of the seasons, and allowed initiates to reflect deeply upon the cycle of birth, death, and resurrection.
So shall we celebrate this time when the world turns dark and our thoughts turn inward. This evening will be filled with myth, ritual, and meditation to prepare us for the colder months. We will journey to the underworld, and return with messages to help guide us in the coming seasons. Themes will include harvesting, giving thanks, honoring shadow, and letting go.
Please bring:
-Any altar objects you like. These can be decorative (Thanksgiving and autumnal decor of any kind is welcome), and/or personal objects which you’d like to have charged
-A candle and holder
-A cushion, pillow, or fabric, as we will be sitting on the floor (chairs will be available for those who need).
Note-taking is welcome. This workshop is open to men and women, novices and advanced practitioners alike.
Occult Humanities Conference
Date: Friday, October 18th - Sunday, October 20th
Time: 8pm on Friday through 8pm on Sunday
Place: NYU Barney Building, 34 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY
Admission: $90 in advance for entire weekend; or $50 per day at door, as available. Advance tickets available here
Presented by Phantasmaphile, Observatory, and NYU Steinhardt Department of Art and Art Professions
Conference website: http://www.sevenseven.com/occult-humanities/
$90 Tickets available here: http://www.sevenseven.com/occult-humanities/tickets.html
SUMMARY:
The Occult Humanities Conference will take place on October 18th-20th at NYU, and co-organized by Pam Grossman and Jesse Bransford. The weekend will feature lectures, an art exhibition, and entertainment, all of which explore occult subject matter.
Speakers include Susan Aberth, Robert Ansell, Jesse Bransford, Elijah Burgher, Laurent Ferri, Pam Grossman, Mitch Horowitz, Amy Hale, William Kiesel, Gary Lachman, Mark Pilkington, and Shannon Taggart.
The accompanying exhibition, Verbal, Somatic and Material, will contain artwork and esoteric books by Jesse Bransford, Elijah Burgher, David Chaim Smith, Fulgur Esoterica, Ouroboros Press, and Shannon Taggart.
Entertainment will be provided by The Parlour Trick (music) and Acep Hale (magician).
There will be books vended by Catland, Fulgur Esoterica, and Ouroboros Press.
ABOUT:
The Occult Humanities Conference
October 18-20, 2013
Hosted by Phantasmaphile, Observatory and the NYU Steinhardt Department of Art and Art Professions
NYU Steinhardt
34 Stuyvesant St., New York, NY
The Occult Humanities Conference is a weekend conference to be held in New York City on October 18-20th, 2013. The conference will present a wide array of voices active in the cultural landscape who are specifically addressing the occult tradition through research, scholarship and artistic practice.
The arts and humanities at present are acutely interested in subjects related to the occult tradition. The tradition represents a rich and varied visual culture that displays a complex set of relations at once culturally specific and global in their transmission. Roughly defined, the occult tradition represents a series of culturally syncretic belief systems with related and overlapping visual histories. Though there are as many ways into this material as there are cultural - and personal - perspectives, universal occult concerns often include a belief in some sort of magic; a longing to connect with an immaterial or trans-personal realm; and a striving for inner-knowledge, refinement of the self, and transformation of one's consciousness - if not one's physical circumstances.
Intensely marginalized throughout most historical periods, these traditions persist and represent an 'underground' perspective that periodically exerts a strong influence on structures of dissent, utopianism and social change. Though history is marked with several so-called "Occult Revivals," the contemporary digital age is a perfect confluence of several factors which make this moment prime for a reexamination of all of the esoteric traditions. While the information age has allowed for easier access to previously obscure writings, imagery, and social contexts, it alternately elicits a deep desire for sensorial experiences and meaning-making once one steps away from the screen.
The presenters at the OHC represent a rich and expanding community of international artists and academics from multiple disciplines across the humanities who share an exuberance and excitement for how the occult traditions interface with their fields of study as well as the culture at large. The small scale of this conference (approximately 100 attendees) will give ticket holders an intimate look at the presenters and their views.
The visually-oriented presentations will be coupled with an exhibition of artworks by several presenters and artisanal books from Fulgur Esoterica and Ouroboros Press.
SCHEDULE:
| FRIDAY October 18 | ||
| 8:00-8:30pm | Welcome from conference organizers Pam Grossman & Jesse Bransford | Jesse Bransford; Pam Grossman |
| 8:30-10:00pm | Wine and Cheese Reception with live music from The Parlour Trick | The Parlour Trick |
| SATURDAY October 19 | ||
| 9:00-9:30am | Welcome, Announcements & Opening Remarks | Jesse Bransford; Pam Grossman |
| 9:30-10:30am | Like A Messenger to the Deep: Deciphering the Occult in Leonora Carrington | Susan Aberth |
| 10:30-11:00am | BREAK | |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | Witch-Hunters in the Book-Shops: the History of the Cornell Witchcraft Collection (1866-2013) | Laurent Ferri |
| 12:00-1:30pm | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 1:30-2:30pm | Isis Resurrected: How Madame Blavatsky Reshaped Our World - A Discussion | Gary Lachman & Mitch Horowitz, moderated by Pam Grossman |
| 2:30-3:00pm | BREAK | |
| 3:00-4:00pm | Alchemical Vessels: Vehicles of the Hermetic Tradition | William Kiesel |
| 4:00-4:30pm | BREAK | |
| 4:30-5:30pm | Artist Talk: Physical Mediumship and the Search for Ectoplasm in Modern Spiritualist Ritual | Shannon Taggart |
| 5:30-6:00pm | BREAK | |
| 6:00-7:00pm | Art as a Spell: Resacralizing Urban Space | Pam Grossman |
| 7:00-9:00pm | DINNER BREAK | |
| 9:00pm | EVENING ENTERTAINMENT: An Occult Magic Show | Acep Hale |
| SUNDAY October 20 | ||
| 10:00-11:00am | Adventures in Limbo: The Neither-Neither World of Austin Osman Spare | Robert Ansell |
| 11:00-11:30 | BREAK | |
| 11:30-12:30 | Artist Talk: Topple the Table of Correspondences | Elijah Burgher |
| 12:30-2:00pm | LUNCH BREAK | |
| 2:00-3:00pm | Symbolic Devices: On the Hieronymous Machine and Other Magical Technologies | Mark O. Pilkington |
| 3:00-3:30pm | BREAK | |
| 3:30-4:30pm | "More Brilliant than Crystal": The Life and Work of Ithell Colquhoun | Amy Hale |
| 4:30-5:00pm | BREAK | |
| 5:00-6:00pm | Artist Talk: The Planets, A Ten Year Working | Jesse Bransford |
| 6:00-8:00pm | CLOSING RECEPTION AND ART VIEWING |
Open to the Public |
LECTURE DESCRIPTIONS (alphabetically by participant name):
Like A Messenger to the Deep: Deciphering the Occult in Leonora Carrington
The British-born Mexican Surrealist Leonora Carrington created a large
body of work including paintings, drawings, sculpture, tapestries,
jewelry, theatrical scenery and costumes, as well as a significant
amount of fiction (short stories, plays, novellas). Much of the content
of her work has been deemed undecipherable and has thus been relegated
to the realm of nursery rhyme, surrealist fantasy and mythology. This
presentation will use a previously unpublished drawing of Carrington's
as a jump off point with which to explore the artist's occult interests,
which were wide-ranging and actually clearly articulated in her work.
The esoteric artwork of other Surrealists, many of whom were her
friends, will be used as points of comparison.
Susan L. Aberth is Associate Professor of Art History at Bard
College, Annandaleon-Hudson, New York. She teaches modern Latin American
art, with a particular interest in Surrealism and religious traditions.
She also teaches Latin American art at the Christie's Education Master
of Arts Program, New York. Author of Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy, and Art (Lund Humphries, London and in Spanish with Turner, Madrid, 2004); Agustín Fernández: The Metamorphosis of Experience
(with Donald Kuspit, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado and Abby McEwen)
(5Continents, Milan, 2012); and numerous other articles and catalogue
essays. In addition to the art of Latin America, her teaching and
research interests are in outsider art, fraternal orders, the occult,
religion and popular culture.
***
Saturday Night Performance: Occult Magic With Magician Acep Hale
Until modern times there was no division between the branches of magic.
Acep Hale will be presenting a collection of classic street performing
tricks that have been passed down through centuries in a continuous link
from the times when magicians wandered the earth, entertaining,
healing, and divining for the communities they traveled through.
Acep Hale is a street performing magician, musician, traveler,
and rogue gentleman scholar. Driven by the 19th century belief in
propaganda by deed he performs daily on street corners everywhere to
prove that magic still lives around every bend, you don't need a nine to
five to stay alive, and hope springs eternal between the cracks of
every sidewalk.
Adventures in Limbo: The Neither-Neither World of Austin Osman Spare
Austin Osman Spare was an English occult artist working in the
early-to-mid 20th Century.
In this 45min audio-visual journey, we are invited to explore Austin
Spare's approach to creating magical art through an analysis of his own
words and images. His liminal methods are then compared with composers
working during his lifetime. The lecture includes a soundtrack by John
Contreras (of Current 93 and Baby Dee) that was composed uniquely for
this presentation.
Robert Ansell is a publisher, art dealer, curator and scholar.
His field of expertise is esoteric art of the 20th century with a
specific focus on Austin Osman Spare. Through his company FULGUR
ESOTERICA he has represented esoteric artists in book form since 1992.
In recent years he has also gained note as an independent art curator
specializing in the esoteric. Robert is also the publisher and art
editor of Abraxas Journal, which has been described as etoday's
pre-eminent voice for the serious study of occult and esoteric
expression.' His published work includes; AOS Ex-Libris (1988), The Book of Ugly Ecstasy (1996), Borough Satyr (2005), The Valley of Fear (2008), The Exhibition Catalogues of Austin O. Spare (2011) and The Focus of Life (2012). He has been interviewed for the BBC Culture Show, the blog Boing Boing, and Dazed and Confused.
Jesse Bransford: The Planets, A Ten Year Working
In the summer of 2013 Jesse Bransford completed a long-term project
involving a study of the seven planets of antiquity. Begun in late 2004,
The seven celestial bodies, the Sun, Mars, Mercury, the Moon, Venus,
Jupiter and Saturn were each taken in turn and studied for approximately
a year. The research generated seven discreet bodies of work that trace
the self-initiation of the artist into a much larger (and stranger)
world.
Jesse Bransford (Conference Co-organizer) is a Brooklyn-based
artist whose work is exhibited internationally at venues including The
Carnegie Museum of Art, the UCLA Hammer Museum, PS 1 Contemporary Art
Center and the CCA Wattis Museum among others. He holds degrees from the
New School for Social Research (BA), Parsons School of Design (BFA) and
Columbia University (MFA). An associate professor of art at New York
University, Bransford's work has been involved with belief and the
visual systems it creates since the 1990s. Early research into color
meaning and cultural syncretism led to the occult traditions in general
and the work of John Dee and Henry Cornelius Agrippa specifically. His
work is represented by Feature Inc. in New York and can be seen
extensively documented on the website sevenseven.com, a site he has
operated and maintained since 1997.
Elijah Burgher: Topple the Table of Correspondences
Elijah Burgher will give an artist's talk about his drawings and
paintings. He will also discuss the influence of artist-sorcerors, such
as Austin Osman Spare, William S. Burroughs, Genesis P-Orridge and John
Balance, on his work.
Elijah Burgher (b. 1978, U.S.A.) is an artist and occasional
writer, currently living in Chicago, IL. He makes drawings and paintings
that utilize ideas from magick and the occult to address sexuality,
sub-cultural formation and the history of abstraction. He has exhibited
in solo shows at Western Exhibitions, Chicago (2012, 2013); 2nd Floor
Projects, San Francisco (2011); and Shane Campbell Gallery, Oak Park
(2010); and two-person shows at Lump, Raleigh (2012); and Peregrine
Program, Chicago (2009). Recent group shows include exhibitions at the
Witte de With, Rotterdam (2013); H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art, Kenosha
(2012); 92YTribeca (2012), Anna Kustera (2011), and Envoy Enterprises
(2010), New York City; Famous Accountants, Brooklyn (2011); and Noma,
San Francisco (2011). Burgher has taught in Contemporary Practices and
Painting and Drawing since Fall 2010. Recent publications include Vitamin D2 (Phaidon, 2013) and AA Bronson & Peter Hobbs: Queer Spirits (Creative Time, 2011).
Witch-Hunters in the Book-Shops: the History of the Cornell Witchcraft Collection (1866-2013)
That Cornell University Library has "the largest and most accessible
collection on witchcraft in the world" is widely acknowledged in the
academic community, but the whole story of why and how it was built (in
the context of both scholarship and political activism) still needs to
be told in details. Driven by their liberal/rationalist agenda and by
their populist/sentimentalist interpretation of European witch-hunt, two
historians, Cornell's first President Andrew Dickson White (1866-1885)
and librarian George Lincoln Burr (who retired in 1922), purchased the
largest ensemble of witchcraft trial records and demonology treaties in
one repository. Decades later, Cornell acquired the library on occultism
of Kurt Seligmann, "the magic expert of the Surrealist group." In this
talk, Laurent Ferri will discuss the formation, use, and occasional
misuse, of the amazing and still expanding Cornell Witchcraft
Collection.
Laurent Ferri is the curator of the pre-1800 collections of rare
books and manuscripts in Kroch Library, Cornell -- where he also holds
the position of Adjunct Professor of Comparative Literature and Medieval
Studies. Prior to coming to New York State, he worked at the Archives
nationales in Paris, and also taught at the école nationale
d'administration in Rabat, Morocco.
Art as a Spell: Resacralizing Urban Space
The word "pagan" means "of the country," yet so many city-dwellers have
magical inclinations and pantheistic leanings. How do we reconcile our
metaphysical hunger with our decidedly industrial surroundings? In this
meditation on the occult and urban living, with a special focus on New
York City, Pam Grossman will explore the idea of art as a conduit
between civilization and the divine.
Pam Grossman (Conference Co-organizer) is an independent curator,
writer, and teacher of magical practice and history. She is the
creator of Phantasmaphile, a blog which specializes in art and culture
with an esoteric or fantastical bent, and the Associate Editor of
Abraxas International Journal of Esoteric Studies. As co-founder of the
Brooklyn arts & lecture space, Observatory, her programming aims to
explore mysticism via a scholarly yet accessible approach.
Her group art shows, Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists, VISION
QUEST, Alchemically Yours, and Sigils & Signs have been featured by
such outlets as Boing Boing, Art & Antiques Magazine, CREATIVE TIME,
Time Out New York, Juxtapoz, Arthur, 20×200, UrbanOutfitters.com, and
Neil Gaiman's Twitter.
She lectures on such topics as "The Occult in Modern Art 101," and
teaches classes on herbalism and ritual. Her writing has appeared in
numerous mediums, including The Huffington Post, MSN.com, the Etsy blog,
Sciences Occultes magazine, and various Fulgur press publications. As a
featured guest on The Midnight Archive web series, Expanding Mind
radio, Occult Science Radio, and the C-Realm, Psychonautica, and
Labyrinth podcasts, she has discussed the role of magic in contemporary
life.
Pam is a graduate of New York University, where she studied
anthropology, art history, and comparative religion. A resident of
Brooklyn, she lives with her playwright husband, Matthew Freeman, and
their two cat familiars, Albee and Remedios "Remy" Varo.
More Brilliant than Crystal: The Life and Work of Ithell Colquhoun
A Presentation by Dr. Amy Hale
This illustrated lecture will explore the rich artistic and
philosophical legacy of Ithell Colquhoun (1906-1988). Colquhoun, who
was formally associated with British Surrealism for a short time in the
late 1930s, was situated at the nexus of British esoteric thought and
culture in the mid 20th century. Through her work we can examine the
emerging social and cultural contexts of several strands of British
esoterica including Wicca, Druidry, traditionalist witchcraft, and
Hermetic magic. Furthermore, Colquhoun anticipates by decades movements
such as Goddess religion and British earth mysteries. Just as
importantly, Colquhoun's oeuvre provides us with a rare working record
of a female occultist working in a male dominated milieu, who dedicated
nearly her entire life to magic and the pursuit of enlightenment, always
without compromise.
Amy Hale, PhD (Golden Gate University) is an Anthropologist
specializing in contemporary Celtic cultures with an emphasis on
Cornwall and esoteric cultural history. She is the co-editor of New Directions in Celtic Studies (2000) and Inside Merlin's Cave: A Cornish Arthurian Reader
(2000) in addition to writing over 30 other articles ranging in topic
from Neo Druidry to Celtic cultural tourism. She is the past co-editor
of the Journal of the Academic Study of Magic (with Susan
Johnston Graf), and is working on a biography and several other projects
related to the life and work of of Ithell Colquhoun (Francis Boutle).
Alchemical Vessels: Vehicles of the Hermetic Tradition, A Presentation by William Kiesel, Editor-in-Chief of Ouroboros Press
The Royal Art of Alchemy has a long tradition of transmutation. The
literature is among the most artistic and thereby recognized, practices
in the western esoteric tradition. Despite this fact, alchemy is also
one of the most misunderstood arts in the tradition due to the confusion
arising from the enigmatic language and imagery employed by its
authors. A cursory glance reveals an apparent dichotomy between
allegorical and practical methods as expressed by 20th century exponents
of the art. Images in alchemy which depict specific alchemical
operations along with allegorical references will accompany an
explicatory presentation. As various operations in the tradition
customarily take place in distinct vessels, ovens and crucibles, several
images will be shown where the two methods work in concert.
William J. Kiesel is the director of Ouroboros Press,
Editor-In-Chief at CLAVIS Journal of the Art Magical and the founder of
the international Esoteric Book Conference. His personal research into
variant currents of Western Esotericism and the History of the Book has
been augmented by participation in the antiquarian and scholarly book
trade dating back to 1991. A strong supporter of Book Arts, his role
also includes independent scholarship, art curation and public speaking
in the complex and intriguing world of esoterisicm.
Isis Resurrected: How Madame Blavatsky Reshaped Our World,
A discussion with Gary Lachman and Mitch Horowitz, moderated by Pam Grossman
Gary Lachman is the author of more than a dozen books on the
meeting ground between consciousness, culture, and the western esoteric
tradition, including Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality, Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to his Life and Work, Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius, A Secret History of Consciousness, The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus, and mostly recently The Caretakers of the Cosmos.
He is a regular contributor to several journals in the US and UK and
regularly lectures on his work in the UK, Europe, and US. In a prior
life Lachman was a founding member of the rock group Blondie and in 2006
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in New
Jersey but since 1996 has lived in London, England. His website is
www.garylachman.co.uk.
Mitch Horowitz is vice-president and editor-in-chief at
Tarcher/Penguin, the division of Penguin books dedicated to metaphysical
literature. He is the author of Occult America (Bantam), which received the 2010 PEN Oakland/ Josephine Miles Award for literary excellence. His new book, One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life,
is forthcoming from Crown in January 2014. Horowitz frequently writes
about and discusses alternative spirituality in the national media,
including CBS Sunday Morning, Dateline NBC, All Things Considered, The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and CNN.com. Visit him online
at www.MitchHorowitz.com and on Twitter @MitchHorowitz.
Symbolic Devices: On the Hieronymous Machine and Other Magical Technologies
"If, as Arthur C Clarke famously observed, any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable from magic, then can we accept that any
sufficiently advanced magic is also indistinguishable from technology?"
In this illustrated presentation, Mark presents a historical overview of
psychotronic devices - the radiant collision point of magic, art and
technology. Psychotronic devices fuse aspects of vitalism,
electromagnetic field theory and psychic sciences like telepathy,
psychometry and dowsing. From an orthodox materialist perspective they
are cargo cult technology, a fantasy of science. But it is too simple to
reject all psionic devices out of hand as deceptions or slight-of-mind;
Instead, we can perhaps best understand them as technological
adaptations of ancient, sympathetic magical practices, a magic that
feeds on, and is fuelled by, the conviction of both the practitioner and
the subject. Mark will look the development of psychotronic
technologies from the 19th century to the present, a journey that
incorporates experimental medicines, science fiction fandom and some of
the world's most prestigious art galleries.
Mark Pilkington is the author of Mirage Men (now a feature documentary film) and Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science's Outer Edge
and has written for numerous magazines, anthologies and journals. Mark
is the overmind at Strange Attractor, publishing books and curating
events and exhibitions. When he's not working with words you'll find him
fiddling with synthesiers and electronic sound making devices with a
number of experimental music groups in his native London.
www.strangeattractor.co.uk / www.radionicworkshop.co.uk
Shannon Taggart: Physical Mediumship and the Search for Ectoplasm in Modern Spiritualist Ritual
Shannon Taggart is a photographer and independent researcher
based in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been exhibited and published
internationally. She curates a lecture series about the science and
aesthetics of the miraculous. Currently, she is working on a book about
Spiritualism and physical mediumship.
Opening Night Performance: The Parlour Trick
The Parlour Trick is a "haunted chamber music" project, founded by
Meredith Yayanos in 2006. Recently, she and fellow multi-instrumentalist
Dan Cantrell released an LP of spooky seance songs under The Parlour
Trick moniker called "A Blessed Unrest". Thematically, the record is
very much a Madwoman in the Attic affair, steeped in melancholy, decay,
ritual, channeling, agoraphobia, laudanum abuse.... lots of Grimm,
grinning stuff. Hear more at theparlourtrick.bandcamp.com.
Meredith Yayanos is a musician, writer, traveler, and the
co-founder / Editor in Chief of Coilhouse Magazine & Blog. Her
theremin, violin, and vocal work has been featured on tracks with
artists including The Dresden Dolls, Beats Antique, Faun Fables, The
Vanity Set, David Garland and The Walkmen. She has also done score work
for film and television, most notably the Victorian ghost story puppet
short The Narrative of Victor Karloch, and the full-length psychological
thriller, Empty Rooms.
ACCOMPANYING ART EXHIBITION:
Concurrent with the weekend of the Occult Humanities Conference will be the exhibition Verbal, Somatic and Material. Assembled by Jesse Bransford, the exhibition collects works by many of the speakers in the form of artworks and texts.
Magic relies on at least one of three components, the verbal, the
somatic (i.e. body gestures) and a material component. The exhibition
collects works of art in text and material that connect and join the
rich metaphors of art and magic.
VERBAL - SOMATIC - MATERIAL
Artworks from:
Jesse Bransford
Elijah Burgher
David Chaim Smith
Fulgur Esoterica
Ouroboros Press
Shannon Taggart
The exhibition will be on view for the duration of the Occult Humanities Conference.
A closing reception for the exhibition will be held on Sunday October 20th from 6-8pm. This exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
***
Due to the very intimate size of the conference (approx 100 attendees), we anticipate selling out, and so we are encouraging interested readers to purchase tickets as soon as possible.
Full details here: http://www.sevenseven.com/occult-humanities/index.html
For media inquiries, please contact Pam Grossman at [email protected]
Samhain/All Souls’ Ritual Workshop with Pam Grossman
Leonora Carrington “Samain” 1951
Date: Friday, November 1st
Time: 7:30-9ish pm
Place: Observatory in Gowanus, Brooklyn
Admission: $20
Presented by Phantasmaphile
***You must RSVP to phantasmaphile [at] gmail.com if you’d like to attend, as space is limited
Samhain, Day of the Dead, and All Soul’s Day all fall between October 31st and November 2nd. Regardless of the holiday’s name of your choosing, this is the time of year when the veil between worlds is thinnest. It is also considered “Witches’ New Year,” and it is when our powers of foresight and intuition are at their peak. Tonight, we gather to commune with our ancestors, honor them, and ask for their guidance. We will also use methods divination and meditation to set our intention for the coming year. Finally, we shall feed our beloved dead and ourselves with a traditional “Silent Supper.”
Please bring:
-A bit of food or drink to share with the group, and a bit extra for our ancestors
-Any altar objects you like. Photographs or other meaningful items of those who have passed are highly recommended.
Other objects can be decorative (Halloween or autumnal decor of any
kind is welcome), and/or personal objects which you’d like to have
charged.
-A candle and holder
-A cushion, pillow, or fabric, as we will be sitting on the floor (chairs will be available for those who need).
Note-taking is welcome. This workshop is open to men and women, novices and advanced practitioners alike.
Comments