This particular workshop occurred during the full moon phase. It was workshop 3 utilising different methods of spirit communication. During the afternoon we focused on elemental spirits and then other spirit forms during the evening. The energies from the full moon came to the fore and provided profound experiences for our group.
Cassandra took the group members to woodland and set exercises for them to encourage insight into the hidden world of the elementals. I remained at the cottage on this occasion as I had some urgent work to do for another client.
The exercises need total focus and discipline as it is easy to let your mind wander onto other matters, however this occurs less with practice. The group returned to the cottage to discuss their personal experiences and discoveries.
After guided meditations in the evening to set up a protective space and connecting with spirit symbols and guides, we utilised various methods of spirit communication.
We discussed symbolic meanings of visitations and experiences during meditations.
The group then experienced methods of psychometry, scrying and use of a communication board.
We had significant evidence from spirit communication particularly with the psychometry exercise. It is wonderful to see their reactions when group members discover they can access information from tuning in to these objects.
This particular workshop is intense and group members work hard and therefore achieve results. They left us commenting on how much they had learnt about the subject and also about themselves.
“”Thanks to u both, I got such a lot from the workshop, really interesting & so useful to me on a personal level. If you do decide to start a development group let me know. Amazing workshop, I’m completely worn out today & cant stop thinking about the things I experienced, thanks so much xx“
“Third workshop done and this weekend was amazing. Cassandra & Laetitia have been amazing teachers. If you get the chance book your place on their workshops. Again thank you ladies was amazing weekend see you September”
After an energetic 3 days at our local Mazey festival we were booked for a ‘Wise Woman Walk’ by a couple who also requested to be Handfasted at the Men an Tol.
We took them to Madron Well and Baptistry first where they enjoyed a hedgerow walk.
We arrived at Madron Well and while discussing the clouties, two men arrived and asked Cassandra questions about the history of the site.
Madron Baptistry is wonderful at this time of year with all the lush greenery of summer.
We were pleased to find no cattle present at the Men an Tol as it would have caused a problem regarding the Handfasting ceremony. The weather was perfect for our adorable couple.
Setting a sacred space at Men an Tol is a wonderful experience.
The couple loved the heartfelt words of the ceremony and their vows were full of emotion.
I connected their hands with a Handfasting cord while explaining the procedure.
It was then time to partake of the special honeymoon brew we had made.
It was indeed a privilege to Handfast this adorable couple and spend time with the land’s wondrous grounding energy after an energetic but fabulous weekend.
After our Swiss workshop in April on a larger scale, we have returned to our usual Spring and Summer workshops with a smaller group. It was a beautiful sunny weekend but still quite cool for the time of year.
On Friday evening we discovered more about our members, their lives and spirituality. This raised some interesting spiritual topics, ideas and experiences.
During Saturday afternoon Cassandra discussed the use of magical charms and working with clients. All members of the workshop are given copies of correspondences for the construction of charms, the planetary hours and tables. They were also shown the use of an Ephemeris.
I (Laetitia) then took the group through the process of planning their charms and constructing them. Each charm is unique as the maker chooses their own ingredients, metals, gemstones, plants and aromatic substances to generate energy within them. Not all people enjoy or are able to sew charms bags and will use another method of housing their chosen ingredients.
On Saturday evening I took them through the process of blessing their charms at the hearth. We then visited the magical Boscawen-un stone circle as the sun was setting and gave members of our group time with the stones and feel the energies of this wonderful site.
As the last person completed the circuit the star of Venus graced us with her presence, shining brightly in the sky. We then raised energy to magically charge their charms.
The temperature lowered as the darkness enveloped us and it was time to return to the glowing embers of our hearth to partake of Cornish mead and saffron cake. A fabulous weekend!
If you would like to join us for one of our workshops, visit the relevant page for details and see our feedback on the Testimonials page.
Feedback from this workshop:
“Such a lovely few days with all of you, lots of interesting discussion & lessons learned, looking forward to seeing u soon Had a great weekend with these amazing women & two lovely guys, I would highly recommend trying one of their workshops.”
“Hi thank you both for a great weekend really enjoyed and got a lot out of it.”
It was a wet and misty day at the Merry Maidens for this Handfasting ceremony. Cornish weather is unpredictable and in this type of work you carry on regardless. It is not always glamorous with perfectly posed photographs but extremely satisfying. The following photographs are by John Isaac.
This was the feedback we received:
“Can’t thank you enough for your amazing witchery, excellent crowd control, and the winning one liner of the day by Laetitia “tell them you’re a bit tied up at the moment” when the groom’s phone went off in his pocket during a crucial handfast situation. Cassandra said it would be memorable and it was, and you both played a very major part in making it so! To quote Lou Reed – just a perfect day! Thanks again. Will keep in touch.”
We enjoyed a wonderful day with a fabulous group of people…. and there is nothing better than praise from an experienced and wonderful wise woman on how impressed she is with my work.
Our 2017 spring and summer Working On the Wild Side Workshops began with a workshop for twelve Swiss Pagans. As we were unable to fit them into Cassandra’s tiny cottage, we used the small room at the St Buryan village hall.
Village Witch books
Wicca, a lovely woman who is involved with the Swiss Museum of Witchcraft, http://www.hexenmuseum.ch/Englisch.htm arranged for her group to meet with us and translated the relevant information to the group. Cassandra gave a talk on her life and work as a Wise Woman and I spoke about sea spirits, mermaid legends, elemental work and uses for seaweed, sand and other materials found on beaches. I also explained the magical properties of various sea shells, sea beans and mermaids purses.
Cassandra was asked to construct a few protection charms that she sold at the workshop.
After allowing time for questions from the group, we provided various materials for them to construct personal charms. The unique designs they created and the type of materials they chose, gave us insight of their individual personalities.
Image – Sus Bachmann
After blessing these charms we visited Boscawen-un Stone Circle to charge them with meditation and energy raising dance to the beat of a drum.
Sunset at Sennen Beach. Image – Sus Bachmann
We visited Sennen Beach and watched the deep red sphere in the sky as the sun set over the sea. The group members live inland and sadly do not get a chance to experience the wonderful energies from the sea in Switzerland.
Image – Sus Bachmann
Cassandra built a fire and we sat around it discussing the local folklore.
Image – Sus Bachmann
We sang chants by the shore to invoke the sea spirits and raise energy for casting spells with sea shells. When this was done we returned to the fire for Cornish blackberry mead and saffron cake.
A wonderful workshop with a group of fabulous people and despite the difference in language the sister and brotherhood of the Craft connected us all.
Cassandra and I have been celebrants for many Hand-fastings since 2009. I enjoy these immensely as it is an exciting and important celebration for all concerned.
We do our utmost to give the couple the ceremony they have dreamed of and we work closely with them in the weeks leading up to their big day.
This year we performed a ceremony of Handfasting for a young couple at St Loy woods. It was important to the bride that the bluebells were in bloom as this was a special time of the year for them both.
Bluebells at St Loy Woods
The ceremonies can vary in size and location, some are large affairs with many guests and others are more intimate with only the couple and maybe a few close friends. These ceremonies will have plenty of ‘on-lookers’ whether it be the creatures of the wild or ancient spirits of the land and sea. My ceremonial training comes to the fore here when setting up the space in which to perform these rites.
Merry Maidens stone circle
The photograph above was taken at one of out first ceremonies together held at the Merry Maidens stone circle. Only members of the couple’s family were present, it was short notice but very special for them. Chinese tourists passed the circle on an open top bus and many cameras appeared to capture the scene.
Crean Mill.
Cassandra and I performed this Handfasting ceremony (above) in the grounds of a Mill house we rented in 2010. It was a beautiful warm October day and the setting amongst the trees beside the small stream was tranquil and spiritual.
King Arthur’s Castle Tintagel
We enjoyed this Handfasting (above) as it was a medieval affair held at King Arthur’s castle in Tintagel. Despite a few showers of rain it did not dampen the celebrations at this ancient venue. We later enjoyed a hog roast buffet in the King Arthur’s Arms along with much merrymaking. A wonderful weekend.
Prussia Cove Image – Mandy Raywood
Image- Mandy Raywood
Image – Mandy Raywood
This ceremony (above) was at Prussia Cove where the couple first met. The weather was beautiful and working close to the sea was a profound experience for me. The couple have become good friends, we visit them often and they now have two adorable children.
Boscawen-un stone circle is a popular site for Handfasting ceremonies. We will always remember this one as our ‘Obby ‘Oss Penkevyll also made an appearance and danced with her Teazers from Boekka.
Madron Baptistry
Godolphin House Dining Room. Image – Alam
Madron Baptistry was the venue for this Handfasting (above). A couple had travelled here from France accompanied by their family. They stayed at Godolphin House where we joined them for a sumptuous medieval wedding feast and plenty of champagne in the historical dining room. It was fabulous!
Sancreed Holy Well
A couple from overseas came to us for their ceremony held at Sancreed Holy Well. They requested we purchase and decorate their broomstick while putting specific fertile energies into it. Six weeks after the event they informed us that they had conceived and now have a beautiful daughter!
The Sennen Coastguard Look-Out Image – Lee Searle
Image – Lee Searle
The ceremony (above) was performed at the Sennen Coastguard look-out on a wild, cold and windy day! We could not place any items on the table as the wind tipped them over. The bride’s veil attached to her hat was vertical most of the time. Their friends were huddled behind the building to shelter from the forceful wind. We laughed about it but were determined not to let the weather spoil their ceremony. We appreciated the warm open fire in the First and Last public house after the ceremony.
Carn Glaze Caverns
We were Celebrants at two Hand-fasting ceremonies in the beautiful Carn Glaze Caverns. One was for a couple with a small family group. The acoustics in the Caverns are wonderful when using a bull roarer and the echoes of the vows made. The lake in the caves is also very magical.
The other Hand-fasting performed there was for a jovial couple whose laughter is infectious to those around them. They had also requested our ‘Obby ‘Oss Penkevyll and Boekka to perform for them during the feast in the caves, as well as a fire display team. It was a wonderful day.
They came to visit last week, we were delighted to see them and hear that they are well and happy.
These are a few Handfastings we have conducted. All of them are special and unique.
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The site will tell you about my work, services I provide with Cassandra, my interests and life in deepest darkest Cornwall. Read on!
