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17 hours ago
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Magickal Learning at the Magical Circle School
I decided to let you in on what seems to be a bit of a secret in the pagan community. I've happened upon forum after forum of people discussing online schools of magick. They're usually talking about the College of the Sacred Mists or Witch School. There's also Oberon Zell's Grey School of Wizardry. But there seems to be a silence, and so I'm guessing a lack of knowledge, of the 100% free Magical Circle School. It's a school that focuses on magickal learning within the Wiccan tradition. While some classes do require books or materials, there is no cost to enroll in the school, which offers a vast array of classes on many magickal(and mundane) topics. If you find a class with seemingly expensive items on the Items Needed list(essential oils, for example), you are free to make substitutions with affordable items you have on hand and the teachers are easily accessible for advice. "Class packs" are available for purchase for some classes but are completely optional. Colleen Criswell, who runs the school and heads up the staff, has office hours from 10-2 EST every weekday, making communication easy and fast. The personal feedback from teachers, along with the great diversity of classes, are my favorite things about this school. I enrolled in the program for a short time once before and have recently re-enrolled. Once enrolled, you are free to choose the classes that most interest you, or take part in the Degree program, which consists of three degree levels. So if you've been thinking about checking into online schools, you might want to check it out here!
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Just a heads up. This is very difficult. The headmistress is totally inflexible and discouraging -like, if you can't do this maybe this isn't the path for you or maybe you aren't serious enough or committed enough. I'm referring to the Hall Pass portion that you have to complete just to be able to take any classes. One assignment in particular (basically vocabulary) has requirements are beyond ridiculous! If you get any of the words wrong(only her answers are right), you have to write a 700 word essay on each word!I got 9 wrong. That assignment was the end for me. It really put me off being Wiccan and made me doubt myself and feel inadequate. It kinda destroyed my child-like wonder and heartfelt knowledge that I had finally found my calling.Now, don't get me wrong, I still hope to someday finish the hall pass and get to the good stuff. It's on my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteLadyLissa, The Headmistress has left and the school is being run by the teachers now so a lot has changed in the last week or so, I'd suggest you give it another go, the teachers have been great to me so far and I have been getting so much encouragement and positive feedback.
DeleteUnfortunately I was just treated like dirt by one of the new teachers. The website is under construction and even on a computer there is no option for me to complete any work. I told her when I originally enrolled and she basically called me a liar so I took a screenshot of the conformation email of my enrollment. I would rather pay for Chas Bogan classes. The magical ciecle may be free but they are slow, disorganised, and jist plain rude.
DeleteLook into Chas bogan modern conjure classes or black rose witchcraft. They cost money but are affordable and you get what you pay for...free is not always better.
DeleteWho treated you like dirt? I am one of the 4 teachers and I would like to know so I can address it with that person and the other two because that is not acceptable.
DeleteWhen will the school be back up Jen? I have been absent awhile, but was hoping to start back again when I finished grad school. Now I see that everything is basically gone!
DeleteI was in that school, last week they accused me of using the f-bomb in an email to an "instructor" for help, next thing I know, i get an email saying i was banned for it. I NEVER use that language and have all the emails as proof. STAY AWAY FROM THOSE EGOTISTICAL IDIOTS.
DeleteI can't get an account. You can't use yahoo emails, even gmail is on the list that popped up but for some reason accepted it and was never sent a confirmation email. I was so excited, too. I've sent a message to their facebook page though
ReplyDeleteMerry Meet, Anonymous! The school is being moved to a different site at the moment. Everything is basically on hold, even for students that are already enrolled in the various courses. There were some errors that started coming up and the teachers have been working really hard to try and get the site up and going on a new server. Once the site is back and running smoothly, students will be able to start enrolling and turning in assignments once again. It will just take a little bit of time.
DeleteHow do you make an online majick school seem like a wonderful program? Make each student like the school on facebook, write a review, and report the sites information on 2+ social media accounts AS THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT!
ReplyDeleteWell, nowadays marketing sticks its tail into magick and spirituality as well, right? :) You should ask the question also: why would someone enjoy so much creating a free school? Because it's not. Traffic for one brings a lot of money.
DeleteI did five courses with them a few years ago and then missed a deadline due to a death in the family and was told I would have to start from scratch. I was very disappointed and never continued
ReplyDeleteReading this scares me a bit. I just joined the school and am finding the orientation series a bit frustrating. The teachers have been wonderful so far, but I'm heading on a month of orientation and still haven't had any classes. I've taken many online classes, even gotten my degree totally on line, and never have come across a school so difficult to get into. I really want to continue, but I am finding it all rather intimidating.
ReplyDeleteIf you have countless hours to get through the technological requirements just to get through the orientation, then knock yourself out. I loathe technology, and having to have a facebook page, a pinterest account, a user name on you tube, etc. is too much for me, so I dropped before I even really got started. Yes, it's free. So what. I can read books.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean and I am starting to think the same thing.Having to have "this and that" completed before we can even begin is VERY frustrating.If I stick with it I might have gained a little tech savvy[if nothing else], though I am tossing up whether its even worth it...
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(Sorry for deleting the previous post. I made a grammatical error and saw no way to edit my comment.)
ReplyDeleteI am taking classes there now but I am SO BORED after a whole year of the Entrance Exam. I do like some of the teachers there but I have ADHD and I can barely even focus on it anymore, which upsets me because this is something I REALLY want and need in my life.
I have been enrolled since September of 2018 and I absolutely love it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the school! I know that the orientation series can be a little frustrating but I think something like that helps both teachers and students. I find it very organised (personal opinion).
ReplyDeleteHmmmm....I have recently enrolled and not being much of a Tech person, I am having trouble with the orientation we must do first.I am a member of a few other pagan schools and didn't have to go through this.I have been a pagan for 32 years but wanted to learn more, so thought I would give it a go.I just want to get into the "real" stuff and did not expect to do all this before I could even do a course.I am am adept in an on line coven , so it isn't as though I don't have a brain...just not tech savvy.To be honest, I would prefer the course to be accessible as a book and be able to just get on with it myself[as with one of my other courses].Despite this I am persevering[albeit slowly].Only time will tell whether I stick
ReplyDeletewith it or not
Some teachers (one in particular) needs to not be so snarky when giving feedback. Completely unnecessary and a real turn off. The Orientation Series is really long and can get completely discouraging. The school should definitely consider shortening it and not be so redundant on topics regarding the Series. Other than that, once you complete the Orientation Series you are free to take any classes you like, so that's a plus.
ReplyDeleteReading all of these comments is really discouraging. I came across this school and decided to do a bit of research on it. And most of what i have read is that its not a great choice. It seems very few people have actually had a good experience with this school. I had hoped for better.
ReplyDeleteI posted a review and I wanted to encourage you to give it a shot if you're still interested! I've had a pleasent experience, met a few people at the school through club meetings and forum posts, and honestly for being a free school I think they do really well. It seems theres also been a lot of changes in the last year from what I've read, and the teachers have changed a bit even in the last month.
DeleteThe big thing is to muscle through orientation 1, and two becomes a lot better.
I started and I'm about 2/3 of the way through the orientation. A few teachers left and so it's a little chaotic right now but so far I'm enjoying it. I'm certainly impatient to finish orientation but I do understand it's better in the long run. The teachers do it for free and a lot of the orientation lessons so far are about making sure people are turning things in in a way so the teachers don't have to hunt down/spend extra time trying to figure out what assignment you're doing and so people know where to find things in the school and how to do basic computer things like embed an image or direct link to a post. If you're already a bit tech savvy it's probably nothing for you, and if you arent it's good skills to learn! Also once you get access to the student lounge (about 1/2 way through orientation) it gives you something else to do while you wait on assignments. You can join discussions and clubs and that alone can help you learn a lot. I wanted to leave a review so people know that its not all bad! The teachers have been so friendly so far for me and my fiance and sister.
ReplyDeleteI joined after stumbling upon the school February 27th of this year. The school has recently changed hands so while I can't speak for any past experiences, my experience so far has been AMAZING. Orientation is a bit long. I am near the end of 102. Some have said that if you are tech savy then most of it is easy but I have found that just made me able to go through it a little faster.
ReplyDeleteOnce you get into the forums, then it gets a little better because you can meet other students. I also started going to club chats so I could find out about things happening at the school.
Not everyone is going to like it, and think they can learn enough by reading and that's what is good enough for them. But if someone wants something that is going to make them think about what they are reading but giving assignments and asking questions then they would do well here.
Orientation has just had another overhaul with in the last few days so I'd encourage people to try it again. :)
When I first started with this school it was so interesting but as time went on it just got very frustrating. The school has definitely spread themselves too thin and there is way to many students enrolled and not enough staff. Takes weeks to receive an email reply. Then recently the site ended up crashing and they had to do website work, which is understandable. However, assignments got lost in translation, teachers would remove you from a class and not give you a certificate of completion. Response time is waaaaaaaayy past (10) business days. Took me about 2-3 months to have an assignment graded after I emailed the teacher multiple times (still waiting for a cert for this one). Truthfully, you can learn this all on your own as I have begun. Some classes are extremely redundant and you are literally writing the same thing over and over again in different context in order to have a full paragraph. Do yourselves a favor and study this on your own. I went through the entire course list and it can all be done by teaching yourself through other portals
ReplyDeleteI am a student at The Magickal Circle School. I have been a student for about a year maybe more. When I first started it was the lady that created our school. She wasn’t there very long after I started. She soon retired. I can agree she was tough about assignments. I took it no different then what a certified school teacher would of been. She wanted to make sure you knew what you needed to. Yes it’s a free school for magic. Not a free ride not to learn. I have had no problems with any of the teachers. When I have needed help I have gotten the help I needed.. I myself should honestly be more advanced in classes then I am. I have been fortunate not to have lost my space as a student. For the strict guidelines that they have about attending. They don’t and won’t just kick you out for nothing. When you have a emergency they are very understanding and will hold your place for you. As long as you let them know that you have a emergency your dealing with. If you don’t of course you will be booted and have to start all over.. My school ID is Zky803.. I wasn’t able to change my email.. I Love Everything About The Magickal Circle School.. Even though tough times in the end we are family..
ReplyDeleteSeems like the school is now shutdown. Website has a suspended message and Facebook page is taken down. Guess that settles it. I just joined too. Bummer.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot going on right now, one of the old head mistresses took the school down herself without consulting with anyone.
ReplyDeleteJust call me C. I go there too and I am in O103 at the part of Research Paper and GBO. I know who did it, but I'm not going to say a whole lot here. The headmistress that caused this was SM. Another head is trying her hardest to bring it back.
DeleteThe school was hacked by a formerly trusted teacher who went and put her name on all the accounts in place of the headmistress who actually owned the school. Because she was trusted with the admin passwords she was able to ban the headmistress' IPs so they cannot get into the school. Also, due to false accusations being slung around by the bad teacher and the amount of people actually believing these accusations they decided not to fight to bring the school back up and just leave it down.
ReplyDeleteAnother good school is The Academy of Gray Mystics You have to buy one text book but its otherwise free.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/obsidiansylph/
" Also, due to false accusations being slung around by the bad teacher and the amount of people actually believing these accusations they decided not to fight to bring the school back up and just leave it down."
DeleteThis isn't entirely true and I suspect you're aware of that. The fight was fought and the school is in the process of coming back up. This isn't the place to address the other accusations which are oddly specific.
To me the Magickal Circle School was a disappointment. The way they treat their students is disrespectful, they are on their power trip. After more than 6 years at this school and even helping them out, which they took for granted of course, I dared to contradict a professor about a deadline and I told her that I will avoid studying with her. Lo and behold she asked the other professors, as they defend each other no matte what, to erase my account. So all the work I've put into this school went to the garbage and nobody cared. I was never asked my opinion either. My advice, stay away from this narcissists! You can study on your own, there a ton of information everywhere, you on't need to be treated like dirt and give your power to others to step on your boundaries whenever they want. As far as I' concerned I will always tell my opinion that this school is not serious, say away from it.Meanwhile the goddesses I work with told me that it is no loss, so that's what it counts for me in the end.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the recent events of the school being taken down: karma is literally at play here :) we've been through eclipses, one in Capricorn about power misuses now we approach another tough New Moon with Saturn, Pluto and Uranus at play....and it happened during a Mercury retrograde while the new website as I remember was set up during a Mercury retrograde as well! So everything came back again: the accusations, the lies and the power battles. Justice has been served may be not for one of the teachers or another (someone clearly wanted revenge here too) but also for those students that were falsely accused as well, banned from learning, treated like dirt too.
ReplyDeleteIs there any alternative to the Magic Circle School now that it's gone? I was a student about a decade ago and I really loved the runes class. I got kicked out for missing an assignment in another class (can't remember the name, basically arts and crafts). I was looking the school up again for a refresher course on runes and tarot.
ReplyDeleteHi. Hope you are having a nice day.
DeleteThe school is not gone. I will re-open soon enough and the people that are in charge now try to fix at least most of the problems.
I am of the opinion that the school is cursed. But there is another one opening soon that will be run by people who actually love teaching their own material rather than asking the students to regurgitate copy-written material.
ReplyDeleteI was a student there for nearly a year -- not as long as many and longer than a few. I can tell you that the place was once run by confident teachers who resigned due to ethics. The new HM (one of them) is a complete nut job. I think that TMCS is its own demise and any attempt to resurrect it is for naught. I loved it there in the beginning, but it proved to be a bane -- not just for me, but for many.
ReplyDeleteHi. Just wanted to let you know that there are no Headmistresses anymore.
DeleteWhen will the school be back up? Will it still be under the same name?
ReplyDeleteDon't bother with the Magickal Circle School. It is now run by a group of power hungry nut jobs who stole the school. Check out this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/899093613802070/ This kind of drama runs rampant and students are being blocked, censored and removed left and right for daring to ask questions. There is a much better free school starting up on Samhain. You can follow it on Instagram and Facebook for news - https://www.facebook.com/Serenity-Academy-of-Magick-1770718336297949/ or https://www.instagram.com/serenityacademyofmagick/
ReplyDeletelove the teachers at this school
Deleteschool is now back up and just as screwed up as before, don't waste your time. You still have to jump thru hoops and the new "council" is just as power hungry as the old team.
ReplyDeleteI'm very interested finding another school at a reasonable price. The way TMCS is set up now is so much better than before. I signed up for the school 3 times, first one was when Colleen was around (she was pretty cool but very strict) and the 2nd time I ran into the issue of my assignments not being graded and then getting kicked from the school. The school has improved 10 fold. The teachers and TAs listen to the students and applaud the work you put in. It is MUCH less confusing and so much more practical. There seems to be a better understanding that everyone has THEIR OWN PATH and the school is there to help you find your own. Its lovely, now. But I am looking for something else to enroll in as well. TMCS take a while to move through so I would like to continue my learning while waiting. Lol.
ReplyDeleteHave you found anything? I've been in orientation for five weeks and I'm getting really sick of waiting 4-5 days to have one sentence assignments graded.
Deletethis school is ridiculous they seem to think you are a student in college asking for the amount of research papers and essays is totally ridiculous. ive had quite a few problems with an assignment in the beginning over first watch this TA needs to reread to understand the assignment she kept asking me to redo cuz she was wrong when you are asked a question you answer it how it was asked RIGHT not answewr it as a whole if not stated. finally got passed it was doing great got awesome grades and positive feedback on all my papers and assignments until now. do not direct quote anything because you will be put on watch even if sourced and quoted properly. while understand they want you to learn i think they are a bit extreme with some of the assignments. one section in correspondece of spellcrafting had an asignment that required 7 essays just to get through gem portion of the class. treat people the way you want to be treated they wrote me an email and it was not nice in any manner definite power and control is what i got from it. didnt take my explanation into consideration at all it was their way and thats it.. i almost quit the school but there arent many schools out there and the ones that are dont have the biggest curriculum
ReplyDelete