This is an odd time of year for me, has been for more than a decade, almost without break. The sun is at its peak, the weather is often glorious (certainly it is today), and I am often filled with energy.

At the same time, there is a sadness I cope with. My students, those few who made it through the year-long Art of Ritual class, are preparing to leave the class and go on to . . . whatever. Some have been amazing and excellent and a joy to work with. Some have been frustrating. Some have been absent. Each has been a pleasure (yes, I really like teaching).

Very appropriate for this holy day: the sun may be at its peak, but that means it begins its decline tomorrow. Joy and sorrow meet as one.

Sometimes one will join the coven, most times not. And that is just fine thankyouverymuch. We are not interested in being the largest online coven or school. We don’t do this for the money (which is good, since we have yet to ‘make money’ in the 10+ years we’ve offered the class). We don’t seek out fame. We expect our students to finish the year with a good amount of knowledge under their belts. We expect that they will have an idea of where their next step or path might be. We expect that they will have an idea of what topics they are good at, and which they like, and which they may want to explore further.

Most of all, we expect that they will have high expectations for their next teacher and will be able to determine if someone is selling bullcrap instead of good knowledge.

It’s been a good year.