Virtual BBTB Schedule 2024
Times and workshops are tentative and subject to change. We will continue to add and edit this schedule as needed until the gathering begins.
All times listed are Eastern Standard Time.
Friday
April 5, 2024
2-2:30pm - Welcome Talk with Mel Mystery
An introduction to the Brotherhood by the Bog retreat, our theme for this year, an overview of our guidelines and code of conduct for the virtual retreat, and a chance to ask your questions.
3-4:15pm -- Practical Lycanthropy with Mel Mystery
This workshop will present practical ways to include werewolves and shapeshifting into your magickal practice. Why werewolves and lycanthropy? What magickal disciplines are involved? What tools might you use? How can you apply lycanthropy and shapeshifting to your specific spiritual path or magickal practice?
5-6pm -- Dinner Break
Get up and stretch, give your eyes a rest from the computer, and grab something to eat between sessions.
6-7:15pm -- "Show and Spell" Icebreaker and Discussion Hosted by Eric Eldritch
Bring a magickal item with special significance to share in our icebreaker and discussion. This could be a magickal tool, something you made or crafted yourself, a favorite book, or anything else you'd like to share with the group.
8-8:30pm -- Opening Ritual: Shifting Perspectives with David and Mel
Sometimes we come to a point in our journeys where we need to shift perspective. The time is now!
9-10:30pm -- Otherworldly Trivia Game Hosted by Gwydion
Using a Jeopardy based system, contestants will compete to earn points and prizes. Some categories will include "We're not in Kansas anymore," "Real life Shapeshifters," & "There are other worlds than these"
10:30pm -- After Hours Social
This is your chance to decompress from the day's activities, to share your experiences and reactions, and to socialize and hang out.
Saturday
April 6, 2024
11-12:15pm - Glamour: Magickal, Mystical Manifestation with Eric Eldritch
Reaching back to the historic meaning of glamour and forward to modern media usages, together, we will discuss this mystical tool of manifestation.
1-2:15pm -- Panel Discussion with Dallán
Dallán will probe the minds of some of our presenters about their personal practices. Panelists will include: Gwydion, Eldritch, Adam, and Sawyer.
3-4:15pm -- Navigating the Threshold: SpiritWalking for Queer Men with Adam Black and Sawyer Massie
Embark on a sacred pilgrimage of the soul with "Navigating the Threshold: SpiritWalking for Queer Men." SpiritWalking is a transformative journey that takes us into the ethereal realms, offering encounters with diverse spiritual landscapes to uncover profound wisdom, connect with higher truths, and expand our capacity for compassion. As the boundaries between the seen and unseen dissolve, a tapestry of interconnectedness unfolds, transcending the constraints of our physical existence. Join presenters Sawyer and Adam as they delve into the contemporary practices of spirit flight, ancestral veneration, and spirit relationships within a Queer male framework. This presentation invites participants to explore the dynamic process of self-discovery, where the mysteries of the spiritual realm intertwine with the lived experiences of Queer men. Discover the beauty and depth of SpiritWalking as a sacred practice, fostering connection and understanding within the Queer male community.
5-6pm -- Dinner Break
Get up and stretch, give your eyes a rest from the computer, and grab something to eat between sessions.
6-7:15pm -- Pagan and Witchcraft Werewolf Cults, Their History, Influence and Power with Denny Sargent
In the shadowy world of myths, legends and historical sources, we can find the roots of the prolific and fascinating werewolf cults which existed since the paleolithic era and continue even today within some shamanic cultures. Knowing that such animistic wolfish shapeshifting has a lineage reaching back into prehistory gives us an understanding of the durability of the wolf and werewolf fixations today. This rich and detailed history, with examples, offers us ways to also understand one of the reasons for the extreme persecution of surviving folk religions in the era of the ‘witchcraft’ persecutions and why 50% of ‘accused witches were also executed for ‘werewolfery.’ Many of the practices have been unlocked and effectively utilized as will be discussed.
8-9:30pm -- Werewolf Magick Shapeshifting Ritual with Denny Sargent
This howlingly active workshop will be a potent and personal hands-on introduction to Werewolf Magick Shapeshifting from the book Werewolf Magick (see Werewolfmagick.com). The workshop will begin with a short introduction and visualization but the majority of the activities will leap into werewolf shapeshifting practices and then into a howling, growling, swaying deep trance state as we shift into our Animal Selves! This is an exceptionally active workshop that invites participants to directly and personally experience the intense effects of werewolf magick. Lots of loud intense howling, growling, and wildness will be involved as well. Later, we will return to ‘human’ state as the rite unwinds. Feral wildness will be experienced by all who get involved and open their primal selves. This offers a rich taste of the shapeshifting trance- gnosis of werewolf magick and the first steps to embracing the innate primal powers and wild reconnection with nature that is unleashed with Werewolf Magick.
9:30-10:30pm -- Transitions
Sit by the virtual fire bowl and listen to the wolves howling in the distance. This calming multimedia activity will help us transition from a trance state back to the mundane world. Take the time to ground, to internally process your experiences, and to write these in your journal. This activity will start immediately after Denny Sargent's trance work ritual. Participants may stay or leave as they choose. The virtual fire bowl will remain for one hour or until the last person leaves, whichever comes first.
10:30pm -- After Hours Social
This is your chance to decompress from the day's activities, to share your experiences and reactions, and to socialize and hang out.
Sunday
April 7, 2024
1-2:15pm -- Discussion with Dallán
Dallán will check in with retreat participants about the weekend. What have you learned? What would you like to know more about? How might you apply what you learned to your personal practices?
3-4:30pm -- Shapeshifters in Pop Culture with Gwydion Ream
What connections & inspirations are there with their mythology, folklore brethren? How are they viewed differently in different eras? What lessons can we learn from them?
5-5:30pm -- Closing Ritual: Unshifting with David and Mel
Having paused for a shift in perspective, we must continue our personal journeys with new insight and enthusiasm.
6-7pm -- Pizza Party Wrap Up Session
This is your chance to tell us what went right or what went wrong throughout the weekend. We want to make sure everyone had an enjoyable experience and we want to do even better next time. This is also an opportunity to suggest and discuss potential themes for future retreats. At our in-person retreats, we usually head over to a nearby Pizza restaurant for wrap up. At our virtual event, feel free to bring your own pizza, dinner, or snacks to partake as we wind down and prepare for next time.