Witch Camp Retreats

Share · Experience · Develop — Educational and community based retreats

• A themed weekend workshop
• Duration: 2–3 days
• Theory, workshop and ritual(s)
• Inner work explored
• Beginner to Advanced

 

SUMMARY

The Witch Camp project stems from a desire to see the Australian Pagan Community develop through active involvement in ritual events such as retreats and workshops. These are principally based in the Sydney region because our key members are located there, but we are open to lending support to others interested in developing the skills necessary to host Witch Camp projects throughout Australia.

NB. The term 'Witch Camp' describes exactly what our events are: camps for witches. There is the American based Reclaiming Tradition who use this term as well a UK group, but our events are not modelled on either of these.

 

At the time the project was initiated we had many different interpretations of what a “Witch Camp” could be. Tim 'Ozpagan' got the initial events rolling and continues to play a major part. Tim's vision was a simple one—“Hosting retreats and camps that provide an educational or workshop basis for Witches.”

 

I think it [witchcraft] speaks of an appreciation of the environment which we don't have anymore.
Rev. Peter Owen-Jones speaking after attending our Coven's Esbat in "Around the World in 80 Faiths: Urban Witchcraft" Episode One, BBC 2009

 

From October 2007 a series of planning meetings were held to discuss what a Witch Camp could be. Tim ‘Ozpagan’ Hartridge and Tori Collins announced these meetings through the WitchesWorkshop eGroup and its sister group on Facebook, inviting anyone interested to come and contribute. Over the months we worked through numerous ideas, attended many planning meetings and held our first “Rehearse a Witch Camp” event over the Australia Day Long Weekend, 26 January 2008—see our discussion board on WitchesWorkshop on Facebook for feedback, minutes and photos. Following this retreat, Witch Camp Australia emerged.

 

The weekend for me held lot of unexpected surprises. We had a truly beautiful group of witches present and the energies were certainly a good mix (...judging by the 'serpent' in the cauldron on the night of the full moon). Tori

 

Witch Camp Australia is dedicated to hosting educational community-based events anchored around contributing teachers. Our organising members draw on many years experience in the Australian Pagan community hosting a variety of projects. These include: WitchesWorkshop.com, the annual Eostre Gathering, Nuit's Veil and Dark Circle Covens, Pagans in the Pub, Witches' Meet-ups, L'Esbat, public Full Moon rituals and the BBC ritual event for the 2009 TV documentary “Around the World in 80 Faiths”.

Collaborators include: Tori Collins, Lisa Mason, Simon Goodey, William Smith, Pip Moore, Hawthorn, Shelia Renolds, Rachel Gleeson, Rebecca Sonnikkila and Tim 'ozpagan' Hartridge.

 

This weekend has been a mind-blowing, life-changing event. The energy in the rituals was beyond the scale of anything else I have experienced before; the loving, caring community environment made me feel at home. Rebecca

 

FUTURE WITCH CAMPS

HIDDEN CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT WITCH CAMP — Friday 28 September–Monday 1 October 2012

The "Hidden Children of the Night" Witch Camp will introduce two important rituals—the NOX rite, and the Luna Child esbat—these two rituals are designed to provide you with a valuable starting point. The NOX ritual is a night soul-journey in descend to reclaim the forgotten parts of the psyche. While the Luna Child Esbat is an alchemical ritual tantra of manifestation..

Mark these dates in your diary—Friday 28 Sep–Monday 1 Oct 2012

See details here.

Use this link to the for registration details*.

 

 

DARK MOON WITCH CAMP — new date to be announced

We will hold vigil to Hekaté upon the crossroads at this short Witch Camp retreat. We'll celebrate her brews, and open the widdershins Circle to call familiar spirits in and ask Hekaté's boon.

As a rule our rituals are long to allow time for us to respond to the psychic nuances of the night. They are never rushed, can hold high energy, are often ecstatic, sensual and invoke psychic intoxication in the Circle. The energy may rise and fall several times during the night. The more relaxed you are at letting go, to fall under the spell of the rites, the easier it is to experience their magick and power. Allow yourself to enter the occult darshan—a direct and personal experience of mystical states. The Dark Moon ritual is an invitation to encounter the night-side of the Self and join in the participation mystique of the Nightshade Goddess.

Mark these dates in your diary—more details to come. Use this link to the for registration details*.

 

Witches Workshop uses a variety of social media tools to provide information and news about workshops, witch camps and other general events happening in the Australian Pagan community. By joining any or all these networks you can keep in touch and say informed.

Subscribe to our personal html email newletter for detailed event updates.

Our Facebook Page provides an RSS news feed reaching more than 900 members.

This is our social networking Facebook Group, a community of 1200+ members.

Join the "Who's Who" of the Australian Pagan Community social and news media group. Running for more than a decade it reaches to over 2000 members.

---

NEXT WITCH CAMP: “HIDDEN CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT WITCH CAMP”

You are invited to join with us in taking the next step in your development as a Witch. The "Hidden Children of the Night" Witch Camp has been designed to create a hands-on experience for you. We promise this retreat will change the way you experience the Craft and provide you with many valuable skills, ritual practices and shared experiences.

If you are just starting out in coven or group ritual work then this Witch Camp offers you many core practices essential to practicing the Witch's craft. Our Witch Camps are designed to give everyone attending the opportunity to fully participate in acquiring the skills needed to continue their own successful and powerful ritual experiences beyond the retreat. We teach ritual techniques that are easy to learn and can be used in exploration of your psychic development.

Also coming in 2012: “SECRET RITES WITCH CAMP”

We could tell you more, but we're sworn to secrecy.

Spirits we conjure from ashes,
from tree and holy stone,
fire, flame and flashes,
and tap ancestral bones.
To mark this holy place,
on the Sabbat nights,
receiving the kiss and embrace
of Witches' secret rites.
—exerpt from the Secret Rites Witch Camp

 

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
The Witch Camp Australia project has successfully run a number of events since 2008 which have become the models on which we plan our retreats. Anyone interested in participating is very welcome and you are also encouraged to join our mail list to receive occasional newsletters as well as joining our social networks on Yahoo and Facebook. There you can read about upcoming projects, past feedback and ask questions.

 

...After...the ceiling had become the night sky.
I saw so sharply a full moon and stars, I knew then that I had become part of the NOX whether I like it or not! I was judging and analysing my thoughts much too harshly and was wondering what i was 'supposed to be feeling'. I was then consumed by a very deep seated and very old sorrow and began to cry. Ruth

 

COSTS & WHO CAN ATTEND?
Cost to attend is expected to be kept at a reasonable price, but must cover accommodation, food and catering, facility hire and teaching fees. Each Camp is likely to be different because we use a variety of locations and different facilitators. The fees have so far ranged from $300 for weekend retreats including accommodation and catering, to only $80 for some ‘short’ Witch Camps where there's no accommodation or catering is required. Generally the Camps are designed to be inclusive and are for people who have a sincere desire to learn and deepen their experience in pagan and magickal practices.

 

TEACHERS TEACHING TEACHERS
The Witch Camp project provides the opportunity through our events for people to become Student Teachers and Teacher/Facilitators of workshops. The Witch Camp group holds the expectation that a standard of practice be established for anyone wanting to teach at the Camps. This is both a competency standard and an ethical standard. It will be the business of the Witch Camps to present teachers properly accredited by the organising group.

 

Had a brilliant time. Actually astral traveled into the cauldron, met amazing people and tried amazing liquids. Danced around spiralling flames and read an intriguing prophesy in an amazing tarot deck. The owner claimed they didn't really do much for her. Oh yes had an encounter with one of my deitiesand fell in love with absinthe... it was fantastic. Steve

 

PAST EVENTS:
REHEARSE A WITCH CAMP, Australia Day long weekend 25–27 January 2008
Our first 'rehearsal' camp—how things have changed! You can see the pictures and feedback from the Witch Camps—see pics. We experimented with consensus decision making for group work and discovered that if you want to get something done, don't use that model! Consensus works very well in developing general principles for groups, but to run an event you need a more autonomous authority.

 

WITCH MOON WITCH CAMP, 9–11 May 2008
The Witch Moon Witch Camp was designed to teach the techniques of shape-shifting, ecstatic trance-dance and the circle work used in our coven rituals. Wearing catskins, fox pelts, horned antlers and totemic masks, the witches of old have long employed the outer symbols of the inner ways of knowing—the animal powers known as “Familiar Spirits”. We used tradition rites of shape-shifting and initiated rituals in a participation mystique of the forgotten powers.

 

VINUM SABBATI WITCH CAMP, Easter long weekend 9–13 April 2009
This was a very different witch camp from the two previous retreats. We undertook a ritual séancé the first night to make contact with our 'witch ancestors' and spirit guides, gods and goddesses. The next night we celebrated a traditional Witches' Esbat (Full Moon rite). We prepared Soul-pots (Canari jars) and introduced drumming-trancing and ritual initiation into the 'hidden-chamber' and the Vinum Sabbati upon the cross-roads.

 

SHORT WITCH CAMPS
We have run several "NOX: a Night Soul-Journey" workshops as 'short' Witch Camps in Sydney and Melbourne where the event is held across two days, but does not include an overnight stay; and we have plans for more. We also run an overnight stay in Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, which is a couple of hours west of Sydney, where we have an inexpensive overnight stay at a local backpackers.

 

Collaborative Events

WINTER SOLSTICE–YULE Fri–Sat–Sun, 18–20 June 2010
Turn the Wheel of Change—experience rites of an old Craft, hold the sacred rites, enjoy the sumptuous feasts and dance to the sound of live mediaeval minstrels. This retreat was held in collaboration with Suzanne Naseby of "Wytchy Ways" at the wonderful "Forgotten Forgotten Valley Country Retreat".

 

 

See registration link at top of page