Groups and Courses

PF Wessex cannot take responsibility for any organisation advertised on this website. In all cases please use your own judgement and follow basic safety guidelines when meeting people for the first time. ALWAYS meet them in a public place, tell some-one where you will be and what time to expect you back, do not go back to their house.

Witchcraft / Wicca

Sara from Earthlights Cafe in Swanage runs courses: 'Journey into Wiccecraft', 2 years long over 8 camps. Next one starts September. dedication to old gods offered at end of first year, initiation at end of 2nd year (but not into her coven)

Webpage http://www.coranieid.co.uk/20680.html

The Coven of the Sacred Wellhead

Cheltenham
Contact: David & Geoff

Alexandrian (BTW) & Qabalistic
Established Group
Teaching Available

Website: http://www.thewellhead.org.uk/

Court of the Severn

Gloucestershire 
Contact: Weaver

Gardnerian/Alexandrian Wicca (BTW)
Established Group
Open Circles... Legal Clergy... Teaching Available

Court of the Severn Vale is a Wiccan coven currently willing to consider applications from genuine seekers.

We are a lineaged initiatory coven of the Gardnerian / Alexandrian Wiccan tradition. We will consider applications from seekers aged over 21 years, who genuinely wish to learn and are prepared to put in the work required to be a Priest or Priestess of the Craft...!

If this is the path you seek, we are happy for you to make contact . Please email us and tell us a little about yourself & your journey, and why you are seeking initiation into the Craft of Wicca.
. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for info.

The Cauldron of the Allta Cailleach

We are an Old Craft Coven based in Dorset

website...       http://alltacailleach.wordpress.com/

contact.... Melesmeles at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We are an Old Craft Coven that means we revere the Old Gods in ALL their aspects, we are atuned to all that the Old Gods are, and to seek out their truths in all things. We are a nature based Coven and we seek to balance ourselves with the trueness of the wild.

CraftWheel Wicca Study Group

Cheltenham
Contact: Weaver

Wicca - Gardnerian/Alexandria
Established Group
Open Circles... Teaching Available

Do you want to explore the path of initiatory Wicca? Have you read the books and would now like to meet with others to discuss and share ideas? Do you feel a pull towards the path of the consecrated Priest or Priestess of the Craft?

CraftWheel is a study group based near Cheltenham & Gloucester which meets around 9 times a year to explore aspects of Wicca and the spirituality of the Land, under the guidance of experienced coven leaders.

Those seeking initiation into the Craft will find that attending a year's cycle of these workshops will give them a good basis upon which to make a decision about whether the initiatory path of Wicca and belonging to a coven is right for them.

Those who simply want to find out more about Wicca will likewise find much of interest!

These are informal evening workshops, using discussion, pathworking and simple ritual to explore areas of Craft such as:

- the Wheel of the Year
- the cycles of the Moon
- the seasons of the Land
- use of energies for healing and spellcraft
- the meaning of Initiation
- the Gods of the Craft
- the history and development of Wicca.

We make no charge for the workshops, aside from a small donation of £2 per session, to help towards admin costs.

We are members of the  Pagan Federation, and we also run a Wiccan coven 'Court of the Severn' see above. We are happy for people to contact us who wish to find out more about initiatory coven Wicca and/or our CraftWheel workshops.

. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for info.

Sacred Wheel Coven

Wiltshire 
Contact: Lyn & Mike Brandwood

Wiccan - Alexandrian
Established Group
Open Circles...

Merry Meet!

We're a Wiccan training coven practising the Alexandrian tradition based in Wiltshire in the South West of England.

Our High Priestess and High Priest have many years of experience in the Craft and have been actively running a coven for over 15 years. We have a wide range of coven members ranging from new starters to witches with many years in the craft.

We have open rituals at the festivals normally on the Friday nearest the actual day, where new members are welcome and we also run closed circles for committed coven members every fortnight - again normally on Fridays. The closed circles are for development; eventually leading to initiation. For the initiated the closed circles help in the process of development towards second and third degrees.

We honour the Lord and Lady and work magic and healing in reverence of the Old Ones.

We are a small, close coven able to offer a good balanced foundation in the basics of Witchcraft. We have several sister covens and close contacts with Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, German and Belgian groups.

We're very lucky to be in such a beautiful and magical part of England: we're nestled between the stone circles of Avebury and Stonehenge and that mystical place Glastonbury is close too.

We accept seekers over 18 for training purposes but as a rule we don't initiate anyone under 21.

Website: http://uk.geocities.com/sacredwheelcoven/
Telephone: (01249) 814737

Village Witchcraft & Western Mystery Tradition

The Invisible College

The Invisible College does not have a permanent building but provides a wide variety of Courses, often led by Marian Green, or through one of the associated organisations, in many parts of Britain and in the Netherlands.

The aim of The Invisible College has always been to provide practical and hands-on training in many aspects of the Western Mystery Tradition, including Ritual, Magic, Witchcraft, the Arts of Divination and the Celtic/Arthurian Myths including the search for the Holy Grail. Most of the tutors in the associated organisations have had at least twenty years practical experience of their subjects and most have had a number of books published.

Courses are held at a variety of venues, from private houses to dedicated Conference Centres, hotels and Community Centres. Classes are always small in number, seldom exceeding thirty students and everyone is encouraged to participate fully. We feel that simply sitting still and listening to a speaker, no matter how great their worth, does not instil in students real skills, unless they are able to try them out. Just hearing lectures can equally easily be done on cassette or the radio! We have always tried to teach practical skills of the mind; for example, the arts of meditation, Inner Journeying and Concentration, which are essential to all effective magical techniques. We teach ritual by showing how the pattern of actions is built up, together with an understanding of what each means, rather than giving students a script to follow with no explanations. This allows students who wish, to design and work effective rites on their own.

In the last twenty years we have offered Courses on Village Witchcraft, focusing on the many techniques of hand and mind that give old fashioned witches their power to heal, foretell and assist those who seek their help. We have looked at the uses of wild plants, how to spin and dye and make potions, how to speak with the Goddess and Gods of the Natural World, celebrate their sacred seasons, and ask their help in all the acts of old magic. This is not quite the same as more modern coven witchcraft, which is normally taught to initiates directly by the High Priestess and High Priest of their coven, within the magical circle at the esbats.

We have also examined the power of the Holy Grail in its Pagan and Christian contexts, how it relates to Arthurian legend, and why it is as important a symbol now as it was in the middle ages. This shows the importance of what has become a study of Celtic Myth, and its practical applications.

Another popular Course is called 'Exploring Inner Worlds' which assists students to enter the deep state of relaxation of effective meditation, and later share the experience of discovering aspects of previous lives, if they feel ready for it. We also deal with Advances in Aquarian Magic; Dion Fortune and the Golden Dawn Tradition; and a variety of approaches to recent developments in magical arts and ritual. Practical Divination has shown not only how to interpret runes and the Tarot but the philosophy and angelic powers behind these systems of divination. The techniques of Dowsing with rods or a pendulum are also explained.

Most of the tutors in the Invisible College and its associated organisations give lectures at Conferences, or hold One or Two Day Workshops on a variety of magical subjects. Always the emphasis is on doing, sharing, discovering rather than just hearing a subject spoken about.

As groups are small each student has the chance to ask questions, share their own experiences and try out new techniques with expert guidance on hand. Giving useful knowledge in a variety of topics helps newcomers to develop self-confidence and personal responsibility, as the ethical aspects of healing and spell craft are always stressed.

Where ever possible we encourage students to attend Residential Courses, as these permit everyone to relax in secluded country retreats, get to know their fellow seekers, and reach deeper insights and levels of personal awareness. Sharing meals and free time with others on the path can go a long way to overcoming the feeling of loneliness and weirdness that some people feel, once their interest in magical matters is awakened.

We do require all students to apply in writing for details of the current courses, this is to comply with our applications policy as numbers are limited.

We also run two Correspondence Courses which allow students to master the basics of magic and witchcraft through distance learning.

Apply to The Secretary, I.C. BCM - SCL Quest, London WC1N 3XX, UK"

Website;-http://www.webwytchery.co.uk/theinvisiblecollege/

Druid

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

ABOUT THE ORDER

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids is a spiritual group dedicated to practising, teaching, and developing Druidry as a valuable and inspiring spirituality

The Order was founded by Ross Nichols and a group of members of The Ancient Druid Order, including the writer Vera Chapman. The Ancient Druid Order developed during the early years of the last century out of the Druid Revival which began about three hundred years ago. The ADO traces its origins to 1717.
The term ‘order’ is derived from the tradition of magical orders rather than from the tradition of religious orders. Neither the Order nor Druidry is a cult. A cult revolves around a personality, a charismatic leader, or a particular deity or saint. The Order and Druidry have none of these characteristics

Membership of the Order is open to followers of all faiths and none, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or ethnic origin, and there are currently over eight thousand members in fifty countries

Both the Feminine and the Masculine principles are celebrated and represented in the Order’s teachings and membership. The Order is not patriarchal or biased in favour of men – many women are in leadership roles and over half the membership is female.

Although most members practise Druidry on their own, there are over ninety groups around the world that offer the opportunity for members to meet and celebrate together. In addition individual members and groups organise gatherings, retreats, conferences and workshops.

Membership & The Order's Training Course

The practice of Druidry used to be confined to those who could learn by visiting a Grove or Druid in person. But over the years the Order has developed an experience-based course which can be followed wherever you live. Thousands of people of all ages and educational backgrounds have taken this course, which works with the ideas and practices of Druidry in a thoroughly practical, yet also deeply spiritual way.
The course, which is published for the Order by the Oak Tree Press, includes membership of the Order and is divided into three stages or grades that correspond to the three traditional divisions of the ancient Druids: those of the Bards, Ovates and Druids. Each grade has its own initiation which can be performed alone at home, or with others in a Grove.
The Bardic grade takes you on a journey through the cycle of the year, and introduces all the basic concepts of Druidry - showing you how it is a living Way that can be practised in the modern world, bringing a greater sense of connection with all of nature, and with the ancient heritage of the Druid wisdom-tradition.

The aim of the Bardic course is to help your life flourish and blossom - to help your Soul express itself fully in the world. It does this by helping you discover the sources of your creative power, so that their gifts can flow fully in your life. In addition, it teaches the fundamental skills and techniques of Druid spirituality - the use of ritual, of sacred space, of the circle, the directions and elements. During the first year you are taught thirteen rituals in addition to the eight Druid seasonal ceremonies. These rituals help to attune you to the natural world, to the rhythms of the earth and moon, the sun and stars. And as they do this, they help you to access your Deep Self - your Soul - that part of you which feels at one with all life.
Now the Bardic course is available in an audio version as well as a printed version. Soon the Ovate course will be available in an audio format too.

The audio version of the course has contributions of music, storytelling and song from Loreena McKennitt, Robin Williamson, Mara Freeman, Fiona Davidson, Claire Hamilton, Myrddhin and Zil, Damh the Bard, Jim Faupel, Corvi Ridentes, Aine Furey, Philip Shallcrass and Philip Carr-Gomm.

Website; http://druidry.org/

The British Druid Order

The British Druid Order (BDO) was formed in 1979 as part of a personal quest to recreate a native British spirituality and is currently under the guidance of founder, Philip Shallcrass (Greywolf, aka Wolf Walks With Fire) as Chief, with Sparrowhawk taking responsibility for the BDO Office providing administration of a new membership list and coordinating a band of dedicated volunteers.

The BDO works with native British tradition. 'British' is used not in a narrow political or nationalistic sense, but to evoke a time when the two islands of Ierne (Ireland) and Albion (England, Scotland and Wales) were jointly known as the Pretannic Isles, from Pretani, 'the Painted People,' our ancient spiritual and physical ancestors.

Drawing inspiration from the sacred land and from our ancestry whose myths and mysteries are the wellspring of our tradition. Druidry in its heyday was a pan-European tradition, so we seek to recreate an understanding of Druidry as the native spirituality not only of Britain, but also of Europe. This process of restoration involves recovering a sense of the sacred in all areas of our lives so that we can begin to heal our society, our land and ourselves.

Although we work with the long spiritual and cultural heritage of Britain, we are not bound by any one aspect of it. We are not seeking to recreate a Druidry that may have existed 5000, 2000, 200 or 50 years ago. We see Druidry as a process of constant change and renewal whereby the tradition is continually recreated to address the needs of each generation. The BDO strives to be an active agent in that process.

Honouring Our Ancestors

In our work, we honour our ancestors of blood and of spirit, those recently departed and those of old, our physical forebears and the predecessors of our tradition, the Druids, priests and priestesses of past ages and the old Gods of our people. Much of our strength and wisdom comes through them, and by working with them we establish creative and healing links with the spiritual and cultural heritage of our land and its people and with our own kinfolk who have entered the spirit world before us.

We honour Celtic deities such as Nemetona and Ceridwen, as well as the Gods of other peoples who have made these islands their home, and whose blood and bones have mingled with the mud and stones of our sacred land.

For general enquiries, membership, web-site and everything else, write to Sparrowhawk:

BDO Office, PO Box 635, Halifax, HX2 6WX, UK

Website http://www.britishdruidorder.co.uk/home.htm

Runes & the Northern Mysteries

Correspondence Course

Course Description

Hidden within the runes lies the path which leads to initiation into the Northern Mysteries.

Freya Aswynn, dedicated priestess of Odin, author of "The Leaves of Yggdrasil", "Northern Mysteries and Magick", and "The Principles of the Runes", has developed her long-awaited correspondence course designed to train the student in the Northern Mysteries.

The course description as found in Lesson One states:

"This course begins from the ground up, starting the student at the most basic level of learning about the runes and magic.

Although you may be familiar with some of the early material already, the initiatory process outlined here demands that you begin at the beginning, so that not only your conscious awareness, but every level of your being - from your earthly body through which your chanting resonates - to the highest aspects of your soul, will become deeply steeped in the magical patterns of the runes and accustomed to their energies.

Only such a thorough process makes it possible to use the runes to their fullest - as the holy keys to the magical realms of the North, through which the Nine Worlds may be perceived and their might drawn upon and shaped by the runester.
"

The course will be presented in 6 lessons each taking approximately one to two months to work through if done so in a consistent daily pattern.

You will be assigned a supervisor/teacher, who will oversee your work, and offer comments and suggestions along the way. Most of the relevant study materials in the form of attachments will be supplied with the lessons, including parts of the Edda's Sagas.

At the current time, the course is limited to 100 people; signing up now will ensure you have Freya Aswynn as your teacher. Once you have completed the course you can volunteer to supervise new students. For those suitable candidates, an 'initiation' ceremony is being considered, however this is not a guarantee as it depends on each individual student and must be sanctioned by Odin.

Website;-http://www.aswynn.co.uk/course.shtml