Grey Matters
December 2022
Table of Contents
1.) 2023 Physical Classes
2.) Dark Arts Department Update
3.) New Dean of Faculty
4.) New Dean of Students
5.) Monthly Class Spotlight
6.) Magickal Practice Dept Crossword
7.) January 2023 Astrology Overview
8.) Candle-Side Chat January 2023
2023 Physical Classes
By Grey Matters Staff
Five classes have been selected to be offered in 2023 at GSW's Physical Campus in Whitehall, NY. These include core requirements for all Apprentices such as "Wizardry 100: Becoming an Apprentice" as well as others.
Completing classes in-person offers a great way to accelerate your learning by completing them in just a few days, a chance to deepen your knowledge by providing opportunities for real-time and in-person communication with your instructor, and facilitates subjects that can be challenging to learn at a distance.
Because of the success of GSW's fundraisisng drive in 2022, these classes are offered at a discounted tuition of $200 each (regularly $250) and include lodging.
You will find a complete roster of the available classes, their dates, and signup instructions on the Forums at https://www.greyschool.net/forum/physical-campus/physical-class-list-for-2023
Dark Arts Department Update
By Grey Matters Staff
Back in October we welcomed Dean ShadowFox (now styled Dean Shay) as the Dean of the Dark Arts Department. Dean Shay succeeded the illustrious Dean Arakeane as Department Dean. Now, after consultations with the Dean of Curriculum and Headmaster, Dean Shay has announced information about forthcoming changes to the Dark Arts Departments. The list of new and exciting things on the horizon is too extensive to repeat here, but the full announcement on the Forum at https://www.greyschool.net/forum/dark-arts-dept/a-glimpse-into-the-darkness
As a taste, however, we can anticipate:
A new Defensor's Major, which will be a hybrid program requiring completion of some in-person classes
The addition of a number of new and fascinating classes
The broadening of the Department's focuses to include subjects such as necromancy and baneful workings
Make sure to read the full announcement! For those drawn to the Dark Arts Department, there will be a lot to look forward to.
New Dean of Faculty: Dean Emrys Starhawk
By Headmaster Nicholas Kingsley
Emrys Starhawk holds an impressive knowledge of the occult and spiritual as a Practitioner of magick for well over a decade.
In his occult practices, Dean Starhawk finds that he favors ceremonial magick and the magick of nature as he takes a druidic path through life and it's mysteries. In addition to a working and living knowledge of druidic lore, Emrys is a certified Reiki practitioner in the honored Usui tradition which allows his passion for healing others to find a potent place in his personal and professional practices as a Wizard.
In his life away from School, Dean Starhawk is an Independent Catholic Priest in the Independent Sacramental Movement as well as a member of the Healthcare industry. Working long hours in service to his community aboard ambulances Dean Starhawk works hard ensuring that those who find themselves at their worst, have their best shot.
For Homelife, Starhawk is happily married to his lovely wife and shares a home with their two excitable dogs and three wonderful cats, although it is rumored by some that a couple of the cats believe they're dogs.
As a veteran of the U.S. Army and dedicated member of our tireless healthcare community, Dean Starhawk brings his passion, integrity, kindness as well as his Wisdom to GSW and it's charges as the School's Dean Of Faculty. I have no doubt that great things will come from this appointment and look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes in his new role. Huzzah!
New Dean of Students: Dean Xenia Dragonseye
By Headmaster Nicholas Kingsley
Xenia Dragonseye joined the Grey School of Wizardry in June 2016 as an apprentice and and earned her Journeyman Certificate with a Major in Lifeways and two minors in Cosmology and Healthy Living.
Not only has this talented Wizard been a proactive member and prefect of the Society of the Four Winds during her time as an Apprentice but she showed some truly Winds Lodge Spirit when graduating magna laude from the Grey School of Wizardry in 2017. After a fantastic and engaged career as an Apprentice, Xenia became a faculty member in February 2017 and took on the role of leading the lodge she was once a part of as the Head of Lodges.
A Wizard of many talents, Dean Dragonseye holds a PhD in Linguistics, allowing her a most Wizardly perspective when it comes to the spoken word in its many forms. In addition to her PhD, Dean Xenia works diligently to provide a place of purpose and learning in her day job managing an office at a university.
For homelife, Dean Xenia is married to a devoted husband who is also a Wizard, and together they have a beautiful daughter who fills their lives with magick wonder. We are over the proverbial moon to have Dean Xenia take on the Role of DoS and suspect that she will see to the responsibilities of her new office in a most Wizardly manner. Huzzah!
Monthly Class Spotlight
By Apprentice Corvus Umbra
This article is part of a monthly series focusing on specific classes offered at Grey School of Wizardry. If you’re not sure what class to take next, or are looking for a little extra inspiration, you’ll want to pay attention to this section. Feel free to share your thoughts and insights with your fellow apprentices and magisters on the relevant department forums as you go through these classes. Collaboration leads to greater insight!
* * *
Whatever the reason, you’ve come to Grey School. You’ve been accepted - congratulations on choosing to pursue the knowledge of the arcane arts! 16 different departments and over 500 classes await you; it can be a bit overwhelming. Where do I go now? What color of magick - or Department of Study - do I want to focus on? Where do I even start?
With the excitement of coming to Grey School, we want to learn everything. This is often the answer everyone gives. Though we cannot tell you what path to take, we can help guide you towards where to start. The class "Colors of Magick" taught by our very own Headmaster Emeritus Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is a solid choice for a new Apprentice. Now, the "Colors of Magick" class isn’t a required class but one I highly advise to new Apprentices.
With Grey School holding many options for minors and majors, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with what you want to take. The "Colors of Magick" class gets more in-depth on each color and Department of Study offered here. It’s a level 1 class with 2 credits awarded and 3 assignments. Seems simple enough right, like 1,2,3?
You start off by learning the spectrum of magick and wizardry taught by the school and begin to realize that all colors do blend in between Departments. It also gets you to start thinking about your major, which is something I encourage you to do when you start Level Two. This starts to give you some leeway regarding what classes to start taking. Once you start looking at the colors, you are asked to think of your interests and how they are aligned with that color. For example, if you enjoy animals, Beast Mastery may be the path for you, the path of the Brown Wizard.
Next, you are asked about your learning styles and your personality style. This area of "Colors of Magick" helps you better identify yourself. It helps you better understand your learning styles and your personality traits. This area goes into a bit more depth and also helps you understand how you learn best, be that through visual, auditory, or kinesthetic mediums. These are great factors to keep in mind when you ask your instructors questions and they can better guide you in their lesson. How your personality is approached and the color you choose are related to each other as well. For example, you may be less likely to find an introverted person in the Path of the Orange Wizard, who specialize in Performance Magick.
Once you have found your personality type and your learning type, you take a dip into each Department. They are broken into 4 different categories. Each category has its own set of questions you should ask yourself when you are planning on picking your major. These questions will align with your learning style and personality style. When looking into each of these categories and the Departments they contain, you also get the opportunity to look at or even reference back to what to expect in your upcoming classes for that Department.
So, you learned the spectrum of colors, determined your learning and personality style, and even have an idea of what path you want to take. Then what? This part of "Colors of Magick" is a good guide on the steps on how you can receive your Journeyman Letter. Not only that, I often refer back to it to see the list of mandatory classes I need to take. This also guides you into the steps of how you can be better equipped when you take on your major and who to get into contact with regarding your major once you have chosen one. In the last part of the lesson, there is a cool self-dedication rite you can perform to help you be more dedicated to the path you choose to be your major.
I personally enjoyed this class, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling to find their major. Even with people who do have their major in mind, I feel this class should still be taken based on its navigational information. You may even find something new and interesting.
Magickal Practice Department Crossword
By Grey Matters Staff
You can download a PDF:
Or solve it online: https://crosswordlabs.com/view/gsw-magickal-practice-crossword
January 2023 Astrology Overview
By Grey Matters Staff
Welcome to January, and the new year!
Traditionally, the beginning of the year is a time for setting goals, evaluations, and deciding to make changes for our own betterment. Saturn will be hanging out in Aquarius for some time yet, where it is well dignified. This brings Saturn's constrictive, reductive nature to bear, demanding that we simplify and remove the unneeded from our lives. It also encourages us to turn a critical eye towards our lives both outer and inner, including hopes and goals, relationships, social or group associations, and to remove whatever is found lacking and replace them with something better. This is also a good time to add structure, order, and organization to aspects of our lives that are in flux or chaos so that we can maximize the benefits from them.
Jupiter has been in Aries since December 20th, adding a fiery courage to Jupiter's magnanimousness. Harness it to forge your own opportunities and take the initiative in leadership roles or capacities.
References:
Cafe Astrology. “2023 Planetary Overview | Cafe Astrology .com.” Cafe Astrology, https://cafeastrology.com/astrology-of-2023.html. Accessed 03 Jan. 2023.
Candle-Side Chat January 2023
By Grey Matters Staff
Join Headmaster Kingsley in this recording of his most recent Candle-Side Chat and stay current with the most recent happenings.