Natural Magick & Divinity Training

For those solitaries, new covens or groups seeking self-initiatory and/or formal Divinity Training in the Old Religion of Nature, the Church of the Ancient Mysteries provides a yearly programme of Membership and Training according to the desired level of participation.

The concept of Divinity Training is to bring an ancient form - the Priest/esshood of the Mysteries - into a contemporary action that works powerfully from within. Whether working alone or with like-minded others, never underestimate the power of this work to create positive evolutionary change within the individual, family, community and the larger culture and environment.

Divinity Training within a magickal religion means that to the “degree of dedication” appropriate to the individual, one takes up the “Ministry” or mediation of divine power into the world. To practice Natural Magick, one participates consciously in Nature and Creation. Such power brought into the world automatically facilitates the spiritual awakening of others either directly or indirectly. One’s life is the most potent Magick and Ritual of all.

Our ministry aims to promote education and participation in the sacred arts of Natural Magick. For those drawn to the Old Religion of Nature, the journey of personal empowerment and healing is inseparable from a shamanistic stewardship of Nature. First of all, through the course, we will be Pathworking to tend the ecology of our human Nature - our own part in Greater Nature. This journeying to gain rapport with the Great and the Little Mysteries, the Spirits of Nature, regenerates our vital role in healing both Nature and ourselves.

Through progressive Pathworking we observe, participate and co-create consciously with Nature. By taking back our responsibility we reclaim our ancient heritage of power and freedom.

Initiation is actually the healing rebirth into our true Divine Nature, the Mystery of the Self. Rather than buying into outer conditions or limitations, the Inner Nature is considered more powerful; therefore the primary focus is to work on change from within. The Church of the Ancient Mysteries is devoted to the survival of this ancient mystery knowledge and the provision and training of a working Priest/esshood to fulfil that goal.

Our mission is to teach Teachers and heal Healers. To seed positive evolutionary change we must first awaken our individual Nature-Intelligence, by moving as true Hedgewitches into the wildstream of Nature behind and beyond human society. Without effective individuals there can be no effective community.

AIMS OF THE TRAINING

provide an overview of Natural Magick and Witchcraft practices, both operative (magickal) and religious (mystical), and also provide realistic foundation material for the student’s individual Initiative and development.
affirm, honour and make sacred our human heritage and experience, both male and female (Life as Ritual).
develop the ability to “vision into” the Dreaming of Inner Nature behind outer reality and utilize this Vision for both Divination and Magick.
meet and work with the Inner guides, the Spirits of Nature, the Little Mysteries and those Greater Mysteries who are the inspirers, guardians and teachers of humanity.
celebrate the Cyclic Mysteries of Nature through the Sacred Arts, by using Ritual (shamanic) technique as the “Art behind the Arts”, Ritual as transformative performance, involving specific work on physical, mental, emotional/psychic and spiritual levels, training body, voice, energy and consciousness.
facilitate Healing/Blessing of “Body, House and Land” - the natural magick of Geomancy and Home Blessing that works with individual, community and environment as a simultaneous whole.
facilitate the grounding of Spellcraft into practical life goals (Lifepathworking), empower and clarify individual Earth Purpose and train individuals first, because without effective individuals there can be no effective community.

Students order the next module when ready; the course is meant to be self-paced, so the time needed to complete and assimilate each module will vary. In the process of teaching, I am aware that the teacher always learns more than the student. Each individual has a unique combination of needs and qualities, so this requires that I approach what I know from a new set of angles. I find this exciting and refreshing. I am very privileged to have at present a number of truly dedicated students who are all incredibly different and an absolute joy to teach.

The way I train students is very fine-tuned and “one-on-one”, conducted in a combination of correspondence and phone interaction where practical, depending on the individual and their particular circumstances. The training is experiential, based on individual rhythm and is monitored by my perusal of the student’s Magickal Diary, which they photocopy or email and send to me when they are ready. Very often, a number of life issues stand in the way of this, and dealing with these are part of the Path. From this, and the Diary, I often design remedial work which sometimes pre-empts later course content. The sequence in which the work is individually covered may thus alter from the order given in the Synopsis.

Please note that initiation is not guaranteed. You pay for training and administration, not the Initiation. A formal Ritual Initiation into a Tradition, or an assisted Self-Initiation depends on personal interviews with the Church directors, and ultimately on the Gods and Goddesses themselves. This Training is both academic and Initiatory. This means that it involves more than the intellectual learning of “facts” or ready-made “things to believe in”. In the Initiatory training of Magickal Religion espoused by the Church of the Ancient Mysteries, blind belief is discouraged and faith is based on the experience of one’s own Nature as part of greater divine Nature.

While “scholarship” is definitely of value, and is a necessary part of magickal/spiritual development, the student needs to be self-motivated and work out their own rhythm of practice that suits their circumstances. It is the Magickal Diary record of your practical work, and the questions (and quests) that naturally arise from sincere effort, study and contemplation, which allow me to assess and facilitate your development. That experiential work and its record are the basis of your personal Craft, from which your unique Nature Mystery Tradition will progressively unfold and reveal itself. If the student works hard, I match their effort, but I do not run after students to spoon-feed them. This is a Path that unfolds through active participation, as opposed to “armchair travel”. Because everybody has their own timing, it can also be a matter of “right Path, wrong time”, so it is also perfectly okay to sit and “brood” on the material for a while until you are ready to begin.

N.B.: All Natural Magick & Divinity Training modules are non-refundable once ordered.

A synopsis is available upon request on the condition that you provide a brief background on yourself, e.g.: practical experience, whether you have membership in a magickal group, order, coven or organisation, etc; main interests and studies/reading.

This is asked out of respect for the Work, and also to respect and consider the individuality of the person seeking for it.

After receiving a short biography from you I will be very pleased to send you the Training Synopsis!".

It is a condition of the Training that students agree in writing to observe the Law of Silence or Secrecy (unless with express permission) regarding (a) the identity and privacy of fellow Members and other practitioners of the Mysteries of the Old Religion; (b) the details of coursework and any Ritual practice, except with fellow participants.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q:	Can I be a Church of the Ancient Mysteries member and access workshops etc. without doing the Divinity Training?
A:	Yes. However, if you are a beginner, that would mean missing out on some valuable groundwork, but if you are experienced and well along your own Path, it would not be a problem.
Q:	Can I do the Divinity Training and not be a member?
A:	No. The Natural Magick & Divinity Training requires Membership.

N.B.: Those who began the Training (formerly the “Thirteen Moon Circle Course”) before September 2003 are exempt from the new structure, but may apply for Membership if they so choose.

See the “Membership” section of this website for Application & Agreement forms.

OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES

Upon Graduation, Students Have Three Options Open To Them :

They can apply for Solitary Affiliate Membership in the Church (Priest/esshood) of the Ancient Mysteries - the Companions of Mazelwoode. They may request assistance to self-Initiate, or they may choose a Ritual Initiation into a tradition of the Mysteries. They might choose to develop their own Initiatory Tradition, as a Solitary or with others.
If they choose self -Initiation without Affiliate Membership, they will be assisted to do so once the course is completed.
They may apply for admission into the Inner Order of the Church - the Covenant of Earthgate, a hierarchy based on functional responsibility and dedication to the Ancient Mysteries. *The Covenant training is loosely based on the Wiccan “degree” system, taking First Rite Initiates into the Ministerial Divinity Training of the Second and Third Rites of Initiation in due course.