Course Descriptions

Welcome to Anthony Central Education!

For an in-depth overview of each course offered at this time, click on the appropriate tab above. Once you have reviewed the course, you may navigate to the “Course List” to sign up and secure your seat for full series and/or individual workshops where applicable.

There will be new courses added throughout the year, as well as payment options for all course selections.  We are using a very secure Learning Management System so that we may maintain your privacy.

Each course has a corresponding group and forum where students of that particular course are automatically enrolled.  The Course Group is where I will be posting topics to support the lessons, and the forums are a great place to gather and share ideas.

So please take a look at what’s available, and know that I appreciate your interest!  And thanks again for coming by!

Anthony

THE LONG HAUL is a free course that any registered member can enroll in.  This course will help you keep you focused on manifesting your goals over the course of one year and is an excellent method of attaining success.

Lets face it – New Year’s resolutions are usually laid by the wayside by the third week in January (or the third trip to the gym).  The Long Haul is a roadmap of the coming year that uses the ancient Wheel of the Year as a reference and guide to align yourself with the energy of the seasons and apply those energies to manifest success in business, relationships, and personal goals (weight loss, personal empowerment, etc)

HOW IT WORKS:
Each year is divided into eight seasons:  the four seasons that we’re all familiar with as well as what are known as “cross-quarters”. Solstices, equinoxes and seasonal midways called cross quarters were vital to ancient people for regulating their calendars and knowing when to plant, when to harvest, when to stay, when to move.

From the earth, the sun appears to cycle each year past the same, twinkling stars of the Zodiac. Equinoxes and solstices are separated by precise 90 degree angles according to astronomical convention. The cross quarters exactly bisect these and served as Celtic boundaries for each of the four seasons. The Celts named the cross quarters Beltaine, Lughnasad, Samain and Imbolc.

THE SEASONS AND CROSS QUARTERS:
IMBOLC – Feb. 2 – Imbolc represents the first stirring of life in the seeds that have been frozen underground since Autumn.  They haven’t even broken through their shells yet, but there is unmistakable life just waiting to burst out and commence their ascent to the topsoil and be nourished by the elements.  This is the perfect season to commit to cultivating your goals throughout the coming year and ensure that they provide you with a bountiful harvest.

OSTARA – March 21 – Also known as The Vernal Equinox, Ostara celebrates the new seedlings breaking their way through he surface of the earth and lifting themselves to be nourished by the Sun.  The plans, goals, etc. that we enlivened during Imbolc are now ready to be cared for, protected and nurtured until they bring you reward.

BELTANE – May 1 – Beltane is the beginning of the growing season.  By now, you should see some evidence that your plans, goals and projects have taken root and are beginning to flourish.  It is a time to celebrate the stability of your new “crop”, and also a time to re-assess your strategy and commitment to bring things to fruition.  Do what you can to strengthen your seedlings – stake them if they’re weak, feed them to make them as strong and quick growing as possible.

LITHA – June 21 – also known as the Summer Solstice.  This is the height of Summer, and also an acknowledgment that from now on, the days are getting shorter as the Winter season approaches.  Now is the time to weed your figurative garden, remove other crops that might be infringing on their growth or strength.  It is a season of purging any and all potential adversary to your success, so roll up your sleeves and get to work!

LUGHNASADH – AUG 1 – This season is also known as “The First Harvest”.  in agrarian societies, this was the time to gather flowers, herbs, fruits and medicinal plants and hang them to dry so you may use them during the approaching Winter.  In the context of The Long Haul, it represents a time where you will be seeing the initial rewards of the care and effort you’ve put into cultivating your wishes to full manifestation.

MABON – Sept 21 – Also known as “The Second Harvest”, Mabon was a time when root vegetables, nuts and gourds were gathered to be preserved as food for the Winter.  We still celebrate it in the United States as Thanksgiving. At this time on your journey, you will be seeing more robust and substantial results from your efforts this far.  It is also a time to share your bounty with those that are less fortunate, knowing that your kindness and generosity will be returned to you threefold.

SAMHAIN – OCT 31 – Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”, the ‘ow’ sounding as they do in the word ‘cow’) is also known as The Final Harvest.  It is a very solemn season that focuses on the reverence of life.  At this time, farmers would separate their breeding stock from the rest of the herd, and slaughter the remaining farm animals to be smoked and dried to sustain life during the winter.  In the context of The Long Haul, it is time to retire your project and reap the rewards that your toil has provided. It is also a time to batten down the hatches and get ready for the coming year, which brings new promise and new goals to be accomplished. The perfect time to plan goals for the coming year and to attend to anything that may have been neglected while you have been working so hard the past several months.  It is also a time to commune with those who have gone before, and show them respect and love (and yes, there is a LOT of material about that in this lesson)

YULE – Dec 21 – also known as The Winter Solstice, Yule represents the promise of continued life as we acknowledge the return of the Sun.  It is a time of joy, celebration and light, for the light and warmth that have been so helpful in accomplishing our goals is returning.  During this Season of Light, it is most advantageous to take a long, hard look and clearly see the new goals you’ll have to set for the coming year.  It is also a time of enlightenment, so it is a time to focus on learning whatever you must to ensure that you’ll be successful in building upon your accomplishments this coming year.

FOUNDATIONS OF MAGIC was first written in 1971. At that time, it was a ten week course devoted to the study and practice of various ancient temple texts on ritual magic that had been painstakingly translated into modern language. Now, more than 40 years later, it has evolved into a guide that fosters self empowerment and personal accountability.  If you would like to re-write the next chapter of your own life story, this workshop series will teach you how to revise the plot.

Foundations of Magic 101 may be taken either as a full series of 10 workshops or individual lessons of your choice that may be purchased à la carte. Dates for all lessons will be announced shortly.

HISTORY:
I first taught this course in a metaphysical store in Greenwich Village in the early 1970’s, and word of it spread quickly. The course provided step by step instructions, rituals and prayers that had been used for centuries to create transformation into one’s everyday life.  Since then, science has been able to explain many phenomena that were formerly considered metaphysical events. The inclusion of that scientific data has transformed this workshop series into a powerful and practical tool for self-empowerment.

The objective of this series is to share these practices and teach you to breathe life into them once again. This is by no means an easy course of study, and you will be required to do a lot of home study. If you choose to be serious and accountable, you will develop skills that will help you revise and rewrite the next chapter of your own life story.

This course of study is in no way denominational, and should not be considered to be in conflict with anyone’s personal spiritual beliefs, pursuits or practices. All you need is an open mind and a willing spirit.

CURRICULUM:

Lesson I: Philosophy, Polarity and Balance
The aphorism “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is deconstructed and then rebuilt in this workshop.  It is often said that all things come from within, and the greatest tool of the spirit is the corporeal body. This lesson will acquaint you with the traditional attributes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water and help you find where they reside within your own physical body.  Learn how to identify these elements within you and also how to alter their effect on your conscious mind.  This lesson will create a fusion of the mind and body by “waking up” your internal spirit guide to help you find a perfectly balanced state so you may effect desired change in your day to day life.

Lesson II: Creative Visualization
“As you see your world, so shall it become”   How many times have you found that by just seeing something from a different perspective completely reverses the way you feel about it? Conversely, how many times did you imagine something in your immediate future so strongly and in such detail that it actually unfolded just as you had hoped? In this lesson, you will learn basic techniques that will induce a state of complete physical relaxation. This relaxed state is the first step in attaining the ability to meditate and use creative visualization as a tool to write the next chapter of your own life story. Learn to “see” your future as you would like it to become, and how to manifest that vision as a reality in your life by using principles of quantum physics that teaches us that subatomic particles do indeed respond to perception. This lesson also includes a video providing a guided pathworking meditation.

Lesson III: Divination
Have you ever flipped a coin to make a decision? Ever wonder where that idea came from?  Meet “Obi” – a traditional African method of divination that uses four pieces of coconut shell, each having a dark side and a light side, to foresee the outcome of any challenges or questions you may have about events in your life. Four quarters or identical coins are the easiest substitute to find in a pinch. Assign ‘heads’ and ‘tails’ to be dark or light indicators, and now you are ready to begin. Only five combinations are mathematically possible, so Obi is quick, to the point, and shoots from the hip. It is an amazingly accurate method of divining the outcomes of any challenges or questions you may have about your past, present of future.

Lesson IV: Candle Magic
An exploration of the custom of candle burning to petition divine intervention. This workshop comprehensively covers the history and practice of candle and lamp burning for spiritual purposes. Learn how to use a simple candle to create change in your life along with explanations of candle types, choosing the correct color and most auspicious day of the week for burning a candle with a specific intention, and how and why you can use anointing oil blends. Learn how to prepare a candle that will make your dreams come true. The course material also includes a cursory understanding of astrology and planetary attributes to help you design an explicitly intentioned tangible object that will serve as a conduit to the divine.

Lesson V: Amulets, Talismans and Charms
Need a good luck charm? A lucky talisman? Ever wish you could just write your hopes and dreams on paper and have them come true? Guess what – you can!  A comprehensive study of various cultures and their construction and use of everything from love charms, herbal amulets, stones, jewelry, gris-gris powders, wax images and more are discussed. Learn quick and easy ways to make your own charm for any purpose.

Lesson VI: Supermarket Sorcery
Learn how the spice aisle in the local supermarket can be a treasure trove of ingredients that you can use to change your life. You can use these ancient spice blends for everything from cooking a truly ‘magical’ meal to making an unforgettably enchanting perfume. Starting with methods of extracting essential oils from herbal substances, this lesson includes the magical attributes of many herbs flowers and plants. Magical herbalism at its most intense. You will also learn to make potions, lotions, baths, brews, poultices and powders for both spiritual and medicinal purposes.

Lesson VII: Songs of the Elder Gods
Lift up your voice and sing! The significance of rhyme, meter, music and melody in spirituality. Sacred chants, hymns and songs from many cultures are discussed and practiced with an emphasis on creating your own chants for your own intentions. This lesson includes a video which will lead you in an uplifting chant to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who will bless your life with prosperity and abundance.

Lesson VIII: Magic Mime and Spoken Spell
Ancient Egyptians believed that to say something aloud was to give life to the concept. In the Dark Ages, both blessings and curses were uttered aloud and deliberately, and the term “So mote it be” gave assurance that whatever was spoken would indeed come to pass. Starting with The Lord’s Prayer, we will discuss words of power taken from intact and properly translated documents that have survived time. Also, the history and significance of barding and storytelling is discussed and practiced.

Lesson IX: Defensive Magic
Ever wonder if someone sent you ‘bad vibes’? Even the most devout skeptic has had moments of doubt when they have a run of bad luck. “Knowing your enemy” is essential to ensuring you will be protected, and a walk on the dark side is sometimes necessary in order to defend yourself against psychic attack. Various traditional methods of defensive and protective magical rituals and objects are discussed and practiced. In this lesson, the Italian ‘Strega” ritual of lifting the “Malocchio” (evil eye) is taught in the manner in which I learned from Isabel Ottovino (or “Granny O” as I called her). It incorporates Catholic prayers along with the pre-Christian incantations that each family passed down from one generation to the next.  Granny-O shared hers with me, and I’m both proud and pleased to pass it along to you in this lesson.

Lesson X: Altars made Easy
Long before they were the elaborate centerpieces of churches and temples, altars were simply power spots that provided a vortex and focal point for transformative energy. In short, altars are the working surface where the spiritual “meal” was prepared before being offered for divine consumption. It is often necessary to ritualize our intention by presenting it to a Higher Power for their help and support in manifesting our desires. A simple kitchen table or shelf can be quickly transformed into a place to heal, love and create change in your life and the lives of your loved ones. Learn the elements and details necessary to construct your own effective working altar in any setting.

TAROT AS A SECOND LANGUAGE is an eight week workshop series that is designed to teach you all you will ever need to know about Cartomancy. During the eight weeks it takes to complete this course, you will learn to read the Tarot as a language rather than an art or technical skill.  This course may only be taken as a series.

COURSE OVERVIEW
Just as Egyptian hieroglyphs represent complete concepts rather than individual words, the numerology and symbolism of the Tarot does the same. It is only when we combine our technical skill along with our intuitive ability that we can interpret information that is both valuable and pertinent.

Understanding the symbolism and numerology of the cards is only a portion of the entire process. These two skills are important factors, but used alone, they will only give you a technical explanation of the patterns the cards make. At first, you will be trained to “write” with the cards using only the Major Arcana. Once you have accomplished that skill, you will develop a more intimate connection with your cards and will include the full 78 cards in your studies. Then, they will reveal the hidden meanings of their numbers, symbols and patterns. After that, we will work on developing your intuitive ability, and your own skills of clairvoyance and clairaudience will emerge via exercises designed to heighten your intuition.

After you’re fluency has been established, you will be paired with another student or guest to experiment with different layouts and refine your ability to interpret the patterns intuitively. Then the fun begins! Your “Tarot Partner” will be changed weekly so you can develop confidence in your technical and intuitive skill. By the end of this course you will be able to sit down confidently with anyone and be able to read them as well as any seasoned reader.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW DOES TAROT WORK?
Many ask me “How does Tarot work?” I haven’t a clue as to “how” it works, but from the follow up calls I get from my clients, I am sure that it works. I’ve never tried to analyze the mechanism of just how this divination tool reveals information. Instead, I trust my training implicitly and rely on the meanings of the numerology and symbols on the cards. Then, I “quiet myself and listen”. Thats when my intuition kicks in, and I experience two phenomena known as “clairvoyance” and “clairaudience”. These faculties are respectively derived from the French clair (clear) + voir (to see), and clair (clear) + audience (hearing).

• Clairvoyance is defined as “the supposed faculty of perceiving things or events in the future beyond normal sensory contact”. To be clear, I don’t see ‘visions’ as if they were real people or places as I would in real time. Rather, it is akin to remembering a movie; a clear, detailed recollection of figures and circumstances in motion depicting specific events.
• Clairaudience is defined as “the supposed faculty of perceiving, as if by hearing, what is inaudible”. Do I hear voices? Absolutely not. Rather, it is more akin to remembering a conversation in detail.

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO READ TAROT?
When I was taught to read the Tarot, my mentor gave me just one card every twenty eight days. In that time, I was to carry the card with me everywhere I went, and expected to first look at it and then gaze at it several times a day. I was also instructed to sleep with it under my pillow, so any energy and meanings it contained could be assimilated on an unconscious level as well as consciously. The entire process took about six years to complete, but when I was finished, I could hold my own with the best of readers.
I’ve been reading the Tarot ever since, and have retained many clients for more than forty years. I am based in New York City, and now have an office in Montclair, N.J. as well. My telephone clients call from more than thirty states in the U.S, and four countries on three continents.

CAN ANYONE LEARN TO READ TAROT?
Absolutely. Rather than put my students through the long and arduous task of learning to read in the traditional manner that my mentor used, I’ve developed a method of teaching the Tarot as a second language in eight weeks. First, you learn to ‘write’ with the cards; then you learn to read them. By week 4, you will be performing live Tarot readings for guests under supervision. Throughout the course, there are exercises to identify and develop your intuitive ability, which is necessary to establish your own unique style of reading.

WILL I BE AN EXPERT READER AT THE END OF 8 WEEKS?
That’s up to you, and how much effort you wish to apply into honing your new skill. But I can promise that you will know the meaning of each of these 78 messengers intimately, and be able to decipher their patterns as well as any seasoned reader.
Your responsibility is to develop your confidence by reading as often as you can. As with any skill, practice makes perfect and hard work manifests great reward. With the foundation you will receive in this workshop series, there’s no reason you won’t be able to read as well as any top notch professional in record time.

The practice of Vodou is as old as the continent of Africa itself. It is a combination of Animism and Theism combined into one spiritual system.  Understanding the evolution of Vodou and how it eventually emerged as an organized sect will explain how this misunderstood religion is a life affirming practice that encourages an understanding of the natural process of life and a greater connection with our own spiritual nature. In its purest essence, Vodou is a gentle spiritual practice that focuses on healing and harmony with nature and enlivening our own life force.

OVERVIEW
Our journey begins with betrayal; betrayal by the tribal leaders who sold their people into slavery.  People of different provinces, customs and beliefs were haphazardly loaded into the hulls of ships, and were so large in number that they had to endure the journey across the Atlantic standing up. It took approximately ten days to cross, and during that time many had died from the poor conditions.

So tightly were they packed that it was not unusual to be standing next to a rotting corpse, which may have been a distraction from the pools of bodily fluids at  their feet. Knowing that they were about to be enslaved to a European master to work his fields was no comfort. The only bond these people had was the tenets of their religion.

Ironically, it was the enforced immigration of enslaved African from different ethnic groups that provided the circumstances for the development of Vodou. European colonists thought that by desolating the ethnic groups, these could not come together as a community. However, in the misery of slavery, the transplanted Africans found in their faith a common thread.

FROM NEW WORLD TO NEW AGE: A TRADITION OF RESILIENCE
The forced bonding that ultimately was their salvation propelled the spirited journey of the Vodouisants (practitioners) into the 21st century, where it now serves as a feisty celebration of the spirit. It exists in many places and locales, from the mountains of its native Haiti to the swamplands of Louisiana to the sky scrapers of New York.  The message is the same; the methods have been changed to suit the environment.  In short, Vodou is a tradition of resilience.

THIS SERIES CONTAINS:

17 complete lessons that include:

• The origin an history of the movement
• A glossary of terms and creole expressions
• An expansive list of the Loa (active spirits of Vodou)
• Detailed ritual instructions for each of the Loa
• List of veve or symbols for each Loa
• Altar setup (if you wish to go that far)
• Drumming and dance rythms
• Video and pdf files for download