Potion-Crafting?!

[MacMorrighan]

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Hey guys, I am preparing a course/workshop for my own local/geographic Pagan community on a fascet of Witchcraft that is very near-and-dear to me, as a Witch: Potion-Crafting! My impetus, of course, is because it seems like a relatively "dying" Art amid contemporary Witches, as though they could somehow care less! I certainly don't note any Witches admitting to brewing their own potions; rather, they rely on another's formula, as if it's better than anything they could ever formulate! ("Bullocks," I say!) Hell, some so-called "Witches" have absolutely no desire to brew any Potions, while others seem to bastardize the important epithet of "Witch" by differentiating between the Witch that employs Magick, and those that do not: More and more I meet so-called "Witches" who have no problem employing this descriptor, but...they reject Magick, and state, "I'm not that kind of 'Witch'"! WTF?!

Anyhoo...I was hoping to create an open dialogue between myself and any Witches/Pagans that have either taught, or attended, any classes and workshops specifically on the crafting of Potions. I'd like to know what was taught, or what assignments tendered, etc. While I have several ideas for my own lesson plans and syllibus, I don't want to short-change my students in any way, and want to ensure that my course be as exhaustive as possible, and that I not accidentally forget to cover anything. Ya' know what I mean? (I'm very exhaustive whenever I write and research something. _happydanc ) Although, one concern of mine, is not enough stove-space when brewig Potions during class... I was hoping to model it, in part, after my high school Home Ec. class and give various research assignments, etc., etc.

Now, I am aware that many teaching Pagans and Witches that are educators guard their knowledge anbd course-teachings jealously, I rather subscribe to the view that educators can learn from, and aid each other.

All my best,
Wade MacMorrighan

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[Rudas Starblaze]

well, im one of those non-public-teaching kind of witches. i prefer it all to be kept underground my self but that just me, call me old fashioned.

so what kinda potions are you brewing? are you teaching poisons?

and another reason why alot of witches have strayed away from potions is due to scientific/medical research (forensics) that incriminates.... :lol:

[princeether]

well, im one of those non-public-teaching kind of witches. i prefer it all to be kept underground my self but that just me, call me old fashioned.

so what kinda potions are you brewing? are you teaching poisons?

and another reason why alot of witches have strayed away from potions is due to scientific/medical research (forensics) that incriminates.... :lol:

Very true, I think the using some types of potion has become very unpopular because they are now easily detectable and very incriminating, thanks to modern tecniques, for example, If I was to make a potion from a member of the Solanaceae family, to induce insanity and delerium with someone, the Tropane Alkaloids could easily be detected...I would never do this BTW. :lol:

Anyway, the term 'Potion' has quite a broad spectrum, so maybe you can elaborate on what you consider to be a 'Potion'? or what falls into this category MacMorrighan?

P.S. Are you going to do your class in MW CoT? I think it would be cool...;)

[MacMorrighan]

Of course we will speak about poisonous herbs and safety when we broach a lengthy discussion about Herbal Magick, and take any of a number of field trips around the city (for a "Weed Walk"), and to the Botqanical Gardens center here in Iowa. And, because my course will be very hands-on, and involve many workshops, as well as examples of me brewing potions, it will not be suitible for an on-line environment, I am afraid. But, maybe I can, at a later point (maybe sometime this year) design a course expressly for the 'Net. But...that'll take some considerations, because my actual classes will involve writing a monograph about an herb each week after noting what a tea made from that herb smells like, tastes like, and any emotional responces, etc.

[Silverfire Darkmoon]

MacMorrighan, I've taught a potion-making class in public. An excellent way to demonstrate the brewing of potions if you don't have a stove handy or just don't have enough space on it is to use a fondue pot and the included burner - it takes a while to heat up, but it works pretty good, I've found. Fondue burners can also be used with a regular small cast-iron cauldron, if you can suspend it in some fashion.
When I taught my class, I went over the basic aspects of magical herbalism first; talked about some easy-to-get herbs, what a bolline is, that sort of thing. I did talk about the baneful herbs, said a word about flying ointments and their possible psychoactive effects, how the lists of herbal 'code words' so loved by a certain type of pagan are B.S., how to store herbs properly, and so on. I'm not sure of the level of the class you'll be teaching or how much you want to cover.