Welcome, part 2:
What This Course Is About,
Why a Year & a Day,
Being a Solitary Wiccan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

What Is A-Year-And-A-Day All About?

There are other courses on Wicca out there, and books and various other teaching methods. You may wish to know what sets this course apart.

What This Course Isn't

Let’s begin with what it isn't. This isn't an Idiot's Guide To Wicca, or an over-simplified overview of Wicca. This isn't any sort of Insta-Wicca for dabblers or those who are looking to impress their friends and worry their parents.

Neither is it a cobbled together collection of information and techniques you might find elsewhere.

Nor does it merely intend to dump a ton of information on you which you have to memorise, or set out rules which must be obeyed.

What This Course IS

What it is, is this: An authentic, year-and-a-day spiritual training program for people who really want to BE Wiccan. It provides more than the equivalent of a First Degree Initiates training.

It’s also specifically based on Wicca Spirituality, which owes much to the Reclaiming Tradition.

This is Wicca in a context of world spirituality, raised awareness of social and ecological issues (and responsibility), quantum physics, and the New Paradigm of heart-centred consciousness.

This is Wicca for the 21st century — wide open to the new realities, inclusive of the most modern sciences and most ancient spiritual awarenesses, a Grand Unification of Earth and Spirit... and leading the way to the Return of the Goddess that we are beginning to see happen at last!

So what exactly will you learn in this course? I could give you a long, detailed list, but right now we're looking at the overview. By participating in this course you will (just a few examples) ...

• Discover the fundamental beliefs of Wicca
• Find out what ritual tools you really need, and why, and how to use them
• Learn about the Sabbats and Esbats
• Experience transformative rituals for yourself
• Find out how to do powerful, effective, real-life magick
• Learn the practices and skills that make you a Wiccan
• Create your own, personalised Book of Shadows and Book of Mirrors
• Dedicate and Initiate yourself as a Wiccan
• Befriend the Deities and Elements

And that's only on the practical, hands-on, Wicca-side of things!

You will also take great strides in your spiritual development through...

• Knowing your true Self
• Accessing your personal power (and becoming independent of the need for others' approval)
• Growing in confidence and the ability to take command of your life
• Gaining wisdom as well as knowledge
• Increasing your range of consciousness and awareness
• Experiencing union with all of Nature
• Shifting to an increasingly positive energy frequency
• Developing intuition, subtle sensing, and psychic abilities
• Gaining insight into the Mysteries of Life
• Making a deep, intimate connection with the Divine within you
• Becoming more awake and truly alive
• Creating a more successful, fulfilling, and wonderful life
• Transforming yourself from the caterpillar that you were born (as we all were), into a full-fledged, glorious, gorgeous butterfly that expresses your true potential

What Does It Take To Be A Wiccan?

The great dividing line between success and failure
can be expressed in five words:
“I did not have time.” - Robert J. Hastings Traditionally a student of Wicca studies and practices a program of learning for a year and a day, and then is initiated as a Wiccan. Not everyone does this, nowadays. A lot of people just start exploring Wicca randomly.

Which should you do? It depends on what you want out of it — are you a dabbler or a Seeker?

A Seeker isn't playing around with Wicca because it's cool or they want superpowers or they want to stand out from the crowd. A Seeker is Called by something in their soul, to build a bridge to the Divine through Nature and magick and the Goddess. A Seeker is willing, no, eager, to do the research and the training that required for mastery of any subject.

After all, the end result is self-awareness and spiritual proficiency. And it's SO worth it!

It's Not Just Wicca Training;
It's Not Just Spiritual Training —
It's Life Training

This is where the real power of this course lies. This is where it's much more than just another Wicca course!

You're embarking on a program of profound spiritual awakening, within a Wiccan context.

If you really want to learn Wicca, this kind of depth is vital. Because Wicca — indeed, any religion — is only as alive as it is deep, and only as rewarding as it is real on a spiritual level.

You can go through all the motions perfectly, memorise spells and incantations, do a ritual every day for your whole life... but without the spiritual essence being activated, it's almost like doing nothing at all.

And what you learn in this course will change the way you perceive life... and interact with it.

This is why other students have said that take this course is a transformative experience...

• It will change you in positive, powerful ways
• It will change how you perceive yourself and everything around you
• It will change your life
• It will change the very world around you!

No longer will you be a victim of circumstances! You will learn that you ARE in command of your life, and you will be able to practice the skills that make the world a canvas on which you can paint your most beautiful dreams.

Why A Year And A Day?

Traditionally, when someone wants to become a Wiccan they are expected to study the Path of Wicca for a year and a day. This isn't just a random restriction of rule-setting.

Going once around the Wheel of the Year
will give you experience with all the Wiccan holidays
and the philosophy behind them,
as well as time to learn and practice
the necessary skills.

And that's how this course is designed to function.

You'll start at the very beginning. You'll learn everything you need to know to get started — I'm going to walk you through it step-by-step, in a practical and do-able way. And that's why even though the title says 52 weeks, you're actually going to get 54 lessons (plus a few preparatory steps, like this Welcome letter).

You'll start at the Sabbat of Brighid's Day, and you'll end a little past that time next year.

Why Brighid's Day?

February 2nd, also known as Brighid's Day or Imbolc, is the traditional time for new Wiccans to be both Dedicated and Initiated.

Don't worry if those things sound intimidating; there's nothing scary about them at all...

• Dedication is when you stand up before the Divine and state your intention to become a Wiccan and study the Path.
• Initiation is when you have completed your preliminary training and become a full-fledged Wiccan, that is... a Wiccan Priest/ess.

Imbolc/Brighid is the time of new beginnings, in the Wheel of the Year: a time when seeds for the future are planted.

Doesn't that sound like a perfect time to begin this course? This year you'll declare your intention to the Universe, and next year you can be a full Wiccan Initiate.

That's the way the course is designed, and I think it's the best way to do it. However, you can start whenever you like... like right now!

No matter when you start,
begin the lessons at the beginning
and go through them in the order given.

This is important because they build on each other in a series of knowledge and skill-development. You may be reading about Springtime Sabbats in the middle of Winter, but that's all right — when you get to next Spring, you’ll be super ready for it!

You're Lucky You're A Solitary

Most people, when wanting to learn about Wicca, believe they need a Coven or teacher to learn from in person. That's normal — it's so much easier if we have someone to ask questions, someone to show us face-to-face precisely what to do.

(That's why i've started offering the live bonus classes and the personal mentoring calls for all Star*Students... and why it's great to take advantage of these opportunities whenever you can!)

However, there are so many creepy Covens and power-tripping Pagan mentors out there, that it's actually safer for you to start on your own if you can't find someone you know for certain you can trust.

Also, there is one benefit to practicing on your own. You can gain confidence and abilities faster than if you were working with others, because you know that you're the one making things happen. (It's easy to believe that everyone else is more magickal, when working in groups. )

Even if you join a group, someday, you'll need to know and practice these things on your own — your own study and practice is vital to your success and enjoyment of Wicca.

And here you get the best of both worlds: since I'm walking you through it, hand in hand (so to speak), you're not really on your own... but you are still in 100% control of your process.

So when you've finished this course, you will have enough knowledge, skill, and self-confidence that when you're ready to do rituals with others, you'll be able to tell the good groups from the bad, or even dangerous, ones. And a lot more abilities besides!

Wiccan Spiritual Community

Still there are fantastic benefits to being part of a coven.

The biggest benefit of all is belonging to a spiritual community — people who share your perspective on life, your Wiccan values, and your magickal experiences.

We humans are a social species, and we thrive in groups. We learn better when interacting with people. Daunting obstacles literally seem smaller to us, when we're with friends.

There are many other benefits to being in community, especially spiritual community, but i don't want to digress too far from the main topic.

However, there IS an option for a safe community accessible to you now..

A Safe Home: Wicca Spirituality Coven

As you read earlier, you don't have to have a coven... but if you want one — as so many people do — i've created the Wicca Spirituality Virtual Coven for just this reason.

I won't go into detail here; you can follow the link to find out more if you're interested or curious.

The only thing i will say is that i created this service for one reason — instead of isolation and spiritual loneliness, instead of judgement and condemnation, Wiccans can get together in a safe, respectful, supportive, uplifting, heart-centered community of like-minded people!

You should never have to feel like you're alone in this again.

It's here as a resource if you want it. If it's not for you, that's fine... being part of a coven isn't a requirement of either this course or your life as a Wiccan. And i love and support whatever is best for you, either way!

Continue with Welcome part 3:
What's In The Lessons

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© erin Dragonsong 2012

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