"The Green Prince's Father" is
available on Amazon.com!
The book is written primarily for children, and it follows the Green
Man/Cernunnos/ Horned God through the cycle of the year, from awakening
at Imbolc to marrying the Queen at Litha to sacrifice at Samhain, to
rebirth at Yule.
Here's a couple of brief excerpts:
The Forest was alive with celebration as preparations were made. A
clearing near a stream was chosen as the perfect place, flower
garlands were carefully strung, and the ground picked clean of sharp
rocks or twigs. The Green Prince was given a special cloak of oak
leaves and ivy, flowers were hung in his antlers, and people's fur and
feathers were washed extra carefully. The birds made sure that the
clouds were especially friendly today, and the sun was invited.
People came from all over the Forest – foxes and bears and owls
and chipmunks and robins and squirrels and wolves and skunks and
snakes and crows and deer and magpies and rabbits and bobcats and
spiders and many more, all gathered in the clearing to watch the wedding.
Corvus the raven sat at one edge of a tall rock that the bears had
rolled in just for today to use as an altar. Upon the altar were a
sword, a chalice, and two rings. He faced the assembly, and spread
his wings to get their attention. When that didn't work, he tapped his
beak on the stone. When they still failed to hush, he squawked his
loudest squawk, making the smallest animals hide behind larger ones,
who politely stepped aside.
"My friends, creatures, people of the Forest, we have gathered to
witness a day we've waited for all year – the marriage of the Lord and
Lady, the Green Prince and the Queen!"
"There's four people getting married?" squeaked a mouse, and a
bird swatted him.
............ ...
"I don't get it, Rhiannon," Peter said, "why do we call Samhain
the start of the year, if Yule is the Solstice? It's Yule when days
start getting longer again."
"Good question, Peter," Rhiannon said. "Tell me, when do you get up
to start the day?"
"In the morning – at first light, if Papa needs help with the animals."
"And when do you go to bed?"
"Well at night-time, of course, when it gets dark."
"Okay, and when do we say that the day changes over?"
"Midnight," Peter said easily.
"Okay, so we recognize the turning of the days when it gets dark, but
we stay asleep until first light. The Sabbats do the same thing – the
year turns at Samhain, when the world goes to sleep, and it starts to
wake up again at Yule. That's when the young Lord, the new spirit of
the green, is born to the Lady. Of course, it's not until Imbolc that
things really get hopping."
"Oh, so Samhain is going-to-bed time, and Yule is waking-up time?"
"Yes, that's a good way of putting it," the Priestess smiled. "Run
along home now, it's already late."
............ ........
The cover art for the book is by Italian artist Romina Moranelli, and
the interior art is by our friend Hamilton Chesson, a North Carolina
native.
I included the lyrics of the song that inspired this retelling of the
story, "Once More" by KIVA.
The book is very short, only 88 pages. I asked them to price it as low
as they could, and the lowest price the publishers could authorize
(excluding trade paperbacks) is $9.99.
Available Now!
Teaching WitchCraft: A Guide for Teachers and Students of the Old Religion
by Miles Batty
Every so often, a Coven decides it's time to open its' doors to prospective new students, to teach them about WitchCraft. The Priest and Priestess assemble a fairly coherent group of students, and search through their books for relevant and important subject matter. Many would-be teachers freeze up at this point: "What should I cover first? What do I put emphasis on?!"
Teaching WitchCraft offers a comprehensive, lesson-by-lesson study guide for teaching a "Wicca 101" class. The two-part course syllabus leads both teacher and student through a year-long program of study that covers a wide spectrum of topics.
Part One studies the history, philosophy, and ethics of the Craft, the significance of the Wiccan calendar and more. Topics in Part One include "The History of the Craft", "Facets of Spirituality", and "Understanding Sacred Sexuality".
Part Two examines the inner workings of a coven, the meaning and practice of a Wiccan ritual, the philosophy and structure of magick, elements of spellcrafting and more. Topics covered include "Reality and Magickal Perception", "Ritual Principles and Etiquette", and "Magick and Responsibility".
Lessons include study questions, interactive classroom modules and suggested additional reading along with the lesson text, and a Final Exam closes out each semester. Every lesson in the 450-page book can be used for individual study.
Buy your copy today! Contact Booksurge at 1-866-308-6235, or go to www.booksurge.com
Teaching WitchCraft is now avaliable via Amazon.com
If you would like a personally autographed copy of the book, send me a MySpace message and I'll tell you how. :)!!
Interview with the author
I was recently interviewed by fantasy/romance author Sabrina Luna, about my background and the creation of my book "Teaching WitchCraft: A Guide for Teachers and Students of the Old Religion".
Here's the text of our discussion. Enjoy!
Sabrina: Would you please tell us a little bit about your background in Witchcraft?
Miles: I've always been interested in nature-oriented spirituality, even before I knew what that meant. As a child raised in a nominally Christian household, I was fascinated with trees spirits, fairies, things like that, and thought that going to Church on Sundays was not the right place for me.
My first exposure to WitchCraft was in 1974, when I was 12. My older brother had gotten a job at a metaphysical store in Montreal, which was run by a Gardnerian Coven. He was invited to Sabbats and such, and started bringing home books on the Craft, pentagrams, athames and such, and when I saw these things, something very big went *PING* in my head. **this means something** it said, **pay attention to this!** So I did.
My brother lost interest in the Craft shortly afterwards, and gave me all his regalia. I devoured everything I could find, but as a young
teenager in the '70's my resources were limited. It wasn't until 1985 that I met "real" Witches, and was introduced to the world of rituals, candles and pagan festivals.
My first "official" teacher was Ariana Lightningstorm, one of the people to whom the book is dedicated. From 1985 to today, I've been active in the Pagan community, whether in Maryland, Colorado or North Carolina. My library has grown (laughs), and I read and absorbed as much as I could - a good part of it by osmosis. As my experience in the Craft grew, so did my expertise, and I served as a Coven High Priest from 2000 to 2005. I have written and performed rituals and initiations, offered advice, counsel and mentoring, and officiated as clergy for several Sabbats. And, of course, taught lessons in WitchCraft.
Sabrina: Why did you want to write a study book for students & teachers?
Miles: Easy - because there wasn't one before! (laughs) I've attended several "Wicca 101" courses over the years, and a lot of them went like this: A Priestess decided to teach a bunch of newbies about the Craft, so she digs around in her books and notes, and comes up with a list of topics to teach. Great so far! Then as the classes progress, a dynamic shift occurs - either people lose interest and quit showing up, or the syllabus is incomplete and the class loses focus, or the teacher gets an inflated ego and promotes herself more than the Craft. I've seen these happen time and time again.
So what was needed, instead of a bunch of good information in a dozen books, was a single reference book that offered a comprehensive course syllabus with study questions and exams. This way the class stays focused, they have a set lesson outline, and the teacher can say exactly what the lesson will be about eight months from now! And since I hadn't seen such a book before, I decided to write one.
Sabrina: What makes your book different from other books on the subject?
Miles: My book is different because it allows teachers to present a solid, full class syllabus, with study questions and such, allowing students pretty much everything they need to know to be able to call themselves competent Witches.
I try to distinguish fact from fiction, explain how society's perception of Witches altered the practice itself, and distinguish between "Old WitchCraft" and "Wicca". And more importantly, I hope, I get the young Witch to explore her own thoughts and feelings about it, and what it means to BE a Witch, not just to learn about it.
Two inspirations for the book were the "Wicca 101" course list suggested in Amber K's "CovenCraft", and Buckland's "Complete Book of Witchcraft". But unlike those, mine offers a fleshed-out, easy to read text that breaks the subject matter down section by section, with study questions that encourage the student to examine her own feelings about what she is learning.
Besides being a group-oriented classroom textbook, I wrote the book so that a solitary student can sit down with a copy and learn the basics of the Craft. Of course, I heartily recommend the classroom setting! As I mention in the book's introduction, a teacher using the book as a syllabus should NOT just recite the words on the page. I'd like to see the classroom get involved in the lesson, offering different perspectives of the subject matter as the class progresses.
Sabrina: Where can interested readers purchase a copy of TEACHING WITCHCRAFT?
Miles: Ah, my favorite question! (laughs) There are two ways to get one - either go to Amazon.com and order it .., or go to your favorite bookstore or metaphysical store and have the merchant order you a copy from Booksurge.com.
Thank you, Miles, and best of luck with your book!
The Yahoo Group "Carolina Grove" presents
Sunday at the Grove
Carolina Grove is an informal meeting place for local friendly Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, Heathens, Druids, Shamans, New Agers, Mystics, Tree-Huggers, and others of like mind.
We're based in North Carolina, but of course the Grove is open to anyone who'd like to participate! You may join the Grove to chat, participate in our classes, discuss whatever's on your mind, promote yourself, your work or your skills, or simply put your feet up and sit a spell.
Starting in 2007, Carolina Grove will be hosting the eight seasonal Sabbats, for public participation, in open parks in the Charlotte, NC area. If you'd like to learn more, click on the Carolina Grove link.
Carolina Grove presents "Sunday at the Grove", a monthly series of lectures and study groups in and around the Charlotte, NC area. These informal classes cover a wide range of pagan-related subjects, from Working with Animal Totems to Roots of Heathen Magick to Comparative Studies of the Tarot, with many more to come. Instructors may choose where and when to hold their classes (always on a Sunday), and anyone with a will to learn is invited to attend. Check the group calendar to see what's coming up.
Come on in to learn more!
Stuff that interests me.... WitchCraft, Wicca, renaissance festivals, nature-oriented spirituality, reading, writing, fantasy, science fiction, role-playing games, geeking .., eco-conscious living, animal welfare, archaeology, swimming, hiking, camping, naturism, collecting dragons, bats, mermaids, McFarlane figs; anime, British TV shows, cooking, vegetarian cuisine, Chinese or Indian food
The
Surrealist Compliment
Generator
Your dashingly colored toupee twists my right boot into a state of ennui with the speed and dexterity of many lemon meringue-coated conquistadors.
Visit www.madsci.org for more Surreal Compliments!
Music
Neo-medeival (The Soil Bleeds Black, Corvus Corax, Subway to Sally, etc) Renaissance-inspired (Blackmore's Night, Steeleye Span) Industrial/ Techno (Gary Numan, Anders Manga, The Cruxshadows) Classic rock (you know who they are!) New Age (David Arkenstone, Yanni) and of course Alice Cooper and Ozzy!
Movies
Favorite Movies:
Monty Python and the Holy Grail;
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,
Buckaroo Banzai,
Lord of the Rings Trilogy,
Big Trouble in Little China,
Shaolin Soccer,
Labyrinth,
Dark Crystal,
RHPS,
Altered States,
Star Wars
Television
I realy don't watch much TV at all, but I do look out for reruns of any of the, Star Trek, shows, Boston Legal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and, Discovery Channel stuff. Oh, and I LOVE the new Battlestar Galactica!!
Books
Shakespeare's Plays and Sonnets
Anything by JRR Tolkien The Callahan's Series by Spider Robinson The DragonRiders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey Anything by Mary Gentle The HitchHiker series by Douglas Adams and most any book on WitchCraft I can get my hands on. :)
Heroes
My heroes........... My father, Charles David Batty, is my biggest hero and mentor. I am very proud to be my father's son. Close behind him is my brother Philip, a man I have always looked up to. Then there's all the rest of the people I admire... Firemen and Police Officers will always have my utmost respect. I like people who are not afraid to speak their mind, despite the odds.
The Shakespearean Insult Generator
Thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch!
Taken from: Henry IV, part I
Visit www.pangloss.com for more Shakespearean Insults!
Miles aka Satyr MoonDancer I do not do Apps, "I bought you a present/drink/etc", or games like Vampires or Mobsters. If you want to send me a comment, please do, but actually tell me some view more
45 years old, as of this writing (September 4, 2006); I was born in Walmley, a little town just north of Birmingham, England. I lived in Eglwysfach (a tiny village in Wales); Montreal (a not-so-tiny village in Canada); various places in Maryland and Colorado, and I currently live in Mooresville, North Carolina.
I was baptised Church of England, but I think that it didn't "take" - I've always been drawn to ancient sites, nature, pre-Chrisitan imagery and such.
I am a Witch; I practice the religion of Wicca, which is an offshoot of traditional WitchCraft. I am ordained clergy in the Craft, and have served as a Coven High Priest. I recently published a book on how to teach a "Wicca 101" class - see info at left.
I call myself "bi-sensual", that is, not Bisexual in the common sense. I can feel emotional love for both genders, but I am not physically or romantically attracted to men.
I live with my girlfriend, a beautiful, intelligent, funny, sexy woman named Snoozepossum (no, not her real name). We share a small house in Mooresville with 3 dogs, 6 cats. 7 frogs, a South American possum, and my ball-python familiar named Persephone.
Congratulations! You Are A Traditional Witch! Very "Old School", and most likely a leader in your local Craft Community! You follow The Ancient Ways with a deep devotion and love that shines forth from you in all you do, and have committed yourself to studying Wytchcraft! May The Gods Bless Thee! Take this quiz!
Orange Barrels
By Todd Yohn
This is an incomplete version of Todd's instant classic, as performed on The Bob And Tom Show (www.bobandtom.com). The YouTube listing incorrectly attributes the song to Heywood Banks; it's Todd, trust me.
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Miles aka Satyr MoonDancer's Friend Space (Randomized)
