(1888PressRelease)
February 09, 2007 - February 7, 2007 -- The MoonPool Coven (http://www.moonpool.org/), located north of Boston, has recently made its teachings available online, free of charge, to sincere seekers around the world. Why are they using 21st century technology to spread the word about some of the most time-tested ideas on the planet?
“It was just a natural progression” says Rick Bailly, High Priest and Lead Instructor. “We are a teaching Coven and have been offering classes to our members for almost 10 years. This is just the next logical step”.
Currently scheduled classes include History of Witchcraft, Songspells, Beginning Ritual,Astral Projection, and Divination, in addition to rotating elective classes. For a full list of available classes, visit http://www.moonpool.org/classes. Students can register now for the History of Witchcraft class set for Saturday, February 10 at 10 am eastern.
Plans are in the works to offer three levels of classes, for Dedicants, for Initiates, and toward an Earth Degree,
“A lot of people are curious about what Wiccans really believe and how it can be useful to their everyday life,” Bailly said. “They know ‘there’s more out there’ but are still restrained by traditional stereotypes. There are still many people today who equate Wicca with Satanism. Nothing could be further from the truth”
Wicca is an Earth-Based religion which takes its practices loosely from non-Judeo/Christian groups, such as the Druids and Native Americans. Although largely stigmatized by other religious traditions, Wicca has been undergoing a resurgence since the 1960s due in part to the work of Alistair Crowley, Gerald Gardner and their followers. Despite renewed interest, practitioners of Wicca are still misunderstood by the general culture.
Rick Bailly points to the archetypical Halloween figure, the green-faced wart-nosed witch, as an example. “Here is an image started in the Middle Ages by a corrupt church to frighten its membership into submission, yet it still perpetuates to this day. It’s a tough stereotype to break through,” he said. Bailly adds he has met thousands of Witches in his 30+ years of study, and none of them have ever had green faces and warts, even without their make-up or morning coffee.
About MoonPool Coven
The MoonPool Coven was started in the mid-90s by a group of friends who wished to explore their spirituality free from the traditions of more established religions. Members have participated in many local events including Pride-Days and food bank donation drives.
Why haven’t more people heard of them? “Many reasons” says Gen Doyle, one of the group's founding members “Mostly because we teach, we don’t proselytize. We try to live our lives as best we can, and usually only discuss our beliefs with those who we know are sympathetic. Most members are still ‘in the broom closet’ in some ways. Family and co-workers may be prejudiced or less than tolerant”
