Working with Spirits: From Angels to Elementals

From angels to faeries, tulpas to gods, this five-week livestream course invites you to step beyond the veil and explore the many forms of spirit that share our world.

In this five-week experiential journey, author and magician Julian Vayne guides you through the vast spectrum of spirit work, blending theory, history and hands-on practice. Together, we will explore the deep ontological question: 'What are spirits: inner archetypes, external intelligences, or something in between?' while also engaging in practical methods to meet and collaborate with them safely and meaningfully.

Book now to learn how to perceive and connect with a wide range of entities, from the subtle presences in the natural world to the divine archetypes of the sacred imagination. 

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Working with Spirits course syllabus

Each class combines theory, exploration, meditation and accessible ritual practice, offering both a framework for understanding the spirit realm and tools to support your personal journey.

Week 1 | Meeting the Many: The diversity of spirits

• We begin by exploring the great diversity of beings encountered in spirit work; angels, ancestors, elementals, land spirits, faeries, djinn and more.
• Drawing on ethnographic perspectives from shamanic, animist and magical traditions, we'll ask: What is their ontological status? Are they inner figures, external presences, archetypes, or autonomous intelligences from other realms.

• Learn foundational methods to open your perception; through scrying, dreaming and landscape attunement, to locate elemental and land spirits in their natural habitats.

Week 2 | Spirits We Can Make: Thoughtforms, tulpas & servitors

• Discover how belief, imagination and ritual can act as crucibles for creating spiritual intelligences. 
• We'll explore the magical theory behind familiars, thoughtforms and servitors, drawing parallels with Tibetan tulpa practice and Western occult constructs.

• Step-by-step methods to design, enliven and care for your own familiar spirit or servitor being.
• Learn how to maintain a respectful and reciprocal relationship of partnership and how to release or dissolve such creations when their work is done.

Week 3 | Gods & Divine Beings

• How do we approach the divine? This session examines the spectrum of divine encounter, from inspiration to possession, across ancient and modern traditions. 
• We will discuss gods as vast spirit ecologies, and how their presences are invited and embodied.

Practice:

• Experience the Golden Dawn's Assumption of Godforms technique and experiment with light trance and movement to allow divine energies to speak through inspired writing, art or spontaneous prayer.
• Please rest assured that the trance is light and there will be plenty of opportunity for grounding.

Week 4 | Shrines, Spirit Houses & Inspired Art

• Working with spirits is not only visionary but also relational and creative. This week focuses on how to anchor the unseen through physical and artistic expression, building spirit houses, shrines and devotional spaces that act as bridges between worlds.
• We will explore the aesthetic and magical logic of these creations, from Haitian Vodou altars to Japanese kamidana and British folk spirit bottles.

Practice:

• Create your own personal spirit house or shrine, guided by intuitive design and spirit inspiration. Engage in trance and automatic writing or drawing to invite your spirit allies to help shape their dwelling and communicate through art.

Week 5| Knowledge, Conversation & Spirit Protection

• We culminate the course with the art of making conscious contact from devotional invocation and divinatory communion to the profound process of Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel.
• Alongside this, we'll address spiritual hygiene and balance: How to protect oneself, stay grounded, and transform difficult encounters into growth.

• Learn classic methods of banishing and protection, and explore compassionate techniques for transforming troubling entities into allies, including the Feeding Your Demons practice from Tibetan Buddhism.

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Entry requirements

• This course is open to all.
• To enrol on this course, click 'BOOK NOW'.
• If it is fully booked, click 'REGISTER INTEREST' for updates.
• It is important to read these 11 Course Agreements before your first class.

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This course will be recorded. You will find the recording links in your College Account within two working days from each class - an email will alert you when it is ready. These recordings will be available for replay for three months. Please see our terms for more information.

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Previous participants say:

"Julian Vayne was very knowledgeable in an extensive sort of way and that helped me to grasp the meaning of some difficult esoteric subjects. He made a complicated issue simple."

"Amazing. Julian Vayne created an atmosphere where participants were able to share very personal experiences while experiencing a sense of community."

"Julian Vayne is an extremely informative presenter with a very engaging speaking style."

"Julian Vayne blended his extensive and in-depth knowledge base with a facilitative, experiential approach that honoured contributions from students."

"This was a very engaging and thought-provoking presentation with Julian Vayne. I learned a lot."

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