The Temple Mystery School

The Temple’s Mystery School, offered in cooperation with the Temple of Witchcraft’s Sagittarius Ministry, consists of five different year-long classes.

Classes are offered in-person in select locations:

In-Person Mystery School

Classes are also offered online where classes are recorded and specific times to attend live are not required:

Online Mystery School

Click the individual links for specific class information but please read the basic information for the entire school overall below.

Applicants for the Mystery School must be eighteen years old or older. Special exceptions will only be made for those with full support from their parent or guardian, provided in writing, and with the permission of the Head of the Mystery School and the Dean of Students.

First Call List

If you would like to be on the first call list to be notified by email when registration for online Mystery School Classes opens, please sign up using this online form. Thank you.

Basic Benefits

The degreed tradition classes in Temple of Witchcraft Mystery School offer three basic benefits beyond the teachings themselves, including the educational material and your experience with them. Different aspects of the class align with these three areas, and all three fit into our theology of the Three Rays of Will, Love, and Wisdom. When you take a degree course, the Temple offers you Accountability, Support, and Community.

Accountability: Unlike other courses, the degree courses of the Temple are not study at your own pace, with stops and starts, but a continual process designed to bring about psychic changes within the student, to craft oneself into a deeper practitioner of magick. It’s often easy to get out of practice, let things slip and have “life” take over to the detriment of living a magickal life. Having made a commitment, and having a system that asks you to be accountable, to keep the commitment, is a necessary part of the process. This is also known as Witnessing, as mentors, teachers and allies witness our process and acknowledge the work we have done on what often seems like a lonely road with few landmarks. Accountability also helps us build the necessary psychic momentum, what some refer to as a “cauldron” or alchemical “crucible” to sustain the necessary changes a magickal practice demands. In the online Mystery school, the Dean of Students in the Temple is the overall ally for Accountability and Witnessing, making sure your assignments are complete. In the In-Person classes, this is the role of your teacher. Those who are not accountable to the process in a timely manner will not continue to receive lessons. The focus is upon the experience of the actual teachings of the Craft as presented. While there is a lot of flexibility in personal practice we ask that the initial teaching be experienced as it is. Once accomplished, there can be personal exploration and creativity and in the upper levels, such exploration and creativity is required. Accountability aligns with the Red Ray of Will and Power.

Support: Beyond the accountability of actually setting a task and completing it to the best of your ability, support includes offering encouragement, feedback, and even critique. As with any skill, we don’t improve without counsel from those who have learned the art before us. With encouragement, we know we are not alone on the path. We walk the path others have walked, and then can venture out with support into uncharted territories to explore. Support is found through our Teachers in the in-person classes and online through our mentors and those who have completed the class before you, offering an encouraging perspective and the benefit of their own experience as you continue on the path. In the online class teaching assistants and the Dean of Students can ask more specific questions requiring us to reach deeper, or offer stronger feedback and often critical information, encouraging us to do things over and look at things in new ways. The instructor will add the capstone of support with regular check-ins, and availability as questions and concerns arise from student, mentor, teaching assistant or dean. The focus is on the support from one who is living the teachings of the Craft. Support aligns with the Yellow Ray of Wisdom and Knowledge.

Community: Community is the body of practitioners, of fellow Witches and magicians, who work similar patterns and mysteries in their own life. While the school is not primarily a social group or for social support, nor is it a forum for group therapy, the fellowship of other Witches can be a sustaining part of the path. The community itself is like a cauldron teacher. We learn much about ourselves from our own interactions and reactions with people in our class, and many find friendship and kinship among them as time goes on. The community holds space in many ways, for that exploration and our gaze into it can be like the still mirror surface of a lake, or the stirring of the pot of emotions and reactions. Eventually we join the body of magickal initiates, the magickal society, and find a common ground among us. The instructor can guide the group process of the community as part of class discussion and interaction through additional wisdom lecture information. The group dynamic helps us draw from and add to the overall egregore of the school and temple. The focus is upon what we learn in a group consciousness setting. Community aligns with the Blue Ray of Love and Trust.

With these three points in place, like the tripod of the cauldron, one has a stronger chance of deeper success upon the path of the Witch.

Testimonials

Some words from just a few of our Mystery School students about their experiences:

“In my personal experience, I’ve found my classes very freeing. As a beginner, it can be exhausting to look at everything—all the books, concepts, and ideas, and navigate where to start, not to mention concerns about being misled with bad information. Frankly, it had caused me to stall in my journey. The classes gave me, month by month, a singular concept to work on and process so I could work on breaking down that giant mountain of information. I’m incredibly happy I took the leap and signed up, and I absolutely can’t wait to start Witchcraft II!”

— Nick Sinclair

“If anything Mystery School is giving me a much broader view of how Witchcraft can be helpful in every area of my life. It’s no longer a “side gig”, but a way of life. It fits into every nook and cranny of my existence, lending guidance and challenges. It’s built a stronger and more confident persona for me to put forth to the world.”

— Jennifer Crider

“I have to say the Witchcraft I course I recently finished was brutal. It challenged my abilities, and wasn’t all about answering the questions right or anything like that. It was so encompassing that even with my 30 years as a student and practitioner of Witchcraft, I have learned more about myself, where I see myself in the Witch Community, and the Temple specifically. I am eager to begin Witchcraft II and pray that, if I am able to, that I continue on to finish all five courses. That is my goal currently. I have never been much for big groups or organizations, finding them to be more of a drain than a strength. But here, among fellow alumni, I feel at home.”

— Adam Hayden

“As a witch of 25 years, and a loner at heart, my practice has been shaped by a search that winds through and pulls from several very different magical traditions. I participated in the first year of the Temple’s Mystery School online and have returned to it over the years in my spiritual travels. No matter how long I was away, I always felt welcome. In all of my unique and individual parts, I’ve always felt respected. As someone who often feels apart, I feel at home in the Temple of Witchcraft. I am continually impressed by the professionalism of the staff and volunteers, the ever-expanding, living nature of the teachings presented, and the warm and welcoming sense of community that is nurtured within the class as well as within the larger Temple of Witchcraft collective. The Mystery School is well-structured to be both challenging and supportive, creating a safe container for students to explore and deepen their magical and spiritual practices.”

— Rachel Melcher, Witchcraft IV graduate

“I’ve been with the Temple of Witchcraft for two years and have recently graduated from Witchcraft II with intentions of entering Witchcraft III in March 2021. The last couple of years of learning have brought deeply profound shifts in both my inner and outer world. I’ve been a practicing Witch for many years, but the teachings have solidified my psychic skills and created a deeper bond within my ritual practice. I can honestly say that I’ve developed a stronger bond with nature, the spirit world, and with magick. My experience and growth have gone beyond my expectations. I also worked hard and put in the time necessary to create the changes that were important for me. One thing I truly enjoyed was the teachers and community that pointed the way, but never told me how it had to be. I felt supported through the process and came out of my first two years feeling whole within myself. I highly recommend the teachings through The Temple of Witchcraft.”

— Suzanne Bean, Witchcraft II graduate

“I have always been a seeker. I came to the Mystery School after 25 years of self-study in Witchcraft and various spiritual systems, a series of covens, and having completed a year and a day in another tradition. My pattern was to seek out community and teachers for a few years and then revert back to being a solitary. Although I had learned a lot over the years and enjoyed the experiences, I never quite found anything that really “clicked.” I was always longing for a challenge, a deeper understanding and a community I could grow in. Most importantly, what I wanted was to develop the skills and tools to fully integrate Witchcraft into my life. I found all of that when I joined the Mystery School back in 2016. The lessons have inspired me and helped me create a regular practice. They continuously open my mind and heart to what is within and without. I look back at the time spent in Witchcraft I through III and I am amazed at the growth and transformation I have experienced. I am grateful for the friends I have made on this journey and the guidance and support of my teachers and my mentor.”

— L.L.O. Witchcraft III graduate

For those looking for a more relaxed atmosphere of online learning, the Temple of Witchcraft offers other, non-degree courses that have a more socially supportive nature, but without the levels of accountability in the degree classes, such as courses on The Wheel of the Year, Path of the Moon, Astrology, and Tarot. We also offer The Pillars of the Witch’s Temple, a go-at-your-own-pace course that teaches the Tradition of the Temple of Witchcraft outside of the Mystery School degree program. It can be a better fit for those who are not seeking a degree and whose schedule does not permit submitting monthly assignments for feedback.

We also highly recommend that those interested in the Temple of Witchcraft as a tradition review the Temple of Witchcraft Handbook found on this website, as well as the book The Foundations of the Temple by Christopher Penczak, as an overview on the mission and ethos of the Temple as a tradition and community

In-person instructors (see Mystery School Teachers) work from this ethos, but may vary the application due to the size and circumstances of their in-person classes.

Mediation

Students registered for any class in the Mystery School agree, at least while in class, to the principles outlined in the Temple of Witchcraft Handbook, including the principle of mediation during conflict. Students experiencing conflict with other students and/or staff within the school should be open to mediation as facilitated through the Temple’s Libra Ministry. Administrative decisions regarding class matters are decided upon by the school staff. Any challenges to the administration’s decisions can be brought before the Temple’s Board of Directors for final arbitration.

Non-Exclusivity

We do not require anyone studying, or initiating, in the Temple to renounce any other traditions, religions, or practices while pursuing work in the Temple. Students and graduates can continue with whatever practices, community work, and traditions they desire, as long as their commitments to our course are kept. If other work is a distraction to your coursework, we will ask you to make a commitment to the class, but do not require you to leave anything to do so. You must manage your own time, effort, and energy in these matters and make appropriate decisions. Many initiates of the Temple are also active initiates in other traditions and this poses no conflict for us. We often see the double meaning in the idea of a “degree” within a tradition, and look at it akin to degrees within other educational institutions. You can have multiple undergraduate degrees from different institutions, along with Masters and PhDs from even more academic institutions, and still maintain the integrity and use of your earlier degrees. If you, or elders of other traditions, feel there is an energetic, spiritual, or personal conflict from maintaining more than one, that is up to you to resolve and make the appropriate decision for you and your path. We will never require you to resign or renounce any other work you are called to do, even if it’s not within the scope and mission of the Temple.