I developed the course ‘Lessons in Magic’ because I wanted to clear away any arcane fog that can so often obscure and overcomplicate the Magical process. The course structure offers students a step-by-step journey, with clear and simple signposts that illustrate everyone’s ability to manifest change in their lives, whilst also offering advice and guidance regarding the pitfalls and obstacles that students may encounter, and exploring the possible causes and solutions.

With videos, text, meditations and practical exercises – plus the opportunity to engage with the wider Magical community that has grown up around our ‘Private Magician’s Club’ Facebook page – the course blends the paths of Magic, Spirituality and Psychology in a deeply practical and accessible way, without losing any of the child-like wonder that the practice of Magic can bless us with.

Over the years, it has been wonderful to observe students flourishing and gaining confidence in their practice, and heart-warming to witness students connecting to the profound and life-changing potential within them.

If you would like to learn more or to enrol on the course yourself, click the following link: Lessons in Magic | Philip Carr-Gomm – The Art of Living Well (teachable.com)

National Geographic

Here are the links I mention:
https://www.mindmypeelings.com/blog/downward-spiral-depression
https://philipcarr-gomm.com/essay/the-potential-mental-health-benefits-of-druidry/

Canadian philosopher and author Brendan Myers has just released The Circle of Life Is Broken, a new book on the climate crisis, how we got here, and the human capacity for change published by the Moon Books imprint of John Hunt Publishing. Despite the title, Myers finds significant reason for hope and recommends two tangible ways that individuals can start to heal the planet.

The Circle of Life Is Broken stems from Myers’s lifelong love of the natural world and his career-long grappling with big questions. A philosophy professor at CÉGEP Heritage College in Gatineau, Québec, Myers briefly reviews three approaches that haven’t worked, examines three “root questions” at the heart of the climate crisis, and invites readers to fall in love with the Earth again through the practices of Green Sabbatical and Ecological Pilgrimage.

In a recent interview with the online magazine Evoke, Myers explains, “I decided I had to find a better idea [than traditional philosophy]… something with potential for artistic and spiritual inspiration, as well as practical applicability and ethical authority.” He invites readers to immerse themselves in their natural environments just as he draws inspiration from the forests and lakes of his Canadian homeland. In closing, he asks, “Can we heal the Circle of Life? Yes – if enough people come to love the Earth, to hear its call, to grasp what needs to be done, and do it.”

The Circle of Life Is Broken is available now in paperback at independent booksellers; Chapters, Indigo, and Coles; Barnes & Noble; via Amazon; and direct from the publisher. Learn more at https://bit.ly/CircleOfLifeBook.

About the Author

Brendan Myers is the author of twenty books in philosophy, environmental ethics, history of ideas, spirituality, urban fantasy fiction, science fiction, and game design. His ideas have been featured by the Pacific Business and Law Institute, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the BC Civil Liberties Association, and the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. Originally from Elora, Ontario, Brendan completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Guelph and earned a doctorate inphilosophy from the University of Galway. He now serves as professor at CÉGEP Heritage College in Gatineau, Québec.

In this tea I’m joined by Rev Peter Owen Jones and we read from his latest book Conversations with Nature, Clairview Books, 2022.

Here is a workshop I gave with the beautiful singing accompaniment of Caitlin Matthews for The Shamanic Lands Conference in London in 2016. In this workshop I use the idea that within us we each have a ‘Singer’, or Creative Person, a ‘Shaman’ or Healer, and a Sage – our inner Wise Self.

I had a great conversation with Mike Guarneri the other day for his new podcast series. Here’s how Mike describes the series A Skeptic’s Journey: “Former accountant currently on a quest to uncover how ancient Druid, Celtic, and Pagan practices may naturally provide some relief to mental health challenges.  With the recent pandemic and the world in upheaval, the number of people suffering from anxiety and depression has greatly increased.  Suffering from anxiety and depression myself, I understand the debilitating impact they can have.  Using my analytical mind and a healthy dose of skepticism, my primary focus is to find and test old ways and practices to see if they may naturally help those suffering from anxiety and depression.”

‘I’ll tell you how the Sun rose’

I’ll tell you how the Sun rose
A Ribbon at a time,
The Steeples swam in Amethyst,
The news, like Squirrels, ran,
The Hills untied their Bonnets,
The Bobolinks, begun.
Then I said softly to myself –
‘That must have been the Sun!’
~ Emily Dickenson

Happy Solstice everyone! The book I mention is Living Treefully by Pamela Meekings-Stewart, and here is the poem I read in tribute to all those who have had to flee Ukraine (and every other war-torn place). The accompanying photo is by Ukrainian photographer Maria Pankova, who now lives in Edinburgh. William Ayot’s beautiful book is called Re-enchanting the Forest: Meaningful Ritual in a Secular World

Things to Carry with You as You Leave the Ruins

First, bring your careful animal body
To test the ground as it shifts beneath you,
Your six strong senses to get you through the night,
The sinew and muscle you took for granted,
Your red-raw hands, your gut, your heart,
The wrathful snarl, which shocked you once,
That now, like a tyger could save your life.

Next, pack the sweetness of all that is gone
The gallery of smiles, the faded images
From the dog-eared scrapbooks of tribe and kin,
Left in a corner, long forgotten —
The silly songs, the half-remembered melodies,
the tired jokes and indulgent groans,
The lingering imprint of a hand on your cheek,
A tender reminder of your attendant dead,
And the kindness in those who did such harm.

Remember the smell of your own rich soil,
The scent of its trees, their leaves and needles,
The stones you kicked that seemed to have no value
That now you’d give gold to hold in your hand.
And as you hear the rumble of distant collapse,
Far away and fading as you take your leave,
Be mindful too that there was once a joy
In every waking and every morning
That you were witness to, albeit unaware.
That you were at home in your part of the world,
That you were beloved of the spirits of place.

© William Ayot