Magical Activism 2024 w/ Starhawk

Guided by renowned witch, author, activist, and permaculture teacher Starhawk, this six-sesssion, ten-week journey invites you to the intersection of magic and activism to explore and strengthen our personal and collective power.

Through a series of 6 interactive live Zoom sessions, we'll delve into the art of harnessing magic as a catalyst for social change. From grounding techniques to divination practices, from crafting spells to summoning ancestral allies, each week unveils a new dimension of possibility, inspiration, and power. We will also have our astrologer Akasha Madron present to share customized astrological forecasts for each of our live sessions.

All of our live sessions will feature ASL interpretation, and all of our sessions will be recorded and posted in our private community within 48 hours after their conclusion.

Joining Us After The Start Date?

Not a problem, welcome! If registration is still open, our community and course is still open to you. You can catch up on past sessions via carefully edited recordings, homework assignments, and resource lists in our course materials section. We also index all of our discussions as "topics" for ease of access for everyone joining later in the series. Our Magical Activism 2024 community and course materials will remain open to everyone for at least 1 year from our start date, until April 2025.

"Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will." -Dion Fortune

For me, this quote from Dion Fortune has always defined my approach both to magic and activism. How do we change, not just the structures of power, but the consciousness that underlies them?

That’s a big challenge, and for me, it’s been the work of a lifetime. But never has it seemed so crucial than this year, when the forces of autocracy are rising, when it’s harder than ever to tell truth from lies, and a mean spirit pervades the land.

So What Can We Actually Do With Magic?

Can magic make a difference, or is it merely an excuse, a substitute for taking real action? I believe that magic that works is no substitute—it's grounded in the material-world actions we take, and it can help make us more effective as activists.

First, we can use magical practices and tools to change our own consciousness, learn to keep us calm in the midst of chaos, and clear-headed when truth and lies are muddy. We can learn to release the fears and anxieties that drain our energy, and we can find sources of renewal and resilience.

This is More Than Just a Curriculum

This is your call to action, a rallying cry for solidarity and determination. Together, we'll forge bonds of community and resilience, supporting one another as we navigate the complexities of our times. As we work through this course together and engage with intention, solidarity, and a commitment to justice, our magical online community becomes a source of ongoing support, collaboration, and coordination of actions across the globe. Together, we can build a movement that not only resists the forces of oppression but propels us towards a future of liberty and justice for all.

How Magical Activism Works

• This is a 10-week series that runs between April 2024-June 2024
  
• It's a live, cohort-based course which means it centers on our live rituals hosted on Zoom every other Monday. It also means that everyone in the course is joining in live too, and learning and working together and organizing on the same timeline.
  
• Joining us after the start date? No problem! You can catch up on past sessions via carefully edited recordings, and also access our homework and resources in our private course community. You will receive all upcoming live session links via email once you're registered.
  
• Each session will have a different focus. In each, Starhawk will share a unique magical tool or practice, and an avenue to take real world action.
  
• Once you register (by donation), you'll be invited via email to our private online learning community where you will be able to access upcoming live links and past recordings, connect with other magical activists between sessions, share ideas, respectfully debate, and organize
  
• Each session includes: a live (or recorded live) ritual teaching session, some deep personal and community healing work within a ritual framework, and suggested personal practices ("homework") to take action in the weeks between sessions.
  
• Each session will be recorded, so if you miss one, you can watch at your leisure. All the links to past sessions will be stored in our private Magical Activism course community.
  
• All of our sessions will include ASL interpretation

This Course is Open to Anyone Who Is Called to Join Us

My own political perspective is progressive to radical. I’ve had a lifelong commitment to social justice in all its forms, to non-violence, feminism, environmental balance and justice, and undoing all the structures of oppression.

I strongly believe that what we need now is a powerful, welcoming movement for justice in all its forms, one that is truly inclusive of all people, and that generates energy, enthusiasm and joy even in the midst of struggle. If you feel aligned with this work, you're welcome in our circle!

A Note From Starhawk On Donations

I want this work to be accessible to everyone who is called to do it, and don’t ever want money to be a barrier to people getting the information, skills and resources they need. That's why I’m offering this course on a donation basis.

I also believe people should be paid fairly for their work. Frankly, these two values sometimes seem to be in conflict, but my team and I do the best we can to find a fair balance. I offer many resources for free or at very low cost, and charge for others. When you donate generously for a course or pay at the top of our scale, that helps support the work I do, provides access for those who have fewer resources, pays for the infrastructure and the technical and practical support that it takes to do this, and helps us keep the work sustainable.

A similar 6-session live cohort course like this one would generally cost between $150-$1000. I don’t want money to be a barrier, so you are truly welcomed to register for this series by donating as much or as little as you can. We encourage you to donate what feels comfortable for you, whether that's $10 or $1000.

I do, however, ask another sort of energy exchange: if you sign up for this course, I ask you to commit at least an hour of your time for each session to practical, real-world work on an issue.

This might mean making calls for a candidate, showing up for a demonstration or organizing one, writing your representatives, donating money to an organization or a campaign, writing your own posts on the internet and/or amplifying others, a project or creative work of your own. Of course, I would never ask you to do anything that goes against your personal values or violates your sense of integrity.

We can take care of one another! Thank you!

Magical Activism Contributors

Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. She is the author or co-author of thirteen books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess and the ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing, and its sequel City of Refuge.

Starhawk co-founded Earth Activist Training, teaching permaculture design grounded in spirituality and with a focus on activism. She travels internationally, lecturing and teaching on earth-based spirituality, the tools of ritual, and the skills of activism.

We're thrilled to welcome back astrologer Akasha Madron for our 2024 Magical Activism course! Akasha has been combining Magic, Astrology and Ritual since 1987. She will be sharing her expert analysis and highlighting key astrological happenings as a compliment to the magical/ritual and grounded action we will be working together. There's so much happening in our galaxy right now, and it is important to know what's going on so we can tap into that support. Akasha will be providing astrological updates in our live sessions and will also be active in our Magical Activism community to support us during these major planetary changes.

Akasha's personal business is called Changing The Story because she believes that we all have the power to shift both our personal and collective stories. Even if you only move it an inch, that small change can shift the trajectory enough to create major change down the line. Magic and ritual are some of the best ways to initiate that first inch!