The Cunning Farmer Course and Book Study

Hello my friends,

Today I would like to announce that due to popular demand I have decided to launch a 20 week intensive course based on my book, The Cunning Farmer: Agrarian Magical Practices, Mythology, and Folklore. The course will use the book as a textbook and each class will be based on a chapter in the book, in order starting from the beginning. Each student will need a copy of the book, which can be ordered from a bookseller of your choice (link to the publisher here), or I can send you a signed copy for an additional charge of $65 plus $15 shipping (US only). Classes will be on Sunday evenings starting at 7:00 Eastern Time, beginning on September 6th and running through January 24th. We will miss one week, October 4th.

The classes will be weekly Zoom meetings with a loosely structured lecture format and possibly a few slides based on the content of the chapters in the book with additional supplemental material and/or suggestions for further research. They will be about an hour long, (maybe a bit more sometimes) with about a half hour for discussion and questions following. We will keep the class size to around 30 participants to allow everyone to get a chance to ask questions. Places will be given on a first come, first served basis. If everything goes well, I plan on doing another round of classes in the spring, so latecomers will be placed on a waiting list for the second round of classes.

The cost will be $300 USD for the whole course of 20 classes. Unfortunately, I cannot allow folks to pick and choose classes. If you know you will be traveling, I can send you recordings of the classes. I understand that things are tight for folks right now and I don’t want anyone to miss out due to lack of funds, so please contact me about payment plants and other payment options.

I’m very excited about this. These topics are some of my favorites, and I’m looking forward to unpacking this fascinating material with you!

If you’re interested, please email me at thecunningfarmer@proton.me or via the contact form at thecunningfarmer.com so I can put you on the list and send you a payment link.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing you there!

Syllabus:

September 6th: Land Spirits and Sacred Space. Basic practices to get started with forming a relationship to the land and its spirits.

September 13th: Land Spirits and Sacred Space. Connecting with the history of your place and making a ritual space for your practice.

September 20th: First Principles of a Magical Worldview. We live in a magical, animate cosmos, but what does that mean? In this module we look at how that cosmos has been understood in Western Esotericism and other world cultures.

September 27th: The Moon, Mistress of Magic. Working with lunar phases and planetary rhythms in magical practice.

October 4th, no class this week. I’ll be presenting at the Southeastern Biodynamic Farming Conference In Red Boiling Springs TN. Come see me there!

October 11th: Moon Work continued. Using lunar astrology in magic, farming and work on the land.

October 18th: Weather Magic. Everybody’s always talking about the weather, but nobody’s doing anything about it. The idea that one can use magic to influence the weather is one of humanity’s oldest preoccupations, in this class we dive into some of those ancient practices and the theory behind them.

October 25th: The Farmer’s Gaze, energy medicine, Reiki and related practices on the farm and the land.

November 1, All Souls Day. The Cosmology of Ritual. In this module we take a look at various practices from different magical traditions to purify and consecrate sacred space, as well as those that are used to open or begin a ritual.

November 8th: Theurgy: The Magic of the Supercelestial Realm. Contacting angelic intelligences for the purposes of spiritual development and practical magic was a major part of the actual historic practice of real cunning folk as evidenced by its role in European folk grimoires. We will take a look at the practice of angelic magic, its metaphysical background in Neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy, as well as Judaism and Christianity and the role of prayer in magical practice.

November 15th: Astrological Magic. A huge topic to fit into one class, but we will be able to cover the basics, the theory and practice of working with celestial spirits, the planetary, lunar, and stellar powers through the practice of planetary magic and the making of talismans.

November 22nd: Earth Magic. In this module we will discuss some of the mythological figures personifying the energies and powers of the Earth, the chthonic and rustic deities and nature spirits we can work with to reconnect to the land and its powers.

November 27th: Working with Earth Energies. We will discuss practical methods of working with the energies of the Earth, the telluric current, for healing our lands, ourselves, and for helping our crops to grow and flourish.

December 6th: The Magic of the Underworld. The spirits of the dead and the ancestors in mythology and folklore.

December 13th: Practices Involving Spirits of the Underworld, including fae beings in history and on your land.

December 20th: Entheogenic Plants and the Plant Path.

December 27th: Baneful Plants in Magical Practice

January 3th: Plant Magic. Plants as both spirit allies and materia magica. Occult virtues and vegetation spirits.

January 10th: Agricultural Magic. Crafting your own planting, harvest, and fertility rituals.

January 17th: The Sacred Grove and Spiritual Practices with Trees.

January 24th: Wrapping it all up. Living the life of a Cunning Farmer.