Well, ithere was another virtual conference in April to attend and learn so much from! I genuinely look forward to these and this one was no different - I had to restrain myself from asking about it immediately after the 3rd Annual Season of the Witch conference in October 2022. This conference consisted of 10 workshops over two days, and it was so full of information and thought-inspiring ideas.
The conferences always start with a grounding and casting of a circle, with the circle being opened at the end of the last workshop. During this part of the conference, the ancestors were also called in, both blood and land, which I felt was really powerful and something I want to do more often in the future.
The first workshop was called "Reiki for Self-Healing" and it was run by Sara Carlson, a Reiki Master and psychic medium. The information that Sara gave confirmed what I've been learning recently in a Reiki course, that attunements are not mandatory, and they are also part of the "Westernisation" of Reiki. I learned a lot from Sara and I hope this will be a catalyst to allow me to finish my Reiki course. But what was really interesting was that Sara said that what we learned in this workshop doesn't have to be used on just our individual selves - it could be used on others as it was the basis of Reiki! I was actually wondering about this and didn't get a chance to write my question down before Sara answered it! It was truly an amazing workshop!!
The second workshop was "Money as Your Twin Flame" and it was run by Karena Osborne of The Witch's Inn. I've worked with Karena before and I love her energy! This workshop was all about the relationship with money, and it actually ended up changing the relationship I persoally have with money. I've always felt like if I have enough to sort out my needs, then having more feels a bit "icky" to me but now, I know I need more money to achieve my dreams and do what I want to do in my life, and I'm not nervous about this - it's actually exciting to me! This was all about breaking down the barriers between me and money so that I could have a healthy relationship with money, abundance and wealth.
The third workshop was "Sigil Crafting" and it was run by Amanda Osborne of Heathen Moon. This was interesting as it was all about some methods that can be used to create a sigil. I'm not a stranger to sigils but my preferred method is to use runes, although I will create a sigil using letters (I did this recently in one of the lunar rituals that Emily hosted). What was really thought-provoking was that this workshop mirrored the first two workshops by breaking down barriers and "gatekeeping" of information based on whether your family is generationally occult. I loved that this seemed to be a theme as I don't believe that I (or anyone) have to necessarily be part of certain cultures and practices in order to use them in my own practice.
The fourth workshop was "Goddess Archetype Ritual" and it was hosted by Angelina Caporele of Divine Debauchery. This was such an amazing workshop, filled with so much information on how to connect with goddesses, from altars to prayers, clothing to jewellery. But there was also a meditation to meet a goddess who could assist me and who gave me three gifts: I met Hecate and was given a cauldron, a book that was more than just a book, and a staff. Where I live, I'm surrounded by three-way crossroads which are associated with Hecate, and I have a lot of moon-related items in the room where I do most of my witchery (a wall-hanging, bedding, cushions, and my cat Luna likes to spend a lot of time in here too) so I feel like I've been a bit blind to hearing and seeing Hecate but I'm definitely going to be working more consciously with Her moving forwards.
The final workshop was "Let's Talk About Shamanism" and this was hosted by Yvonne Miguez. Yvonne has done workshops in conferences before from which I always learn something new and have an unexpected experience. This workshop was really thought-provoking in that it made me wonder whether I needed a specific teacher or whether I could do it on my own using my own experiences. I feel like sometimes certain aspects of spirituality can be "closed" practices and not for anyone and everyone, which should be respected but at the same time, I do feel like there are some aspects that can be brought into the public view. Now I'm just on the fence about which aspects could fit where and whether this is something I'd like to pursue in the future.
On the second day of the conference, the first workshop was "Working With The Fae" and it was run by Emily Morrison, the amazing soul behind Wise Woman Witchery! This was an amazing workshop because it was all about the Fae, the different kinds of Fae, folklore, and myths. I definitely want to learn more about the Fae and how to work with them, so this was very special to me. I love all things Fae and have a semi-informative TV show to watch to further my knowledge of British Fae and mythology.
The second workshop was "Altar Magic - The Basics of Building and Arranging" and it was run by Jen Untalan. This was interesting and built on what I already knew about altars - I have at least 5 around my home already. This did focus on the Wiccan teachings of altars but it's definitely interesting to consider how others put together their altars and how they do that. Because of how often dragons have come up for me in recent months, I do want to consider having an altar specifically to honour their energy and the relationship I have with my own dragon currently.
The third workshop was "Astrology of 2023" and it was run by Christine Michele of MyTarotLady. This was all about what the planets are doing this year, which ones are going retrograde and when, and how to navigate all the different energies that will be floating around at least the next 12 months, if not longer. I love all things astrology but I feel like while I do understand some parts of what is to come, I may not know enough about the various aspects and how the planets are interacting with each other. But I thoroughly enjoy having a research rabbit hole to lose myself down, so this may be the next thing for me to look into.
The fourth and penultimate workshop was "The Light Side of Shadow Work" and it was hosted by Michelle Anthony. This was really interesting as it was all about understanding shadow work and how it's not as scary as some people might believe. Michelle explained how shadow work can be done to understand our individual selves but also change the cycles if that's what we want to do. But if we don't want to change the cycles, that's okay too - we don't have to change anything if we don't want to. I came away from this questioning whether how I've reacted to situations in my past may have led to the situation I'm in now, so it's left me with a lot more questions but it's definitely going to be a journey to understand why I'm questioning myself now.
The final workshop was "The Rebirth of You: Renewing Your Spirit for Purposeful Growth" and it was hosted by Yolanda Riley. This as all about bringing the energy of Spring within and making sure I have the right conditions (just like seeds need) to grow and mature my own self and my projects. I have to say that Winter is my favourite season because I can layer up and avoid going outside my lovely, warm, comfortable home while in Spring and Summer, it's all about socialising and getting out the house from being cooped up inside for months. Autumn is my second favourite because it's bringing the cold of Winter and it's still a beautiful time of year. But as much as I'm not a fan of Spring, I know it's necessary to bring forth a new start, whether energetically or astrologically. Maybe it's time that I considered how I can bring the energy of Spring into my life and projects.
So that's what I got up to in the middle of April 2023 and I have never regretted signing up for each conference because there's always something new for me to learn. I have a lot of gratitude and respect for all the teachers but also for Emily at Wise Woman Witchery for organising the conferences and teachers.
If you ever want to sign up for a conference, look on the Wise Woman Witchery Instragram and Facebook pages to find out more. The next conference will be the 4th Annual Season of the Witch Conference in October 2023 and I hope to see some of you there!
Peace and love to all!!!
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