Why Honour the Beloved Dead? New Email Course Available

I am delighted to announce the release of my new email based course, Honouring the Beloved Dead, that will commence on Wednesday, 24 April 2024, and including the seasonal festival of Samhain, the beginning of winter, here in the Southern Hemisphere.

For eight consecutive days, you will receive daily email prompts, all specifically designed to assist you in the honouring of your "Beloved Dead".

:: Understand the different classifications of "ancestors".

:: Learn how to set up and maintain an ancestor altar, including how to make offerings.

:: Undertake a shamanic inspired meditation to discover the healing gifts from your ancestors.

:: Discover what Gods and Goddesses act as psychopomps, guides between the worlds.

You will also explore ways in which you can heal your relationship with those more troublesome ancestors, the "less than beloved" dead.

If this is something you feel aligned with, then ensure you sign up for the Honouring the Beloved Dead email course prior to it commencing on Wednesday, 24 April 2024.

Sign up to my free newsletter to find out more about Samhain
and the significance of this time of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere.

A subsequent course incorporating Samhain/Halloween in the Northern Hemisphere will be available in October.  More information can be found here.

January Happenings and More

A new year has arrived and as such, I would first like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my various endeavours throughout 2022 - whether it has been by purchasing one of my books, something from my LunaNoire Creations Etsy store, stopping by to say hello at one of the many markets that I was at, participating in an event or workshop that I had presented or hosted, undertaken a healing or had a reading with me at the Isian Centre of Metaphysics, or even subscribing to my YouTube channel.  Even if you have read my blog, a hear felt THANK YOU.

Due to personal commitments, when it comes to offerings, with only the Journey into Freedom with Kali email-based sadhana (spiritual journey) scheduled to be taking place this month (commencing on Sunday, 8 January 2023 so there is still time to register if you are interested - more information about this 21-day journey with this Dark Goddess found within the Hindu pantheon can be found here.  

One thing that I have been setting up is a semi-regular newsletter that will contain information about upcoming events, presentations, appearances, and the like, as well as other insights that I find of interest that relate to magical, mystical and metaphysical matters.  If you read this blog, then you can subscribe to my newsletter here.

I have also been busy making a number of courses available online.  The platform I am using is Udemy which provides students with unlimited access and where they can study at their own pace.  

The courses that I currently have available are:

Exploring the Dark Goddess consists of some three and a half hours of video content

Dancing with the Hindu Goddess Kali Ma consists of five hours of video content

Celtic Goddesses and Warrior Queens consists of some four and a half hours of video content.

Udemy offers an assortment of courses, however as some are better than others, it is recommended that a level of discernment be used when choosing.  

WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

As mentioned earlier, the first event for 2023 will be the 21-day Journey into Freedom with Kali sadhana (spiritual journey) that will commence on Sunday, 8 January 2023.  

Every day for the following 21 days, you will receive emails that will assist you in exploring this rather complex Dark Goddess of the Hindu pantheon.  You are invited to study at your own pace as you will receive devotional practices that will enable you to connect with this powerful goddess on a deep soul level in order to bring about ultimate change.

Further information as to how you can register for Journey into Freedom with Kali can be found here. 

November Happenings

With this year almost done, so too are the number of markets that I will be attending, with only two appearances - the first being the Semaphore Community Market that took part on Sunday, 6 November 2022 in St Bede's Hall, located at 200 Military Road, Semaphore.  This market was the last public opportunity of which I was available for tarot and oracle card readings.  If you are after some guidance, clarity or confirmation, then I have only a few times available at the Isian Centre of Metaphysics (Parafield Gardens).

The last market for 2022 that I will be making an appearance at will be the Queen of Wands Psychic Fair at Blackwood that will be happening on Sunday, 13 November 2022 at the Blackwood Memorial Hall, 21 Coromandel Parade, Blackwood.  I will have an assortment of LunaNoire Creations products available, and if the weather is fine, I am hoping to have a selection of quality Renaissance-inspired clothing also for sale as I attempt to downsize.

WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

The new year will commence with the 21-day Journey into Freedom with Kali sadhana (spiritual journey) on Sunday, 8 January 2023.  Every day for the following 21 days, you will receive emails that will assist you in exploring this rather complex Dark Goddess of the Hindu pantheon.  You are invited to study at your own pace as you will receive devotional practices that will enable you to connect with this powerful goddess on a deep soul level in order to bring about ultimate change.

Further information as to how you can register for Journey into Freedom with Kali can be found here. 

Further event being scheduled for the new year include the Yemaya Blessing of the Waters taking place a month later than normal, in February; the House Cleansing and Protection workshop as well as Journey through the Chakras full day workshop that investigates the body's seven main energy centres as well as a number of lesser energy centres.

EXTENDED CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

The deadline for the proposed anthology about working with the sabbats and seasonal rites here in the Southern Hemisphere has been extended until the end of March 2023. If you are interested in contributing something, then more details can be found here.

Blessings, Frances

October Happenings

October has arrived and so has spring. It has been a long, and somewhat cold and wet winter this year. The upcoming sabbat (seasonal observation) is Bealtaine, one of the four "lesser sabbats" that mark the gateway to the season, and in this case, it is summer here in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it is not uncommon to find some people celebrating Halloween at this time of the year, something that always seems out of place to me. If you would like to know more about Bealtaine, in this video I share some information from my book, Dancing the Sacred Wheel:

This month is shaping up to be a month of markets commencing with Sunday, 2 October 2022 where you will find me back at the Semaphore Community Market.  Here I will be available for tarot and oracle card readings as well as having an assortment of LunaNoire Creations products available.  The Semaphore Community Market will be held in St Bede's Hall, located at 200 Military Road, Semaphore, and will be open from 10am until 3pm. 

The following weekend, Sunday, 9 October 2022 I will be offering readings, as well as having an assortment of LunaNoire Creations products available, at the Adelaide Wellness Fair which is being held at the John McVeity Centre, 182 Peachey Road, Smithfield Plains.  This market will be open from 10am until 4pm.

Freeing Yourself from Restrictive Energetic Cords

As energetic beings, it is natural for us to become connected to people, and in some cases, even circumstances, with "cords" made of energy throughout our lives. Whilst, in a lot of cases, these energetic cords tend do dissolve themselves once the connection has ended, if we have invested (and continue to invest) a lot of personal energy into these connections, then it is not uncommon for such attachments to linger and even remain. This is evident when a relationship has ended, yet one person refuses to accept the ending, or when a person finds that they attract similar people or situations into their lives.

Energetic cord cutting is a powerful healing technique that enables people to reclaim parts of their soul and be able to regain that much needed freedom.

July Events and Other Happenings

It is hard to believe that we are over half way through this current year already.  

At the end of June, I spent a handful of days on the beautiful island of Bali, gaining ideas for a proposed spiritual retreat that I had been planning, but which was placed on hold over the last couple of years due to the pandemic.  While still very much in the planning stage, the proposed Transform the Soul spiritual retreat has been earmarked to take place in May 2023.  More details will be announced when they have been arranged.

Last weekend, the 2 and 3 July, saw the second Moon Con 22 organised by my publisher, Moon Books.  This free event was held online and consisted of various talks and discussions from various Moon Book authors.  My talk took place on the Sunday and was about the Dark Goddess.  While all the presentations were recorded and are now available for viewing on Moon Books' YouTube channel, my talk can be found here:

Upcoming Events and Other Happenings

The recent long weekend saw me head down to the seaside community of Robe (about four hours south of Adelaide) to take part in the annual Health, Harmony & Happiness Winter Fair.  

I had taken down with me a selection of my LunaNoire Creations products and was also available for card readings.  While the weather leading up to the trip wasn't the best, it did not really seem to deter locals, nor visitors to the seaside community, from popping in.

I thoroughly enjoyed being involved with the fair, especially as I am providing a new home to a couple of Life by Crystals crystal towers (no, I don't need any more crystals, I said - haa, haa, silly me), and a gorgeous candle from Coonawarra Candles.  It was wonderful to see the fair being supported by so many people despite the weather.

Having returned home again, I will be heading to Smithfield Plains this coming Sunday (19 June 2022) to take part in the Adelaide Wellbeing Fair that will be held at the John McVeity Centre on Peachey Road.  Once again I will have a selection of my LunaNoire Creations products as well as copies of the books I have written and even some quality second hand books as I attempt to reduce my overflowing book collection.  I will also be available for readings if you are seeking some confirmation, guidance or clarity with respect to things happening in your life.

On Sunday, 3 July 2022, I will be back at available for readings at the Semaphore Community Market (200 Military Road) which is held regularly on the first Sunday of each month.  

Later Sunday evening, I will be taking part in MoonCon 2022, a free online event consisting of talks and discussions from various authors from my publisher, Moon Books.

As this two day event will be is hosted from England, and therefore the times are British Summer Time, the time difference means that I have plenty of time to participant in the Semaphore Community Market before getting ready for this conference.  As all the presentations will be recorded, they will later be uploaded onto Moon Books' YouTube channel.

Queries Answered about the Online Course

In the following video I have attempted to answer some queries that I have received about the upcoming Gifts from the Dark Goddess online course that will be commencing on Thursday, 28 April 2022 with a zoom call that will be recorded for those who are not able to attend.

Over the month we will journey into the Underworld, a metaphor for the subconscious mind, utilising the concept of the Dark Goddess as a psychopomp, a "spiritual guide".  During this time, we will be tapping into the cosmic energies of both the partial solar eclipse on 30 April or 1 May (depending where you live) as well as the total lunar eclipse on 15 or 16 May 2022.

It is also interesting to note that just after our descension is the timing of two opposing Celtic festivals that mark the "gateways" to special turning points throughout the year - Samhain (for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere) or Bealtaine (for those in the Northern Hemisphere).  These festival occur on 30 April and according to their associated lore, are times when the veil between the land of the living and the realm of the dead is at its thinnest. 

Registrations for Gifts from the Dark Goddess are open until Wednesday, 27 April 2022.  After that time, the accompanying Facebook group will be changed to "secret" and we will commence our descent.

More information about Gifts from the Dark Goddess can be found here.

Gifts from the Dark Goddess

Gifts from the Dark Goddess is an exploration into your deep shadow self through the connection with various “darker” aspects of the divine feminine in order to commence positive change at the deepest level.

This workshop presents you with the unique opportunity to step through the veil and into the realm of the Inner Self, to meet and embrace your Shadow Self, to remove the unwanted and to reclaim what has been missing.

From the moment that you enter through the veil, you will be accompanied by various aspects of the divine feminine, those Goddess who prefer to reside in the shadowy realms, who move through the dreamscape, where linear concepts such as time have no meaning.

By awakening the “darkness” within your own soul, you can cast aside those rose-tinted glasses and see things for what they truly are.  Through her guidance and drawing upon her strength and power (that is often feared), you will find the courage to stand up and voice your own “truth” – to stand in your own “power”.

Deep soul work such as this requires 100% commitment.  If you are serious about wanting to make change in your life, to break free of cyclic patterns, to gain true closure, you need to step into the shadows and journey deep within yourself in order to face what resides there.

A month long on-line sadhana (spiritual journey) will be commencing Thursday, 28 April 2022 and will continue until Wednesday, 25 May 2022.

This journey is a spiritual exploration, into your deep shadow self through the connection with various “darker” aspects of the divine feminine in order to commence positive change at the deepest level.

During the month online journey you will receive:

:: Detailed information about the Dark Goddesses we will be exploring and working with over the month,

:: Instructions regarding how to set up altars and undertake daily devotional work,

:: Prayers, mantras, and offerings that relate to specific goddesses,

:: Weekly emails consisting on appropriate metaphysical and psychoanalytic concepts regarding working with the Dark Goddess and the “Shadow Self”,

:: Meditations,

:: A private Facebook group to connect with others who are undertaking this journey,

:: Group full moon lunar eclipse ritual,

and much more.

Investment: AUD $199 - (less than the cost of a daily cup of takeaway coffee)

Register online through Eventbrite or Paypal before 27 April 2022.  

Once registered, please email Frances with your preferred email address and Facebook profile so you can be invite to the secret Facebook group.

Dancing with Kali Ma

I am delighted to be taking part in what is my second USA festival for the year. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology I will be taking part in WITCHFEST USA - A PAGAN FAIRE that will be running from 9 July to 11 July 2021 both in the physical sense in New York city as well as online.

My second workshop will be taking place on the Sunday at 10am (New York time - or 11.30pm ACST) and is entitled Dancing with Kali.

Kali is one of the more mysterious and enigmatic goddesses found within the Hindu pantheon. Her dark and wild appearance conjures up feelings of awesomeness in anyone brave enough to gaze upon her face. Kali symbolizes death and her dancing can cause ultimate destruction; however she also brings about renewal of life. 

As this will be more of a practical workshop, grab yourself a set of mala beads as we will be surrendering our egos to the "Terrible Mother".

You can register to attend the weekend where there will be only 90 events, occult workshops, online performances, presentations, as well as online shopping. Tickets cost $95 (US) however your online tickets enable you to watch all presentations.

Details about how to obtain your ticket can be found here.

If you are not able to get to Witchfest USA this year, then you might like to get yourself a signed copy of Encountering the Dark Goddess: A  Journey into the Shadow Realms from LunaNoire Creations, my online etsy store.

Turning of the Sacred Wheel

Within modern Paganism, Samhain (a Gaelic word that is pronounced "SAH-win") is a time when the veils between the land of the living and the realm of the dead are at its thinnest. As such, it is a time for remembering our ancestors and our departed loved ones.  It is often considered to be a rather solemn time that is set side for contemplating the mysteries of birth, life, death and even rebirth as is found within the sacred teachings of many spiritual and religious practices.  This cycle is also seen all around us in nature. 

Within the seasonal mythos contained within contemporary witchcraft, the God (the divine masculine) transforms from the Lord of the Wine to the Dreaded Lord of the Shadows, represented in the third and final harvest (that of blood and animals) encouraging us to make final preparations for the coming colder months.

Samhain is a time of introspection, of emptying the false from the mind, heart and soul.  It is a time to heal the source of our deepest wounds, and those we have inflicted upon other people around us, before time fails us.  This inward reflection and contemplation teaches us how to see things more clearly.

Within my tradition of contemporary witchcraft Samhain is supposed to mark the gateway to the colder, winter months.  Last weekend, however, as I hosted an observance on this sabbat, it was a rather summery 26C.  This did not deter us as we honoured those who have passed through the veil in the hope that they will continue to guide us in this life.

Are You Ready For Magick?

Already the first month of 2021 is drawing to a close, however the constant changing environment that we have found ourselves in during the last 12 months hasn’t really let up. Maybe this is the new “normal” and we need to get used to the ebbing and flowing chaotic nature around us which, when you think about it, is what our natural world actually is. What has happened is that we humans, who love order and structure, have forgotten how to move with the changing tides.

Some things do need a bit of structure however which is the call for expression of interest in going out for those wishing to gather again with like minded people.

Journey Into Freedom with Kali

Kali, the Hindu Dark Mother, is the fierce face of the divine feminine.  Her unbound wildness taunts us, filling us with wonder as well as with dread.

She promises ultimate freedom from our earthly constraints, yet we fear to relinquish our grip on the familiar, all the while knowing that the longer we hang on to that which no longer serves us, the harder it will be for us to let go.

 “The earth quakes under Your leaps and bounds.
You are frightful with that sword in Your hand .”
(Kamalakanta)

If you are seeking a new start, then the Journey into Freedom with Kali may be what you are looking for. This 21 day sadhana (spiritual practice) invites you to enter into the sacred temple of the Hindu Dark Mother. Here you will explore the sacred myths and practices to aid your on your exploration with the goddess. The sacred devotional practices that will be offered will enable you to connect with this powerful goddess on a deep soul level in order to bring about ultimate change.

Are you ready to finally let go of what has been holding you back and limiting your spiritual growth? To throw these outdated patterns into the pyre once and for all?

Are you willing to offer your head (ego) to the Terrible Mother?

A New Year, A New Start

Finally, 2020 has been put to rest and what a year it has been - filled with challenges and moments of release as well as inward explorations into a whole new potential. As the new Gregorian year dawns, many of us are approaching it with a degree of hesitancy as the chaos that we became so intimately aware of during this last year, seems to be with us for a while yet.

However, there is much hope on the horizon - after 2021 equates to the number 5 which represents personal freedom (and the responsibility that comes with freedom) as well as change. Unexpected things may tend happen where the change is more acceptable and tolerated (especially compared to what we have more recently experienced). These changes will open up a greater sense of freedom that could be brought about through trying, learning about or adopting different approaches, new ways of doing things, as well as adopting new interests and learnings. We have already seen some of these things happen during 2020 with more people working from home, more on-line video conferencing platforms were established to continue teachings, which in itself enable more people to gain access to this information.

Winter Solstice: The Return of the Light

The timing of the winter solstice is marked when the sun reaches its furthest north position in the sky and starts to move back towards the south.  As it does, it marks one of the main turning points in the year, the others being the equinoxes as well as the summer solstice (that occurs in December).  

The timing for the winter solstice here in Adelaide this year was this morning, Sunday, 21 June at 7:13 am (ACST time).  From this moment onwards, days start becoming longer and night times shorter.  However with the worse of the winter weather yet to arrive, this thought is not often the first that comes to mind.

With the increase of light it was hoped that social distancing in relation to the COVID-19 may have been relaxed.  However, as new cases are still be detected, and despite South Australia still being remarkably lower than other States, it has been decided to continue hosting events via Zoom conference calls at least for the time being.

This means that the July Gathering Around the Cauldron event which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 2 July 2020, at 7pm (ACST) will be in the format of a Zoom conference.  The theme for July's Gathering Around the Cauldron is The Witch's Familiar.

In European folklore and folk-belief from the Medieval and early modern periods, witches and cunning folk were believed to assisted by certain supernatural entities that were known as “familiars”. These spirits would appear in numerous guises, including as in a humanoid figure, but more commonly as an animal. When they served cunning folk, familiars were often thought to be somewhat benevolent, however when they were in the service of witches, familiars were considered to be rather malevolent.  On 2 July 2020 we will be exploring the historical sources as well as the modern perception of familiars.  More information as to how you can register for this discussion can be found here.

At this stage other events being hosted at Riverdell Spiritual Centre are still going ahead.  These include Imbolc celebration on Saturday, 1 August 2020 and A Day with Hekate on Saturday 15 August 2020.

Offerings for the New Year

Already a number of events are being organised for 2017.

YEMAYA BLESSING OF THE WATERS
(12 January 2017 – 8.00pm)
This annual beach side rite is held in honour of Yemaya around the first full moon of each new calendar year.
We meet on the grassed area outside the Grange Hotel at Grange Beach around 8.00pm (look for the purple banner) to head down to the shore in honour of Yemaya, the Queen of the Rivers and Oceans. Rite to commence around 8:30pm.

In this informal rite, we ask for Yemaya’s blessings of all the world’s waterways, sea creatures, and all other beings that fall under Her protection.

Please bring an offering to Yemaya (flower, crystal, stone etc) that will be thrown into the ocean. Participants will also be invited to share in a libation of watermelon (Yemaya’s favourite food).

Psychic Development Course starting soon

Starting Wednesday, 7th September for initially four weeks until 28th September with the possibility of evolving into a regular group, "Sacred Journeying", a course in exploring the psychic centres, will be taking place.

Psychic (sometimes also referred to as "intuitive") development is learning to open yourself up to your guides, the higher Universal energy or even listening to your higher self (or subconscious) and listening to these often subtle messages that come through. In essence we are ALL psychic or at least have the ability - it is just that we have closed off this ability for various reasons.

Registrations are open for the 2016 "The Wytch's Circle"

The Wytch's Circle is a six part intensive course on ritual, magick and the Craft that will commence around the new moon in April 2016 (Thursday, 7 April 2016) at the Temple of the Dark Moon's covenstead in Parafield Gardens (Adelaide).

Specifically designed for those who have some knowledge of the magickal arts and who would like to put this knowledge into practice, as well as those who are seeking to gain a more solid foundation upon which to base their own magickal practice.

 

Beginners to ritual magick are welcome to attend however the design of this course is that it is not only a 101 course.