Gaia School of Magick

Inspired by Astera Taylor's blog, "What would a Pagan Hogwarts look like?"

 https://www.patheos.com/blogs/starlight/2018/01/pagan-hogwarts-look-like/


Appearance and location: The school is located in a vast forest landscape in England. It is a castle similar to Hogwarts, except it is made out of wood instead of stone. It can only be accessed via a chant from a high priest or priestess.

Group dynamics: Instead of houses, students are divided into covens or guilds based on both ancestry, deity worship, and personality. Each group is led by a high priest and high priestess, with two ministers to help guide the students. Two headmasters, a grand high priest, a grand high priestess and a council of professors oversee all activities.

I. Wicca/Celtic group

II. Norse/Germanic group

III. Druids

IV. Native American, African, and indigenous group

V. Roman and Greek group

VI. Egyptian group

VII. Chinese, Japanese and Asian group

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Atheist Pagans exist, they are just frequently looked down upon.


Classes and activities:


Familiar caring and raising

Herbs class: working with healing plants and avoiding poisons

Self defense class against witch hunters and ignorant mundanes ("normans") those who cannot do magic or chants

Astronomy and moon cycles

Dancing and singing class plus meditation before and after

Potion and medicine making

Tarot, astrology, runes and divination class

History class on Wicca, deities, and Gerald Gardner

Circle casting and working with spirits

Ancient literature and math




Shops

Tis The Season: The largest store that changes based on the eight Sabbats. Students can buy clothing, food, crystals, and tools for rituals.

Magicx Reads: textbooks, fiction stories, newspapers and research articles

Legend states that there were some Pagans who were able to go to Hogwarts long ago. They enjoyed learning about magic, creatures, and divination. However, several consequences occurred. (1) The debate on what real "magic" was. While the majority of students at Hogwarts believed that incantations consisted of magic, the Pagans believed that the invocations of spirits/gods was what constituted magic. (2) Needless to say, some of the gods did not appreciate magic being freely used by individuals without giving anything in return. A few gods became engaged and interfered with the spells that students cast. Some spells would backfire, some would disappear into thin air and some magic would not work at all. Many of the students (the Slytherins in particular) did not believe in what they called "muggle" magic, leading to further discrimination toward their Pagan peers. (3) Several Pagans, seeking revenge against their bullies, used forms of dark magic to summon monsters and spirits. Curses and love spells spread through the school like a virus. With the help of the headmaster and a fellow High Priestess, the curses abated until everything was back to normal. Animosity toward the Pagans was fueled by dark wizard hating Christians and skeptical Ravenclaw atheists. Wanting to avoid future problems, the headmaster and the teachers insisted that the Pagans moved someplace else. Many were reluctant to leave but several of the ministers stated it was for the best, for it was obvious that "Wiccans could not co-exist with witches and wizards."

"But we could teach each other so many things!" the Pagan students insisted. The statements continued.

“Just think of how we can heal the environment and help the Hogwarts students make the world a better place!”

"Magical creatures can co-exist with wizards. Why can't we?"

"Alas, it is clear" said the female minister with a sigh "that we do not appear to be welcome among wizards as well as non-magic folk. However, we can take what we have learned during our experience and make the best of it."

"Why not start a school of our own?" asked a student.

And so, England's Gaia School of Magick was born. 

I.                   Lydia: Main character, white with long black hair, female protagonist, chosen by Hecate. Stumbles upon the school and is able to enter. Her single mother is descended from witches, so she knows about the recent school.

II.                Felicity: brown haired girl, light brown skin, worships Fortuna, Venus, Athena, and Isis. Lydia’s best friend.

III.             Oliver: Felicity’s blond love interest. Worships Tyr, Ares, Thor and other war gods.

IV.            Helen: worships mother goddesses like Selene, Danu (Celtic mother goddess), and the Triple Goddess. Helen takes a liking to both Lydia and Oliver, even though Oliver likes Felicity and Lydia is asexual.

V.               Hayden: worships nature gods like Pan, Bres (Celtic fertility god) and the Horned One. Eventually gets to know Helen and they get together.

VI.            Brianna: A woman who is part Native American and part African. She worships Cherokee deities and African gods, with Yemoja (mother deity of mankind) being her favorite. She falls in love with Hayden but finds herself and her covens ignored by the more prominent Irish and Norse ones. She also struggles to fit into two different groups (Native and African) at once.

VII.         Orla: Outgoing red haired girl who worships Irish deities but is accepting of everyone. She is fascinated by Christianity, much to the dismay of many of her Pagan peers. Over time, her curious nature turns to obsession and she even changes her name to Samantha. She starts a revolution to get the Abrahamic religions noticed more, turning student against student. She even threatens Brianna and the indigenous Pagans to take her side against the prominent Wiccan practitioners. Orla becomes Lydia’s rival and is the one responsible for revealing the school’s location to a band of modern witch hunters.

VIII.      Charlie: A self-centered man who worships Anubis, Osiris, and death gods. Is often a bully to others due to having been abused by his Christian family for being a male witch.

IX.            Aurora: One of several lonely atheists who do not worship deities but also practice witchcraft. Like Brianna and the indigenous covens, she and her atheist friends feel rejected by the dominant groups.