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Halo Quin

~ Author, storyteller, singer-songwriter, witch

Tag Archives: online course

The Cauldron of Awen: A Creative Initiation

31 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by Haloquin in Art Craft and Beauty, Druidry, Magic

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bard, Bardic Magic, Ceridwen, how to be a bard, how to be a druid, How to Tell a Story, Imbolc, learn magic, learn storytelling, learn witchcraft, Magic, New book, New Course, online course, Storytelling, Storytelling For Magic, Taliesin, Welsh Mythology

Happy Imbolc!

Tomorrow marks Imbolc, which is considered by many to be the festival of Brigid, Goddess and Saint of poetry, healing, and smith-craft (among other things).

(It’s also the start of the annual song-writing challenge, FAWM, which I’ve found so inspiring these past two years.)

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, in Wales, the land is starting to wake up after the long dark nights, and cold storms. There will likely still be hard frosts to come, but the snowdrops are emerging, and with it arises inspiration.

In Wales the Goddess of inspiration, the keeper of the Cauldron of Awen, is the Witch and Mother Ceridwen. Even in Christian bardic traditions it was often claimed that the divine inspiration, the Awen, flowed into the world through her cauldron, that’s how powerful her name is… they may not have called her a goddess then, but in modern paganism we certainly do.

She gathers the wisdom of the land and brews the potion to grant wisdom, creative insight, and magic.

And as the fire in the land begins to brighten, we remember the fire that flickered under the iron vessel, stirred by the child that would one day become a great bard…

This Imbolc I invite you to light a white candle, brew yourself a cup of tea – whether caffeinated or herbal is entirely up to you – and as you stir reflect on where you give yourself space to be inspired. How will you feed your creative springs in the days to come?


When I have felt stuck, or like my creative well has run dry, I turn to magic, the stories, and my gods.

On April Fool’s day we will step into a three month journey with Ceridwen and Taliesin, the Goddess of Initiation and Inspiration, and the Greatest Bard that ever lived, in The Cauldron of Awen.

Together we will explore Bardic Skills, the magic of the voice, the power of breath, and tools for devotion, discipline, and overcoming creative block and the fear of being seen that keeps us from sharing our stories. We will gather tales, explore their magic, and build our skills to share them as enchantments weaving wonder in the world. I offer a focus on words and the voice, but this is open to wonder-weaving in all mediums.

This is your invitation to begin your Bardic Initiation with Ceridwen and Taliesin.

Are you ready to leap into inspiration?

Enter the Cauldron of Awen
Halo smiling at the camera with three golden dots of clay on their forehead and tents in the background.

Magical Classes & Talks – with Halo

BABALON CIRCLE & BOOK CLUB

Monthly Live Babalon Circle – Our monthly magical working to connect with Babalon – Monday 2nd February, 8pm (UK) – online – replay included

January Book Club Topic: The Season of the Chalice

Join the Babalon Circles & Book Club here.

Elemental Allies Ritual at the Glastonbury Occult Conference – Glastonbury, 14th February

Monthly DIY TAROT CLUB – first session Monday 9th March – make your own tarot deck and learn to read the cards through play – no art skills required! – online – replay included

Join the Grove to access the DIY Tarot Club here.

Upcoming appearances include: Star Club Mini-Con (Bristol, 28th Feb), The Fool’s World at The Witches’ Cauldron con (Online, 13th March), Story Magic at the Phoenix Club (Isle of Wight, 2nd May)…

Enchantments – Live Classes Now on Patreon
Enter the Cauldron of Awen

The end of a chapter

19 Saturday Feb 2022

Posted by Haloquin in Creative Process, Following Delight, Magic, Philosophy, Reflections, Storytelling

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

ADHD, Adventures, Author, Bardic, Celebration, Commitment, Completion, courage, Creation, Dancing in Wales, Diary of an Adventuress, disability, elemental magic, Empowerment, Enchantment, Faery philosoper, Festivals, freedom, goblin circus, goblins, gratitude, learn magic, learn witchcraft, Living Life, Love, online course, Pagan, PhD, Philosophy, Plants, Power, Pride, process, Self Empowerment, steampunk, Stories, Storytelling, Strangeness of Life, The Enchanted Academy, Wheel of the Year, Workshop, writing

And that’s it. This month, on Imbolc eve, I finished my PhD corrections and submitted the final FINAL version. This week I got confirmation that it has been accepted!

I’m officially Dr Halo!

The thesis! Yes, I have a theme… “The power of storytelling to re-enchant the world” fits it quite nicely, don’t you think?

I celebrated with a trip to the bookshop, hot chocolate with friends, dinner for one and a movie… Then cuddles from my fella the following night, of course!

I started by letting my brain decompress and dealing with those bits of life that now need dealing with, like clearing out some old books to make space for the new ones! And contemplating where I go from here… With a foxy companion for Imbolc reminding me that spring is emerging from the dark, just like me. 🥰

If you’re on my mailing list you’ll know that I’ve got a whole bunch of monthly discussion based classes that I’m offering through Patreon, or which you can sign up for individually if you’d rather, starting with an online elements of magic workshop next month, on 16th March at 7pm GMT. (And in April I’ll be kicking off a ten week course working with them too…)

Find out more here
Uncover your inner witch - magical workshops in 2023 with Halo Quin - background image of lit candle on a beach at night.

And the Goblin Masquerade is coming together! Last autumn I was chatting with fellow changeling poet Kate Garrett, and somehow got the inspiration to host a goblin market followed by a Masked fairy ball this spring. Everything is coming together and we have music, talks, dancing, and even the steampunk debut of an Ominous Folk of Hopeless Maine show. It’s going to be a lovely day of community and play, and I’m considering it my party for escaping studenthood with a Doctorate at last!

Flier for the Goblin Masquerade in Borth, Ceredigion, Wales, 12th March, from 1pm. Free afternoon market, evening ball £6. Click for more details.

I’ve also been researching ADHD and neurodivergences… There’s so little support for adults with ADHD and we can do amazing things with the right help! So I’m writing occasional thoughts on that over here… On the newsletter “Living with Squirrels” not sure where it’ll go but you’re welcome to sign up if you like.

Living with Squirrels

So I guess I do know where I’m going next… To play with the goblins and re-enchant the world!


PS: If you want to get workshops, extra posts, advance access to material, and more things as and when the goblins inspire me… And support my adventures so I can keep building the academy into something sustainable you can sign up to my Patreon here:

Patreonise me! 😉

Writing and whirlwinds

20 Thursday May 2021

Posted by Haloquin in Enchanted, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections, Witchcraft 101

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

A World Enchanted, Author, Bard, book, Creation, creativity, Diary of an Adventuress, Enchantment, Faerie, Faeries, Faery, faery magic, fairies, folklore, Garden, growing things, Imperfection, Journey, Landwights, learn witchcraft, Living Life, Neopagan, New book, online course, Pagan, practice, Reflection, Sun, The Faery Heart, Thought process, Wales, Wheel of the Year, writing

Spring arrived, and with it went my focus. It’s always an inspirational time of year for me, the rush of energy bringing so many new ideas, so much potential, that I find myself led astray by beautiful new possibilities… And some things get dropped in the whirlwind romance of life. Like consistency.

Once upon a time I’d have felt guilty for that.

Coming to honour my cycles is a really important step in not beating myself up, and I don’t think I’m alone there. Each of us has cycles and seasons, and for some of us the effects are more pronounced than for others… Have you noticed that? Have you noticed your energy and attention fluctuating with the moon, or the sun?

Even e when it gets dark there’s light. Like here; there’s a boat on the horizon, dramatically lighting its own way in the dusk.

I definitely go with the seasons, the kiss of the sun on the land… Each season feeding into the other, a circle that repeats every year.

And each year I know a little more, recognise it a little sooner, so the circles become spirals, the same shape but a little further ahead, building a little higher than last time.

At least, that’s my goal.

And so far it seems to be working. I’ve noticed myself wanting to chase all the gorgeous idea-bunnies and remembered to pull myself back to centre. Those inspirations are wonderful, and if I follow them all I’ll forget the garden one been tending.

Do you find this? Do you find you cycle through patterns each day, month, year? Do you tend to overdo it in the summer, like me? Or do you let it go and take a holiday when the sun shines?

This Spring I’ve been nurturing a few writing seedlings which are strengthening day by day. The Enchanted Academy (TEA) with my courses on magic is one, the Crimson Coven is another, and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen today that I’ve just signed contracts for two new books!

I decided years ago that I wanted to write books and teach, and that’s the spiral staircase I’m climbing each year… Each revolution, a little further along the path of doing what I love, even when my energy waxes and wanes with the seasons.

Whatever the sun is doing, I keep my dream in mind. If you hold true to who you choose to be then, every season, every revolution, you’ll have spent a little longer doing what feeds your heart’s garden. Don’t let the down times make you forget that.

Oh and learning your cycles and patterns, recognising the flow of the world around you, and learning to work in tune with both, is part of the craft of the witch, too.

I have, however, accidentally let the purple sprouting broccoli in my actual garden blossom and go to seed (I think?) because I was writing. Oops. It’s still pretty though!

In an attempt to get better at this while “making a living writing” thing, may I just remind you that I have books for sale! You can find them in my new online bookshop, Quin’s Books, or at your local bookshop. Or, if you’d like, you can support me on Patreon and unlock bonus audio content and early access to magical writings…

On Earth, and a Free Class

23 Tuesday Feb 2021

Posted by Haloquin in elemental magic, Magic, Witchcraft 101

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Belly dance, Breathing, Community, Craft, Dancing in Wales, Devotion, Druidry, earth, elemental magic, elements, Empowerment, Energy, fire, Fire Magic, Herbalism, learn magic, learn witchcraft, Magic, Meditation, neo-paganism, Neopagan, occultism, online course, Pagan, pagan workshop, paganism, Reclaiming, Ritual, Self Empowerment, Spell, Spellwork, Spirit work, Witch, witchcraft

I’ve been working a lot with Earth this past winter, getting into my body, experimenting with herbal medicine, grounding the magic. Focusing on the practical, manifest steps of the day by day, and the sensual nature of living as an embodied creature of the earth.

Physically embodying divine aspects of myself as Priestess.

Growing up I spent a long time in the realm of air, escaping into imaginary landscapes and worlds woven of words. I even studied philosophy, a subject known for residing firmly in the domain of the mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love words and the space in which air manifests, but coming back down to earth has its own pleasure and gifts… And I struggled with it!

Dance helped me with enjoying being in my body a lot, but working with the element of earth has been key to really getting into a healthy relationship with the physical realm. Each time I return to this work, I feel more at home in my body and in the land, and my material life improves. (Yes, by this I mean money, home, and physical health!)

Literally feeding your body is earth work…

I’m looking forward to starting the elemental magic course on 10th March 2021, and I thought it’d be nice to share some pointers with you lovelies before that kicks off, so 7:30pm (GMT/UTC) next Wednesday, 3rd March 2021, I’ll be hopping onto discord and hosting an introductory chat on the elements of magic and my relationship with them, including a guided meditation for you to tune into them and hints for getting started with them (or revitalising your practice!) Sign up to my mailing list for the invite!

Sign up to my email list below to get the invite to join the conversation. You’ll get access to a forum for chatting with other like minded souls too. And there are still spaces on my Elemental Magic course starting Wednesday 10th March if you’d like to join us for 10 weeks packed with practical magic!

Elemental Magic course includes weekly materials, Fortnightly chats, group support, theory & practice.
Sign up to my mailing list here!

(c) Halo Quin ~ author, storyteller, witch

Re-enchanting the world, one story, one song, one spell, at a time.

The Enchanted Academy - learn real magic - click here

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