So it's that time of year when the next virtual conference was hosted by Emily Morrison of Wise Woman Witchery. This is the third annual Season of the Witch conference and I have attended all of them because each workshop never ceases to amaze me and bring even more topics into my awareness for further exploration afterwards.
This year's Season of the Witch conference was on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th October, and consisted of a total of 10 workshops split over both days. It happened to be a semi-busy weekend for me as it coincided with a Formula 1 race weekend but as this particular race was in Japan, the timing of qualifying and the race didn't clash with the workshops. I also met with some of my magickal friends to do something new (more about this in another post).
The conference always starts with Emily opening the circle to hold space for the entirety of the 2-day event. The opening of the circle always helps me to sit with the intention of learning and being open to the knowledge that is being offered.
The first workshop was led by Emily and was called "You Are Elemental". This was similar to the Elements section of the Priestess Path course but it was different because Emily led the group in a couple of meditations that were very interesting. They were about how the elements individually influence me, what they make me think of depending on which one I'm listening to. We also did an exercise from the Priestess Path that involved writing an introduction of ourselves using our individual keywords for the elements. I always enjoy working with Emily and this cemented some things about the elements for me.
The second workshop was led by Pati Diaz of Blue Moon Manifestations and was called "Making Magic with Essential Oils". This was a workshop that was I was really looking forward to attending and it didn't disappoint. It was all about discovering the inner Rockstar within and how to make this version of the Self manifest in the world using essential oils as a tool for this. At the beginning, Pati gave some journal prompts that I would like to do in a separate post after watching the recorded workshop. Pati actually reminded me of some ways that essential oils can be used - jewellery with lava beads like necklaces or bracelets, in diffusers within the home (oil burners can also be used), dressing/preparing spell candles, making my own candles, and even within food. However, not all essential oils are food grade so some research is needed before I can start to use them in my kitchen witchery. Pati also mentioned that essential oils can be put on skin but only if a carrier oil is used, and she gave a general idea of the ration of essential oil to carrier oil.
The third workshop was led by Michelle Anthony and was called "Spellcasting With Your Body". This was the most challenging workshop for me because I am very self/body-conscious. This is something that I want to work on so that I don't have to turn off my camera during similar future workshops. During the exercise within this workshop, I did feel called to work towards accepting and loving my own body just as it is because I am so aware of the extra padding that I carry on various parts of my body. I hadn't really considered before that "bopping along" to some of my favourite tunes could be part of self-expression and opening myself up to the world in a whole new way.
The fourth workshop was led by Yvonne Miguez and was called "What's Brewing In Your Kitchen". This was a really fun workshop which touched on how certain concepts can impact how the kitchen is used. One thing that really got to me was the idea that the "woman's place is in the kitchen/home" which comes from a very patriarchal societal perspective. But this could be empowering if we only realised that there is power to be found within the kitchen. The kitchen could be seen as the hearth of the home, where food is prepared, but also where healing, solace, relaxation, and memories can be found and made.
The fifth and final workshop of the first day was led by Jen Untalan and was called "The Basics of Runes". This was a beautiful workshop that made me fall back in love with runes - not that I fell out of love with them; I just started using other forms of divination more. I learned more about runes and made lots of notes in a notebook that is dedicated just to runes. I have worked with runes before but all the information I gained from this workshop has made me want to use runes more often in my magickal practice. Jen also recommended some books about runes that I will add to my wishlist and, in time, expand my magickal library with. This was just an amazing experience in its own right and as made me excited to get back to using runes in the future.
The first workshop of the second day was led by Erin Lafaive and was called "Playing With Herbal Potions". This was all about returning to being a kid and just playing with nature. I never had a chance to really do this as a child so this is still a little strange to me but it's definitely something that I want to experiment with. I'd like to have as much fun as possible while experimenting with what could be done with the various parts of plants and trees. I have definitely learned that I need to acquire some labels for various jars that I can use for various potions and their contents.
The second workshop was led by Yolanda Riley and was called "Soul Connections: Healing Ancestral Wounds by Cleansing Karmic Cycles". I was really intrigued by this as I'm fairly certain that particular cycles have happened within my own family relationships and I wondered how they could be broken. But it's not quite as simple as that because it's all about the journey of transmuting the wounds into healing. And the transmutation may not be as immediate or instant as we'd like or as mainstream media might have us think. There's a lot of work to be done but it's rarely not worth it.
The third workshop was led by My Tarot Lady Christine Michele and was called "Intuitive Tarot Reading". I was looking forward to this as I'm always interested in looking at how I can improve my reading skills. And I have to say, this did not disappoint. I have a few tarot decks but I only tend to use two of them without referring to the accompanying guidebook. This was a rather more interactive workshop and it was all about following your intuition when reading cards. It really surprised me when I read a couple of cards for myself using this new method and I will absolutely be using it moving forward.
The fourth workshop was led by Angelina Caporale and was called "You are Sacred. You are Divine: Reclaiming your Sacred Powers in a Culture designed to Drain You". This was a very thought-provoking workshop because it was all about not losing sight of our own light and magick. That while we may lose it with all the things we have to get done in our daily lives, we can still infuse everything we do with our own brand of magick. We have a tendency to give away our power whether that is through learned behaviours, trying to be socially acceptable, or forgetting that we are just as important as those who share our lives. This workshop was all about calling that power back and realising the superpowers we have as individuals. It also gave me another research rabbit-hole to lose myself in about Chinese Astrology, which I had poked my head into but not fully dived into with reckless abandon . . . yet.
The fifth and final workshop was led by Melissa St. Hilaire and was called "Spirit Scribbling: Enhance Your Craft th Automatic Writing & Spirit Communication". This was such an exciting workshop that led to some really powerful experiences that I am still reeling from. I learned a lot about how to go about doing Spirit Scribbling, like having a space and the right mindset for doing doing it. Something else that was really interesting was what Spirit Scribbling could be used for and, again, I look forward to experimenting and doing this more often in the future.
After the final workshop, Emily closed the circle, signalling the end of the entire event. These always make me feel sad because I enjoy each of them so much and I never want them to end. But all good things must come to an end so you can appreciate them even more.
The main thing I say after each conference that I attend is that each one is amazingly epic and full of so much knowledge. I try to start to integrate the knowledge into my own form of Witchcraft but also within my life so that I don't forget it quite as easily as I might otherwise do. I never regret attending a conference and I look forward to every single one filled with excitement that builds up, like being a child at Christmas.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conference, to the point that even though I grabbed some chocolate for the last couple of workshops on both days, I was so engrossed that I didn't eat any - and I'm a chocoholic so this isn't something that usually happens to me!
If ever you are interested in attending a conference yourself, look for Wise Woman Witchery on social media as that's where you'll be able to get information as soon as it's posted. You won't regret signing up for them at all. I really hope you do sign up for future conferences.
Peace and love to all!!
Comments