Salt Lake Esotericism & Free Thought Seminarrs 2011 Full Schedule

Salt Lake City Esotericism and Free Thought Seminar: an open community forum, free of charge and open to the general public.

7 p.m. at the downtown SLC Main Library, Level 1, Conf. Room A, 210 East 400 South, until March when we will be permanently moving to Crone’s Hollow community center and store at 2470 South Main Street and shifting our night to Tuesdays from Mondays. Presentations generally last an hour and a half. Free and open to the public.

For more information, contact organizer: russell@russellerwin.com. Publicized by Salt Lake City Witches’ Meetup at www.meetup.com (updates), the Evolver Network, Merkur Publishing, and others.

Monday, Jan. 3rd, at the Library, Level 1, Room A, John McHugh, The Puns that Produced Pegasus. The origin of Pegasus remains a mythological and astronomical mystery. Pre-Greek astronomical and religious texts from Mesopotamia refer to the four brightest stars in Pegasus as Iku, the “Field.” This constellation transforms into a sacred, white, winged Horse that struck its hoof on a mountain creating a spring in Greek celestial mythology. Amazingly, the words “sacred,” “white,” “flying-horse,” “struck,” “mountain,” and “spring” are encrypted as homophones in the cuneiform spelling for the Iku/Field. The presentation explores how wordplay was perceived as a source of enlightenment in ancient Mesopotamia, how early Greek astronomer-poets were familiar with this practice, and how the wordplays embedded in the cuneiform spelling of the Iku/Field constellation inspired the creation of the Greek winged-Horse, Pegasus. Bio: Mr. McHugh and his revealing ideas have already been featured by national and local media: Good Morning America, The Daily Herald, The Salt Lake Tribune, and National Public Radio’s nationally syndicated talk show, “The Big Picture”.

Monday, Feb. 7th, at the Library, Level 1, Room A, David Ball, Introduction to Hellenismos. Hellenismos is the traditional, polytheistic religion of ancient Greece, reconstructed in and adapted to the modern world. It is also called Hellenic Polytheism, Hellenic Reconstructionist Paganism or simply Hellenism. Hellenic polytheists worship the ancient Greek gods- the Olympians, nature divinities, underworld deities and heroes- as well as honoring their ancestors, both physical and spiritual through devotional and votive offerings. Hellenismos is a highly-developed ethical system based on the principles of reciprocity, hospitality and moderation. Bio: David has been practicing Earth Magic for over 16 years and enjoys following the thread that weaves through out spiritual thoughts and practices. He is a certified Japanese tradition Reiki practitioner and has been teaching Reiki Ryoho for over 14 years.

Tuesday, March 8th, at Crone’s Hollow, Gretchen Faulk on Deities and Saints of Peace ~ Peace Meditation ~ A Prayer Practice For Peace Within and Without. Do you look for ways to bring peace into your life? There are many things we can do; educate, heal, teach, write letters, vote, love and live our lives in balance. We can also pray. Mohandas K. Gandhi said; “Prayer from the heart can achieve what nothing else in the world can.” Join us for a free peace mantra meditation adaptable to any spiritual tradition, suitable for individuals, groups and families. This method utilizes a devotional tool found around the world. Our intention is to engage the divine within and without for the purpose of peace; peace for ourselves, our loved ones, our country, and for all life. You will receive a booklet of the meditation practice to keep. For more information call 801-674-7156. The meditation teaching and practice will be preceded by a presentation on Deities and Saints of Peace from world-wide spiritual traditions. Bio: Rev. Gretchen Faulk has been a part of the Salt Lake pagan community as a priestess, ritualist and teacher for over 22 years. She is a devotee of the Divine Feminine and practices her religion as a Dianic Wiccan and Thelemite. 16 years ago she founded of the Order of Our Lady of Salt; an open, legal Wiccan church. More recently she has found creative expression through photography, particularly of spiritual subjects.

Tuesday, April 5th, at Crone’s Hollow, Russell Erwin and Ryan Debile on Talismanic Arts. Russell and Ryan will discuss, display and demonstrate mechanics and intensions related to the production and use of objects and graphic signs intended for magickal purposes. Cross-cultural references will be evident as they examine the methods of Austin Osman Spare, the use of arithmetic Magick Squares and Number to Letter correspondences to produce Signs, Signatures, and Sigils in Planetary or Angelic/Daemonic workings, as well as some operative talismanic tools. Bio: Russell Erwin is the organizer of the SLC Esotericism and Free Thought Seminar.

Tuesday, May 3rd , at Crone’s Hollow, Cody Dickerson on Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Work. Cody Dickerson was born and currently resides in southern Idaho with his two daughters and partner Amber on a humble homestead. He has authored several essays in the fields of folklore, ancient Religions, Folk-Tradition and Language. As a student and practitioner of the Arte Magical for over a decade, the lion's share of his experience lies in the practice and study of his ancestral Heathen Sorcery, Languages and lifestyle; that of the Indo-Europeans and Germanic peoples. Beyond this, he's also an Initiate in the small circles of the Pennsylfaania Dutch Braucheri and Hexology. He'll be discussing the relevance of the cultural and esoteric foundations of this meta-cultural, insulated anomaly right here in North America, as well as the uninterrupted practices of certain lines of "Witchcraft" with which he's been blessed with personal contact. Sigil Magic, Charming Tradition, death by setting dogs and milk theft ... this promises to be interesting, at very least.

Tuesdays, June 7th, June 28th, & Aug. 2nd at Crone’s Hollow, Gerhard Hanswille’s Hermeticist Summer Mini-series at Crone’s Hollow. Bio: Mr. Hanswille is publisher and translator of the Franz Bardon series of books on Hermetics, which teach the theory and practice of Hermetics (Merkur Publishing). Topics as follows --- June 7th: An explanation of the Soul or the Astral body, the Astral Plane and its inhabitants, the difference between the Astral Matrix and Aura. June 28th: The Spirit, The Mental or Spiritual Plane, Truth. Aug. 2nd: Diet, Asceticism, and Occult Anatomy.

Tuesday, Oct. 4th, The 1734 Stream -- Shamanic Witchcraft by Maureen Aisling Duffy-Boose at Crone’s Hollow. 1734 is a non-Wiccan, Old Traditional Stream of Cochranite Craft, one about which there is a great deal of confusion, due to the insistence of its founder, Joseph Bearwalker Wilson, that it is "Not a Tradition, but a Method, a Mindset". Maureen Aisling Duffy-Boose is one of the Holders of Virtue of that Stream, and also a Tribal Council Elder of Toteg Tribe, the American Shamanistic technique which has its roots in the 1734 Stream. Philosophy and practice will be discussed, as well as identifying the hallmarks of Old Tradition Witchcraft as distinct from the Gardnerian current widely known as Wicca.

Tuesday, Nov. 8th, Maureen Aisling Duffy-Boose on The Esoteric Tarot at Crone’s Hollow. Do ancient arcanae mutate? Yes, they do. In a discussion of the Esoteric Tarot, Ms. Duffy-Boose will discuss the evolutionary Stream of the Major Arcana, and its mutation through time, as well as the deeper foci of the Tarot Journey as it plays out, after nearly 2000 years, into modern times. The Fool's Journey, deeper and more meaningful than it has ever been, with guidebooks and esoteric detours into the byways. Come and join the procession! Aisling is a Tarot scholar of over 20 years' experience, and is the co-founder of the Utah Maninni Tarot Project

Tuesday, Dec. 6th at Crone’s Hollow, What the Magi Saw: Rediscovering the Star of Bethlehem, By John McHugh, MA Near Eastern Archaeology and Native American Archaeology, BYU. By applying his reading knowledge of several ancient languages including Babylonian, Assyrian, Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Arabic, Mr. McHugh exposes the astral, pagan basis for one of the most enigmatic Christian stories: Jesus’ Nativity and the stellar identity of the Star of Bethlehem. Using ancient star atlases, cuneiform astrological tablets, ancient iconography, and principles grounded in the discipline of archaeo-astronomy, McHugh demonstrates that Jesus’ “Nativity” Story was based on a secret tableau encrypted in the constellations. His presentation discloses revered religious tenets embraced by the Magi, and how these convictions enabled them to “read” the Gospels’ account of Jesus’ Birth in the stars. For Bio, see above.