Category: Inner Circle Sanctuary

Altar: Wand

5/5/2023

Our Wiccan Altar: The Wand

Inner Circle Sanctuary

To practice your magical art, you need a magical space. Many Wiccans set up an altar for their craft working, and this can be anything from a small end table to a 9-foot marble behemoth.

Inner Circle Sanctuary is somewhere in between. We enjoy our craft and all the tools associated with our religion; therefore, we have a nice 6-foot table we like to use to hold all of our ritual accoutrement.
If you’ve ever been to our sabbats, you’ve no doubt noticed our big and beautifully decorated altar as the centerpiece to all of our rituals. It’s full of deity statues, seasonal decorations, and tools.
Lots of magical tools.

The Wand
The magical wand has many of the same uses as the athame, but it is a gentler tool. The wand works by inviting and encouraging energies rather than commanding them like the fiery athame does.

A wand is ideally made from wood to act as a living conduit between you and the energy you are projecting. Sometimes, you’ll see a wand wrapped with copper wire to enhance that flow of energy. Like the scourge, the wand is unique to everyone and can be customized to fit your personality.

In our tradition, we attribute the wand to the element of air rather than fire. To us, it came from a tree which blows in the wind and moves with the air. Also, as stated above, air is the less severe of the activating elements, so it’s energy is a bit more flexible. When used with the scourge, the wand represents mercy while the scourge represents severity.

Use your wand to draw pentagrams into the air.
Draw your ritual circle with it.
It’s another extension of yourself used to focus and project your energy, so use it however you would your index finger.

Your tools should be a part of your magical working whenever possible. Repeated use will help consecrate them as well as foster a bond.
by Lady Anwyn

Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
If you are interested in learning more about us, please don't hesitate to Contact Us.
If you are interested in joining our classes, please start with our questionnaire here.
Want to see how we do things? Try out a sample test: Follow this link to a Google Doc: https://forms.gle/7oaQ5GF3d8k4CsA37

Altar: Censer

3/1/2023

Our Wiccan Altar: The Censer

Inner Circle Sanctuary

To practice your magical art, you need a magical space. Many Wiccans set up an altar for their craft working, and this can be anything from a small end table to a 9-foot marble behemoth.

Inner Circle Sanctuary is somewhere in between. We enjoy our craft and all the tools associated with our religion; therefore, we have a nice 6-foot table we like to use to hold all of our ritual accoutrement.

If you’ve ever been to our sabbats, you’ve no doubt noticed our big and beautifully decorated altar as the centerpiece to all of our rituals. It’s full of deity statues, seasonal decorations, and tools.

Lots of magical tools.

The Censer
One of the best ways to create your magical space is to burn incense. Scent has a powerful influence on your emotions and state of mind. Using an incense with the right combination of scents to fit your purpose adds another layer of magic to your work. The smoke from burning incense is thought to carry our desires to the Gods. There’s also the mundane aspect of using smoke to cleanse and purify the air.

The censer with its burning charcoal and smoke is a symbol for air and fire. When used in conjunction with the water and salt to consecrate a circle, all four elements are represented.

Inner Circle Sanctuary loves to use incense during ritual for these reasons exactly: It sets the mood, it purifies our area, and it makes for a nice atmosphere when we invite the Gods to join us.

by Lady Anwyn

Altar: Athame

3/1/2023

Our Wiccan Altar: The Athame

Inner Circle Sanctuary

To practice your magical art, you need a magical space. Many Wiccans set up an altar for their craft working, and this can be anything from a small end table to a 9-foot marble behemoth. Inner Circle Sanctuary is somewhere in between. We enjoy our craft and all the tools associated with our religion; therefore, we have a nice 6-foot table we like to use to hold all of our ritual accoutrement.

If you’ve ever been to our sabbats, you’ve no doubt noticed our big and beautifully decorated altar as the centerpiece to all of our rituals. It’s full of deity statues, seasonal decorations, and tools.

Lots of magical tools.

The Athame
The athame is a witch’s most personal tool. It is an extension of yourself and your will, and once it has been consecrated, a magical bond will form. Through repeated ritual use, that bond only grows stronger.

The black-handled knife is double-edged so its movement is more aerodynamic. It is strictly used for projecting energy and cutting sigils in the air.

Using our blades, pentagrams are drawn during ritual to unlock the power of the elements.

For the Great Rite, the athame is used to symbolize the fertilizing and active part of the polarity that creates life.

We like our hilts to be black for two reasons. The first reason is magical: black absorbs. The energy we create is sent from our power hand, absorbed into the black hilt, and then directed down and out through point of the blade.

The second reason is practical. We draw sigils of power onto the hilt and it’s easier to do that on a plain black background. ICS has a magical and practical reason for everything we do.

In our tradition, we attribute the fire element to the athame, because we consider it a strong and powerful tool that is used for commanding energy.

It is interchangeable with the sword.

If you ever find yourself without your athame or sword, what could you use? Your Goddess given athame. Your pointer and middle finger together make the perfect athame.

by Lady Anwyn

Altar: Pentacle

3/1/2023

Our Wiccan Altar: The Pentacle

Inner Circle Sanctuary

To practice your magical art, you need a sacred space. Many Wiccans and witches set up an altar for their craft working, and this can be anything from a small end table, or a lap desk on your bed, to a 9-foot marble behemoth.

Inner Circle Sanctuary is somewhere in between. We enjoy our craft and all the tools associated with our religion; therefore, we have a nice 6-foot table we like to use to hold all of our ritual accoutrement.
If you’ve ever been to one of our sabbats or public esbats, you’ve no doubt noticed our big and beautifully decorated altar as the centerpiece to all of our rituals. It’s full of deity statues, seasonal decorations, and tools.

Lots of magical tools.

The Altar Pentacle

The pentacle is the first thing you’ll notice on our ritual altar. It might be made of wood with the pentagram burned into it…..along with some candle wax stains. Sometimes, you’ll see a hand-painted pentacle that was lovingly traced and painted…… with a few water spots.

There’s even a huge and ornate, but scarred, altar pentacle that was designed and crafted by our founder, Lady Morgana. All were handmade and all are well-used. The scars they have only add to their beauty and power.

The pentacle is the symbol for earth, so what better element to be the foundation of our altar? It is the focal point where all the magic happens. For many Wiccans, the pentagram is the symbol of our religion and our magic: the four elements in dynamic balance, ruled by spirit, and enclosed in a circle to contain and amplify the power. This is how magic is created, so the altar pentacle is where we perform our magic.

Water and salt are turned into holy water on top of it.
Tools are consecrated by being placed on it.
Candle spells are empowered when set upon it.

It is truly the focus of our altar and it brings everything together.

Look at your altar pentacle. Is it scratched? Does it need a new paint job? Is it discolored? Good. Let it be imperfect. Let it be well-used and loved. Let it be the tool of your Craft.

by Lady Anwyn

Mystic Fair 2023

2/11/2023

Mystic Fair 2023
Windmill Library

Third Annual Mystic Fair
Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM

Windmill Library
7060 W. Windmill Ln., Las Vegas NV 89113

Join us, Inner Circle Sanctuary, at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Mystic Fair March 4, 2023 from 11 to 5 pm. We have two workshops planned, so come say hello.

PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT

Our altar for the ritual demonstration/explanation

Magic is fun for the whole family

Infusing the magical money talisman with intent

Beads and chanting. “Money is mine”

Consecrating our money talismans

Such a windy day. We needed designated shade tent guards. Vendor booth setup. We donated over $300 to the Windmill library from the sale of spell kits and crafts our students made. Everything we do is for charity.

Third Annual Mystic Fair
Saturday, March 4, 2023
11:00 AM-5:00 PM

Windmill Library
7060 W. Windmill Ln.
Las Vegas NV 89113

This year attendees will have even more opportunities to experience reiki healing sessions, have a psychic or tarot card reading, learn something new in a workshop, participate in a sound healing session, or join in on a group meditation. We've added more vendor booths to browse, and local food trucks to enjoy, musical entertainment, as well as crafts and activities for the kids. This event is perfect for anyone interested in exploring the metaphysical and learning something new. We can't wait to see you there!

This year attendees will have even more opportunities to experience reiki healing sessions, learn something new in a workshop, participate in a sound healing session, or join in on a group meditation. We've added more vendor booths to browse, and local food trucks to enjoy, as well as crafts and activities for the kids. This event is perfect for anyone interested in exploring the metaphysical and learning something new. We can't wait to see you there!
The first 250 people to join us that day will receive a free gift bag!
Don't miss our raffles at 11:30am,12:30pm & 1:30pm! (Raffle tickets can be picked up at the info table outside in our vendor alley, drawings will also take place at info table, must be present to win.)

Activities during the Mystic Fair are on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets to each activity will be given out 30 minutes prior to that activity, limit one ticket per person.

Free and open to the public.

https://lvccld.bibliocommons.com/events/637b1ad35eb83c36004b253f

Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

If you are interested in learning more about us,
please don't hesitate to Contact Us.

If you are interested in joining our classes,
please start with our questionnaire here.

Want to see how we do things? Try out a sample test:
Follow this link to a Google Doc:
https://forms.gle/7oaQ5GF3d8k4CsA37

If it was easy, it wouldn't be cool

1/27/2023

We posted a meme recently, the punchline of which being our nightly practice of Witchcraft.

Funny and cute (I mean who doesn't like Pinky and The Brain) but true.

On any given week, we have Online First Year Class on Monday, live First Year Class on Tuesday, New Student Class online Wednesday, live Second Year Class Thursday, Elders on Friday, and live First Year Class on Sunday Morning.

We have one Public Event a month (at least) on Saturday, plus other special events. We have a Sabbat Practice the Sunday before every Sabbat.

In between, we do other public events, Initiations, and Rites Of Passage.

And our Elders and Coveners have their individual practices to attend to as well. As Thorn Mooney said in one of her excellent videos, [You are still a Solitary Witch even when you are a member of a Coven.] I paraphrase, but you get the gist.

This is how Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred did it, and we carry their Lineage. It is our way of life, it is our honor, and it is our responsibility.

It is also as convenient for students (Lady Morgana would call us Witchlings; how I miss that!) as we can make it. Notice I didn't say easy- "but if it was easy, it wouldn't be cool."

by Lord Tanys

Wicca Is So Frigging Awesome

11/24/2022

Thanksgiving Edition 2022

I am very thankful Wicca is my way of life. I am particularly thankful for Lady Morgana’s Tradition, which we carry on to this day, and into the future. I am thankful for this Coven, Inner Circle Sanctuary, which is made up of so many wonderful people, new and long term, from so many different backgrounds, who make us the hardcore, hard working, proud Coven that we are.

There’s a lot to unpack in the preceding statement. Wicca is so widespread now, so recognized, it may be easy to forget that it wasn’t always that way. It certainly wasn’t that way in the 90s even, in Family Court, when I had to teach the Family Specialists and even the judge about it, while fighting for custody of my son. It certainly wasn’t when our founder, Lady Morgana, started teaching her brand of Witchcraft to the public, and established Temple Of The Inner Circle. I am so thankful that Wicca is so widespread now, and so recognized- as it should be!

We are sometimes asked what Tradition we are, and we have sometimes joked around with trying to create a clever “-ian” type of name for us, but realistically, our Tradition is the Inner Circle, the Mystical Dragons- names chosen by the “first brood” of TOTIC students, and approved by Lady Morgana. Although we had two beloved Gardnerians as Elders (Lady Pandora and Lord Loki) we are not Gardnerian. Although we use A Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar as our first year textbook, we are not Alexandrian. We are Lady Morgana’s people.

While generations come and go, and members come and go, Lady Morgana’s Tradition continues thanks to its members. Our members are hardcore. Does that seem an odd descriptor for a Wiccan? Does that not fit with your understanding of Wicca? Hardcore describes us to a T. One of our mottoes is Wicca To Be Proud Of and that takes hard work. Lots of it. Years of it. But the funny thing is when you love it, as we do, it doesn’t seem like work. It never gets old. I get as excited for each class and each Sabbat as I ever have.

I am very proud of our Tradition, Lady Morgana’s Tradition, and all of our Coveners, of every degree. I also hear from Temple members who continue to practice as Lady Morgana taught us, and am very thankful for that. It is a rich Tradition, a deep Tradition, that constantly reveals its brilliance to me, and clearly to those people who see it as a way of life.

While never “Bastardizing the Craft” as Lady Morgana put it, Temple Of the Inner Circle evolved over time, and Inner Circle Sanctuary continued this evolution. It is a very well thought out Tradition, both through research and practice, tradition and experimentation. Lady Morgana defined Wicca as “a disciplined philosophy” and this continues to be our modus operandi.

We teach six days a week, have a public lecture at least once a month, and of course celebrate every Sabbat. In between, we practice, perform Initiations, Handfastings, Requiems and other rites of passage. And alone, our members are expected to have a consistent daily magical practice. Lady Morgana’s opening line in new student class back in the Temple days was “Sooo, you vant to be vitches?” in a glorious, over the top German accent. I knew I did. I still do.

You may notice I use Wicca, Witch, and Pagan almost interchangeably. This is intentional. Not necessarily to piss certain people off (though this is a happy benefit) but because we are. Our practice consists of all of these (and more), to the point where silly limitations disappear, and all are one for achieving mystical and magical results. This is the way we were raised, and I am VERY thankful for it.

I am very thankful for Inner Circle Sanctuary. I am very thankful for Temple Of the Inner Circle. The former being my life’s work, the latter being my true Alma Mater.

If you are Wiccan, I hope you are proud of your practice, and thankful for Wicca. I know I am.

Lord Tanys

Apotheosis Day with ICS

8/9/2022

Interested in attending our 2022 Apotheosis Day Celebration? See our invite here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/383979890543121

Apotheosis noun, uh-poth-ee-oh-sis, ap-uh-thee-uh-sis
1. the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god 2. the ideal example; epitome; quintessence:
This poem is the apotheosis of lyric expression.
From dictionary.com

Sounds nice doesn’t it? Like Imhotep, Amenhotep son of Hapu, and Antinous, who were once commoners, but were so well loved by Kings and an Emperor, were elevated to Godhood.

(Imhotep - "the one who comes in peace" - was an Egyptian chancellor to the pharaoh Djoser, probable architect of the Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figure, but in the 3000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imhotep)

The Apotheosis of Washington in the eye of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. Architect of the Capitol. https://www.flickr.com/photos/uscapitol/6082318543

Or as in the painting “The Apotheosis of George Washington” which graces the inside of the dome of the United States Capital building. I first read about this in a Dan Brown novel - you know, the one about the Freemasons.

Anyway, it’s a good thing, Apotheosis. And from our mortal, commoner point of view, it’s a very respectful thing. We here at ICS have been celebrating our Founders’ birthdays every year, even after their departure for the Summerlands. We continue to do so, but we also looked around and acknowledged that we ain’t getting any younger either, and someday, there may be just too many Founders and Elders rockin’ the Underworld to celebrate all their first days of this incarnation.

So, much like Washington and Lincoln sharing a Holy Day to celebrate their lives, we decided to commence celebrating Morganamas as "The Holy Day" for all our beloved Inner Circle Founders, and someday, Elders.

But why “Apotheosis Day” you ask? Why not just “Dead Elders Day?” (I like it - sounds like a Punk Band!)

Why not? I mean, why are we here? Why are we doing Magick if not to recognize and utilize our inherent Divinity? It is certainly a worthy goal, to become Divine, as I am sure you agree.
As a wise old Punk says, “If you don’t like it, I hope it pisses you off.”
Because it sounds so cool!

There you have it. It’s a little peek into the inner workings of Inner Circle Sanctuary. As with so many things we do, it can be explained by one of three ways: Traditional, Magical, or Practical. In this case it’s all three.

We feel close to our Lady and Lord, even though they are operating on other planes of existence, much like Gods. The ties that bind us to them are strong, and strengthen us, our rituals, and our magick. We hear their voices (sometimes laughing, sometimes chewing us out) and feel their presence.

As the saying goes (quoting Starhawk, I believe) “What is remembered, lives” and we know this is true. It’s a lot of laughs, food, and fond memories on Apotheosis Day. At Samhain, at least the way we observe Samhain, it’s quite different.

May we all achieve Apotheosis, if not in or at the end of this incarnation, then hopefully the next. And may those we leave behind celebrate our existence on this Earth after we have left Her.

Lord Tanys
High Priest, Inner Circle Sanctuary
Originally posted 07/01/2021

Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

If you are interested in learning more about us,
please don't hesitate to Contact Us.

If you are interested in Joining our classes,
please start with our questionnaire here.

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News, Updates, & Information

Altar: Wand

Our Wiccan Altar: The Wand

Altar: Censer

Our Wiccan Altar: The Censer

Altar: Athame

Our Wiccan Altar: The Athame

Altar: Pentacle

Our Wiccan Altar: The Pentacle

Mystic Fair 2023

Mystic Fair 2023
Windmill Library

If it was easy, it wouldn't be cool

Wicca Is So Frigging Awesome

Apotheosis Day with ICS

Inner Circle Sanctuary

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Our Wiccan Altar: The Wand

​Our Wiccan Altar: The Censer

​Our Wiccan Altar: The Athame

​Our Wiccan Altar: The Pentacle

Mystic Fair 2023​Windmill Library

Inner Circle Sanctuary

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Our Wiccan Altar: The Censer

Our Wiccan Altar: The Athame

Our Wiccan Altar: The Pentacle

Mystic Fair 2023
Windmill Library