Classes and workshops

  New! Meeting the Tuatha Dé Danann in the Cath Maige Tuired
Registration is open!

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The Cath Maige Tuired (The 2nd Battle of Moytura) is a classic and central part of the Irish "mythological cycle". It is useful for introducing many of the Tuatha Dé Danann in clear characterisations, and tells a good story in the process. The text is not particularly long or difficult, so we should be able to explore it at a relaxed pace. 

When:
Saturdays 15, 22, 29 January, and 5, 12 February, 2022. 
12 noon Pacific/3 pm Eastern/8 pm UK (GMT)
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Click here for more information and registration. 
Shapeshifters and Magical Animals
​Shapeshifters and Magical Animals is a three-week series of classes in which we will look at stories and texts from Ireland and Wales concerning the themes of transformation, wisdom, immortality, and time.

This class had a successful first run in April, 2021, and I would expect to offer it again early in 2022. If you are especially interested in this class, you can contact me to register your interest.

More information here.

New! I hope to offer Shapeshifters and Magical Animals Part 2 in spring 2022, which will be open to anyone who has taken this class. 

Hedge teacher?

I sometimes call myself a hedge teacher. That has nothing to do with hedge witches, or anything like that. Instead, it refers to the spirit of the hedge schools of 18th and 19th century Ireland. Schools for ordinary people who cared deeply about learning, but who either couldn’t access education through official channels, or preferred to avoid them. The standard of scholarship was often high, but the regulation was informal, and teachers were supported by the community.  
Recreation of an Irish hedge school
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Other classes

Women and goddesses in the Mabinogi

Blodeuedd ... Branwen ... Aranrhod ... Rhiannon.
This is a deep dive into their stories.
A series exploring the treatment of women, the male/female balance of power, mythological background, symbolism, and the possible intent of the compilers of the medieval text.

Participants need to be familiar with the text of The Four Branches, however it is less than 100 pages, total, when printed in standard paperback form, so this should not be a huge burden of reading. Advice will be given ahead of time about good online and printed sources for reading the material. (Or you can check that out now, at this link.)
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Celtic Beginnings: An introduction

Are you interested in Celtic Paganism, but don’t know where to turn for good information? Maybe it feels like the topic is impossibly big, or like every time you ask a question you get sent in a different direction.

This course is designed with you in mind!
Celtic Beginnings is a space where there are no stupid questions and no judgement.
We will cover the basics of different Celtic cultures, myths, gods and goddesses.
A firm foundation for you to build on.

Mabon, Modron, and the Mabinogi

In Mabon, Modron, and the Mabinogi we will focus on the deities Mabon and Modron, and the relationship between mothers and their sons in The Mabinogi. There is required reading for the later weeks, and this class will be a good fit for those who are already familiar with The Four Branches. (If you don’t know The Four Branches very well, you can still do the course, but expect to put in some extra reading time. I will offer guidance on how to approach that.)

This class had an exciting and successful first run in September/October 2021. I hope it will be back next year and be even better.

The Celtic Horse Goddesses - starts 10th October​
This class is currently running - registration closed! 

This six week class will explore the goddesses Epona, Macha, and Rhiannon in detail, as well as looking at the changing relationship between humans and horses. Like other classes I have taught, this series will feature a largely objective “academic” component, including some reading, and a talk from me each week, with time for questions.

In a departure from my usual approach, I will lead a short devotional to the horse goddesses and horse spirits at the end of each class session. I will do my best to create these in a way that should be comfortable for most anyone, but if students would like to excuse themselves from this part of the session, that is perfectly fine.
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The Trouble with Kings 
The Trouble with Kings is a five week course which looks at kingship, leadership, stewardship, and sovereignty figures from the many angles provided by Welsh and Irish myth.

Each week I will tell one or two stories from Welsh and Irish myth, followed by a moderated discussion of the story. There is no required reading, and mostly no "formal" teaching. 
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Celtic Myths and Deities

What will you learn?
  • During the course we will take an overview of the main myths of Ireland and Wales, and their deities.
  • We will also study a few myths and deities in more detail.
  • My main goal is to give you the tools to study independently, with confidence, once the course has ended.
  • This is an enormous subject, so a ten-week course can’t cover everything!

I taught this ambitious ten week series several times in 2019 and 2020. It is a full-on "bootcamp" of a course, and I might need some convincing that it is really the best way forward, before I offer it again.  Cost is $120 US.