OK, here is what I have come up with for the public Intro to Wicca and want-to-be-a Gardnerian Classes.

The next session of the Intro to Wicca classes will be held sometime in the Autumn of 2005.

There are a couple of rules for attending though.
1) IF you belong to another group (cyber covens are exempt) as a student or dedicant or Initiate or leader, I need your HP/S to give you permission to attend. It is only showing them respect. Otherwise what I say may conflict with what your own group wishes you to know. And no teacher likes to hear "But my other teacher says.."

2) If you are involved with another group or are forming a group, please do not use these classes as a means to find members for your other group. People who attend classes, rituals, etc looking for people for their own groups are called Trolls and that is a nasty word in the Craft.
If someone from these classes invites you to their other group, please let me know. I don't like being used and a little honesty does wonders.

3) These Intro classes will be more casual than the usual Gardnerian Coven Classes I do and will take fewer weeks to cover the same material. So one or two topics a week. I will supply tea to drink, feel free to bring dinner or snacks for yourself. I understand that some people will come directly from work and this will interfere with their dinner. No problem.
Though if you bring chips or chocolate, I may share your bounty.

4) I would like a separate e-mail to confirm your attendance so I can send you a map and directions and phone number.
If you wish to bring a guest, that's ok too. Some students like to bring their non-pagan spouse to show them what they are into and to avoid confusion. It works more often than you think and helps bring a marriage closer. BUT, you are responsible for your own kids and guest.
And if you pass this info to another who may wish to attend, same rules apply to them

5) I have nudity in some of the slides and art. This is a part of Witchcraft and if it bothers you or you don't want your kids or guest exposed, let me know so I can tell you in advance what days they will be shown.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I will do whatever I can to answer them.

oh, yes, the dress code.
Casual. I will be barefoot but wearing clothes. If you want to wear a formal suit or be naked, that's ok with me though be prepared for me to stare, laugh or take pictures.
During the magick classes, please wear loose cotton clothing. I'll explain this later.

And as for weapons... Some people like to carry firearms. If so, let me know in advance (the door is not advance) and I will give you my rules about that. Although I support the right to bear arms for all free citizens, some people should not be trusted with either live ammunition or live sperm. And I’ve seen too many fools (including cops) accidently shoot themselves (and others) with an unloaded firearm. I don’t want either happen in my home.

Explore the mystery, magick and beauty of Wicca- (Witchcraft)- one of the oldest religions on earth. Despite common misconceptions, Wicca is a joyous, life-loving Nature religion that honors the God and Goddess and encourages personal growth and living in harmony with the Earth.

Held 2 to 3 times yearly since 1982, this is one of the oldest continuously run public classes on the Wiccan religion. This is NOT a "How to be a witch" class, but rather will emphasis "What is a Witch." This class emphasizes the Traditional beliefs and practices of Wicca and explores the history, mythology, magick and rituals of The Old Religion. The class uses slides, music, handouts, displays. lectures and discussions to further illustrate the subject.

The instructor, Rick Johnson, has been involved in Wicca since 1971, was High Priest of Desert Henge Coven from 1982 to 1998 and has been a Third Degree British Traditional Witch since 1984. He has also written and lectured extensively on the subject to police, the military, the University of Arizona and various media sources.

For more information, contact:
Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
(520) 622-2653

One thing that really bothers me is how so many people can write and call me asking for me to run a class on a specific day to meet their schedules and when I do so, with all attending costs for me, they rarely make the effort to show up.
Then there are those poeple who bug me to re-form a coven and teach them, all the time swearing that they are dedicated and promising to attend, and when I do, they don't show.
As a Third Degree High Priest of the Gods, I have promised to teach anyone who asks but this being there when the 'student' blows me off is getting really tireing. So, if you want me, or anyone to teach you, at least have the courtesy to show up for class.

Now for the ads. Please feel free to distribute this to anyone you feel will be interested. My bio is on the biographies page of this web-site for those interested.
This class is constantly being updated and changed as the students reply with their end-of-session questionnaires and each change brings with it new ideas.

As this class is for the public, I try to meet the needs of the populace and this means anything that will present a good image of Witchcraft. So I need handouts to pass on to the students.
Please send to me by snail-mail a good photocopyable handout and, if possible, e- mail a copy to me for advance set-up.

I currently handout over 125 handouts per student per session. Some are outdated and need to be replaced.

I need more and different slides to show and need you to send me slides or photos that I can convert to slides. Ashleen O'Gaea of The Family Wicca Book was kind enough to donate a camera that can convert photos to slides and Silver Ravenwolf sent me some photos of her Altars so if you send me a photo or drawing, I can convert it easily.
I present over 1000 slides on everything from a Wiccan Ritual to altars to history to Tools to whatever I can get. If there are children in class, I warn the parents that next week will have nudity in the slides so they can avoid that session. Other than that, I have NO restrictions and even do an hour on sex in Wicca which I am told is really dull.

I do displays that support the lecture. When I talk about the burning Times, I pass around various torture instruments I made like a thumb screw and a set of bodkins. When I talk about the Gods, I pass around statues from JBL enterprises and other sources. And when I talk about Tools, I pass around a set of Altar tools I made specifically for the class. But I need more and newer displays. If you have anything you will donate, please do so.

Essentially, anything that I can show to prove that Wicca is more than some over-aged hippies or new-age freaks playing pagan on a Saturday night is needed. I show calendars, music books and CD/tapes, coloring books, books, magazines, newspaper articles, whatever.
And as this class is taken by the police and media, they walk away with a different idea of what Witchcraft really is and THAT is priceless.

So, how much do I charge for this? NOTHING! I am a Priest of the Gods and so believe that charging for doing the Rites and teaching the religion is selling the Goddess. So I pay ALL expenses out of my own pocket. This includes:

1. photocopy costs for 125 handouts per student per session. About 30 students per session. You do the math.
2. buying and developing film for slides at currently over 1000 slides.
3. buying books and magazines to show to the class.
4. buying God/dess statues and art to pass around.
5. renting a classroom and paying for a babysitter for my kids.
6. advertising the class.

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Return to the Desert Henge page.

To contact me or to request topics to be covered, send to RikJohnson@juno.com
by: Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717