Category: Wicca Class

10 Years

5/3/2024

TEN YEARS SINCE BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE

Bell, Book And Candle shut down ten years ago this week. It had been such a Vegas institution that it is still very hard to believe. It was singular, it was incredibly magical, and it served the Occult community in Las Vegas well for several decades.

Charmaine Dey (author of The Magic Candle and Casting The Rune Stones) and her husband Steve opened BB&C in the early 70s,

with other well known Witches and authors Tarostar (Sacred Pentagraph and many more) and Sybil Leek (Diary Of A Witch, Complete art Of Witchcraft and many more) being mainstays at the shop, and in the corporation when BB&C was incorporated.

The original site was on Las Vegas Boulevard South, on a sliver where LVB and 4th Street converge. ‘Talk Of The Town’ was next door for many years. The building on the site has only been demolished in the last few years. The second location was on East Charleston, close to Eastern where the antique shops are now. The third and last location was also on East Charleston, in a strip mall that for many years also housed Vessely Music, Macayos restaurant, with Blueberry Hill diner next to it.

Ownership changed hands to Lucky Simone sometime after Charmaine died in 1983. Steve Dey continued to work there. When Lucky died (1997 or ’98 if I remember correctly) ownership passed one more time to Robin Criswell and Alex Triton, who most of us know as Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred.

"Like many Witches,
I got my start in Bell Book and Candle."

It was 1989, I was newly stationed at Nellis AFB, and despite my Lutheran upbringing, I was a long time atheist. The first day I was brought to the shop I bought Anna Riva’s Secrets Of Magical Seals. The next day, I took a bus down and bought A Book Of Pagan Rituals and that was all it took.

Steve Dey sold me many of the classics: A Witch’s Bible Compleat, Modern Magick, The Spiral Dance, Gems From The Equinox, Wicca For The Solitary Practitioner, The Golden Dawn, and several others as well as Tarot, Runes and thee coolest jewelry.

It was the most magical, fascinating store I had ever seen.

When Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred were offered to take over Bell Book and Candle, they jumped at the chance. They described it to me as a life-long dream come true. For a year or so, they ran their old store, Cat N Cauldron concurrently. This was home of Temple Of The Inner Circle, which used the same corporate documents as All Saints Church Of Mystic Science, which had also been founded by Charmaine and Steve Dey and Tarostar. We are fortunate to have both sets of corporate documents in our archives.

Robin and Alex eventually closed Cat N Cauldron, and we all helped move the store and TOTIC to Bell Book and Candle. The back room became TOTIC with its beautiful Altar, large columns, banners and artwork.

The fountains/candle nooks were removed, and a reading room and closet installed.

Any customer who wanted to burn their candles at the shop could burn them on the Altar,

under the gaze of an incredible Artisans’ Guild winged Isis statue. Soon a second Altar was installed to handle all the candles.

We were lucky to have the legendary Ed Fitch come to one of our Saturday Night events, as well as authors on book tour like Christopher Penzcak. Lupercalia, Halloween, Karaoke, Belly Dancing, Lectures on Runes, Tarot, Ouija, Pendulum, Sabbats, Gated Candles, Aromatherapy (Uttati oils!), movie night, Street Smarts (Occult style)- the list goes on and on. And most Saturday events turned into late night parties, often like a dance club.

All of the Elders of Inner Circle Sanctuary worked in the store; most of us here and there, but Lady Atheona worked it for several years. Lady Airrawind was the last, and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude for being the one to keep BB&C open realistically two years or so past any viability. She with Lady Rowyn also kept classes going after the store closed, and we are also very thankful for that!

Temple classes started to be held in the front of the store. The final class began in January, 2014. Poor health, and changing times slowly led to the decline and closure of Bell Book and Candle.

Please support local stores as much as possible. And remember the good, magical, Witchy times you had at Bell Book and Candle!

Lord Tanys, High Priest, Inner Circle Sanctuary

www.innercirclesanctuary.com/
Lady Morgana's Tradition lives on!

www.facebook.com/sacredpentagraph
Tarostar's Tradition lives on!

web.archive.org/web/20131020024108/http://lasvegasbbc.com/whatto1.ivnu
The old BB&C website set up by Lady Sisterwolf from a… let’s just say more innocent time. These pages starting in 2002 bring back many fond memories!

witchworld109.com/main_page.html
Las Vegas Occult history particularly BB&C to 1989 (a lot of which is used in this post) can be found on the late and wonderful Tarostar’s page

www.blackmoonpublishing.com/left-hand-press
Several versions of Tarostar’s incredible Sacred Pentagraph books can be purchased here

www.amazon.com/Magic-Candle-Fundamentals-Ritual-Candle-Burning/dp/0942272005
The classic by Charmaine Dey

www.amazon.com/Queen-Dreams-Heather-Valencia/dp/0671797239/ref=sr_1_1
Some memories of Bell Book and Candle by Charmaine’s niece can be found in this very interesting book

redwheelweiser.com/book/a-book-of-pagan-rituals-9780877283485/
A Book Of Pagan Rituals The book that started it all off for me, purchased at BB&C in the Spring of 1989- still one of the best books out there!

Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook & 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

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

Psychic Fair 2022

8/11/2022

Psychic Fair
with Inner Circle Sanctuary
Saturday, October 22, 2022 6:00 PM PT

As part of our curriculum, we expect our students to be proficient in at least one form of divination.

This psychic fair is a way for our students to shine and to read for other people rather than just their classmates.

The divination tools used this evening will vary from the traditional tarot cards, to runes, to oracle decks, and whatever else they feel like working with.

We ask for a $10 donation.
ON THIS NIGHT, JUST $10 WILL GET YOU UNLIMITED READINGS!!!

Please consider one of these Southern Nevada charities that we love. Or, choose your own. Please message us a picture of the receipt so that we can keep track of the donations for posterity.

Three Square https://www.threesquare.org/how-to-help/give

Furgotten Friends Dog Rescue
http://furgottenfriendsdogrescue.org/donate

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas https://www.uuclv.org/donate.html

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum https://www.lvnhm.org/

More details to follow.

Find our Facebook event invite here: https://www.facebook.com/events/616893052747718/

This event will be held in-person AND online. If you’d like to attend the live event, we require proof of full Covid-19 vaccination and booster. Online readers will have a private room.

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

Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuary

1/9/2020

Saturday, January 11, 2020
Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuary
from 1 PM - 5 PM

Coffee Clutch: Originally from the German “kaffeeklatsch,” which translates to coffee (kaffee) + gossip (klatsch). It refers to a group of friends getting together over a cup of coffee and chatting, which is our favorite pastime.

Inner Circle Sanctuary is not the gossiping type, so we are using the newer term and having a casual Coffee Clutch where we can talk with people who are curious about Wicca and also those who are curious about joining a Wiccan group.

Tempus Est Nunc

6/1/2019

Tempus Est Nunc

Thirty years ago, Paganism saved my soul.
More specifically, “A Book of Pagan Rituals,” written by Gardnerian initiate Ed Fitch, purchased from Steve Dey, at Las Vegas’ oldest occult shop, Bell Book and Candle, saved my soul.

Initial Questionnaire for ICS

7/1/2017

3 Comments

Please be sure to read through our website, and as many posts on our social media sites as possible. Please read the list of Required Items needed to begin class. Consider reading THE WITCHES' BIBLE by Janet and Stewart Farrar ASAP as this is our textbook.
***We give quizzes on every chapter, a Midterm and a Final Exam.
If you do not enjoy the book or being quizzed, you will not enjoy our classes.
***Know that while we always practice robed and no sex is ever required,
we do practice the Five Fold Kiss, light Ritual Scourging, and the symbolic Great Rite.
If this is a problem for you, we are not the group for you.
***This is a teaching Coven that trains Wiccans.
We do not have equivalency for already experienced Witches or Wiccans.
All start from the beginning with us.
***While we appreciate peoples’ psychic gifts, they do not factor, at all,
in our decision to accept someone, or how we train them.
***Inner Circle Sanctuary has a curriculum that every student follows, without exception.

Interested in taking a sample test? Follow this link to a Google Doc: https://forms.gle/7oaQ5GF3d8k4CsA37

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

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

3 Comments

The First Year

12/30/2016

The First Year

The first year seemed so long
All the questions we got wrong
"When will we finally initiate?
All this waiting is something we hate"
"When you are ready", the elders said
"When we have crammed all this in your head.
The Witch’s Rune and every Sabbat date
When you come on time and are not late"

"We can do this!" Our hearts cried
But some of those hearts lied
Some left for this or that
Some just did not ever come back
But finally the time did arrive
The day for which we all strive
And then it seemed that time went too fast
We could not believe a year and one had passed.

All the laughter and the fun
Learning of the moon and the sun.
The bonds and friendships made
Holding on to those who stayed
I beseech you all in robes of white
Enjoy this rare delight
Never again will it be this way
Most will go but some will stay
Don’t be bothered by the changing faces
Don’t be balked by the changing paces
Let that universal bell ring
Lift your voice higher. Sing!

Go with the flow, and ride the tide
Know your lessons and do not hide
For at the end of a year and a day
Most will have gone and you will have stayed.

Written by our poet Elder Lady Sisterwolf c.2002

Temple of the Inner Circle sabbat setup c. 2000's

Temple of the Inner Circle Bealtaine c. 2000's

Temple of the Inner Circle sabbat camp c. 2000's

Scheduling Interviews

12/9/2016

Wicca Classes with Inner Circle Sanctuary Las Vegas

We are currently scheduling interviews for
Saturday, January 21, 2017
for our Wicca classes and membership.

Available class nights are
Tuesdays at 6 p.m.
Sundays at 12 p.m.

Interviews last about an hour to an hour and a half. Get to know us as we get to know you.

The 3 most common questions we are asked:

"Is there a fee for classes?"

We ask for $15 a month in your first year and a day and $30 for every sabbat.
In lieu of cash as your monthly donation, you can donate to an area charity we approve of and turn in a receipt.
ALL monies collected from monthly dues, group events, and sabbats are donated to a charity. All donations to local charities are tracked for the members' review.

"What are your requirements?"

Attend your weekly class for a minimum of 'a year and a day'*
Be prepared for the weekly lesson (always advancing)
Memorize given materials
Learn to lay down, set up, cast, and close a magical ring
Learning about, attending, and participating in our 8 sabbats
Maintain a consistent daily magical practice

"What are you looking for in a student?"

Someone with a desire to learn about the Craft and it's practices
Someone who wants to LIVE Wicca
Someone who wants to become a Leader in the Craft

Course materials needed can be found here:
http://www.innercirclesanctuary.com/1st-degree-classes.html

You can send us an email at innercirclesanctuary (at) gmail.com or message us on our Contact page OR send us a message via Facebook

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News, Updates, & Information

10 Years

TEN YEARS SINCE BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE

If it was easy, it wouldn't be cool

Psychic Fair 2022

Psychic Fair
with Inner Circle Sanctuary
Saturday, October 22, 2022 6:00 PM PT

Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuary

Saturday, January 11, 2020
Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuary
from 1 PM - 5 PM

Tempus Est Nunc

Tempus Est Nunc

Initial Questionnaire for ICS

The First Year

The First Year

Scheduling Interviews

Inner Circle Sanctuary

Categories

Archives

News, Updates, & Information

TEN YEARS SINCE BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE

Psychic Fair with Inner Circle SanctuarySaturday, October 22, 2022 6:00 PM PT

Saturday, January 11, 2020Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuaryfrom 1 PM - 5 PM

​Tempus Est Nunc

​The First Year

Inner Circle Sanctuary

Categories

Archives

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Psychic Fair
with Inner Circle Sanctuary
Saturday, October 22, 2022 6:00 PM PT

Saturday, January 11, 2020
Coffee with Inner Circle Sanctuary
from 1 PM - 5 PM

Tempus Est Nunc

The First Year