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This month's Outlander coven meeting is focused on two things: welcoming new members, and discussing prep for the upcoming First Harvest. Bonnie and Max will introduce themselves and give a quick little bio on what they do and where they’re from, and explain the general purpose of these monthly meetings: to facilitate unity and interest among magic practitioners and researchers from wildly different worlds. Max may tell a few Dad jokes. There will be opportunity to introduce yourself if you’re new, but they’re not gonna call on anyone like this is class.

The main event of the meeting? Discussions of the upcoming First Harvest, one of the big events in the Pagan Wheel of the Year. There’s a whole wide range of agricultural deities - Demeter, Dionysus, Ceres, Corn Mother, Isis - feel free to mention anyone from your world, too! This holiday specifically celebrates the end of the summer, the beginning of the harvest season, and takes place on August 1st (Author’s Note: also known as the “First of Halloween”.) Max and Bonnie will have items on hand to build your own altar, including small citrine and carnelian crystals, dried sunflowers, and gold candles. Fittingly, they will also encourage you to place pictures or belongings of those who have been lost or returned to their world upon your altar. Most excitingly of all, Ignis Scientia will be demonstrating how to make your very own braided bread loaf as well as delicious late-summer muscadine jam to go on it. You won’t go home hungry!

After this meeting, as always, there is time to socialize and enjoy some warm treats, and of course ask any questions you might want. Also note that non-Outlander magic-users are welcome to attend if they so wish.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

The days are getting longer, warmer, and Vallo is beginning to prepare for the Summer Solstice, or Midsommer. In addition to a run down of summer solstice activities (and it's significance in Vallo for the new arrivals) this meeting will continue on from last month in working with the sun, while also adding fire. Several fire elementals from Saferra will be joining.

To start the meeting off, Lan Xichen will be leading a meditation session. Everyone is encouraged to try, no matter your level of experience. Xichen will discuss the benefits of meditation for focus and connection with your power, potentially useful for everyone no matter what your abilities.

Working with the sun and fire in spellwork will be the main focus of the meeting.

• Drawing power from the sun
• Sun magic for positive attraction, and for banishment and destruction
• Sun in conjunction with other types of magic, like plant magic, spell casting, fire magic, etc.
• Tying spells to the cycle of the sun (Bonnie has a handy barrier spell that ends with the setting sun she will share)
• Summoning and/or controlling fire, and the significance of fire during the Solstice (lead by Saferra)

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Although the summer equinox is still a month and a half away, the days are getting longer and longer. There are all kinds of magics that work best in sunlight, and your friendly Outlander reps Bonnie and Max are going to talk about them! First on the docket: sunrise spells. The sunrise works well with new beginnings, changes, health, resurrection and seeking the right direction. Morning is best for magic requiring positive energy and gathering strength - it's great for empowering current projects that might need a little push or expansion of ideas. High noon when the sun is at its highest is best for charging crystals, but make sure that the crystals you want to charge won't fade in strong sunlight! During the afternoon, the sun is heading back down, which makes this time of day great for spells involving resolving communication issues, travel, or clarity. Finally, sunset magic is great for aiding the removal of depression, stress, or dispelling illusions.

After this meeting, as always, there is time to socialize and enjoy some treats, and of course ask any questions you might want. Max and Bonnie will be on hand with a large table of sun-friendly crystals, and your character may take one that speaks to them! Also note that non-Outlander magic-users are welcome to attend if they so wish.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

This week's Outlander coven meeting is focused on upcoming spring equinox, which takes place on March 20th. The days are getting longer, the weather is thinking about getting warmer, and it's time to start thinking about how you can enjoy the spring season! Of particular focus is growing magical plants and foods - what seeds to get, when to plant, and when harvest will be. Max will have various types of useful plants from his world on hand - elfroot, Dawn Lotus, Embrium, Prophet's Laurel - and will give a little background on how Skyhold's garden functions as a place to grow and harvest healing potions.

Additional topics include warming charms to protect delicate new sprouts from unexpected weather changes and magical spells and charms to encourage strong, healthy growth. There will also be some talk about good bugs versus bad bugs, snakes and how they help the environment, and foraging (please don't eat poisonous mushrooms, guys). Finally, Max will talk a little about the Spring Equinox in terms of various traditions from all over Vallo homeworlds, and will encourage people to chat about what they like to do to herald in Ostara and the spring.

After this meeting, as always, there is time to socialize and enjoy some treats, and of course ask any questions you might want. Max and Bonnie will have on hand various seeds for those of you interested in experimenting with your own green thumb. Also note that non-Outlander magic-users are welcome to attend if they so wish.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

Projection in Bonnie's world can be broken down to several different levels and approaches, and is closely linked with teleportation. Projection allows the witch to manifest their consciousness outside of their body, and travel to other locations in their world, or to other worlds/dimensions entirely. There are several different levels to projection, depending on what the user needs.

• Projection that allows the witch to move around a similar manner as a ghost. Their astral form remains intangible and invisible.
• Projection that allows the user to be tangible but invisible. This allows the users to have basic interactions with the world in their spirit form, but also puts them at risk. The astral form can be damaged, and damage done to the astral form will also be done to the physical form.
• Projection that allows the user to be visible but intangible.
• Projection that allows the user to be visible and tangible.
• Biolocation projection. This allows both the users physical body and astral body to move around at the same time. This is considered advanced magic in Bonnie's world. In all the other forms of projection, the physical body remains still, as if asleep.

With the Projection spell, you can project yourself, project others, or take others with you if you're strong enough.

Bonnie is capable of guiding interest parties through all of the above options, save for biolocation (she's still figuring that one our herself). People can start small, such as move around the Armory. If you would be more comfortable having Bonnie take you with her, or have her project your character, she can do that too. If anyone wants to advance to other dimensions, let her know. Obviously it's up to everyone if they want their characters to be capable of learning this type of projection!

As always there are snacks and refreshments available during the meeting. New people are always welcomed to attend. Coven Meetings | Reference Page

This week's Outlander coven meeting is focused on rest, sleep, and dreaming. While there are many different kinds of dreaming practised, Max and Bonnie will be focusing on the kind of dreaming that is accessible to the average practitioner. They'll give a basic overview of how to dream, how to remember dreams, dream journals, etc, but the majority of the session will be on dream manipulation. A friendly coven member from Silniara will be on hand to lecture on the topic, focusing on purposeful dreaming as self-care. A table in the back of the meeting will be burdened with lots of fun sleep-themed take-homes, from fancy sleeping masks to various sleepy-time teas charmed to help you with learning the art of dream manipulation.

After this meeting, as always, there is time to socialize and enjoy some warm treats, and of course ask any questions you might want. Also note that non-Outlander magic-users are welcome to attend if they so wish.

OOC - This meeting takes place on January 7th, which is Friday! Whit posted it early because she has no idea what time is at this point. Feel free to reply as you wish!

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

December is a busy month, with the Winter Solstice and Yule celebrations fast approaching. The coven meeting will provide information on upcoming holiday events and activities Outlanders can expect to find or be invited to with local friendly covens (this does not include specific personal invites characters may receive based on their individual relationship with covens). They'll also go over Yule and Winter Solstice traditions in Vallo for anyone who is new or wants a refresher!

Catering was purchased from Salie Coven, and Bonnie is hopeful they'll have members attend meetings in the new year. Yule Gifts were also provided to attendees from Max and Bonnie, 'tis the season! Nothing too extravagant. Little gift bags of baked goods, chocolates, Yule trinkets, offerings they can use during the upcoming celebrations, etc.

Enki Coven is joining the Outlander coven for this months meeting! Mei and Elder Ishita will be attending to talk to Outlanders more about Enki and their initiatives. Please review the full write up for what Enki will be talking about/demonstrating here.

As always, anyone is welcome to attend these meetings! Coven Meetings | Reference Page

This month's Outlander coven meeting is focused on the upcoming season change, and all the ways that prepared magic-users can enjoy it for themselves and others. While the Winter Solstice is happening in another month, this meeting is less focused on holidays and more on the everyday - how can the Outlander coven contribute to Vallo's welfare as we stare down a season of short days and cold weather? Well, Max and Bonnie have some ideas! The first segment of this meeting is weather manipulation - how magic can be utilized to alter or tame the weather. They caution that this shouldn't be done lightly - and indeed should only be done with permission - but in the event that a blizzard needs to be calmed in order to find someone missing (for example), weather manipulation is an available form of magic. A demonstration of this form of magic will be done with Bonnie as the focus and conduit, changing a cloudy day to one filled with sun - at least for an hour.

The second segment of the meeting will be run by Max, who is seeking groups of volunteers for various cold weather jobs around Vallo. He'll be taking people who can 1) check and maintain the warming charms around livestock and outdoor animal pens, 2) cast protection charms on vegetables growing outdoors, and 3) cast emergency lights around Vallo in the event that there is a monster attack during one of the long winter nights. Max will be assisting with the warming charms for the livestock.

After this meeting, as always, there is time to socialize and enjoy some warm treats, and of course ask any questions you might want. Also note that non-Outlander magic-users are welcome to attend if they so wish.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

Brorose will have two representatives coming to talk to the Outlander Coven - one is Faustina, who is the coven's matriarch and specializes in auragraphies (which is basically reading a person's aura and creating a portrait of them, with elements of their past, present, and future incorporated into the work of art). Cinnabar is the second representative and she is a sketch artist who works with the Vallo police and mainly focuses on retrocognition in her work. Both Brorose members will give a demonstration of how they use art to channel their magic - if someone in the Outlander Coven wants to volunteer for an auragraph, Faustina will work on one for them or, conversely, maybe in advance of the meeting we could say she got with someone to have a piece of art ready to show and go over what augraphies are in detail? Either way!

They'll take questions and invite people to their events - they do art battles at their caravans once a month and also sip and paint events, partnering with Silniara and their wines.

Bonnie will briefly cover the upcoming holiday of Samhain, provide an overview of the celebration that ushers in the dark half of the year, and the thinning of the veil between the living and the spirit world. More details on the different coven celebrations will be shared when they become available.

And on the topic of the spirit world, the Grimsbane siblings are at the meeting on behalf of Ankou. Samhain is a big time of year for Ankou, and their coven holds a three day festival that they will talk briefly about to give Outlanders an idea of the upcoming celebration. For those interested in staying late, the Branwyn and Jory will lead the Outlanders through a séance to summon some local spirits, with Eli on hand to make sure nothing angry comes through.

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This month's coven meeting takes place a few weeks before the fall equinox. As days grow shorter and the air begins to chill, Max and Bonnie would like to use this meeting to remind everyone about the importance of practicing mental blocks in your magic. The time of year around Samhain is a great opportunity for excellent shadow work, but it can also leave you more open to undue influence from malevolent forces and spirits. In this meeting, Max and Bonnie will go over several methods of mental self-defense, from methods of closing communication with spirits to more elaborate rituals to assist with strengthening the mind's defenses against intruders. Bonnie in particular will be teaching a segment on blocks against compulsion and psychic attacks; Max will focus on dispelling existing mental blocks. They will also encourage Outlander coven members to speak about their own experiences with mental blocks so everyone can learn from one another.

At the end of lesson, representatives from the Saferra Coven (NPC'd by Sara) and representatives from the Ankou coven (NPC'd by Grimsbanes) will each speak about their coven history, their methodology, and their primary magical interests. Both covens will be mingling with Outlander members and will be excited to answer any questions you might have. After a long period of semi-exclusivity, Saferra is reopening its membership under new leadership, and Ankou is eager to speak with fellow shifters. Stay for magical chat and delicious slices of pumpkin cake and hot cider.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo

This month's coven meeting is focusing on the ancient art of divination, fortune-telling, reading omens, and other forms of seeing the future. An art form that has been conducted since recorded history began worlds over, divination practice is as varied as it is immediately recognizable: from reading tea leaves, cards with symbolic pictures, the positions of stars, and even organs from a dead animal, the art of the possibility has been used to start wars, inspire love, and change the fates of nations large and small... as well as inspire people to wear their lucky underpants in the hopes of fending off the Fate's attentions.

Tonight, there will be the opportunity to learn about tarot reading: Adam Parrish has volunteered to teach a 101 course on tarot cards, going into the history of the most popular deck symbolism, the Major and Minor arcana, and easy spreads for you to learn and try. Members of the Prigany Coven as well as other divination enthusiasts will be on hand to give their perspective as well. The tone will be fun, nerdy, and all about information-sharing. Adam Parrish will have a 1.5 hour class session, followed by some time where you can ask him or other practitioners questions as you handle the available decks.

Coven Meetings | Covens of Vallo