Initiation and Magical Orders

Looking to meet and make friends who crochet/knit? Then RSVP for this meetup! Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned knitter/crocheter, all skill levels are welcome. Make sure to bring your current knit/crochet project to work on during the meetup. I've reserved a space at the Central Library in Arlington, VA (Carlin Springs Room - located on the 2nd floor).

* **Table 1: D&D 5th Edition:** Reclaiming Moria This take on Middle Earth uses the D&D 5th edition ruleset to enable adventures in Moria. Players join the land of hobbits, elves, and other Lord of the Rings-inspired characters. New players welcome, pre-generated character sheets available. * **Table 2: D&D 5th Edition:** Dungeonauts: Portal to Elsewhere For new players interested in joining, "Dungeonauts" is an introduction to D&D, with players exploring different worlds and planes. New players welcome, pre-generated character sheets available. * **Table 3: D&D 3x Edition:** Dragon Mountain Dragon Mountain is a boxed set for AD&D released in 1994 that the DM played through with his favorite character ever, and has spent years translating/porting it to 3rd-ish edition to share the experience with others. * **Table 4: D&d 5th Edition:** "TBD" * **Table 5: Board games** Each month we have players enjoying board games from a variety of genres. Feel free to bring your favorite, or come learn something new. We'll order pizza and share whatever snacks & drinks people bring.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185767239-these-letters-end-in-tears "**Set in a country where being gay is punishable by law, *These Letters End in Tears* is the heart-wrenching forbidden love story of a Christian girl with a deviant heart and a Muslim girl leading a double life** Bessem notices Fatima for the first time on the soccer field—muscular and focused, she’s the only woman playing and seems completely at ease. When Fatima chases a rogue ball in her direction, Bessem freezes, mesmerized by the athlete’s charm and beauty. One playful wink from Fatima, and Bessem knows her life will never be the same. In Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, the odds are stacked against Bessem and Fatima from the start. And when Fatima’s older brother, a staunch Muslim, finds out about their affair, he intervenes by physically assaulting them, an incident that precedes a police raid at the only gay bar in town. After spending days in jail, Fatima goes missing without a trace, and Bessem is left with only rumors of her whereabouts. Has Fatima been sentenced to an unknown prison? Has she been banished from her community, or married off, as some have suggested? Or something even more sinister? Thirteen years later, Bessem is now a university professor leading a relatively quiet life, occasionally and secretly dating other women. However, she has never forgotten Fatima. After spotting a mutual friend for the first time in years—the last person who may have seen Fatima—Bessem embarks on a winding search for her lost love."

**Welcome to Men's Circle, hosted at Sticks and Stones!** This is a group oriented towards fostering connection between men in our local community, while also accomplishing magickal working and intentional discussion around metaphysical topics. Please read the following code of conduct for our group, and message the facilitator or call the shop and ask for Merlin for any questions. Code of Conduct 1. We are all, in good faith, men. Whichever way that manifests, we take it on good faith that all attendees are male identifying. 2. We respect all walks of life and spiritual practice. We honor and respect men from every walk of life and spiritual practice. Freedom ends where it infringes on the practice of another. We do not evangelize, prostelitize, or talk down on others. There is no initiation, or universal code of spiritual conduct here. 3. What happens in Men's Circle stays in Men's Circle By attending, you accept a sacred duty to keep the trust and faith of the other attendees, do not share or discuss anything we share in circle. *(The secret answer to the question is "Salt on the Wind")* 4. Respect the circle Once the circle is cast, we are focusing our energy on magickal topics, and making the best use of everyone's time. With great love, we may ask you to redirect or keep a line of thought shorter or more intentional. 5. Arbitration is immediate and help-oriented If you run into a pain point or offense in our group, please speak up immediately and let your thoughts be heard. We are here to respect and grow and support each other as a community, let us help and grow together. **The next few weeks, we will be focusing discussion and practices around the following topic:** What does self-love and esteem mean for men?

The STILL UNNAMED party has finally started in on the mountain, and so far they have yet to be truly challenged. But what awaits them next? (Dragon Mountain is a boxed set for AD&D released in 1994 that the DM played through with his favorite character ever, and has spent years translating/porting it to 3rd-ish edition to share the experience with others.)

At this turning of the year and the rekindling of the sacred fire, please join MoonFire on Sunday, February 15, at 12:00 PM, as we set our will toward the blessing of right leadership within this land. We’ll meditate for the strengthening of stewardship, that those entrusted with authority may act with wisdom, restraint, and responsibility. A potluck will follow the ritual; you might like to bring food or drink to share, along with your own plates/utensils, or share our food and supply of washable re-usables. MoonFire holds ritual the 3rd Sunday of every month at the UU Church of Arlington, VA, starting at 12 PM with a pre-ritual briefing. Plan to arrive a little early so you can meet folks and get settled in. Rituals are usually followed by a potluck. We welcome everyone. If you are wondering whether to bring children, are new to Paganism, or plan to take pictures or write about our ritual, let us know ahead of time.

This will be part of an ongoing series in which we read through and discuss the Ra Law of One Materials. If you would like to join and missed prior sessions, please just reach out to us if you'd like to learn what lesson we will be starting with during this session. Over a 4 yr period in the early 80's, 3 people studying channeling and spiritual phenomena, over many decades, encountered a 6 density being, Ra. Ra comes through as a messenger of the Law of One with teachings emphasizing the fundamental unity in all of existence. Through a Q&A format, Ra provided information on the purpose of humanity with great insights and tools to help us discover purpose and to help the human race evolve. We now feel it is time to share this info with our community as these materials are a great way to get clear insight on so many psychological, philosophical and spiritual happenings. We are further into book 3 of the series, but new attendees are welcome. You can find the books for free online if you would like to catch up. But this is not required. Space is limited so a RSVP is required. FIRST TIMERS: All are welcome as long as you come with an open/positive mind and respectful heart. No prior experience necessary. Please plan to arrive 15 minutes early so you can get situated. IMPORTANT DIRECTIONS: The address is 15406 Riding Stable rd. Property is at end of 1/2 mile driveway into the woods. you will drive over a small stream. Please be EXTRA MINDFUL to drive slowly (under 10 MPH) as to not stir any driveway dust. It is a shared driveway so it's important to respect our neighbors. Please do not stop to interact with horses. COST: To help make this affordable to all, we have an offering range of $15-$25. If you would like to contribute in another way, please let us know. With Love and Gratitude

Covid Alert: We will start having classes again at Canal Park on Wednesdays and the dojo on Saturdays. Please bring your own hand sanitizer, and a mask are a must! We'll practice from a safe distance from each other; and progress from there. On Saturdays, class is limited to the first 5 persons to rsvp (until further notice) "DC Kali" is an official training group for FCS Kali. Our curriculum includes knifes, swords, stick-fighting, striking, and grappling; but we place a special emphasis on edged weapons. Please come out and learn some Kali. Our aim is to train hard, learn some sound defense strategies, and make friends along the way. Although FCS Kali is a combat-oriented systems that involves edged weapons, we provide a safe environment for learning w/o sacrificing realism in our training. We teach in small semi-private groups, allowing each individual student to progress as quickly as he or she can absorb the info being taught. Hope to see you all there. Mosi K. Jack, Esq. Training Group Instructor · FCS Manong (under Tuhon Ray Dionaldo) http://www.fcskali.com/ ) Filipino Combat Systems is an organization dedicated the preservation and promotion of all Filipino Martial Arts. Filipino Combat Systems(FCS) is an organization/system with members from around the world. FCS is based on Tuhon Ray Dionaldo's over 35 years of practicing various FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) styles. He's combine elements of each, into one system that's efficient, fast, concise, and logical. FCS members have extremely diverse backgrounds, and Martial Arts systems. We’ve all come together because of our love of the Filipino Martial Arts, and our unwillingness to become involved in the politics that has so often stifled our growth. Please pick one of the following class and fee combos: Drop-In Fee: $25/per class (after 1st free Saturday class) Monthly fees: $80/month (Wednesday park classes included for free), or Quarterly fees: $210/every 3 months (which comes to $70/month; includes the Wednesday park classes), or Wednesday Park only: $50/month • Cash and Paypal are preferred method of payment (online payments via Square are available at: https://squareup.com/market/dc-kali ) • One free trial class is permitted (but must rsvp ahead of class) • Equipment: if you have training knives, rattan sticks, training swords, and/or mma gloves bring them. If not, we may have a few extra. Training Videos http://www.fcskaliphilippines.com/fcs-curriculum-videos.html http://www.bloodnbonesgear.com/id5.html

Come join us for a fun, relaxing day of hanging out, arts & crafts, and board games at the NoVA Prism Center! We will be providing supplies for various arts and crafts, but feel free to bring your own project or supplies as well! We will also have board games ready for use for anyone not artistically inclined (\*cough\*like Velvet\*cough\*) who still wants to join in and chill with friends. Be sure to bring some games from your own collection as well, as ours will be somewhat limited. In addition, this is a fursuit friendly event! This is a FREE event, and is all ages! Everyone is welcome. This will take place at the [NoVA Prism Center](https://novaprismcenter.gay/), a locally-run 501(c)(3) organization/community center for queer folks in Northern VA. The staff at the NoVA Prism Center have very generously allowed us to use their facilities for this event for free, so please have the utmost respect for your surroundings, and clean up after yourselves. The NoVA Prism Center is also kindly providing light snacks and beverages! ✨As a thank you to the NoVA Prism Center for letting us use their space, please consider [donating to the organization ](https://givebutter.com/3EJN5K)if you have the ability – even a few bucks here and there helps!✨ Looking forward to seeing you all there!

A biweekly open-table **West Marches Shadowdark campaign** based mainly on a collection of OSR adventures written by G. Hawkins. **What You'll Need:** 1. *(Recommended):* A laptop, tablet or phone (I will bring a power strip for charging). We will be using a virtual table-top (Owlbear Rodeo), which does not require installation or an account. Alternatively, players can forego the VTT and play using a "Theatre-of-the-Mind" approach. 2. *(Optional)* The *Shadowdark RPG Core Rulebook* or a downloaded copy of the free *[Player Quickstart Guide](http://%5B%5Bhttps//%5Bwww.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D%5D(www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D)(%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D))(%5B%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D)(%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf))))*[.](http://%5B%5Bhttps//%5Bwww.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D%5D(www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D)(%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D))(%5B%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D)(%5Bhttps://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf%5D(https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/collections/shadowdark-core-rules/products/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set-pdf)))) 3. **Character design:** Players will roll character stats in person, either with physical dice or using the character-creation-rolls channel in my Discord server. Characters start at level 1. Players can create a stable of up to three characters to choose for use in sessions. If a character dies, a new character can be created (at level 1) as above. I recommend that created characters be entered into the online Shadowdark character creation resource *[[Shadowdarklings.net](http://shadowdarklings.net/)]([https://shadowdarklings.net/create](https://shadowdarklings.net/create))* for long-term storage and updating between sessions. 4. You can bring physical dice or use the VTT built-in dice roller.

Our Curanderimo Elder Ixtoii Paloma Cervantes will be traveling to Virginia and teaching this in person two day candle magic workshop where you will learn the traditional Curanderismo way of using candles for bringing blessings and healings. You will learn how to prepare them, how to use them to manifest what you want in life, how to see if they are working or not, and how to read them in the Curanderismo ways. Important Note: The purpose of this workshop is to enhance spiritual growth and well-being. Any misuse of the teachings will not be tolerated, and participants with hidden agendas or intent to harm others will be asked to leave without a refund. INFORMATION: Type of event: Spiritual Workshop. Who can participate: This workshop is open to everyone. You don't need to know anything at all. You need only an open heart to learn something new. This is a two day intensive in person workshop. We will email a list of what to bring and how to prepare for this workshop as soon as you book. Workshop Details: Dates: Saturday, March, 8 and Sunday, March 9 Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Same start and finish time on both days) Tuition: $627 via cash or Zelle. Payment Plan available email healing@curanderasheart.com The full payment is due by February 27 How to book: Contact Curandera Jenny Perez at 703.531.7046

**Merry Meet!** In an effort to make ***The Most Excellent Order of the Black Hat*** a safe and sacred event, we will now be charging an ***event fee of $15.00.*** Please stop by the front desk to sign in. Our Samhain event fee will be $25.00. Thank you for understanding. The Order of the Black Hat is an international eclectic order of witches. We take our spiritual path very seriously, yet strive not to take our egos too seriously. We each have a responsibility to grow in the wisdom, love, and power of our deities, and continually learn, heal, and become stronger. We all have a responsibility to share our skills and insights with others, and to serve within our community and beyond it. **Important Black Hat Rules and Reminders:** 1\. To cast a circle is to create a place of protected and safe space\. Our circle is sacred\, please follow these simple guidelines\. 2\. If you are leaving or entering the circle\, you MUST wait for a visualized "doorway" to be opened for you by one of the HPs\. 3\. Please use the restroom before or after Circle\. 4\. Again\, it is not only rude\, but people moving in and out of the circle destroys the energy and effectiveness of the circle 5\. No texting and no chit\-chat when others have the floor\. 6\. We recognize that this is a place of healing\, and we all do our part to share with the intent of healing ourselves and the world\. We share stories not advice\, realizing that we are all works in progress\. **Important Reminders:** 1\. When leaving the circle\, please check your space for any items or trash that you might have left\. 2\. When using your phone as a flashlight\, please be considerate of those across the circle from you\, those bright lights can cause migraines\. Our circle is a magickal space for all of us. Thanks in advance for your help in making this a wondrous time for us all! Please remember doors are locked at 7 PM. Feel free to bring food to share for our Feast! Again, to make ***The Most Excellent Order of the Black Hat*** a safe and sacred event, we will now be charging an event fee of $15.00. Our Samhain event fee will be $25.00. Thank you for understanding. I look forward to seeing you all again!!! Goddess Bless! GrannyMoon

Weekly Draft night in NW. We currently meet up at Franklin Hall near 14th and Florida. U Street Metro is the closest stop. I'll have packs but feel free to bring packs if you have them. Entry is $17 (you can bring Play Booster packs to lower the cost by $3.50). If it is a special set, it will be more.

Magic Players of all kinds! This is a weekly casual play event, with lots of room for newbies. Crossroads is a Boardgame Tavern, so the "cover" charge is ordering something off the kitchen or bar menu, or buying product. Otherwise, sit, play, enjoy!

Whether you practice divination, ritual work or more craft related activities… this series of classes taught on two Sundays of each month will help you explore various aspects related to sharing your gifts in the physical and virtual marketplace. This week, we'll briefly review our previous class homework on Defining My Brand, then we’ll jump into this week’s class, on Marketing & Services through... * Building an online presence (website, social media, email list) * Sharing authentic content: tips, rituals, and insights * Designing promotional materials and visuals * Collaborating with other practitioners and local businesses * Hosting free events or sample readings to attract clients Newcomers are encouraged to attend, and individual virtual classes are available for those who may have missed a class along the way by contacting Papa Bones Moon. Cost: $25 / Please check-in & pay once you arrive at Sticks & Stones.