The Way of the Weaver
We are the Flow, We are the Ebb
We are the Weavers, We are the Web
~Chant by Shekinah Mountainwater
We are the Weavers, We are the Web
~Chant by Shekinah Mountainwater
Welcome
The Way of the Weaver is a unique, nine-month journey of magical study and community building. Our circle embraces adults of all backgrounds and genders who are ready to learn a powerful skill set for spiritual transformation and growth. This training is rooted in the values of service, inclusive community, critical analysis of the oppressions that bewitch our society (capitalism, colonialism, racism, etc.), and deep respect for ancestral spiritual traditions from around the world.
We believe that you are your own spiritual authority, and that by learning ritual skills and sacred technologies together in a space with clear boundaries and ethics, we can tap into our collective power for change. The Way of the Weaver dismisses secrecy, exclusion, and hierarchy. This is not a distinct magical tradition, but rather an open-source skill set with which to develop and/or deepen your own practice based on your background, callings, and ancestry.
What is a Weaver?
Depending on tradition, those who walk the path of the Weaver are sometimes called priestess, priest, priestx, or perhaps witch, wiseone, or shaper: the Weaver is one who is wise in the ways of mending that which is torn, calling forth that which feeds our growth, and creating and holding space for transformation.
To walk as a Weaver is to put yourself in service of balance and growth in the midst of our ever-changing world:
The Way of the Weaver is a unique, nine-month journey of magical study and community building. Our circle embraces adults of all backgrounds and genders who are ready to learn a powerful skill set for spiritual transformation and growth. This training is rooted in the values of service, inclusive community, critical analysis of the oppressions that bewitch our society (capitalism, colonialism, racism, etc.), and deep respect for ancestral spiritual traditions from around the world.
We believe that you are your own spiritual authority, and that by learning ritual skills and sacred technologies together in a space with clear boundaries and ethics, we can tap into our collective power for change. The Way of the Weaver dismisses secrecy, exclusion, and hierarchy. This is not a distinct magical tradition, but rather an open-source skill set with which to develop and/or deepen your own practice based on your background, callings, and ancestry.
What is a Weaver?
Depending on tradition, those who walk the path of the Weaver are sometimes called priestess, priest, priestx, or perhaps witch, wiseone, or shaper: the Weaver is one who is wise in the ways of mending that which is torn, calling forth that which feeds our growth, and creating and holding space for transformation.
To walk as a Weaver is to put yourself in service of balance and growth in the midst of our ever-changing world:
- First, you will be in service to yourself: exploring that which is sovereign within you, tending your powers of resilience, learning to understand your shadow, and deepening your own well of joy & connection.
- Second, you will be in service to your community: those near and dear to your heart, your communities, the places where you live, and the wider world.
- Third, you will be in service to that which is greater: the Gods, the Spirits, the Unseen Ones or Forces that speak to your spirit.
The Way of the Weaver training is for you if:
- You want the inspiration, companionship, accountability, and fun of a group learning experience to develop daily spiritual practices and group ritual skills.
- You have some familiarity with aspects of modern pagan practice, and are ready to go beyond "Magic 101" and explore next-level skills like psychic self-protection, aspecting deity, everyday animism, and effective techniques for crafting powerful group rituals. OR you are new to this but excited to jump into an accelerated course of learning, with a little extra homework to catch you up.
- You are excited to learn from two experienced European-American Weavers who have researched their own spiritual heritage, have developed a nuanced analysis of how to avoid cultural appropriation, and tithe a percentage of the income from this program to projects led by the indigenous Abenaki people on whose land they teach.
- You are comfortable learning and growing in a space where all genders are welcome and feminist values such as consent, inclusion, and equity ground all our work. You are ready to communicate your needs and learn new habits that will make our space feel safer for all (such as using people's correct pronouns).
- You are able to travel to Central Vermont for our four in-person weekends at Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasagh, and you have internet access that will allow you to attend our six remote learning sessions over the Zoom conference platform (you can also attend remote sessions by phone).
- You are over 18 years of age.
- You are happy to maintain a sober space during our in-person and online work together.
Photo by Ashley Batz on Unsplash
About The Instructors
Jamie Waggoner is a priestess, writer, artist, and teacher. The threefold mission of her work is to honor the Old Ones, weave threads of ancient magic into a modern tapestry, and re-enchant our waking world. Jamie holds a B.A. in philosophy, trained and taught as a priestess with the Sisterhood of Avalon for thirteen years, and now regularly leads independent workshops and rituals at annual gatherings such as Vermont Witchcamp and the Land Sea Sky polytheist conference series. Her continued studies and works-in-progress focus on the legacy of encoded wisdom, ancestral traditions, initiations and rituals that can be excavated from story and myth. Some of her philosophical and spiritual influences include Hélène Cixous, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Caitlín Matthews, the poetry of Mary Oliver, the tarot teachings of Rachel Pollack, and the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe. She currently lives in Alabama and we are very lucky to have her travel to Vermont to teach!
Murphy Robinson is a huntress, priestess, wilderness guide, and activist. They have been casting circles since they were sixteen years old, and have taught both magic and wilderness skills across the US, and occasionally in Ireland and Sweden. They have pursued special study of spirit journeying, the Norse runes, archery as a magical practice, and meaningful rituals to honor the animals and plants who die to feed us. Their work often serves The Huntress and The Lord of the Dead. As a queer butch priestess, they explore healthy and healing ways to reclaim the sacred masculine. Murphy's spiritual development has been influenced by the work of Starhawk and the Reclaiming Tradition, Diana Paxson's work with runes and seidh, and Daniel Foor's teachings on animism. They live on the side of a Vermont mountain at Hunter's Hollow, the headquarters of Mountainsong Expeditions.
Want to get to know us and see how we teach?
Here's a free webinar on animal and plant allies that Jamie and Murphy taught in April 2019:
Here's a free webinar on animal and plant allies that Jamie and Murphy taught in April 2019:
2019 Program Curriculum & Dates
The Way of the Weaver training program offers a review of the basics that sustain healthy magical practices (grounding, ethics, shielding); an exploration of the origins of Western esoteric philosophy; advanced magical skills such as psychic self-protection and aspecting the gods; and proven techniques for designing and leading effective, engaging group rituals for your community. We will meet in person for four weekends in Central Vermont (5pm Friday though 12pm on Sunday), and have monthly online learning sessions when we do not meet in person. Our Saturday online sessions will run from 10am-3pm EST (including breaks, experiential exercises, and sharing from participants), and if you have to miss one the recordings will be available for you to do the work on your own time. We will use the ZOOM platform for the online learning sessions.
Our program syllabus includes:
1: Weekend Nov 1-3, 2019
2: Saturday Session Nov 23, 2019, 10am-3pm EST
3: Saturday Session Jan 4, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
4: Weekend Jan/Feb 31-2, 2020
5: Saturday Session Feb 29, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
6: Saturday Session April 4, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
7: Weekend May 1-3, 2020
8: Saturday Session June 6, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
9: Saturday Session July 11, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
10: Weekend July 31-Aug 2, 2020
Our program syllabus includes:
1: Weekend Nov 1-3, 2019
- What does it mean to be a Weaver? Who is a Weaver?
- Three levels of service (self, community, that which is larger) / service as sacrament
- Ethics: Inclusivity, boundaries, consent, active listening, witnessing
- Developing and/or deepening daily spiritual “routines”
- Group ritual to celebrate Samhain
2: Saturday Session Nov 23, 2019, 10am-3pm EST
- Discussion / guidelines around cultural appropriation
- Elements of Magic: Legacy of Western philosophy, alchemy, folk tradition and natural science
- Energy: Cleansing, grounding, protection, psychic self-defense
3: Saturday Session Jan 4, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
- Ecstatic Practices: Storytelling, trance and vision journey
- Ecstatic Practices: Singing, sound and mantra (Traditional, Tantric, Norse, and others)
4: Weekend Jan/Feb 31-2, 2020
- Shadow Work
- Divination and Scrying
- Esoteric herbalism, sacred geometry and advanced magical correspondences
- Group ritual to celebrate Imbolc
5: Saturday Session Feb 29, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
- Devotional Practices: Deities, building and sustaining relationships, etc.
- Animism
6: Saturday Session April 4, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
- Ritual Creation: Creating structures for group participation, engagement and impact
- Ritual Tech: Ritual “hygiene” and etiquette, building safe containers
- Spellwork
7: Weekend May 1-3, 2020
- Invocation, aspecting and trance possession work
- Applied devotional, animistic and ritual practice with group
- Applied spellwork
- Group ritual to celebrate Beltane
8: Saturday Session June 6, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
- Ancestral Traditions and Healing
- Restorative Justice
9: Saturday Session July 11, 2020, 10am-3pm EST
- Student-chosen topics
10: Weekend July 31-Aug 2, 2020
- Practical Magic as Lifestyle: Responding to daily struggles
- Applied Ethics: Ministry skills / Empower, not enable
- Final ritual together and blessing of group
- Group ritual to celebrate Lughnasadh
Cost & Logistics
Thanks for understanding that many threads come together to create this training: travel costs, venue rental, food for our group, compensation for the instructors' preparation and teaching time, as well as donations to the indigenous Abenaki on whose lands we teach. Our desire is to make this training both sustainable and accessible, so we've designed a sliding scale and payment plan to help fit training costs into your budget. If the Way of the Weaver calls to you, please let us know what else you need to make your participation possible.
Your Program Tuition Includes:
Our venue is a lovingly hand-built mountain cabin in Worcester, Vermont (near Montpelier). This cozy and private space includes wood heat, a modern kitchen and bathroom, space to sleep on the floor (bring your own bedding), a wood-fired sauna, an outdoor fire ring, and beautiful woodland to walk in.
Accessibility:
We invite people of all different abilities and backgrounds to join our program, and we find deep value in learning to serve each other better across differences in ability. Our venue is not formally "accessible" so if you have mobility limitations let's discuss what we'll need to do to make sure you can get over small steps, travel over uneven forest ground, and similar small obstacles. Supporting each person's individual needs as a community is a key part of our work.
Here are some pictures of our cozy venue:
Your Program Tuition Includes:
- Instruction from Jamie and Murphy at four in-person weekends in Vermont and six online remote learning sessions.
- Four delicious hot meals at the in-person weekends (Saturday breakfast through Sunday breakfast), designed to meet most common dietary needs if they are present in our group (vegetarian, gluten free, etc).
- Supplies and handouts for our in-person weekends
- Optional sleepover lodging at the venue (bring your own bedding and sleep on the floor in shared space). We are also happy to help arrange a homestay with local participants if you need more accessible sleeping space, but we can't promise that it will be available.
- Recordings of our online training sessions.
- Friday dinners are a potluck, so please bring something to share. Snacks and teas throughout the weekend are also potluck or bring-your-own.
- If you need private sleeping space, you will need to get an AirBnB room in the Montpelier, VT area, at your own expense.
- Travel to and from the weekends is your responsibility, but we are happy to help connect people for carpooling, and can probably pick you up at the train station or bus station in Montpelier if you arrange the timing with us in advance. Public buses can get you from the BTV airport to Montpelier on weekdays (not available on weekends).
Our venue is a lovingly hand-built mountain cabin in Worcester, Vermont (near Montpelier). This cozy and private space includes wood heat, a modern kitchen and bathroom, space to sleep on the floor (bring your own bedding), a wood-fired sauna, an outdoor fire ring, and beautiful woodland to walk in.
Accessibility:
We invite people of all different abilities and backgrounds to join our program, and we find deep value in learning to serve each other better across differences in ability. Our venue is not formally "accessible" so if you have mobility limitations let's discuss what we'll need to do to make sure you can get over small steps, travel over uneven forest ground, and similar small obstacles. Supporting each person's individual needs as a community is a key part of our work.
Here are some pictures of our cozy venue:
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Our Sliding Scale
The Way of the Weaver training costs $1,500-$2,000 per person, sliding scale. The following income guidelines can help you select what part of the scale you fall into. Upon enrolling in the program, you are agreeing to pay the entire cost of the training, regardless of your ability to attend each meeting.
Total Household Income: Program Cost
$15,000 or less $1,500
$15,000-$20,000 $1,550
$20,000-$25,000 $1,600
$25,000-$30,000 $1,650
$30,000-$35,000 $1,700
$35,000-$50,000 $1,800
$50,000-$75,000 $1,900
$75,000-$100,000 $2,000
Over $100,000 $2,000 and consider donating a partial or full scholarship to a participant in need
Advance Payment vs. Payment Plan
A deposit of $500 will hold your place in the class. If you can pay your balance in full before the training starts, that's great! If you need a payment plan we are happy to work with you, just inquire via the contact page. Your tuition must be paid in full by July 30, 2020 (regardless of whether you miss any meetings).
Credits
We do not offer refunds, but if you decide to permanently leave the program for any reason you will be issued a prorated credit based on how many months of the program you've already completed. This credit is good for any future classes with Mountainsong Expeditions or for Jamie Waggoner's other programs.
The Way of the Weaver training costs $1,500-$2,000 per person, sliding scale. The following income guidelines can help you select what part of the scale you fall into. Upon enrolling in the program, you are agreeing to pay the entire cost of the training, regardless of your ability to attend each meeting.
Total Household Income: Program Cost
$15,000 or less $1,500
$15,000-$20,000 $1,550
$20,000-$25,000 $1,600
$25,000-$30,000 $1,650
$30,000-$35,000 $1,700
$35,000-$50,000 $1,800
$50,000-$75,000 $1,900
$75,000-$100,000 $2,000
Over $100,000 $2,000 and consider donating a partial or full scholarship to a participant in need
Advance Payment vs. Payment Plan
A deposit of $500 will hold your place in the class. If you can pay your balance in full before the training starts, that's great! If you need a payment plan we are happy to work with you, just inquire via the contact page. Your tuition must be paid in full by July 30, 2020 (regardless of whether you miss any meetings).
Credits
We do not offer refunds, but if you decide to permanently leave the program for any reason you will be issued a prorated credit based on how many months of the program you've already completed. This credit is good for any future classes with Mountainsong Expeditions or for Jamie Waggoner's other programs.
How to Apply
We'd like to know more about you so we can confirm this is a good fit! Please fill out an application at THIS LINK or send us a video or audio file of yourself answering the questions on the form. If you need a different accommodation for your communication style, just let us know.
Once you've applied and we've had a conversation with you to be sure this is a great fit, a $500 deposit holds your place. Please pay using the button below or send a check made out to "Mountainsong Expeditions" to:
Mountainsong Expeditions
99 Upper Hancock Brook Rd
Worcester, VT 05682
Thank you so much for your interest in the Way of the Weaver. Blessed be.
Once you've applied and we've had a conversation with you to be sure this is a great fit, a $500 deposit holds your place. Please pay using the button below or send a check made out to "Mountainsong Expeditions" to:
Mountainsong Expeditions
99 Upper Hancock Brook Rd
Worcester, VT 05682
Thank you so much for your interest in the Way of the Weaver. Blessed be.
