Campus Tour

Ardantane's campus is located on 25 acres of high desert land in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico, about one hour's drive northwest of Albuquerque. It is bordered by National Forest to the north and east.

The Ardantane signpost welcomes you as you approach the campus.

The land had only a dirt road when acquired in 2002; though several facilities are under construction, we are able to offer many classes and events each year.

The campus is generally warm and sunny, though rain and occasional snow do occur.

Bridget's Circle at Ardantane

Across the road, volunteer Nexusz has created Brigit’s Shrine.

Inside the shrine.

An occasional pond at the Water Shrine near Cattail Cottage. Note the young cottonwood trees.

Hawk Haven and Cattail Cottage, the Water-themed cabin, will be joined by Earth, Fire, and Spirit cottages in time.”

The view from the large windows inside Hawk Haven.

Cattail Cottage is our Water-themed overnight cabin, and is available to students and visitors.

Kitschwitch is a tiny overnight cabin with a Witchy Halloween theme. Drop in for a spell!

The Dome is our major all-purpose building: classroom, ritual space, meeting room and even overnight accommodations.

The Dome's spacious interior has windows and skylights, as well as nicho shrines to many aspects of Deity. In time, a fireplace, bookshelves with Ardantane's library, and radiant-heat flooring will complete the facility."

The ceiling from the inside. The dome is covered with 120 "sandwiches" of drywall, insulation, plywood, and hardipanel, which are covered with rubberized roofing compound and elastomeric paint outside.

The dome in use at night.

HARRE stands for “Handicapped-Accessible RestRoom, Eco-friendly.

During classes and events, many visitors choose to camp out on the campus grounds

The major landform on campus is the "Dragon’s Back" a ridge that rises above the rest of campus. Several campus features are located on it.

The first feature along the path up the Dragon’s Back is The Labyrinth. The Labyrinth is a Cretan 7-ring design, perhaps the most ancient and universal of all the patterns.

The Labyrinth was created at the 3rd First Annual Sunfest in 2005, under the direction of Starweaver, our former Dean of Magick and Witchcraft. A lovely place for a quiet walking meditation. We will create two more labyrinths at Ardantane, each with a different pattern.

Rough stone steps lead from the Dragon’s Tail up to the Dragon’s Back, where the Sun Circle, Moon Circle and the beginning of the Seeker’s Path are located. This is sometimes called ‘The Stairway to the Gods'.

The Seeker’s Path was created at the 4th First Annual Sunfest in 2006. It is a half-mile trail with seven stone altars spaced along its beautiful, winding route. Each rock altar has a special stone set upon it, to differentiate it from the others.

Walking meditations may focus on goddesses and gods, the Elements, the Tarot, animal spirits, plant devas, the chakras, or other subjects. A leaflet is available to help seekers decide how to experience the path.

Here the Seeker’s Path winds between low sandstone formations sculpted by wind and water.

Looking back to the left as you ascend, you can see the lower section of campus, including the Bardic Circle. The Bardic Circle is handicapped-accessible and a great place to share drumming, songs and stories in the evening.

The path winds back to the right and you enter the main ritual space: the Sun Circle. The Sun Circle has an inner circle of stones from all over America and beyond. Thus we are connected by their energy to distant places.

Azrael stands within the Sun Circle. The entrance is marked by the Broken Menhir, a stone monolith that was to be erected as a dawn solstice marker. When it broke at the last moment, two parts became the gateway and a third slab became the altar.

The path continues past the Sun Circle,arriving in a very private area, not visible to any other part of campus or public roads: the Moon Circle. The Moon Circle is our most remote ritual circle. It is created of obsidian boulders transported from the other side of the Jemez Mountains; they represent the waning moon cycle and we hope to add white quartz boulders to symbolize the waxing moon cycle.

Though the path ends at the Moon Circle, there is much father to go if you wish. The northern boundary of Ardantane is marked by Canon Cercadoand beyond that is National Forest. Many hikes are possible from here.

Here Shaman’s Peak can be seen, with the caves near the top.

The Throne of Isis as seen from near the base. Isis is one of the patron deities of Ardantane.

This stone circle is dedicated to Hekate, one of Ardantane’s patron goddesses. It is located in Spirit Hollow, a section of wild land added to the campus in 2012.

The canyon is dry almost year-round and it’s a wonderful place for a hike. However, a few times a year rainstorms arrive and the bottom of the canyon becomes a roaring river.

The skyline to the north is dominated by Mesa de las Casas, a great rock formation of red Triassic sandstone and gray-white Bandelier tuff. The left part of the mesa is Shaman’s Peak and contains caves used by the Ancestral Puebloans centuries ago. We have named the formation at center right “The Throne of Isis."

Ardantane is a unique place, even for the “Land of Enchantment.” It is dedicated to teaching ancient wisdom and the living art of magick.

We hope to share its beauty and power with you one day.