The Guild year turns on the four Convocations, held at the equinoxes and the solstices, when every Chapterhouse and every solitary member works the same rite on the same night. The year begins at the autumn equinox.
The Guild year
| Occasion | When | How it is kept |
|---|---|---|
| General Convocation | The autumn equinox, on or near September 23 | At Lantern House and in every Hall. The Convocation of the Harvest. Officers are elected and Masters' pieces are presented. |
| Founders' Night | September 23 | One entry from each of the three founders' Records, chosen by lot, is read aloud. |
| Winter Solstice | On or near December 21 | The Convocation of the Long Night. The vigil of the Lamp is kept from sunset. |
| Night of the Open Record | The first Thursday of February | Each member reads aloud one entry from the past year's Record. |
| Spring Equinox | On or near March 20 | The Convocation of the Balance. Apprentices are admitted. |
| Summer Solstice | On or near June 21 | The Convocation of the Long Day, held out of doors where the season allows. |
Chapterhouses in the southern hemisphere keep the Convocations by their own seasons, so that the Long Night falls in June and the Long Day in December.
Dates announced
Convocations are kept on the evening of the day given, by local time. Occasions that have passed are marked as concluded.
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Sep24-272026
General Convocation and Founders' Night
The fifty-fifth General Convocation of the Guild. The business of the year was transacted, three Masters' pieces were presented, and Founders' Night was kept on the anniversary of the first meeting of the Thursday Workroom. A report appears in the Journal.
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Dec212026
Winter Solstice Convocation
The Convocation of the Long Night. Each Chapterhouse keeps the vigil of the Lamp from sunset, and the Guildmaster's address is read in every Hall. Members at a distance may join the online Workroom. Open to members and to petitioners on probation.
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Jan142027
Open Evening: An Introduction to the Guild
A public evening for those who are considering a petition. Two Wardens describe the course of study and the daily practice, and answer questions. Write to the Warden of the Gate for the meeting details.
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Feb42027
The Night of the Open Record
By a custom dating from 1975, each member reads aloud one entry from the Record of the past year: one success or one failure, plainly told and without commentary. Members only.
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Mar202027
Spring Equinox Convocation
The Convocation of the Balance. Admissions to the grade of Apprentice are customarily held at this Convocation and at the autumn. Petitioners completing their probation will hear from their sponsors.
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Apr23-252027
Apprentice Intensive
Three days of instruction and supervised practice for Apprentices and Scribes: the Rite of the Four Gates, the keeping of the Record, and the first work of the bench. Places are limited to twenty-four.
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Jun212027
Summer Solstice Convocation
The Convocation of the Long Day, held out of doors where the season allows and closing at sunset. Members may bring one guest by arrangement with the Master of the House.
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Jul18-242027
Summer School of the Art
The annual week of residence. Morning classes in ceremonial method, afternoon bench work in the making and consecration of instruments, and evening rites led by the Keepers. Open to members of every grade.
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Sep23-262027
General Convocation and Founders' Night
The fifty-sixth General Convocation. The business of the Guild is transacted, Masters' pieces are presented, and Founders' Night is kept on the anniversary of the first meeting of the Thursday Workroom in 1971.
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Dec212027
Winter Solstice Convocation
The Convocation of the Long Night closes the Guild year. The vigil of the Lamp is kept from sunset in every Hall.
Open evenings
The Guild holds no public rites. It does hold open evenings, at which two members describe the work and answer questions. One is held online each January, and most Chapterhouses hold their own in the week before each Convocation. They are intended for people who are seriously considering a petition, and no one who attends is pressed to do anything further.
Attending
- Members of a Chapterhouse attend through their own House.
- Hearth members receive the text of each Convocation two weeks beforehand and keep it at home, or join an online Workroom.
- Petitioners on probation attend the open part of a Convocation with a sponsor.
- Others who wish to attend an open evening should write to the Warden of the Gate at gate@sorcererguild.com.
Places at the Apprentice Intensive and the Summer School are allotted by the Warden of the Lamp in order of application, with preference to members of the Hearth Course, for whom they are the chief opportunity to work in company.