Ask Us to Your Event
Amber and Azrael on the Road–Workshops
We teach at Ardantane much of the year, but are also available to travel to your area for workshops and seminars. The following are some of our more popular programs. They can be adjusted to fit most program formats and time slots. If you are interested in a program on a topic not listed here, please inquire, and we will let you know if we can teach in that subject or recommend another qualified teacher. A portion of all proceeds goes to Ardantane, a non-profit corporation dedicated to excellence in Pagan learning and teaching.
NOTE: Any of these workshops can be presented in a 1-hour, 2-hour, half-day, full-day, or whole-weekend format to an in-person audience. Obviously, the longer the format the more detail, participation, and exercises are possible. In addition to these, we can also bring our PowerPoint presentations (more than 100 subjects) to present live with discussion, exercises, etc.
Contact us now if you would like to sponsor these programs in your area.
What We Ask in Return
When we present a workshop at your event, we do not show up and talk off-the-cuff. We prepare for several hours depending on the length of the program, travel to get to your event, need food and lodging, and then provide a cohesive, engaging, participatory, and well-researched presentation, with exercises, handouts, and fun to be had by all! Then we go home, unpack, put the props away and file the handouts, and rest.
So, we ask all travel costs and an honorarium. We are willing to work with your group on the amount of the honorarium, and as a ballpark, for an entire weekend at a festival where we are the headliners (presenting about two workshops and one ritual), we usually ask a minimum of $1000 in addition to travel, food, and lodging. We may also ask for a merchant booth for Ardantane, the nonprofit to which we devote most of our time. If this sounds like a fair energy exchange, contact us at azrael@magickwithamberk.com, and we will be happy to talk!
The Workshops
An Introduction to Witchcraft (mini-Wicca 101)
This program covers the history, legends, myths, beliefs, deities, holidays, and lifestyles of Wicca, also known as the Craft or the “Old Religion.” Useful for seekers, those just beginning this spiritual journey, and experienced Witches who want a model for presenting introductory information in their communities. Based on our book Witchcraft and Wicca Page by Page.
Animals, Magick and You
Animals provide companionship, transportation, food, and a host of other human needs – but what is our spiritual connection to them? This workshop explores animals as familiars, allies, guides, teachers, clan totems, and Younger-Self aspects of our own psyches. Included are guidelines on discovering which animal spirits should be part of your spiritual practice.
Brigit: Irish Goddess and Saint
Brigit is the ancient Celtic goddess of smithcraft, healing, inspiration, sovereignty, martial arts, and more; but she also became a Queen of Faery and a Catholic saint. Learn more about this fascinating and powerful woman spirit from the mists of Ireland past. Stories, symbols, feast day activities, and more.
Candlemas, Imbolg, and the Festivals of February
A host of holy days and celebrations cluster around the beginning of February, including Brigit’s feast day, Imbolg, Lupercalia, Candlemas, and many more. Join us in a discussion of the many ways to mark this time of year, and the spiritual meaning the season can have for us. Legends, stories, and spells are included. Based on our book Candlemas.
Creating Ritual for Celebration and Transformation
Ritual can be dull and repetitive, but there are ways to make it creative, vibrant, and powerful. Learn the keys of great ritual design and presentation from the authors of the award-winning RitualCraft. Hands-on exercises are part of the program.
Creating Your Own Astral Temple
Would you like to have a place of your own, utterly hidden from others, where you can escape for rest, healing, or spiritual renewal? A place where you can meet goddesses, gods, and spirits – or relax by yourself in an sunlit library, a lush garden, or an ancient grove? You can create a personal temple that is aprt from the mundane world yet very real. Come learn how!
The Dark Goddesses
The Maiden and Mother aspects of the Lady are familiar to many of us, but we know little of the darker sides of Goddess: of the Morrigan, Kali, Lilith, Hecate, Tlacoteutl, and the other shadowy figures who rule death, fear, and the underworld. Gather to hear their stories, to meet the Crone, and to discover how important She can be – to you.
Discovering Your Magickal Persona
If you sometimes feel as though you are drowning in the mundanity of the muggle world, you need to discover or refresh the magickal parts of you: the You that is sacred animal, timeless archetype, and god/dess aspect. We share techniques for finding and nourishing these wonderful faces that may have been hidden from society, and even from yourself.
The Folklore of Witchcraft
Meet Granny Tippy, an elderly woman from ancient Britain who will tell you the legends and stories of times past: the Wisht Hounds, the Dorset Ooser, the Horn Dances, Lych Way of Dartmoor, the Wild Hunt, the stone circles, and much more from the Pagan heritage of the Isles. If we are lucky, she may even show us a Bellarmine Jar or Witch’s Ladder.
Getting Personal with Gods and Goddesses
Are the Goddess and the God real for you, or are They huge, amorphous theological concepts that never touch your life very much? Discover the joys and challenges of creating a personal relationship with one special aspect of deity: friend and counselor, confidante and teacher, inspiration and healer. Meet the goddess or god face to face, heart to heart.
Hecate, Lady of Light and Darkness
The “Queen of Witches” is much more than a wise crone and goddess of the night. She is guide and torchbearer, midwife and protector, keeper of the keys of knowledge, and much more. Explore seven aspects of this ancient and amazing goddess with us, and discover which of Her aspects is most important to your life and spiritual journey.
The Golden Pentacle: Clarity. Abundance. You.
Perhaps you have encountered the magickal techniques called the Iron Pentacle and the Pearl Pentacle, but now a new system has joined them: the Golden Pentacle. This is a path to prosperity, change, and wellness created by Azrael and Amber as the fruit of a long study of magical paths to abundance in all aspects of life. It is based in part on the work of many abundance authors, as well as Amber and Azrael’s own experience in confronting and overcoming life challenges. Poverty consciousness, begone! Embrace prosperity awareness!
Coyote Lives: Humor and the Trickster in Pagan Spirituality
Coyote is Creator and Sacred Fool, Teacher and Trickster, with us always in one form or another. Listen to the stories of Old Man Coyote of the Southwest, and find out what place humor and chaos have in the spiritual life of a whole person.
The Heart of Tarot
You can read Tarot by memorizing card meanings from a book, or you can let the images come alive and speak their special significance to you. This workshop explores the Gestalt Tarot method, created by John McClimans, which allows you to do personal and meaningful readings or counseling with any deck. Based on our book The Heart of Tarot.
Living Pagan 24/7
So you’re Pagan – what does that mean exactly? Never mind your religious beliefs, how does Paganism express itself in your life – the job you do, the food you eat, the relationships you share? Lots of thought-provoking discussion and exercises to help you consider your lifestyle, and whether it is in harmony with your spirituality.
The Magick of Gems and Stones
Lots of us like stones – especially the pretty, shiny, colorful ones. They have a myriad uses in magick: divination, protection, grounding, healing, personal transformation, spellwork – let’s learn some new ways to use all those stones that are piled on your altar or in that shoebox. Free polished gemstones to participants.
The Magick of Trees
We sense that trees have much to teach us, in their almost-silent language. Certainly trees are central to the myths and legends of a hundred ancient cultures. Come learn their lore, and some simple magicks you can do with their help.
Organizing a Coven or Pagan Group
Want to start your own group? Do you dream of the close friendships, the wonderful magicks, the splendid activities you could enjoy with the perfect coven, grove, or circle? Get some tips from experienced priestesses who know what helps a group thrive, and what missteps may lead to disaster. Very handy for the new folks and veterans alike – anyone who has or envisions a group in their spiritual life. Based on our book CovenCraft, 2nd ed.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Ritualists
Are some people born ritual leaders, or can you grow into the role? What are your ritual strengths, and how can you magick your weaknesses so that your rituals become powerful and transformative spiritual experiences? A program of self-evaluation for all who participate in ritual, or lead it, or want to. Based on our award-winning book, RitualCraft.
Spellcrafting Ancient and Modern
Spells range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some seem to be silly, corrupt and superstitious; others embody gems of psychological insight that can change a person’s life. What are some of the spells handed down from the ancients, and what makes a spell effective, and how can you design your own? Participants must follow the Rede or equivalent ethical standard.
Steel and Silver: Social Activism and Magick
If you would change the world for the better, you can use the tactics of activism or of magick – or best of all, both. Let’s discuss an integrated strategy in which the spiritual, the magickal, and the organizational combine to bring social justice to a healthy planet. What are specific things we can do to make a better world for ourselves and our children?
True Wand Magick
The wand is the most iconic of ritual tools, yet few magick-workers have much training in using it. Learn several techniques of wand magick, which is to say the magic of will, purpose, and focused energy. Note that we will emphasize how to use a wand, spend little time on construction, and only a bit more on different types of specialized wands. We will include some practical information on acting in accord with your magick; that is to say, the systems you will use and the sweat you will generate after you put down your wand. Based on our book, True Wand Magick.
Sacred and Magickal Symbols
Ever since the first paint was applied to a Paleolithic cavern wall, and the first petroglyph scratched onto an ancient boulder, humans have sought to harness the power of magickal symbols. This intensive class will explore the history and modern usage of symbols, including examples from cultures worldwide. Included are Elemental signs, Futhark and bindrunes, unusual astrological symbols, talismanic sigils, and much more. The program will include presentation, exercises, discussion, and a folder of key handouts.