WELCOME TO LIVING A LIFE OF

5 WEEK LUNAR MAGIC COURSE Hello fellow travelers, and thanks so much for taking the leap into this exciting journey of Magic and Ritual. Before our official start on June 1st, I’d like to run through a few things that will help us all to get acquainted with our online learning system. Our first Full Moon is on June 9th, so that gives us a bit of time to trouble shoot any difficulties that you may have getting settled in. Of course, my recommendation as soon as you sign on to the course is to begin paying particular attention to the Moon and honouring her in whatever way feels good to you. That way, you will have already strengthened your rapport with her before we start our month of focused ritual. HOW THE COURSE WORKS Essentially the course works like this:

1) You make a profile for our online school

2) That profile (and a private access code) allow you to log into the course via a website called Schoology.

3) I upload each unit of teaching material at the beginning of each week, including a detailed PDF booklet, and also links, discussions around videos.

4) I upload an audio recording of a sacred ritual for each phase of the Moon (1 per week) .You can perform your own ritual while listening along, or, if you prefer, you can simply listen to the ritual recording and create your ritual in your own time. The advantage of the recording is that it includes beautiful guided meditations and musical soundscapes to deepen your experience.

5) The other important component of the course is our online forum, which we call our ‘Magical Moot’. We believe that much can be gained through being part of a community, and have therefore created an exciting way for members of Living a Life of Magic to be able to connect with each other. We can share photos and stories about our experience of living a Magical Life. No need to limit yourself just to the course topic ( that’s what the weekly lessons are for). The Moot is a place to expand, explore, connect.

6) You can access all of the course material directly from the Schoology website (eg, read the booklets, stream the videos and mp3 recordings etc), and you can also download and save the material for your own use after the course is finished.

Instructions for creating your profile and joining the “Magical Moot” will follow below. If at any point you hit a hurdle, please email me at [email protected] and either Tim (who takes care of the tech side of LALOM) or I will help you. Once you get the hang of the system, it’s really easy to use. But before all the technical stuff, I’d like to share my thoughts about Magic and ritual, to give you an overview of my approach to teaching, and to my own personal ritual practice. MY THOUGHTS ON MAGIC

Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will. Once you’ve changed your consciousness, you’ll learn to change reality. Dion Fortune

Magic, when done properly, brings you into alignment with the powers of the sacred universe, so that they may assist you in giving form to your true purpose, your reason for being Phyllis Curot.

I practice Magic and Ritual in a very intuitive, natural, and improvised way. For me, Magic is a daily practice, rather than something reserved just for the Full Moon or seasonal Sabbats. Magic is something that flows through every moment of our lives, and I like to create an environment where each person is encouraged and supported in their exploration of their own Magical essence. I think that the most important aspect of the way that we practice our spiritual path is simply in the way that we perceive and think about Life and the Universe. It’s about being open to the wonder of Life and of Nature. It’s noticing the flow and energy around events and people and the interconnectedness of all. I don’t follow any particular Wiccan path (Alexandrian, Gardnerian etc), but instead have a very eclectic and improvised approach to Magic and the Divine. I tend not to follow any particular rules, but rather draw on many different sources to aid us in our ongoing pursuit of deep spiritual connection with Nature.

Magic occurs at those moments when we feel a deep connection with the Universe. Sometimes this happens spontaneously, through a profound experience such as falling in love. But for those of us who are practicing Magicians, we can choose to develop this connection through the power of our Will, and through focusing on positive outcomes. A lot of the power of Magic comes from awareness, of both your surroundings, and your own inner workings. The more we connect with the natural world, the more refined our awareness of energy becomes.

Magic works with the energies of Nature, not against them. In this sense, Magic becomes easier and more effective the more aware we are of what Nature is doing. We observe, for example, whether the overall energies of Nature are moving toward increase or decrease – we flow with the waxing and the waning of the Moon, and with the changing seasons. Often Magic works in ways that may seem illogical to our rational minds. It often involves a leap of faith, a trust in the great mystery of Life and of hidden energy. Here on the Earth plane we work our Magic spells and rituals. The energy we raise vibrates and creates change on the etheric or astral realms, and that change is mirrored back to us. The more we practice Magic, the more strange and wonderful occurrences and coincidences occur to delight and inspire us. AS ABOVE, SO BELOW

This wonderfully simple and well known Magical statement reminds us that everything that goes on in the Universe affects us, whether it be a Full Moon, a transit of Venus, or the endless spiraling energy of our Galaxy. Just as the Moon can pull the tides, and solar flares disrupt radio waves, we are affected by the subtle shifts of our changing sky. We feel the effects of all of Nature. As we know from our current environmental crisis, everything on Earth is affected by everything else. We are no exception. And this works the other way, too. Everything that we do, or think, or say will send a ripple out to the Universe and create an effect, either positive or negative. The more conscious we are of our own personal power, then the greater the positive impact we can create in our world.

Magic is about changing ourselves, not others. Every time we utter a spell or perform ritual, we are opening ourselves up to change. The power of Magic comes in recognising our core strength, and in connecting with the limitless power of the Universe. To try to manipulate others through Magic is not only unethical, it is unwise. The practice of Magic is a creative act. We are the raw material, the clay that becomes the sculpture.

Just like the Magician in the Tarot deck, we become conduits of pure energy – a pathway between Father Sky and Mother Earth. We recognise that the one energy flows through all. Our Magic becomes stronger the more we are able to focus and move beyond distraction and become totally present with the task. Lots of breathing and grounding exercises are there to help us move toward this discipline and direction. As in all crafts, we become better and better the more we practice. And our rituals are all about this - entering into sacred space, and allocating time in our busy lives for the deep and soulful work of Magic. MAGIC AND OUR 5 WEEK COURSE Over this five week period, we will follow the Moon and do one ritual per week during her cycle. We start at one point in the cycle, and end at the same point - essentially repeating the Full Moon stage twice. There are subtle changes in the Moon that take place in periods of time less than a week ( eg, the shift from Dark Moon to New Moon is just a couple of days) , but for the ease and flow of this course, we are simplifying the cycle and will be doing our rituals for the Full Moon, the Waning Moon, the Dark Moon, the Waxing Moon, and back to Full Moon. The most important thing for you to do over during this course is to connect with the Moon. The booklets and rituals are designed to help you deepen your connection to the Moon, but it’s also important to simply hang out with her - acknowledge her. Each week of the course will have a particular energetic alignment and focus. I’ll briefly outline these below, just so that you can maintain an overview of our journey:

Week 1 - The Full Moon: Gratitude

Week 2 - The Waning Moon: Release / Generosity

Week 3 - The Dark Moon: Stillness / Planting a new seed

Week 4 - The Waxing Moon: Direction / Action/ Goal setting

Week 5 - The Full Moon: Fulfillment / Gratitude / Change CREATING YOUR LALOM ONLINE PROFILE

This 5 Week Lunar Magic Course is part of the online school called ‘Living a Life of Magic’ (LALOM) that my husband Timothy and I have been running for the past 6 years. We use an online learning platform called ‘Schoology’ to share all of our course material and to create our online community. The first step in using Schoology is to make your profile. Below are the instructions. Once you have made your profile and joined our Magical Moot , I`ll be in contact with the next set of instructions so that you can access the Lunar Magic course.

If you hit any hurdles at all, just write to me at [email protected] and I’ll do my best to help sort things out. It would be great if you could get on to making your profile ASAP, as that way we can tackle any tech issues that might arise before the course starts.

A NOTE FOR ANY PREVIOUS LALOM PARTICIPANTS If you have already taken part in a Living a Life of Magic course, then you will most likely have made your online profile for the Shcoology website. If so, and you remember how to log in, you can use that same profile for this course. Or , if you have any trouble with that, just start fresh and create a new profile following the instructions below.

MOBILE DEVICES, PHONES, TABLETS ETC If you are Using an Apple iPad or iPhone you will need to download the Schoology App. Here is the link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/schoology/id411766326?mt=8 . And here’s a link for Android devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.schoology.app&hl=en

If that doesn’t work just search Schoology in your app finder on your iPad or Android device. After that continue with the instructions below.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP YOUR PROFILE ON SCHOOLOGY In order to access the material you need to make a personal profile. It’s kind of like making a profile on Facebook, but this is private and can only be seen by other LALOM members. Here are the instructions:

1) First, Go to Schoology by “Right clicking” the link below and click “open in new tab”. (This will allow you to keep your email open so you can switch between these instructions and schoology) http://www.schoology.com

2) You should see in the top right hand corner two buttons labeled: Log in and Sign Up . Click Sign Up Next, Click Student You will be prompted for a code from an instructor. Here is the code to enter: 97D4H- PG883 . Easiest to just copy and paste if you can. I will also send this code (and any subsequent codes) in the body of my welcome email. .

3) You’ll now be asked to create a user name or enter your email. Please use an email address rather than a username, as it creates problems with logging in later on if you don’t use your email at this point. After you enter your information you will be taken on a mini tour that will explain the setup of Schoology. Take your time to read all the information; this will help you with understanding the Schoology layout. You should automatically be logged into the “LALOM Magical Moot 2017” (more about this below). Now take a moment to set up your profile by adding a picture and filling out your bio. You can do this by clicking your name in the top right hand corner. Note: With adding photos it’s good to keep them small with a max of 5x5 inches or 480x480 pixels.

MAGICAL MOOT

I love to encourage our Living a Life of Magic participants to connect and share their Magical experiences, wisdom, resources and insights. This way we really do create a circle of equals. The Magical Moot is the place to do just that. It’s not so much for responses to the course work (there are other places for that) but rather an opportunity just to hang out and share with like minded amazing people. Here’s the instructions for accessing our Moot.

After you’ve set up your profile, let’s go back to the “LALOM Magical Moot 2017”. To get here at any time Click the “Groups” button located in the top middle of the screen. There will be a drop down menu. Select LALOM Magical Moot 2017. For those folks who have studied with LALOM in the past, please sign up for this new Magical Moot so you can connect with all the wonderful folks in the Lunar Magic course. This is where we all can chat to each other and post pictures etc. You’ll see a welcome message from me. If you are having any problems just email me directly at [email protected] and I will help you out.

Once you’ve found your way to the Magical Moot, please post a little introduction. That way I’ll know that you’ve got everything working ok, and it will also give us an opportunity to begin getting to know each other. It would be great to share where you’re from, what Nature is doing in your part of the world, your Magical inspirations etc.

SCHOOLOGY NOTIFICATIONS

Now one last thing while you’re still in Schoology. We learned fromthe past that Schoology will send you a crazy amount of notifications via email about things that happen in the course. I recommend going to the upper right hand corner of the screen to the right of your name and find the box with the down pointing triangle in it and click it. You should get a drop down that looks like this:

Notifications Account Settings Privacy Log Out

Click “Notifications’ Now have a look through and see what you might want to get an email notification about. Mostly I get notifications to let me know when anyone has posted something, however you might find it easier to set most of these notifications to the off position. HOW TO LOG IN AND LOG OUT OF SCHOOLOGY

Now by clicking the box to the right of your name again you can select “Log Out” to quit Schoology. I recommend you bookmark the Schoology page so you can get back there easily, and be sure to put your password in a place where you won’t forget it. The next time you go to Schoology you will click the “Log In” button to the top right of the screen and enter your details: email and password.

Once you’ve set up your profile successfully, I’ll write to you with instructions for accessing the course material. That’s it for now. Feel free to begin posting on our Magical Moot as soon as you’ve got the hang of it. THINGS YOU MIGHT NEED

Here is a list of suggestions for things that you will find useful in our Living A Life Of Magic journey. None are essential, but they will definitely help to enhance your ritual experience. Don’t fret if you don’t have the particular suggested object (herb, crystal etc) on hand for your ritual. Improvising can be a very creative way to make your ritual unique.

FOR YOUR Each week we will create an altar that honours the phase that the Moon is in, and will be our focal point during the rituals. Making an altar is a creative and very individual process, and I encourage you to experiment, play and improvise. In our first week’s lesson I will share helpful guidelines for making your weekly altars. RITUAL TOOLS Each of the elements that we honour on our altars can be represented by a traditional magical tool. It is definitely not essential to go out and spend lots of money on ritual tools. But if you do happen to see something that really resonates for you it may be worth investing in. Our tools become charged with our energy, and can help to focus and strengthen our Magic. Ideally, you could make your own ritual tools, or at least add a little something of yourself to anything that you buy. And remember that everything that you need for ritual can be found in Nature. Remember to scour your local markets and thrift stores for things like , incense censors etc. It’s really not necessary to spend loads of money to set up your altar (though it can be a wonderful treat to indulge in that special handmade something!). Below is a photo of the tools that I regularly use on my altar. But at certain times I might prefer to use found objects from Nature. I’m very open to improvising. Under the photo is a list of my suggestions for your altar. A lovely or goblet to represent the element of Water .

A , clear quartz crystal or a candle to represent Fire.

A feather or (ritual knife) for Air

A special stone or crystal to represent Earth (I use a river rock that I found years ago). You may also choose to use a for Earth. I have one made of brass, and I’ve also seen nice wooden or ceramic ones.

Something to represent Spirit. Maybe a clear quartz crystal? I often use our lovely bronze Pegasus statue, Feel free to experiment. This may also change with each ritual: eg, a statue of a particular deity that we are honouring. We will also have our Spirit candle for each ritual. The candle, in fact, may be all that you choose to use on your altar for Spirit. CANDLES It’s always a good idea to have a selection of candles on hand. If possible, please choose natural candles such as beeswax or soy, with no artificial fragrances. Those scented with essential oils are fine, and can add a lovely energy to our rituals. The most useful candle is white or natural beeswax. These can be used in any ritual, so if you can buy some in bulk, all the better. I like to dedicate one special candle for each Lunar cycle. I usually buy or make a medium sized beeswax pillar candle, and light it in the centre of my altar to honour Spirit (along with any other objects that I have representing Spirit). You may prefer to use a different candle each week, or have one central candle, and a different candle to honour the energies of the element of Fire. All ritual candles should ONLY be used in ritual space, and never used for everyday ambiance. You can continue to burn unused candles on your altar after the ritual, but be aware that they are charged with that ritual’s energy, so relighting them is an act of Magic in itself.

You may also like to include a separate candle on your altar to represent the Element of Fire. Red is a great colour for this (again, I strongly suggest only natural candles). White or natural beeswax is fine too. You might like a different candle for each ritual, or choose to simply purchase one large candle to use for all of the rituals. Fire can also be represented by a wand, or a clear quartz crystal.

ALTAR CLOTHS You may like to make or buy a special altar cloth that is used for every ritual. If so, try to find one made out of a natural fibre such as silk, cotton or linen. Keep your eyes peeled at thrift stores and fabric stores for various pieces of interesting fabric that you could use to decorate our ritual altars. INCENSE and HERBS Lighting lovely incense is a wonderful way to create sacred space. I always suggest ‘smudging’ with sage to cleanse our auras before ritual. Spritzing with a spray bottle of water with a natural oil such as cedarwood, sage or lavender is also effective. Please us only natural incense in your rituals. So much nicer.

OTHER USEFUL THINGS A nice journal to create your , if you wish to keep a personal record of your Magical process and growth over the 5 weeks (and beyond)

A compass (You can often find nice bronze ones relatively inexpensively at camping stores or those Nature type stores like National Geographic etc)

A bowl or incense censer to burn incense

A sage smudge stick (you can make your own or purchase one).

On the Dark Moon, we will do some , so a set of tarot cards, oracle cards, runes, etc etc will be handy. You can also choose to simply gaze into a flame , crystal or bowl of dark water, but I find having a tool is helpful. HELPFUL BOOKS, WEBSITES AND APPS

APPS AND WEBSITES There are loads of great resources out there for keeping track of the Lunar Cycle and to keep us informed about what is happening in the skies. One of my favourite websites is www.earthsky.com I receive a wonderful daily email from them leading to great articles about the cosmos, and also Nature here on Earth. Staying connected to what is going on in Nature is a key part of Living a Life of Magic.

A very helpful website for keeping track of the lunar phases and finding out when the Moon changes astrological sign is www.lunarium.co.uk . The only down side of this site is that it crashes sometimes, and can be a bit slow to load. Even so, It’s definitely my go to for checking lunar astrological details. Sometimes you just have to hit refresh and be patient.

An ipad app that I really like is simply called Moon Calendar (by Rivolu ) . It’s simple and elegant to use and has been a really useful tool for that has enabled me to switch time zones easily. Unfortunately it doesn’t include the astrological data of what sign the Moon is in, but other than that it is terrific. Oh, and it’s free! If you are aware of any other helpful apps for either android of ipad / iphone, please share that info on our Magical Moot . SOME OF MY FAVOURITE BOOKS Here is a list of books that I put together for our year long course over the past few years. Although there’s nothing specifically about the Moon here, you may find some of the other books interesting and helpful. This is by no means a full book list. Rather, it is a collection of some of the books that have had a big impact on me, and that I keep returning to. It’s definitely not exhaustive – just the ones that came to mind and that I think you’d find most helpful. And it is definitely not essential to buy any of these for the course. But if you do happen to see then round, or feel drawn to any of them, then I think they will help to deepen your experience of Living a Life of Magic. , AND MAGIC

The by This is a Witchcraft classic, written by a very wise American woman. She delves deeply into the of Witchcraft, but also has lots of practical ideas for rituals. She’s very into community, and has been active in the environmental movement for years. Positive Magic : Occult Self Help by Marion Weinstein I love this book. It’s practical and funny, in that unique New York way. There is an excellent chapter called Words of Power that has been the basis of my spoken Spellwork for many years. It reminds you that everything you say has consequences. It’s a very inspiring book. Ritual Craft by Amber K and Azrael Arynn K This is an excellent guide to ritual, written by two wonderful Pagan women living in the wilds of New Mexico. Unpretentious, straightforward, entertaining and wise. A really great addition to your Pagan reference library. Wicca, A Guide for the by All of Scott Cunningham’s books have something to offer. They come across as very simple, almost basic, but he has a really lovely way of reminding you of your core power. He’s very into improvisation in Spellwork, using what’s around you and making the most of your environment. It provides a very good introduction to Witchcraft. I still refer to it for ideas. Another good reference book by Scott Cunningham is Earth Air Fire Water, which is almost like a recipe book for spells. Book Of Shadows by Phyllis Curott I find Phyllis Curott an extremely inspiring woman. She is a lawyer who has managed to incorporate Witchcraft into her business life. He style is very readable. The book is essentially an autobiography that takes you through her process of becoming a Witch. She has good advice on subtly honouring your path even in the corporate world. Also has an appendix of good spell ideas. Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain This excellent book is a great guide to using the art of Visualisation to achieve your goals. It also has a good section on verbal affirmations. Working With Angels, Fairies and Nature Spirits by William Bloom A lovely reminder of the inherent Magical and Spiritual energy in all of Life. It’s very well written, with some good practical exercises for increasing your awareness and connection to the unseen realms. Instant Magic by Christopher Penczac Christopher is a terrific Pagan author from New Hampshire, USA. He’s written loads of books which are all fantastic This one is a good, brief outline to Spellwork, with lots of good ideas. If you are after a more formal approach to Wicca, I highly recommend his work.

MYTHOLOGY

The Power Of Myth by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers Joseph Campbell is one of my greatest influences. He is incredibly knowledgeable about mythology, and writes about the core themes that unite mythology worldwide. This book is a transcript of an excellent television program. It’s probably the most readable of his works. His most well known book would be The Hero With 1000 Faces, which is brilliant. Goddesses in Everywoman, by Jean Shinoda Bolan A kind of Jungian perspective on Mythology – exploring the archetypes that exist within all of us. Its based around the Greek pantheon, and a good way to get to know the main characters more deeply. Really good for self development. The companion book Gods in Everyman isn’t quite so well written, but still worth a look. She by Robert Johnson Another author who uses mythology as a tool for self development. Based on the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros. He’s written lots of other books like We, He etc. They’re all good, but this one in particular is really great. The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology Bullfinch’s Mythology These are both big old fashioned reference books. Well worth having on the shelves if you happen to see a cheap second hand copy. The Woman’s Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets And The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects By Barbara Walker These are amazing reference books. Incredibly well researched. Although very biased towards women, in fact bordering on sexist (every entry seems to include a reference to castration!) they are still both amazing books. Really delves into the hidden meanings of word, themes, images, characters etc.

I really recommend, too, going straight to the source and reading the actual stories. Ancient Greek poems and plays are very readable. Their names make then sound more complex than they are, but the plays of Euripides and Sophocles are great. I love the work of Homer (The Odyssey and The Illiad).

Caitlin and John Mathews are the best guides to Celtic myth, with well researched books such as The Grail Tradition and The Celtic Tradition. ASTROLOGY

The Inner Sky by Stephen Forest A Great introduction to Astrology The Knot of Time: Astrology and Female Experience Lindsay River and Sally Gillespie More complex, but wonderful The Planets by Dava Sobel A thoroughly entertaining and enlightening introduction to the astronomy of the planets in our Solar System.

TAROT

78 Degrees of Magic by Rachel Pollack My favourite Tarot book (originally came out as two separate books – Major and Minor arcana, but published now in one volume). It is based on the Rider Waite Tarot, and is a great reference book. I’ve had mine for years and years and still use it. CHAKRAS Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith A Marvellous introduction. The best around.

SELF DEVELOPMENT Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. A life changing book. It utilises fairy stories form around the world to help us to look deep into our own lives. Its challenging but well worth the effort. The Artists Way by Julia Cameron A great practical guide for getting yourself back on a creative path. It’s good for everyone, not just those who call themselves “Artists”. Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore A deeply inspiring work. Thomas Moore gently and wisely guides us to find our true path of Soul.

I hope that this reading guide offers some inspiration. Feel free to follow your intuition, borrowing books from friends, finding dusty copies of interesting books in second hand stores, that kind of thing. Excellent books on Witchcraft and Magic continue to be published, but I often find that my Magical inspiration comes through reading from widely diverse sources. I love reading books on Nature, poetry, and the biographies of artists.

Living a Life of Magic is an adventure, and we never quite know where it will take us next. I look forward to a wonderful month of growth, fun, and inspiration with you all. Please, at any time throughout the course, feel free to write if you are having any technical issues, or need extra clarification on any of the info in the booklets.

Love and Magic

Wendy