WOODLAND PRIESTESS/PRIEST COURSE

The Woodland Way is a distance learning course with a large practical element.
It is for anyone with trees living  near them.

It has nothing to do with Wicca or witchcraft.

The Woodland Way is divided into the four seasons with assignments relating to trees and the woods in each season. In addition there is a section of ongoing work which will be completed in bits throughout the year. You work through the course at your own pace. If life goes a bit pear-shaped one season, don't worry. Nature is cyclical - you can catch up the following year when the season comes round again. If you find a couple of the assignments are absolutely impossible because of your circumstances, just let me know. It’s not imperative that you do every single assignment. However, if you find yourself skipping too many assignments and making excuses, then you should question your commitment to this particular way of life. Perhaps another path would be more suitable for you. (That’s why I have called the course “The Woodland Way”, not path, because it does become a way of life, a part of your daily life.)

The assignments range from the practical to the magical, from the muddy to the mystical. One assignment may ask you to devise a ritual; another may require some reading and research; you could be asked to go out and collect leaves or describe the energies you feel from the trees at a certain time of the year or list the magic uses of an acorn; you could even find yourself dabbling in arts & crafts. Once you have finished the course, you may decide to specialise in one or two aspects that have particularly interested you and make a deeper study of those areas on your own.

There are no workshops or face-to-face sessions for several reasons. The first is to keep the cost of the course within an accessible budget for as many people as possible. I am conscious of the fact that due to age, family commitments or the effects of redundancy, not everyone can afford the costs, the travel or the time away from home. If anyone can, there are plenty of greenwood holiday options from a hotel in the New Forest to an isolated log cabin in a Scottish highlands forest. Of equal importance is the fact that a walk in the woods is often a solitary event anyway (not counting the dog!) and this gives you the space and freedom to connect to the energies, to observe changes, to experience your surroundings without distraction and at your own pace……. and so on. Thirdly, as trees can be found all over the country, and even in cities, there is no need for a group of people to congregate in one particular area. The trees are your teachers and can be found everywhere. However, if you wish to organise a group ritual with other like-minded people in your area, you are free to do so.

Your personal safety throughout the Woodland Way Course is entirely your own responsibility.
If you are going out alone, please take all the usual common-sense precautions such as suitable clothing and footwear, water, whistle, first-aid kit, sun protection, mobile phone fully-charged and with sufficient credit.
Be aware, however, that some areas are signal dead-spots.
Be prepared for a change in the weather.
Do not eat leaves, berries, plants, fungi etc. and wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.
Tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to be home. If you fail to contact them by the appointed time, have a clearly-understood plan of action.
Do not, under any circumstances, put yourself, or anyone else, at risk during your course of study.

The assigments for each season are presented in their own booklet, along with the ongoing work. When you have completed an assignment or the whole season's assignments, you can email or post them to me and I will return them with supportive comments. The course culminates in a self-dedication ceremony which you devise.
 

I have tried to keep the tone of this course informal, as if I were talking to you at a workshop, whilst also striving to ensure that the questions are clearly expressed. In some instances I have given examples as a way of clarifying what I mean.

You can buy the complete course for £85 or you can buy each section separately for £25 per season.
You can pay by PayPal or by posting a cheque.

Contact helen@goddessdance.co.uk for ordering details.