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"Building
Tolerance and Understanding through
Education"
CraftWise started as an idea in our kitchen, as a dream shared with friends. We returned from a small gathering in CT,
held at a small, run-down hotel. The phones weren’t working, and the rooms were reached by stairs and long walkways
outside the building and the vendor’s room had a leaky ceiling. There was a “banquet”, held at a Masonic
hall 3 miles away, catered by the local SCA group. It provided us with a lot of food for thought…….
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Beginnings......
So we wondered……what if there was a conference where you could explore
different paths, different traditions, meet authors and elders, and learn from them in an atmosphere of tolerance and true
scholarship? What if there was a way to show the community that they deserve more than third-rate motels with leaky conference
rooms and only a few speakers? What if we could bring together 30 or 40 speakers, authors, elders, and local leaders and teachers,
feature 6 (or more) lectures running at the same time, a Merchant’s Hall with a wide variety of pagan wares, and
host the whole thing in a really nice hotel?
And so, in late 1993, CraftWise was born.
Our philosophy was
always to bring together fine speakers; local, national, and international, so that the Community could learn, question, ---
even dispute their ideas.
That first CraftWise, we invited a variety
of speakers and merchants, who diplayed an amazing array of Pagan / Wiccan / Metaphysical wares. And we began a
tradition of encouraging our Faculty, Merchants and Attendees to come with their minds, hearts and spirits open,
ready to learn and grow.
As we produced CraftWise through the years, we grew; we learned. We learned to look beyond our local Connecticut, New
England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania area…..we grew to see that we are part of the national, international,
even global “Community”. We grew to embrace not just the Wiccan “community”, but the Pagan and
Metaphysical communities as well. We sought to INCLUDE, rather exclude, those with similar or adjunct beliefs.
By inclusion, we sought to expand our horizons.
Astrologers may not be Wiccan, but most
of us consult the stars, moon and planets for our spells or energy work. Voodoo is not Wicca, but the energy work done by
practitioners of Ifa and Santeria is based on working with African-based Gods and Goddesses (known as Orishas), many of them
similar to Gods and Goddesses in more familiar Celtic or Norse pantheons. Energy healing is something that many in this
large and inclusive Community do, in many, very personal ways, including using crystals, herbs, pendulums and Reiki. We began
to see, in a very real way, the close relationships between cultures that seem fra-flung and unrelated......we saw the similiarities
we share are so much greater than our differences........
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Where
we're Going....
Now, in this new Millennium, we sense the time is right for the next incarnation of CraftWise….it is time
for this event to grow, and for those who speak and attend to grow, too. What we envision are classes that are more intensive,
College-level classes; providing the opportunity for the Student to come away with a greater, in-depth understanding
of a topic. We encourage students to challenge what they "know" and stretch themselves to expand their abilities, broadening
their horizons.
Our PathTrack System provides the framework for students to pursue a specialty Path or to choose
from a variety of offerings to round out their general knowledge. Either way, a student delves more deeply into a subject;
even "basics" like the Elements or casting a circle reveal more complexities and layers than one might suppose......and
we continue in our mission to promote tolerance of different ideas and highlight personal spiritual growth.
To facilitate this growth, we are pleased to have found a permanent venue for our event…Brushwood
Folklore Center in the beautiful countryside of western NY state. Brushwood is a beautiful site which offers us
160 wooded acres, a beautiful open field, in-ground pool, hot tub, hot showers, indoor plumbing, sheltered buildings
and wooded spaces for classes, bonfires, andbeautiful Elemental Shrines, scattered throughout the property, along with a labrynth
(now being made permanent), and an Ancestor Mound.
Our classes are challenging, unique and presented in a thought-provoking college format.
We work hard, and yet we still have fun----evening classes are offered around a communal Fire; afterwards, there is drumming,
song, conversation and the real opportunity to get to know fellow students and faculty members.
We invite you to grow and learn with us….we
hope that you will enjoy your experiences at CraftWise College and use your new-found skills
in Light, Love and Service to Divinity, and for the betterment of the world-wide Pagan / Wiccan / Metaphysical Community.
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For
Registration forms for any CraftWise College Event
please
email us at
Commune
with those who seek the Truth;
Run
from those who claim to have found it.......
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