Albania, Greece and some Retreats! :)

I haven’t sent out a newsletter in ages, but I thought I should update everyone. I would like to apologize for the few orders which were late this season. Of course the Halloween/Day of the dead time of year is always very busy, and many rituals and workings, but also I did a little traveling in September :).

I went over to Albania and Greece to do some teaching, and I loved every minute of it! If you are going to teach, or practice magic, I have to say that Albania is one of the best places in the world to do so. I am also partial to British Columbia, however we don’t have many castles here in BC…. Albania on the otherhand has over 50 different castles! Even better is that there are some castles which are more out of the way so you can perform ceremonies inside them undisturbed. We talked with the caretaker of one castle, and yes a group of us can spend the night. Retreat anyone? ;) Aside from the wonderful ancient castles, the beaches and mountains were also spectacular. Fortunately when I went in September tourist season, which never is a lot of people even during peak times, was well over with. There were many places which we had all to ourselves. The hotel with its own private cove where we were able to draw a circle on the beach and perform an evocation was definitely one of the highlights. Another area was up in the mountainous region where we could have a full fire and ritual undisturbed. Evocations go much better outdoors and with a fire I think. It was interesting working with the Verum in Europe instead of North America….

Being so close to Greece I also had to head over there of course. I also do have a couple of students in Greece. I of course had to go to the Parthenon and temple of Athena during my visit to Athens. I was fortunate and my hotel happened to be a block away from the Acropolis… talking about a bit of a departure from ancient times…. On the first day I went to check everything out and look at the temples. Being interested in history and archaeology I scoured every square inch of the Acropolis and surrounding area. I found many items that I think most tourists tend to miss, and that can be easily missed if you don’t happen to be Pagan… altars to the various Greek Gods for example. I also happened upon some very ancient caves on the hillside of the Acropolis, which were used by the commoners to honour the various Greek Deities. There were caves for Pan, Athena, Apollo and Zues. Fortunately they happened to be down one side which no one was really going, and up some stairs where even less people were venturing. So I of course made plans to return the next day fully prepared. There were several markets near the hotel so I stocked up on wine, honey and offerings, then returned the next morning.

I lit candles in each of the caves and called each Deity in their respective cave. Even though it has been a few centuries since these caves have been used properly, it was definitely one of the strongest Deity presences I have ever felt! I wonder how often people come with candles and offerings for them? I did a separate ritual and offerings in each cave, then had a chat with each of the Deities. I left the candles and offerings in the back of the caves so that they would not be removed by other people. The timing was perfect, I spent quite awhile in all the caves, and as soon as I was finished and was walking out some tourists came along.

I had of course asked for any help with lore and magical teaching while I was in Greece. Then by chance I took a back route out of the Acropolis and down some random back side streets. As luck would have it I chose one other site to go look at that I walked by, the first one actually, and there in the far end was that famous tower with the four winds! It was amazing to see it in person. I’m sure you can put two and two together since the area was pretty much deserted. It was pretty windy that day ;).

Then it was back off to Albania, to the hotel right on the beach. I passed the last few days of my time running along the surf at sunrise, eating the best seafood ever next door, and scoping out the nearby internet cafes lol. The internet cafes in Albania are on satellite, and are much faster then what I’m used to here! All in all, I visited most of the cities, and some of the small towns in Albania, since one of my students just had to show me around his wonderful country. This was extremely useful since we were able to find many suitable places to practice magic.

On a mostly unrelated to magic note, the food in Albania was the best food I have ever tried, and believe me I try to always find the best restaurants in various places around the world. Unfortunately the food in Greece was only alright; we are very fortunate here in Vancouver to have some very good Greek restaurants. Actually one of the Greek restaurants I did eat at in Athens, the owner happened to have grown up with the owner of our local Greek restaurant here in Vancouver. I was even given a note to give to the owner of the restaurant here. I have no idea what it said though since I don’t know Greek, and it was written in Greek lettering as well.

On the way home, the Greek Gods must have been helping out, since I had no idea that you could not have a 50lb carry on bad, or a 70lb checked suitcase… no really ;). I had to bring some Greek Deity statues home for my friends! Then there was this giant bronze one which also followed me home…. then that bottle of Ouzo which was shaped like a naked man with a very LARGE erect penis!

I look forward to returning to these two countries, and also look forward to leading a retreat over there. Europe definitely has it’s charm, and is perfect for magic due to it still being fully natural (in the smaller towns).

If you wish to find the version of this newsletter with photos check it out on my blog at: If you look at the previous blogs you can see my blogging about my trip to Egypt a few years back. I have not blogged about the trip to Haiti, Greece or Albania since I just didn’t have daily wifi during these trips, and also have been blogging a lot less. Perhaps I will blog some more in the upcoming months. Feel free to subscribe to my blog on Blogger.

I should also have a sale, as I do with every newsletter. The sale for the next 10 days is on all custom items! If you can dream it up, I can most likely make it. By custom I mean any item which is at least slightly different then the standard one. For example an evocation circle with different names on it, a handmade Daemon altar, a custom engraved sword, a lionskin headpiece… whatever you can think of. Making custom items is what I enjoy doing the most, so I think this would be a rather fun sale. So it is 15% off any custom item! The sale ends at midnight PST on Friday November 25th.

Also for Yule, Winter Solstice, Christmass, and other cold snowy holidays I am offering Daemon tree ornaments! I don’t have photos of these yet, my apologies, I packed the ones from last year in some box… but they are a real glass ornament with the Daemon’s seal painted on it, and suitable herbs relating to that particular Daemon inside it.

I would like to announce the upcoming retreats for 2012 as well. I have had many requests for various retreats, but it has always been difficult to find a group of people who all wish to learn the same thing, in the same location. This year I will be doing four retreats to get things started, and see what sort of interest there is. I highly recommend these retreats since there is truly nothing like in person teaching! You can fully feel and experience the magic, and have coaching about how to fine tune your technique and energies to bring forth the magic or the spirits stronger. Also, I do tend to share a bit more in person then say in public online ;). We will also of course be performing rituals and making tools during each of these retreats. I look forward to working with many of you in person in the upcoming year!

On a side note, I am still offering one on one teaching.. the rate is $65 per hour, or $45 per hour if you pay for 25 hours or more all at once. I like to keep the rates nice and low so people can actually afford it! As you can guess, I am willing to travel for the teaching, but the travel expenses are at your cost. You can also travel to BC if you wish to go about it that way. Since I have a bit of a life, and sometimes travel, or teach retreats, please do get ahold of me at least 6 months in advance if I don’t know you, and 3 months in advance if I do, for the teaching so we can book days/times.

Temple of Solomon Retreats

 Enochian, Evocation, Skrying, Magick
     www.enochian.org
       

Our retreats for 2012

How to work Enochian magic in your daily life: March 23-26 near Seattle, WA $1199 all inclusive, indoor accommodations.

Working with the Goetic Daemons:  March 30th - April 2nd near Seattle, WA  $1199 all inclusive, indoor accommodations.

$1999.99 for both, that is a $400 in savings!  If you and a friend/significant other register together and share a room, there is a $300 discount per retreat (total) $2199.99 for two people per retreat.

The summer retreats are much more nature oriented since this works so well with magic.  No worries, any hiking and outdoorsmanship is optional.  Everything will be taken care of for you.

Enochian magic intensive.  You will learn and work with the system inside out.  You will also learn how to work with Enochian magic practically as well as for spiritual ascension.  July 25 - August 1st

Working closely with the Daemons.  This workshop includes many evocation rituals and instruction about working with the Daemons in a friendly manner.  We will cover a few different grimoires, as swell as a few different methods.  August 8 - 15th

These retreats will be held in WA state near Seattle.  The cost for each 8 day retreat is $1999.99.  This includes all transportation, meals, teaching, supplies, and so forth.  All you have to do is get to Seatac airport (or Seattle).

This will be LUXURY camping!  Yes it will be in tents, but you will actually be warm and comfortable!  We will also have privacy, and be able to perform many outdoor rituals.

All accommodations, food, supplies and ground transportation included in the cost of each retreat.

Further information

Each of our retreats is a magical experience where you are fully immersed into the energies during the retreat.  Experienced teachers and staff will help to bring you through the rituals, instructions, meditations as well as exploratory work on your own.  Many retreats or workshops just teach the information;  however we seek to bridge this world with the world of magic to create deeper learning. 

Of course payment plans are accepted, and here is how it works.  To reserve your space you have to send me 20% of the total amount for the retreat you wish to take.  At least 50% must be paid 1 month in advance of the retreat.  The full amount must be paid 7 days before the retreat.  These deposits are non-refundable since I pay for the rentals and supplies as soon as each person pays.  You can switch retreats up to 32 days in advance.

Now for the sale!  If you pay the FULL amount for any retreat I will give you 15% off your next retreat.  This cannot be combined with any other discount, so would not be worth it for the back to back retreats, but would be an awesome deal if you decided to take a retreat in the spring, then another in the summer!  This can be done in a couple of payments, but must be paid in full by march 12th or you will not receive the discount.  

 
Each retreat or workshop is limited to 4-7 people, depending on which retreat it is, so book early.  This is to allow for a decent amount of individual attention and very focused workings.  Notice that each of my retreats and classroom workshops are at least half the price of your regular magical or metaphysical retreat or workshop!

If you have any questions, or wish further information:

Email: Oipteaapdoce@gmail.com

Athena
www.enochian.org
oipteaapdoce@gmail.com