If irl witchcraft had a school, what classes do you think would be part of it?

[SimplyMichi]

I know it’s a bit of a strange question, but it’s something I want to personally do for myself. Even into adulthood I’ve always enjoyed “playing pretend.” It makes life all the more fun and interesting! For example at my last job I worked at an assisted living facility, if I was ever anxious going in to work I would pretend that I was serving the people who lived there health potions and enchanted food for their well-being.

Lately I’ve been having a hard time focusing on my craft and my personal studies, so I think it would be fun to set up a personal school system for myself to help me focus and really immerse myself in my work. I’m struggling to come up with ideas for my classes or ways to lump certain categories together into one, so any ideas would be a huge help!

Discussion

[ACanadianGuy1967]

Timothy Roderick’s books “Wicca: A Year and a Day” and “Wicca: Another Year and a Day” provide a good year-long program in each book.

Shanddaramon’s “Self-Initiation for the Solitary Witch” is another one.

And Raymond Buckland’s famous big blue book “Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft” is another that has been used for decades to provide a structured training program for Wiccans.

[Sweet_Permission_700]

I’d hope for an intro to all of it class. Something that had just enough to tell me what’s out there without having to teach each thing.

Witchcraft is so much more diverse than I ever realized.

[nine_inch_owls]

Being an Awesome Ally 101

[RaptorMascara]

First of all, this is an excellent read, thank you all for posting!

I would add Turning Inward as a class. Call it meditation or focusing, call it what you like. Something that trains the mind to turn inward, take inventory on how your mind, body, and soul are doing. Lessons focus on paying attention and noticing how you are, getting in the habit of doing it, reflecting before reacting, calming one’s self, amping one’s self up for big events, etc.

[cats2themoon]

Love these answers! Can I add linguistics? Words are magical ✨

[Shadowhunter_15]

Potions, Oracle, Illusions, Abominations, Plants, Healing, Beastkeeping, and Bards.

[ACanadianGuy1967]

For more feminist and patriarchal-challenging books that provide a lot of excellent material to help with developing one’s spiritual path, Starhawk and other Feri/Reclaiming initiates have lots in print.

For Starhawk in particular look for:

The Spiral Dance

Dreaming the Dark

Truth or Dare

The Twelve Wild Swans

She has others but those ones are particularly good.

Two other authors who are excellent are Gede Parma, and also T. Thorn Coyle. Any of their books are worth checking out.

[sunnyenno]

CRT brother yee yee

[beavant5]

History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Languages, herbalism and natural medicine, cooking, botany and biology, numerology, astrology, astronomy, sewing, candle making, spells 101, fire safety, geology, ethics, maybe some specialized courses based on a persons culture, so Native American students could have courses focused on their cultures and native plants and uses

[Vilifiedvultures]

Look for earth schools or primitive skills schools in your area they’re usually lowkey witchy!
We are making syrups (kitchen witching) foraging for winter medicinals, learning to tend fire both literal and our own metaphorical fires, and studying winter and mating season animal behaviors, working on woodcraft and smithing, and so much more where I spend my time!

[bugmom]

I would add simple healing and first aid, ethics and values (rule of 3, love spells etc) animal relations.

[wolfstar82]

Magical crafting
Mythology
Foraging
Ethics
Psychology
Adapting your practice to your environment (AKA—use what’s around you in nature)
Journaling—both how to/why and deeper journaling
Daily rituals and how to start them

There are so many fantastic ideas in the comments. I’m going to have to take some notes. ❤️

[ottereatingpopsicles]

I recently learned that witch camps are a thing and you could probably sign up to attend or teach at one of those!

[Family_Magick]

How relevant. I saw a “Coven of Witchcraft Studies” on meet up where they read books together and practice the exercises after. I’ll see if I can find it again.

It seemed brand new. I wonder if it’ll ever be big enough to break up into classes or like school “houses” haha idk I always loved the way Harry Potter was broken into the 4 houses.

[MamaMarshMarlow]

Forest bathing!