After reading everything from grimoires to blog posts, I’ve found something out. There are lots of ways to learn magic. You can do a bunch of initiation challenges for a lineage. You can talk to your local plants and study some science. You can sign your soul over to the devil. You can ask your ancestors. There are options. For me, the best way to learn was to just do it. It’s a lot like learning to cook. I remember making salads and chopping potatoes with my mother in the kitchen; how by watching her and then trying things she was able to pass her experience onto me. I couldn’t just watch her do it or read the recipes. I needed to get my wrists inside the turkey, burn my own pancakes. When my first teacher led me into ritual and told me to join him in moving the energy, it was like being given permission to do something I had been waiting to do for years. I had read things, of course, but nothing compared to actually doing it.
Elements of Magic is like that. Witches of all levels of experience from the newest of the new to folks who have been in Reclaiming for over 10 years all come together. We visit and revisit the elements. It’s not just the newcomers who learn. The same way I introduced my mother to peanut sauce, new witches bring their own valuable lessons to us. It’s also just a good idea to reset your perspective on the basics. I’m still struggling with some skills: poached eggs, divination, the element of air. So when I heard that some of my favorite people were gonna lead an Elements of Magic class, I marked my calendar.
The real magic, of course, is the friends you make along the way. Our style of ritual has a way of bringing harmony between people, of giving us inside jokes and building trust. I love strengthening those bonds of trust. Not just with my friend witches, but also with the elements, spirits, and deities. Every time I go through the cycle again, I feel more deeply connected to those fundamental forces of nature. Every Thanksgiving I get better at making turkey, and every time I take Elements of Magic I get better at moving the energy of ritual. So I’m sincerely hoping you will show up, neighbor, and enjoy the weird mystery of this workshop with me.