WITCHCRAFT ✦ FOLK MAGIC ✦ GEOLOGY
Discover sacred traditions connected to the land and its stones & deepen your craft with lithic magic
The Old Stone Ways
You are warmly invited to join me at my fireside. Let us delve into the magick and mysteries of the Old Stones...
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Merry meet, and welcome! My name is Michelle Cunningham and I'm a queer witch and folk magic(k) practitioner. I have been following a Pagan path for more than 25 years, and it is my great honour to guide others looking to deepen their craft and discover new magic in the land.
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I have an immense love of geology and history, and these two elements combine to inform ways of working that I like to call the Old Stone Ways. My approach diverges from more typical expressions of crystal healing to focus instead on traditional usage and symbolism before the arrival of the New Age. Fossils and stones have been regarded as sacred since time immemorial and it is through this lens that I teach - perennially inspired by the wisdom of the ancestors, whilst drawing new connections and relevance for a modern witchcraft practice.
Please check below for my current course offerings on Lithic Magick (from the Greek lithos, meaning stone). You can also click here to learn more about my background and perspective, and find me on Instagram at @oldstoneways. I look forward to working with you!
COURSES & WORKSHOPS
Deepen Your Craft with Online Studies
Online Class
Introduction to
SACRED GEOLOGY
This 1.5 hour class presents an enchanted, animistic view of geology. We will approach earth processes and mineralogy through a spiritual lens, contemplating new connections between science and the sacred. Learn about magick in the landscape and in the rocks beneath your feet. No prior scientific knowledge required.
Next Class: Winter 2025
(exact date TBA)
LIVE ON ZOOM
(recording available)
Online Class
Introduction to Stone
MAGICK & MEDICINE
This 1.5 hour class takes a look at the sacred history of stone in the West. We will discuss instances of stone magic across the ancient world, the influence of medieval lapidary texts, and the transmission of sacred meaning through folk charms & traditions - to gain inspiration for our own magical workings today.
Next Class: Winter 2025
(exact date TBA)
LIVE ON ZOOM
(recording available)
Online Class
The FOLK MAGICK
of STONE
Part of the Lithic Magick series. This 1.5 hour introductory class will survey some examples of mineral magic preserved in the folk records of Britain & Ireland to distill virtues relevant for a modern witchcraft practice. We will explore recurring themes & motifs related to stone materials that have been woven throughout the ages.
Next Class: Winter 2025
(exact date TBA)
LIVE ON ZOOM
(recording available)
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Lithic Witchcraft
A YEAR-LONG IMMERSION INTO
THE MAGICK OF STONE
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Tentative start date: Imbolc 2025
Join me on a journey into the heart of stone witchcraft, guided by the Wheel of the Year.
This course is for you if you would like to:
✦ Incorporate new forms of lithic witchcraft into your practice, rooted in traditional wisdom & earth reverence
✦ Engage with spirt forces of the land & the Ancestors through the medium of stone
✦ Harness primal elements of geology in your magic
✦ Explore mineral correspondences as they relate to turning points along the Wheel of the Year
✦ Work with fossils & stones in divination
✦ Learn about lithic folklore & folk practices of Europe
✦ Craft charms for protection, healing & spirit work using the sacred stones in your surrounds
✦ Uncover virtues for dozens of mineral materials traditionally used in witchcraft & folk magic
✦ And more!
Click below to learn more & add your name to the list!
"Michelle’s classes are a magical weaving of long forgotten folklore, history, and science, evoking the power of place in ancient landscapes and the everyday magic in your own back yard. She brings a rare approach to working with stones in witchcraft, one that is rooted in years of study, depth of knowledge, and grounded in authentic practice. I highly recommend any of Michelle’s courses to witches, pagans, and magical folk who long to connect with the timeless power of stone."
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- Danielle Blackwood, astrologer & author of The Twelve Faces of the Goddess
Most witches would agree that tools gathered from nature and made by one's own hands are often the most powerful for use in witchcraft. However, if you feel drawn to adopt other sacred items into your practice on occasion, I would invite you to visit my small online shop Solstice on Etsy. There you will find a curated selection of rare minerals and polished stones - all responsibly sourced from traceable origins - as well as handmade jewellery, natural incense, and other esoterica.
