Ardantane School of Sacred Living

Overview

We are sacred beings living in a sacred world, and the School of Sacred Living was established to help students deepen and enrich their connection to, and experience of, the Sacred in everyday life. This is an inclusive school, serving all those who are on a journey to explore the nature of the Sacred and who want to live in a mindful and sacred manner, in right relationship with themselves, humanity, and nature. These courses may be especially appropriate for lay people who do not see themselves as priests, priestesses, healers, Witches, magicians, or shamans. However, they could also serve as a strong foundation for individuals who have a vocation in one of these roles. Welcome to your Sacred Journey, Sacred Life.

Mission

The mission of the School of Sacred Living is threefold:

To provide learning experiences that recognize the Sacred in all aspects of life; deepen and enrich the student's personal connection to, and relationship with, the Sacred; promote living in harmony with the Sacred; and foster and support sustainable living.
To create a community of those on their own Sacred Journeys.
To cross-connect to, support, and interact with all the Ardantane schools of study and practice.

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Certificate Program

The School of Sacred Living offers five certificate programs and a Master of Sacred Living certificate. The five certificates are based on an elemental model of the multiverse, and experience each element in terms of personal exploration and external manifestation.
Requirements for the elemental certificates will be met by a combination of classes from the School of Sacred Living and courses from the other schools in Ardantane, (credit may be given for courses from other institutions as well, such as SEED, Ecoversity, and others), and a practicum (ritual, observation and report, build a shrine, design and present a program, etc.). The elemental certificates may be obtained in any order, even simultaneously. Upon completion of all five elemental certificates and a written thesis the Master of Sacred Living certificate will be awarded.

Earthwalker
Waterdancer
Firelighter
Airglider
Spiritseeker

Ethics (a core class taught each year by a different school at Ardantane) and Sacred Journey, Sacred Life, are required for each certificate, but need only be taken once to fulfill the requirement. Other courses that fulfill the certificate requirements will vary year to year, depending on the offerings in the various Ardantane schools. (Credit will be given for Ardantane courses already completed.) Besides Ethics and Sacred Journey, Sacred Life, each certificate requires the equivalent of six two-day classes, at least two of which must be exploring the element personally, and two must be exploring the element in external manifestation (two one-day intensives are equivalent to one two-day intensive).

The following topics and courses are examples of courses fulfilling the requirements for the elemental certificates, and may be presented over the course of the next several years; course offerings will vary year to year.

Key to courses offered in other Ardantane schools: Healing Arts (HA), Magic and Witchcraft (MW), Pagan Leadership (PL), Shamanic Studies (SS), and Pagan Spirituality (PS). Some courses offered through other schools may require prerequisites; those prerequisites will not count toward the elemental certificates unless they are listed here.

Certificate requirements:

Required for all certificates

Ethics
Sacred Journey, Sacred Life (1 day)

Earthwalker

Earthwalker is an exploration of the material world, strength, abundance, and manifestation.

Personal

The Gaia Hypothesis in Daily Life: One with the Earth (and all things material and solid)
The body, physical health, and strength (several courses; some offered through HA)
Manifesting Abundance (treasure maps, ritual, acting in accord)
Moving Through Grief: Death and Dying (SS)
Faith and To Dare (based on the Witches' Pyramid and the Four Qualities of the Adept)

External

Sustainable Building (of all kinds: RASTRA, cob, Earthships, etc., electives from SEED and Ecoversity as well as Ardantane)
What You Can Do to Combat Global Warming
Composting and Earthworm Composting
Organic Gardening in the Arid Southwest (possible elective through SEED or Ecoversity)
Drum-making (SS)
Make a Besom (MW)
Crafts of the Craft (MW)
Labyrinths and Mazes (MW)
Spirits of Place (SS)
The Healing Earth (SS)
The Western Way of Healing (HA)
To Be a Healer (HA)
Plant Medicine (HA)
Folklore of Earth (1/2 day)
Making Adobes (1/2 day)

Practicum

Design and present an Earth ritual
Express Earth in art
Create and present an Earth dance
Go caving
Design a cabin
Go on a geology trip and report on it
Present a feast or banquet and tell where each of the foods came from
Make mead
Etc.

Waterdancer

Waterdancer is an exploration of the emotions, compassion, intuition, and wise water use.

Personal

Emotional Balance Through Magick
Developing your Intuition (also divination courses from MW)
Entering the Silence (based on the Four Qualities of the Adept and the Witches' Pyramid)
Water Magick and Miracles (based on What the Bleep? and The Hidden Messages in Water)
All We Need is Love (love and compassion in this turbulent world)

External (mostly electives from SEED or Ecoversity)

Graywater and Blackwater Systems in the Arid Southwest
Water Conservation and Waterwise Gardening in the Arid Southwest
Water Purification Systems
Watershed Protection Issues
Rainwater Harvesting
Folklore of Water (1/2 day)

Practicum

Design and present a Water ritual
Express Water in art
Create and present a Waterdance
Go whitewater rafting
Go canoeing
Make wine or mead
Etc.

Firelighter

Firelighter is an exploration of fire, energy, power, passion, courage, and light.

Personal

Energy sensing and energy work course from MW
Live Your Passion
The Hero's Journey (Courage, Power, and Passion)
To Will: True Will and Willpower (based on the Witches' Pyramid and the Four Qualities of the Adept)
Courage: Triumph of the Spirit
Kundalini/Tantra/Sex Magick (prerequisite: Ethics)
Goal Setting

External

Sustainable energy options (electives from SEED and Ecoversity)
Healing With Color and Light (HA)
Energy Healing (HA)
Firelighting (1/2 day)
Folklore of Fire (1/2 day)
Using Color and Light in Magick and Ritual
Fire Safety and Fire Prevention
Introduction to Energy (combustion, fission, fusion)
Learn to Spin Fire (poi)

Practicum

Design and present a Fire ritual
Express Fire in art
Create and present a Fire dance
Observe and report on a forest fire
Walk on coals (under the guidance of a qualified instructor only)
Build a fireplace
Make candles
Make oil lamps
Make mead
Etc.

Airglider

Airglider is an exploration of air, the mind, intellect, imagination, and communication.

Personal

Quieting the Mind (daily relaxation and breathing techniques)
Brain Gym (exercises to strengthen the connection between the two halves of your brain)
Elements of Communication (PL)
Imagine: The Power of Dreaming Big (based on John Lennon's Imagine)
Art and Imagination
The Power of Poetry
Sacred Texts of All Faiths
To Know (lifelong learning, based on the Witches' pyramid)
Pranayama Breathing (1/2 day)

External

Gaia's Breath (the Earth's atmosphere and the Clean Air Act and what you can do to help)
Wind Power (perhaps an elective from SEED or Ecoversity)
Teaching Intensive (PL)
Advanced Teaching Intensive (PL)
Mindful Magickal Communication (PL)
Consensus and Mediation (PL)
Folklore of Air (1/2 day)

Practicum

Design and present an Air ritual
Express Air in art
Create and present an Air dance
Write an ode to a deity
Do a past life regression
Experience rebirthing (under the guidance of a qualified instructor only)
Go hang gliding
Go hot-air ballooning
Go for a flight in a small airplane, especially an open one
Etc.

Spiritseeker

Spiritseeker is an exploration of the material world, strength, abundance, and manifestation.

Personal

Art and Spirit
Sacred Geometry
Ritual for Solitaries (MW)
Love at the Center (based on the Witches' Pyramid)
Sacred Ways of Change (MW)
Gods and Goddesses (PS)
Goddess Weekend/God Weekend (PS)
Death, Dying, and the Eternal Spirit (SS)
Vision Questing (SS, requires prerequisites)

External

The Elements in World Religions
The Power of the 100th Monkey (including the effects of large groups meditating on a single focus)
Sacred Nature, Sacred Space/Spirits of Place and Nature
Magick 101 (MW)
What is a Pagan? (PL)
Rites of Change: Making Ritual (MW)
To Be a Priestess, To Be a Priest (PL)
Folklore of Spirit (1/2 day)

Practicum

Design and present a Spirit ritual
Express Spirit in art
Create and present a Spirit dance
Etc.

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Course Descriptions

Sacred Journey, Sacred Life

Join us in exploring the sacred journey that is your life. For one day, be in a caring fellowship of seekers on this quest. Gather a medicine pouch of tools and techniques to help you transform the mundane into the miraculous. See the universe with starlight vision and find the center point of your being. Discover the wellspring of your divinity, and drink from its clear waters throughout your days. Live in harmony with your deepest truths and let your every act be a blessing. Experience the joy of walking the Earth with the Goddess and the Old Gods.

Welcome to your place in this magickal universe.

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Gaia Hypothesis in Daily Life

Is the biosphere of Earth a huge, complex, form of life, where all life forms are essential parts of a self-sustaining organism? What's the evidence for this hypothesis, and if it's true, where does humanity fit in?

More urgently, where do YOU fit in, and how can you live in harmony with the immense and beautiful Being we call Gaia? This is far more than a "Don't hurt the planet, recycle your trash" lecture - it's an exploration into the spiritual dimensions of being part of something far greater than any one of us, yet dependent on each of us. Come learn what it means to be an Earthling.

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Manifesting Abundance

Abundance, prosperity, wealth, money? How many ways are there to feel rich? Discover different ways to measure and grow your wealth, both ancient and modern. Find out what deities and spirit beings are the patrons of abundance and how to work with them.

And yes, there will be some really great information on ways to handle the money part of wealth as well. If you have felt scarcity, poverty, or lack of resources in your life, now is the time to tap into the wealth of a resource-full nation and an abundant universe.

(Class provides credit toward the Earthwalker Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Faith and To Dare

What is faith, if it's not a mindless belief in some dogma you've been taught? What can we have faith in, and still honor our rational, intelligent, questioning minds? Maybe it's time to look at the foundations of our beliefs and lives, and make sure the structure is solid. Note: this is an open-minded, exploratory class: no particular faith systems will be pressed on participants.

"To Dare" is one of the qualities needed by an adept, according to ancient lore. What have you dared to attempt in your life thus far, and what risks are worth taking tomorrow. Come join a fascinating discussion with like-minded people.

(Class provides credit toward the Earthwalker Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Planting an Oasis

How can you have a lush, green, wonderful oasis of plant and bird life in your yard or on your property, and still conserve water in the desert Southwest? Come get the answers! If you're intrigued by gardening and landscaping but don't have hours every day to maintain a fancy layout, we have resources for you!

What kind of plants and where to get them, how to create micro-climates, how to use graywater and rainwater to feed your garden, how to improve your soil, using rock in beautiful and practical ways, when and where water features like fountains and ponds can work? this class is going to motivate you to get creative!

(Class provides credit toward the Earthwalker Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Folklore of Earth

Gnomes and stone folk, genius loci or spirits of the land, chthonic gods and goddesses who burrow beneath the soil or reign over dark and mysterious underground worlds, mountain and volcano deities, faery kingdoms in hollow hills, dwellers in caves, all the deep inhabitants of ancient faiths and folktales?

Come learn how Earth and Spirit have blended throughout the ages, and how your personal spiritual path can call upon the strength, fortitude, and endurance of the beings who are masters of the Element of Earth. If you are a creature of Air, Fire, or Water, and need the powers of Earth, this class will help bring your life to balance.

(Class provides credit toward the Earthwalker Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Global Warming and You

We know it's happening, we know it's huge and scary and unstoppable? So what now? How about educating ourselves about what's happening to the Earth's climate, and finding out how we and our children can live in a changed world, and what we can do over the long term to help stabilize the climate for our descendents?

Get the best and most current scientific information on climate trends and their probable effect on sea levels, weather patterns, agriculture and more. Get informed, get active, be a responsible citizen of Planet Earth. Don't have the fee? It will be waived for anyone who asks.

(Class provides credit toward the Earthwalker Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Entering the Silence

Silence is what's left when the noise stops. It's your auditory world minus the traffic sounds, airplanes, TV and radio chatter, and inane conversations.

Silence is also the eon before the Big Bang of universal creation, the miraculous state of being at the center of your soul, the dark and fallow place where everything is possible, pure Potential. It is a place where mystics, Witches, and adepts go to rest, heal, and Be.

Join us as we explore this strange and powerful realm, and learn to make space for it in our lives. Some thoughtful discussion, several challenging exercises, and various kinds of meditation are included.

(Class provides credit toward the Waterdancer Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Water Magic and Miracles

Yes, water crystals are affected by the emotional energy surrounding them or projected toward them... and each of us is primarily made of water. The implications for magick, health and healing are staggering. Join us as we explore What the Bleep Do We Know? and The Hidden Messages in Water from the special viewpoint of magicians and adepts, and create ways to transform our lives using this knowledge in ritual and daily life.

After the initial briefing, this will be a hands-on, experiential and experimental workshop. We will do water magick of several different kinds and discuss the effects on each of us.

(Class provides credit toward the Waterdancer Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Rainwater Harvesting

Yes, we have rain in New Mexico - and most of the rain that lands on the average house and yard winds up in the storm sewers. Would you rather harvest that water and use it to feed your trees, grass, flowers, herbs and vegetables, and the creatures that live there?

We'll share ideas that work, and look at the practical systems and resources you can use to make every drop count. Part of the class will be hands-on experience creating ways to harvest rainwater at Ardantane - wear old clothes and bring a sun hat. Learning by doing; that's fun!

(Class provides credit toward the Waterdancer Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Folklore of Water

We all need water to live - in fact we're mostly made of water! No wonder this theme has been a huge current (pun intended) throughout world religions, mythology, and folklore. Join us to hear the old tales of the rain spirits, the gods and goddesses of the deep ocean, the river goddesses and the sacred springs, the silkies and sea monsters, the merpeople and undines and all beings wet and wild.

We will also do creative exercises to deepen your connection to the water spirits, and conclude with a ceremony honoring the Spirit of Water within and without.

(Class provides credit toward the Waterdancer Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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Watershed Protection

If you've got your watershed, you've got just about everything - like forests, plants, drinkable water, oxygen, food, and suchlike little luxuries. Would you like to know what watershed you live in, and understand its ecosystem? What endangers your water habitat, and what can you (and your friends and neighbors) do the help keep it healthy and strong?

This afternoon program will be packed with good information and some simple strategies that can make a huge difference.

(Class provides credit toward the Waterdancer Certificate in the School of Sacred Living).

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