A good deal of class time is generally devoted
to practicing ritual skills and doing ritual. NW puts great stress
on training in ritual. We tend to brag that any High Priest/ess
in a bind can grab any NW initiate, hand them a script five minutes
ahead of time, and the NorthWinder will do it better than the
clod who didn't show up would have! Perhaps an exaggeration,
but that is our goal.
Independent Project
One of the most important parts of your First
Degree work is your independent project. It may be a research
paper or something not on paper at all. We expect you to choose
a subject you are interested in but do not already know a great
deal about. Papers must conform more or less to college rules
on quoted material and bibliography. We will notice the spelling
and grammar, and it must be legible. Your teacher must approve
your plans ahead of time.
Journal
Many students do have trouble with the requirement
to keep a journal. Most of your teachers had trouble with it
too. But it is such a useful tool, we still require it. You can
keep your journal on anything: notebook, steno pad, old envelopes,
if you can keep them in order! It should be about your magickal
work and studies--work on yourself, your emotional growth, and
so on may belong there too.
What doesn't belong there are any notes about
everything you did each day. This is a "magickal" journal.
The best of them include bits of poetry which made a point or
would be useful for ritual, accounts of spells or other rituals
done, ideas which sound as if they might be useful some day,
notes on counseling (you being counseled, or you counseling),
insights into the meaning of a class or of life or yourself,
and other things too numerous to detail. If it seems sort of
important, and it doesn't belong anywhere else, it belongs in
your journal.
Class Meetings
It is important that you make every effort not
to miss class meetings. It takes a lot of time for your teacher
to review a class with just one student. Should you have to miss
a class be sure to call your teacher before the time of the class
and let them know you won't be there. A good reason for missing
should be presented to the teacher.
Sabbat Rituals
All members of NorthWind are expected to make
a heroic effort to attend all eight Sabbats particularly since
the leaders often have to make a heroic effort to schedule and
do them!
Pledge Gift
You should present your pledge gift to your teacher
early in your studies. This gift goes to your teacher not to
the chairwoman or anyone else. Your teacher will be the one who
presents you with your initiation gift and is the person who
puts the time, effort and worry into your training.
We try hard to be understanding if outside circumstances
interfere with your progress in your studies. Please do not ask
to begin study unless you are (at the moment) reasonably sure
that you will have the time to devote to them. We are not very
sympathetic with individuals who can't seem to get around to
reading the first class. A friend of NorthWind answers the question:
"How much does it cost to study the Craft?" Answer:
"Nothing, and everything you've got."
Examination
There is usually a written and/or oral exam at
the end of your First Degree studies. We recommend that in preparation
for this you read each class several times. A set of questions
covering each class may be required of any student (especially
correspondence students).
Time Factors
NorthWind has no rule that you must wait (or
that we must grant) First Degree in "a year and a day."
To some extent we allow each student to set their own pace. Of
course, the group meeting will somewhat set the pace for students
working with the group but that does not mean that all the members
of a group will be initiated at about the same time! Initiation
and readiness for initiation is a strictly personal achievement
and your teacher is responsible for being right about whether
you are ready or not.
Your own independent work, on divination, on
your special project, your success with Feces Coagulation 101,
and on learning the material in the classes and accomplishing
the outside reading has a lot to do with when you are granted
initiation.
Divination Methods
We suggest that you choose one of the objective
methods of divination for your First Degree work. That is, one
which uses or produces tangible symbols, information, etc., such
as I Ching, Tarot, Astrology, etc. This is far easier for your
teacher to teach and evaluate. (Non-objective techniques include
all the scrying methods: dark mirror, crystal ball, etc.) Students
choosing Tarot studies are strongly urged to begin work using
the Rider-Waite Deck because of the superiority of the reference
books available and the solid grounding this deck gives you in
the symbolism used in most Tarot decks.
Feces Coagulation 101
FC-101 is an "everything else" category.
Under this heading, your teacher will take into consideration
your life skills. Everyone in NorthWind works on FC-101 ALL the
time.
For First Degree, we usually only require that
you appear to be more or less in control of your life and emotions,
that you have arranged for some method of supporting yourself,
that you have defined some goals for your life, and that your
love life be slightly less interesting than the average soap
opera.
For Second Degree Initiation the candidate is
expected to meet rather high standards of personal organization
and stability.
