Heron Michelle (Greenville, NC) is a mom, shopkeeper, modern witch, and priestess. Originally from South Carolina, she is an alumna of the Fine Arts Center High School with focus in Creative Writing, and holds a BS from East Carolina University. Heron is the owner of The Sojourner Whole Earth Provisions, a metaphysical shop in Uptown Greenville. She is also a Reiki master, tarot card diviner, and clairvoyant specializing in past life retrieval. Since 2010, she's taught a unique training program in modern witchcraft through the shop. From that classroom emerged The Sojo Circle, a coven of independent witches for whom she served as co-founding High Priestess. She writes the blog 'Witch on Fire' at Patheos Pagan, and regularly lectures at local universities, festivals, and conferences.   Learn more about Heron Michelle here:  https://heronmichelle.com/

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Here is what Heron is presenting at AM23: 

1. Ancestors of “Hermetic" Witchcraft: From Hermes Trismegistus to Gerald Gardner (and into the 21st Century).  The axiom "As Above, so below" came from the Hermetic philosophies attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Who was this legendary mage named for the Egyptian God Thoth, Greek Hermes and Roman Mercury? We'll explore the origins of the "Corpus Hermeticum" and the history of their influence from Greek Neoplatonists in Alexandria, Egypt in the 1st-3rd centuries, through pre-Islamic Persia to become Alchemy, then into Renaissance Italy; Hermetic influence upon magickal schools in Europe; Then,  into to the early 1900's New Thought Movement in America via "The Kybalion." From there, the Hermetic Principles would inspire a multitude of spiritual movements, including Thelema, British Wicca and the 20st Century Modern Witchcraft teachings of Laurie Cabot and Christopher Penczak that continue to inspire the Craft today.

2. Astrological Lunar Witchcraft.   An introductory to intermediate-level discussion of astrological timing for powerful Lunar Witchcraft. Includes waxing and waning lunar tides through nine phases, and by Zodiacal pairing across the Wheel of the Year. This method separates ‘New’ and ‘Dark’ moons. We’ll answer questions like: When is the most powerful time to tap Full and Dark moon energy? Magick for Lunar and Solar eclipses? What is a "Void-of-Course", a “Super” moon, or a “Micro" moon? How rare are Blue and Black Moons, and how do they switch lunar leadership within pairings? Why does any of this matter?

3.  RITUAL:   A Ritual Journey to the Realms of Water.  Through guided meditation to the original music by Pranavam Das, we’ll journey to the astral realms and the plane of elemental water. There we will seek out allies among the Undine and their Sovereign Nicksa. We’ll ask how best we may balance our emotional bodies and heal the wounds of our hearts. From Nicksa we’ll ask in what ways we should be emotionally daring, and what conditions of the heart need acceptance. Then we’ll seek out information on the correct magickal tool of water to use in our witchcraft practice, and an ancestral guide to help us. Please bring whatever you need to comfortably meditate for an extended period, like a camp chair, or blankets and pillows to lie down on the ground. From my book Elemental Witchcraft: A Guide to Living a Magickal Life Through the Elements.

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