The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

Local News

August 29, 2008

Rossville witch school plans gathering

ROSSVILLE — There are more festivities in northern Vermilion County than just Labor Day activities.

Practitioners of the Correllian Nativist Tradition — which may be described as a denomination of Wicca founded in Vermilion County — will gather this weekend for the Witch School Conference and Correllian Lustration.

Events begin with a drum circle from 6 to 10 p.m. tonight at 330 Elm Street, Hoopeston.

Saturday, events include a dinner, Wiccan initiations for those who’ve completed varying degrees of study and a temple deeming ceremony, which legitimizes places of worship for the tradition.

The Lustration, which is open to the public on Sunday, is a ceremony that blesses the Correllian tradition, the Deity — or God — as both male and female and recognizes the interconnected nature of all beings.

A Lustration ceremony also is staged in the spring, but the spring ceremony is mostly intended to honor the tradition’s ancestors. The spring ceremony has been conducted at a variety of locations, but the fall ceremony always is scheduled in Vermilion County.

This weekend’s ceremony is a high ceremony, which uses formal rituals and traditional formal religious Wiccan attire.

“The fall lustration aligns members of the tradition, but both ceremonies are for purification and blessing, to confer the blessing of the Diety and of the ancestors upon everyone in the tradition,” said the Rev. Don Lewis, chancellor of the Correllian Tradition and chairman of the Witch School board.

The ceremony itself consists of blessing water from the Vermilion River. The ceremony is carried out through a Correllian elder and four people representing the “four corners” or four directions north, south, east and west.

Lewis conducts the ceremony, but a First Elder — a woman from Danville — performs the actual Lustration blessing. During the ceremony, Lewis also invokes an oracle, which means he receives a prophecy or message from the ancestors. Messages may involve events taking place in the next year or next few years. Some messages might talk about emotions.

“One of them talked about a developing split that no one saw coming — and then one of our main temples left,” Lewis said.

“One talked about a future headquarters, which we’re kind of in now.”

Last year, the Witch School moved from Hoopeston to Rossville.

At least 30 or 40 witches are expected to attend the weekend’s ceremonies and rituals.

Witch School President Debbe Tompkins said the bi-yearly Lustrations bring the tradition’s practitioners together.

“We’re all across the world and we know each other by e-mails only,” she said.

The Rossville Witch School currently has more than 200,000 active members in its online classes, according to those involved in the school.

People can sign up for some 120 classes that include numerology, tarot, cultural history, aromatherapy or candle magic.

This weekend, the Witch School will conduct meetings and classes, including one about the Witch School Volunteer Guild, which organizes public service projects like environmental clean-ups and food drives.

The school also will have a number of licensed products for sale, including ritual kits, spellbooks, DVD’s and CDs.

A new clothing line, created by one of he school’s alumni, Wycked Velvet, also will be showcased. Clothing includes capes, robes and a line of interchangeable tunics, pants and skirts.

IF YOU GO

The Witch School Conference and Correllian Lustration takes place this weekend in Rossville. Events begin today and culminate with the fall Lustration ceremony and rituals at noon Sunday at The Witch School, 314 S. Chicago St., Rossville. Those interested in the Witch School should feel free to visit this weekend.

For more detailed information, please visit http://lustration08.homestead.com/Schedule.html, which contains a complete schedule of events.

History of the Correllian tradition may be found at http://www.correllian.com/index.htm.

Text Only
Local News
  • Community Briefs

    The Danville Lions Club will meet at noon Tuesday at the Days Hotel, 77 N. Gilbert. The topic: “Know Your Lions.”

    May 28, 2012

  • Community Calendar

    Memorial Day ceremonies at area sites — 8:30 a.m., Curtis G. Redden gravesite in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9 a.m., World War I monument; 9:30 a.m., Korean War Memorial on Hazel; 9:30 a.m., Maj. Kenneth Bailey gravesite in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9:30 a.m., Jewell Whyte family site in Spring Hill Cemetery; 9:30 a.m., at the lagoon at the VA for all service people lost at sea; 9:45 a.m., Women’s Memorial behind the Vermilion County War Museum; 10:45 a.m., all veterans’ groups gather at the Danville National Cemetery.

    May 28, 2012

  • Tropical Storm Beryl strengthens, nears U.S. coast

    Tropical Storm Beryl was wrecking some Memorial Day weekend plans on Sunday, causing shoreline campers to pack up and head inland and leading to the cancellation of some events as the storm approached the southeastern U.S.

    May 27, 2012

  • CASA seeks volunteers

    May 27, 2012

  • Classes transition online

    May 27, 2012

  • AmyandRomanSchweizer1.jpg Dad welcomes baby — while a world away

    Like most fathers, Brandun Schweizer wanted to witness his first child’s birth. There was just one problem, however — he was thousands of miles away in Afghanistan.

    May 27, 2012 2 Photos

  • Veterans ask people to pause

    Although the Memorial Day weekend is a time for picnics and pool parties, veterans’ groups hope people pause to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty, as well as others who have died.

    May 27, 2012

  • Martha Stewart learns family’s roots

    Television viewers have been treated to two series lately dealing with genealogy.

    May 27, 2012

  • Haiti touches her heart Haiti touches her heart

    Janis Ostiguy of Danville experiences many emotions each time she visits Haiti — sadness at the poverty, happiness with the children, warmth for the people and their spirit.

    May 27, 2012 3 Photos

  • Turtles return to race

    Collected turtles are being fed fruits, meat and vegetables and will be ready to go for the 48th Annual Turtle Races.

    May 27, 2012

E-edition
AP Video
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
NDN Video
Raw Video: Man Rescued From River in China Beyonce Entertains the First Family Celtics crush Sixers in Game 7 Alleged Lego Thief Faces Felony Charges Has Snooki Named Her Baby? Heat Wave Warms Holiday Weekend Inspiration for the class of 2012 Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3" 80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini Sliders on the Grill Cruise ship crunch Backstage With Beyonce Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest Jenny McCarthy's New Man Tyler's Classic Coleslaw Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone