Wonder Club
An eight-unit self-led course about saints for non-Christians and the Christian-ambivalent
Section 1:
St. Patrick, Mary Magdalen, the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, Julian of Norwich, Joan of Arc, St. Christopher, and St. George
The vast majority of recorded Western culture has been filtered through a Christian lens.
The effect of this influence is incalculably huge, and not necessarily always a problem. However, when we consider the fact that everything written in the context of Christianity was written with a cautious eye towards avoiding accusations of heresy – which could result in excision from family and community and even death – the record appears patchy indeed.
The fact that our folk heroes, especially when they are women, are sometimes only accessible as role models, ancestral mentors and spiritual guides only through the distorting lens of religious orthodoxy means the majority of these figures are inaccessible to anyone who finds themselves at odds with mainstream Christianity.
But what if saints don’t just belong to Christians?
A few months ago I read a passage from the intro to the 2024 book Saints by British author Amy Jeffs that struck me like an arrow. Here’s what she said:
“When we speak of folklore, fairy-tale and myth, we should be speaking of saints' legends. They are not the property of a single creed. They are ours, whatever our beliefs.”
When taken in the fullness of its meaning, this passage has some radical implications, especially for spiritual practice.
Why should we not give ourselves permission to connect personally with figures from the Christian tradition, when that tradition was the primary record-keeper of the past thousand years and more? I mean, how many figures are we likely to find outside the Christian tradition? Not many.
Sanctity is human.
I believe the saints are here for anyone who longs for their patronage and their magic.
What’s included?
8 audio recorded classes featuring saints whose feast days fall in the spring and summer
8 new recordings of hymns or songs inspired by the saints, from tradition, adapted, or newly created
Wonder Club is £200 (approx US 250) for all classes and materials.
What will classes be like?
Classes are recorded from live zoom calls. The foundation of each one is a 30-45-minute lecture on the saint in question, including a brief outline of their known features and iconography, a selected story from their vita or “saint’s life,” and a guided visualization to connect with the features of this saint that show themselves in the materials shared.
I wish we could all wander in and out of the world’s beautiful churches, chapels, and cathedrals with confidence in our safety and with the expectation of respect for our desire to participate in truly life-affirming spiritual community.
This isn’t always so.
But outside of those buildings we set the terms of engagement ourselves.
There is no shortage of information freely available about the Christian saints. If we want to engage with these figures, all we lack is self-permission, a willingness to experiment, and some structured guidance.
What should I expect?
You should know this is a devotional course.
It will offer some historical and textual matter in the form of story and song, but the main emphasis will be on the experience of relating to the incredible, mysterious, numinous figures we call saints, and inviting them to show their presence and influence in our lives through symbols, resonance and (even) mutual curiosity.
This course takes for granted that our relationship to the past is alive and enchanted, and plays an essential role in our richest inhabitation of life. It will grow your relationship to the saints and increase your agency in navigating their world.
You can expect to be inspired.
This course will also grapple with the complexity that arises from relating to Christian texts as people who know the harm caused by institutional, imperial versions of Christianity we have met in our travels.
You can expect to be angry sometimes, or sad. But you can also expect fascination, curiosity, and deeper connection with the past.
What is the vibe like?
The vibe is mystical, but consent-oriented. I will offer invitations to engage spiritually with some of the material relating to these saints, materials shaped by other human hands. You will have the choice if, when, and how you engage with them. We won’t expect perfection from the past or one another. We may grieve the pain of the past, but we will also celebrate the abundance of history available to us.
The vibe will be acknowledging where and when things feel uncomfortable, especially where they reinforce unequal power dynamics between people, other beings, and divinity. The vibe will be taking our prerogative to change the narratives, the language, the metaphors, the framing and intended purposes of these texts, images and songs as our hearts tell us is right. In honour of those who have gone before us and created these works, we will work to remain aware of and candid about any changes we do make to historical materials.
We can change things and talk about why. And then if we want we can change our minds later and embrace the originals.
The vibe is affirming life. The vibe is affirming abundance. The vibe is affirming freedom. The vibe is acknowledging historical harm while moving gracefully forward.
Wonder Club is for you if…
You feel inspired to approach the saints from a new yet reverent perspective. You may feel alienated or excluded by conventional and institutional Christianity.
This course will be led from a feminist, anti-imperialist, polytheistic/pantheistic and animistic perspective. It will almost certainly be heretical. If that is a realm you are interested to dwell in, you’re welcome!
Who is leading this course?
Hi, I’m Danica Boyce!
I'm a writer and educator in vernacular spirituality, folklore and song. I’m called to labour at the dream of undoing the wounds of imperialism by sowing love and connection to the living world.
I hold a masters in Medieval and Early Modern Studies and Bachelor of Education with a special focus on indigenous pedagogy. I was raised Catholic by open-minded, environmentalist and occasionally mystical parents.
For the past nine years I have been producing the popular Fair Folk Podcast, a research-based show making information about traditional cultures of Europe available to folks around the world. I regularly write a Substack newsletter on the topics of vernacular spirituality, folklore, and folk song called Enthusiastica.
I aim to create a neurodivergent-friendly and trauma informed space in my offerings, and I also trust course participants to remain aware of and attend to their somatic needs while in shared learning and ritual space.
