Oracular Mediumship Circles
Mediumship circles are opportunities to have a direct experience of the consciousness of spirit people, learn more about them and life from their perspectives, and better understand the place of humanity within the greater scope of world wisdom. The mediumship circle helps individual sitters develop their clair-senses and work with imaginal constructs to enhance personal practice. Sitters have the opportunity to receive healing and blessing transmissions and attune to resonances of wisdom, compassion, sovereignty, and other qualities of consciousness the spirit people reflect to us. In this form of sitting, all of the sitters in a circle give voice to their perceptions, creating tapestries of wisdom made from different threads. While it is a group process, we maintain personal boundaries within a group synergistic field. Further instructions on the process are given at the beginning of each class.
In these classes we invite only the most compassionate and wise aspects of the spirits in the interest of developing wisdom, broader perspective, and engaging the cosmic dynamic of reciprocity between the realms. We practice conscious, embodied, consensual mediumship meaning we do not leave our bodies and go unconscious for this practice, and we are free to extend and revoke the invitation to connect with spirit guests. We practice conscious-to-conscious mediumship, a connection to the spirit guest that is not internal to our bodies; this form of mediumship does not involve the embodiment of spirits.
Some degree of confidence with intuitive perception is useful, though the mediumship circle can also provide structure for developing your intuitive perception. All levels are welcome, and those newer to it are encouraged to read my articles on intuitive perception in advance and have expectations according to your level of experience.
The descriptions of the classes only refer to possible guests to provide a frame of reference for the focal topic. A class can engage deity figures, elder beings, animal spirits, plant spirits, magical/mythical beings, and cosmic beings and places as they relate to the focal topic. To allow the ritual space to go beyond what I know or can plan, the spirits will be determining the final rosters.
For those new to the mediumship circle method, or those who would benefit from a review, an instructional video is provided to be viewed in advance.
Engage in the direct experience of Norse beings, cosmology, and cosmography through the technique of circle mediumship. In each two-week segment a particular imaginal location, type of spirit person, or theme will be emphasized. The specific spirit guests for sitting will unfold as we meet but could include spirit people such as Freya, the Norns, Thor, Odin, Loki, Idunn, and Hyndla, and imaginal places such as Thor’s Sacred Grove (Þorrsvé), the Hall of the Goddess (Dísarsalr), and the Mountain of Medicine (Lyfjaberg). Sometimes the spirits show us with new imaginal places, tools for engagement, and themes so the process will always be informed by the spirits and not entirely predetermined. Participants will be encouraged to further connect with our spirit guests in between class meetings, and share experiences in a private class space.
This class is online and in real-time. As this course is experiential, attendance is important. Recordings of sessions will be available for a limited time and are not a substitute for regular attendance.
Schedule:
On Fridays May 2, 9, 23, 30 and June 13, 20 from 2:00pm – 4:15pm Pacific Time.
Rate: $325 USD
Circle Limit: about 9 participants
Prerequisites: Those new to the mediumship circle process will be required to listen to a 50-minute instruction video on the process as I won’t be teaching it during the course. The link to the video will be sent after registration. There are no other prerequisites to this course, though prior experience with ritual boundary setting and intuitive perception are recommended. If you are newer to imaginal perception and boundary setting I recommend joining my (free) private platform to access and practice the content on Boundary Strengthening Practices, and have expectations according to your level of experience.
*This course is not appropriate for anyone experiencing unstable mental health conditions or especially poor boundary conditions. If you have a question about eligibility email me the relevant information and we can discuss.
Registration Deadline: April 11, 2025. If a minimum registration number is not met by this date the class may be canceled or rescheduled. Payment is non-refundable or transferable after this date.
Note on registration: The registration button below will take you to my scheduler. Choose your time zone and the first date of class and then follow the prompts. You will be sent a Zoom link a few days before the first class. This link will be used for all meetings. At that time you will also receive instructions for accessing the private online platform.
Theme: Co-Creating with the Elements
Key components to both mediumship and creativity are the ability to connect to the greater wisdom around us and be in the flow. This relationship is already present in our language – to be inspired means to be “in spirit”, and creative genius was not something you were but rather someone you had a relationship with – a guiding and inspiring spirit. We do not create in isolation, rather we co-create with spirit. In this series we will engage practices of creative flow and co-create with spirits associated with creative energy itself – for this iteration we will be working with the Elements, beings associated with the elements, and beings who work with the elements themselves.
Elements are at work (and play) all around us as part of the landscape, manifest reality, and our own compositional being. In this circle we will be meeting with earth, air, fire, and water as primordial energies of wisdom to deepen our understanding of how they function in ourselves and the world, and how we might co-create with them. In each meeting we will engage with the basic element as well as with spirit people associated with the elements.
For the mediumship component of this course we will engage in the mediumship circle method developed by Betsy Bergstrom. This course will include an overview of this method during which Maris will explain the process and boundaries. We will be engaging in consensual, consciousness-to-consciousness mediumship with the spirit guests. This form of mediumship does not involve the direct embodiment of spirits. Participants will be expected to follow the guidelines and engage only in this form of mediumship during the group process.
We will also be engaging additional practices that help with creative and intuitive flow. Whatever modalities you engage in artistically and intuitively, these practices help you get more “in the flow” and connected to your Genius – the part of you that co-creates with spirit and goes beyond the habitual norm.
Some degree of confidence with intuitive perception is useful, though these practices are also good for intuitive development. All levels are welcome, and those newer to it are encouraged to read my articles on intuitive perception in advance and have expectations according to your current level of experience.
Participants will engage in creative flow practices, optional dream incubation nights, and their personal creative projects between sessions and in ways inspired by the mediumship sittings. Participants are asked to share at least once a week on the private platform some element of their personal process.
Logistics:
This course is held in real-time, online via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided the week before the first class. As this class is small and experiential it requires presence and engagement. Participants are asked to prioritize attendance and avoid missing whenever possible. Recordings (no downloads) will be provided to compensate for missed classes but are not intended to replace regular attendance and engagement.
Dates:
Saturdays, July 12, 19, 26, August 2, 9, 16. The first class is from 9:00am – 12:30pm Pacific Time. Subsequent classes are from 10:00am – 12:30 Pacific Time.
A private online platform space will be provided for creative sharing and posting of the mediumship notes.
Rate: $350 USD
Circle Limit: About 12 participants.
Registration deadline: June 21, 2025. Payments are non-refundable or transferable after this date. The class may be cancelled or rescheduled if a minimum registration has not been met. Registrations are still accepted after this date up to the class limit.
The Mantles of Mary
Mother Mary is associated with Christianity but her divine aspect has roots in much older goddesses, other “Queens of Heaven” and “Virgin” creator goddesses, all versions of the Magna Mater, the Great Mother whose symbols and epithets Mother Mary would assume as veneration of those older goddesses diminished over time. As Christianity spread, representations of Mary would also replace those of the local goddesses associated with the rivers, forests, mountains, lakes, and healing springs. But the presences of those goddesses remained, and devotions to Mary – both Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene – provided a way for those connections to continue in the form of the veneration of “Our Ladies” of place. In this class we will be using the mediumship circle method to have a direct experience of connection with some of the divine aspects of Mary which can include: the Black Madonna, the Queen of Heaven, Parthenos, Star of the Sea, Mary Untier of Knots, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the various other Our Ladies.
This section is more for iterations of this class that extend over a few weeks but the information is available for the weekend course for those who wish to engage it: An additional element of this course will include a framework based on the book The Way of the Rose by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn. Reading this book is highly recommended for a fuller context of this component of the course, but not required. One of Mary’s titles is Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary is an extension of the custom of making flower garlands for a goddess. Participants can opt to make or purchase rosaries, and work with that framework of prayer. Participants can modify traditional forms of prayers to create versions most suitable for them.
Location: Online via Zoom
Schedule: September 5 – 7, 2025, from 1:30pm – 5:00pm PT on Friday, then from 10:00am – 4:00/4:30pm Saturday and Sunday.
Rate: $325 USD
Registration deadline: August 8, 2025. Payments are non-refundable or transferable after TBD. The class may be cancelled or rescheduled if a minimum registration has not been met by this date. If the class is cancelled payments will be refunded in full. Registrations are still accepted after this date up to a class limit of about 12 participants.
Note on registration: The registration button below will take you to my scheduler. Choose your time zone and the first date of class and then follow the prompts. (The other dates will not show up, and the “hours” are also not the compete hours of the class. This is an artifact of my using the scheduler differently than how it is set up.) You will be sent a Zoom link a few days before the first class. This link will be used for all meetings. At that time you will also receive instructions for accessing the private online platform.
This class is great for those of us who are ‘decidedly not Christian’ but have grown up within the indoctrination of the dominant religion of Christianity. Meeting the “Christian powers” on their own terms and in their own voices, outside of the projections of the patriarchal structures this religion now is, opens up a pantheon of deities that are surprising fascinating, and brings to light the amazingly powerful spirit allies and helpers we can connect with directly. This class is also a wonderful reconciliation for those of us who have Christian ancestors, especially when when doing any ancestral lineage repair work, both as clients and as practitioners. Maris is a gifted and generous teacher and holder of space, and I would recommend this class …even if you, like me, do major eye rolls at the mention of JC and anything ‘Christian’.