2003 Classes

Advanced Candle Magick - Erik Burch
Candles have long enjoyed a special relationship with the practice of magick, from the Watchtowers on our altars, to the wishes made on a birthday cake. Every wicca 101 book has a chapter on lighting a candle to cast a spell. Learn a more serious version of candle magick by creating a candle talisman for your own use.

Altar Working – The Witches Element
Working an alter is one of the most beautiful ways one can express their spirituality. Learn the tools of the trade and their purpose on an alter. Find or make your own tools for your own personal alter, and learn to setup an alter for group workings, Create and alter anywhere, from a stone slab in the backyard to a spot on your desk at work. Make an environment you want to be surrounded by.

Bardic Circle - Black Lotus    
Come and join this EtheraCon Tradition hosted by Black Lotus. Share a song, poem or story…. Of just show up an have fun!

Beginning Spell Casting – The Witches Element
The purpose of spell casting is to explore the world and your own spirituality, teach responsibility, communicate with the powers that be, and give you a better sense of purpose. Come and learn the basic techniques to create your own spells. Find out when you should use any spells, and when you should not. What are the tools you should use and/or if you should use any at all. Gain a better understanding wow hay we practice, why perform spells and the way we go about doing it.

Candle Dressing – The Lost Art – The Witches Element
The use of candles for prayer has been used throughout the ages. Candles have been carved, loaded, painted, oiled, smoked and used with incense. This workshop will explore these techniques and show you the infinite combinations and purposes for dressing candles. Learn why certain colors are used, what cents are best for particular purposes, as well as how to read the results.

Concepts of Deity - Judy Harrow
As Polytheists, Pagans understand that we worship many different Goddesses and Gods. We don't always realize that we hold different underlying concepts about what a Goddess or God is. This can create needless miscommunication and even conflict. By exploring and clarifying a variety of concepts of Deity, we can understand ourselves and one another much better. )

Creative Cursing - Marcia Pickands 
When all else fails a creative curse does wonders for your soul and that of the person who so richly deserves it  For instance,  if your job is constantly being fouled up by a co-worker who won't do their job -- CURSING that person to DO THEIR JOB OR "WORK" SOMEWHERE ELSE! can and usually does work wonders.  This is often a better outlet for your frustration than trying to benevolently WISH that co-worker WELL, BUT SOMEWHERE ELSE.  Being enabled to use your current feeling rather than trying to convert it to something else first is likely to be far more efficient and satisfying, as well.  This class is designed for adults.  Those under 18 must get both their parent's approval and the Teacher's permission to attend.

Dealing with the Devil  - Marcia Pickands
Old Nick Can't Cope with a Sense of Humor or Laughter at His Expense!
This class is open to all levels of practitioners.  We all experience Bedevilment by one thing/person or another during our earthly lives.  Bring some of your unresolved personal problems to share and we'll put theory into practice.

Discovering the Goddess Within - Carole Eagleheart
Is there an Artemis inside you? An Isis? An Amaterasu? A Pele? Through music, movement and meditation we will explore aspects of the Goddess as she is seen in different cultures. We will search for those aspects within ourselves, and discover how the Goddess within us can bring strength and joy to our lives.

Decision Making Skills – Peg Button ( CroneLady )
Are you the HP or HPs of a Coven? Do you hold office in some mundane organization? Are you the sole decision maker in your family? Do you find yourself making all the decisions? This class explores ways to share the responsibility - to share the decision making process.

Dragons and Fairies and Giants, Oh My!  - Skip Ellison
What is the basis behind the legends?  Were there ever real dragons, fairies, or giants?  If not, why are their legends so prominent worldwide?  In two of the early Anglo-Saxon chronicles for the year 793, clerics reported seeing fiery dragons in the sky in Northumbria, England.  What were they?  Explore these subjects from reality to the world of fantasy!  The truth is out there.

Druidism - Ancient and Modern.  - Skip Ellison
This workshop starts with the history of the Druids in early Celtic periods, discusses the equivalent functionaries in other contemporary Indo-European cultures, and finishes with a look at the Druids of today. 

Getting in Touch with Your Land.   - Skip Ellison
Explore the ways of finding out who the Gods, Goddesses and Land Spirits of your area are.  The ancient Celts and Norse adopted the deities of the areas they moved into as their own.  Should we do any less today?  Work is being done is several ADF Groves to get in touch with the local Spirits of Place.  A discussion will be held on the methods being used and how effective they have been. 

Grounding 101 – Conference Staff
The skill of "grounding" is very important to many magical or ritual settings. It is also a skill that is needed for you own spiritual well being not only here at EtheraCon, but in your everyday life. All EtheraCon attendees that have NOT taken this class before are urged to attend.

Crystalline/Reiki Grids – Dawn Footer
A participatory workshop geared toward the healing and magickal uses of crystalline grids. Students will learn first hand how to activate grid energies, and will experiment with techniques for manipulating those energies using over 30 different types of stones.  2 part class

Healing Grief - Marcia Pickands 
This class is designed for adults.  Those under 18 should get the Teacher's permission to attend.  The process of turning personal pain due to the loss of a loved one into joy at the memory and continuing relationship with that same loved one is both simple and complex.  I am more than happy to work with individuals on their personal experiences during this class. 

Hedonic Engineering - Philip H. Farber
Back in the dawn of time, the owner's manual for human consciousness was somehow lost. Consider this workshop as the restoration of a couple of pages from that mythical text. Did you know that the human brain is able to create lasting change in itself quickly and easy? Did you know that it's a very simple matter to feel good and laugh- whenever you want? Techniques to create powerful and positive states of consciousness will be demonstrated, so get ready to enjoy yourself - now!

High Priest/ess Disease - Judy Harrow
Religious leaders, like other workers, face specific occupational hazards. Because our work deals with the mind, heart, spirit and soul, these are the areas where our occupational pitfalls lie. As a maturing community, it's time we began to think about such issues. Identifying and understanding the risks may help mitigate them, and perhaps help us recover from damage already done. This is a workshop for elders, for people who serve as teachers, mentors or group leaders in any faith tradition, or who are considering taking on that role in the near future. It will be an exploratory discussion, a first step, and will offer many more questions than answers

How to be a Megalomaniac - Philip H. Farber
This session should really be called Son of How to be a Megalomaniac, another in an ongoing series of presentations that will enable you to take over the world in one easy lesson! (Actual mileage may vary.) Let's say you're the son of a megalomaniac and have already taken over one government, bombed the hell out of another - no, wait! That's not the workshop! What you'll get in this session will be a few more tips and techniques for influencing large groups of people - and the knowledge necessary to stand firm in the presence of those sons of whatever who might use such techniques unscrupulously!

Humor In The Norse Tradition - Jane Sibley
One finds humorous bits in ritual, as well as in the sagas. Some of this involves Loki, well, a lot of it involves Loki. But Thor, Odin, and the other deities have their lighter moments, too. We will explore this realm, both in the sacred and secular contexts.

Introduction To Celtic Herbalism – Alexei Kondratiev
Before books of herbalism based on Graeco-Roman concepts of medicine became widespread in the later Middle Ages, Celtic communities had their own native traditions about healing with herbs, and some of these traditions have survived to the present day. We will look at the myths and training methods involved in this tradition, and discuss the uses of some herbs.

Introduction To Psychometry - Jane Sibley
 Have you ever touched an object and "flashed" on one or several events touching its past history? In this workshop, we will pass a number of objects around (bring something for this) and work on honing our perception skills. As we will be doing readings Friday and Saturday night, this technique might be of use in your divination.

Introduction To Smithcraft Lore - Jane Sibley
The smith held a special position in ancient times; he stood next to the Celtic king, and his forge created wondrous things for gods and mortals. In this class, we shall discuss the (magical) setup of the forge, forging supplies, the metal, tools, the approach of the smith to the forge, kindling the forge fire, smithing lore, "putting the forge to bed", and the ritual ending of a forging session. This will not cover making horseshoes (though magical roles of smith-made products including horseshoes may be discussed), rather, it will be a presentation of the smith's art as ritual.

Invoking the Goddess & God - Ronn Walks With Fire
This seminar explores the basics in contacting and invoking the Goddess. Various techniques involving mental, emotional, spiritual and physical preparation will be discussed and demonstrated as well as the effects experienced. Actual experiences will be shared. Be careful what you ask for! Please bring your sense of humor and an open mind. 2 part class.

Kali's Golden Form - Black Lotus    
In much of tropical India, the winter is a comfortable time of planting grain crops. The summer, on the other hand, is a time when the earth is scorched and nothing grows. We will examine the myth of Parvati, Lord Shiva's beautiful wife, and how she split herself into Gauri, the luminous golden Goddess of grain who is born out of the darkness, and into Kali, the frightening black Goddess of destruction who is the darkness born out of the fire. Then, like the hill-tribe girls of India, we will perform a ritual to synthesize these two very different aspects of the Great Goddess.

Kindling And Caring For Sacred Fire - Jane Sibley
There are a number of ways in which one can create sacred fire. This is fire used for ritual purposes, not for grilling burgers! The Eternal Flame, the Olympic Torch, the Zoroastrian Flame...these are some of the sacred fires which are in existence today. We shall go into theory as well as technique.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine - Marcia Pickands 
Whether you are depressed due to your school or job or are just sick and tired of being sick and tired the Magic of a Good Sense of Humor will work wonders.   All are welcome at this class.

Lakshmi, The Goddess of Abundance - Black Lotus    
An introduction to the shy Hindu Goddess who fills your heart, your belly, and your wallet. We will discuss the history of this very popular Goddess, especially dear to women. Her origins among the Asuras, how she became the spouse of Vishnu, her various manifestations, and how she is worshipped in eight different forms.

Love in the Library - A Guided Tour Through Your Inner Library - Ronn Walks With Fire
 This workshop teaches you how to use past-life knowledge and gain insight into current-time situations. By accessing your internal landscape you are given a powerful tool and deeper understanding of yourself and others. Past and current life information is not limited to your lives. Participants of this workshop will be led on a guided tour into their inner library and invited to peruse their personal sanctum sanctorum. 2 part class.

Making Flower/Vibrational Essences – Rachel Ginther
Learn how to connect and communicate with Nature; how to " Become"; how to prepare and use your Essence. As a group we will co-create and Essence with the Nature Spirits, Devas and other energies in our surroundings. Each person will be able to take a bottle of the Essence home.

Many Hands, Lotus Feet (Hindu Iconography) - Black Lotus    
 Hindu deities are famous for their unique appearance - multiple arms and legs, odd skin-colors, animal attributes, complex ornamentation. We will examine the origins and significances of these odd attributes, which represent the divine qualities of each deity. If you have postcards or other images of Hindu or Buddhist deities you cannot identify, bring them and we'll attempt to determine who they are.

Natives of New York – Evan Prichard
- description to follow

Norseworking - Jane Sibley
This is a high-level, high-energy healing circle in the Norse tradition. If you have never before participated in one of these circles, you must take the pre-requisite "Grounding 101", no matter your skill level. This ritual will take several hours, so please come rested, fed, and pottied. We will be doing intensive work, including (and as required) healing, fertility magic, experimental magic, distance work, etc. Please be *on time*, as the doors will be closed and guarded while the ritual is in progress.

No Word for Time – Evan Prichard
- description to follow

Pagan Playground - Djenaba
If you like to have a barrel of laughs while you break a sweat, this is the class for you. This class burns fat, strengthens the cardiovascular system, and utilizes all major muscle groups.    No complex dance moves here, just fun and games in the 'old school' tradition of anything to get out of the house. Cross training was never so much fun.  If you don't use it, you lose it, and that includes your sense of humor. When was the last time you played with a  hula hoop?  Bring the willingness to get over yourself. This funshop suits all levels of participants. 

Pagan Community - Peg Button ( CroneLady )
Our community is growing at a rate that we could never have foreseen so many years ago.  We are finding ourselves with more students, more community members and situations that we have never encountered before.  This discussion is to share experiences and information, and to discuss the birthing and nurturing of our communities.

Pele And Her Family: An Ecological Myth - Alexei Kondratiev
On the Big Island of Hawai'i Pele, the goddess of volcanic fire, is recognised as the originator and owner of the Land. But the relationship of her fire to the Land and its inhabitants is a complex one, as is shown through the myths about Pele's family, who don't always see eye-to-eye with her. We will look at some of these myths, and talk in general about how important knowledge about the environment can be expressed in mythic form.

Personal Values – Peg Button ( CroneLady )
 This class explores the individual personal values of each participant. We then discuss how our personal values mesh or clash with "universal values", those of Mundania. The class is interactive, working with scenarios.

Reclaiming the Self - Djenaba
Positive self-concept is an on-going process. Moving effectively through uncertainty and fear into a living, joyful body is possible. Many integrated healing and psychological experts are recognizing the need for physical integration and release for a successful, long lasting recovery. By actively taking steps to create safety, we can begin the process of healing ourselves by expanding our awareness and personal choices. Gentle, rhythmic movements allow the body mindful, restorative experience that helps us to focus and ground ourselves.  Imagine the feeling of knowing you're alive and well, and just fine as you are.

Releasing Illusions – Rachel Ginther
In finding our way on our spiritual journey/path we often find we have been living by beliefs that we have of ourselves, of others, our society and our world. These are our Illusions, the expectations we attempt to live up to, the parts of ourselves that aren't real that cry out to be set free so our authentic self can emerge. Learn to identify, find the root and release your illusions. Discover ways of healing/wholing and evolving yourself and our Mother Earth. Understand what it means to be free. We will identify the 13 Illusions that we live by, find how and where they reside in our lives and bodies and learn multiple ways of releasing them.

Sing and Dance to the Goddess - Carole Eagleheart
Lift your voice and your spirit as we sing chants together and join in simple circle dances to honor the Goddess. Carole Eagleheart tours the United States and Canada nine months of the year with her music. Her new CD "She Calls to Us: Songs to Celebrate the Goddess" features music she wrote at sacred Goddess sites on the island of Crete.

Significance of Food and Drink to the Indo-Europeans. - Skip Ellison
Feasting and drinking were very important to the IE people.  This workshop explores some of the customs associated with IE feasts and holidays.  It includes customs for both small and large gatherings. 

The Three Scariest Animals: The Wolf, The Bear And The Weasel In Celtic Tradition – Alexei Kondratiev
To the Celts wild animals were often manifestations of Otherworld power and knowledge, but there were three kinds that were particularly feared. We will talk about the beliefs and myths surrounding each one of them, and show how their magical influence could be avoided by ordinary people even as it was sought out by the brave who hoped to make that power their own.

Transforming: Healing Past, Present and Future with Flower/Vibrational Essences & Aromatherapy – Rachel Ginther
Create balance and healing in your life. Learn ways of adapting to the changing energies that herald the new millennium. Discover Essences & Aromatherapy as tools for transformation and empowerment.