The WildWood Tradition

 

In late 2005 I sent an e-mail entitled ‘Witch Call’ to several young Witches I knew in Brisbane regarding forming a coven in early 2006. An extract from this e-mail reads: “I wish the group to be a working magickal group which will focus on the vitality and celebration of Life, the reverence of Nature, the service of the Old Gods and the expansion of consciousness”. It had been my dream for many years to found a coven which not only celebrated youth but focussed on it/them. My dream manifested and has now become a wellspring of many different people’s dreamings.

In early 2006 after several preliminary meetings had taken place we began thinking about our name. One night during a scrying session a vision of the Green Man appeared to me. I was familiar with the Old One, however I was not sure what his relationship was to our group. So I entered ‘Green Man’ into Google and ‘WildWood’ appeared instantly. When I put this forth to the others we unanimously decided that the WildWood was to be our namesake.

Ever since my dedication and subsequent initiation as a priest of the Coven my life has changed dramatically. My Craft is now a very community-based thing, whereas once it was entirely personal. I still hold my solitary journey dear to me, and would fight eternally for it if I had to, however my coven is also an intimate expression of my spirituality and I know that we have much ahead of us.

In our relatively short time (but what is time?) we have become a very accessible coven and have expanded into a modern-revitalised tradition of Witchcraft - the WildWood Tradition of Witchcraft. Other groups know about us, celebrate with us and recommend us. It’s a beautiful sharing of wisdom and experience, and we couldn’t be more blessed. It seems all our hard work has paid off, but it doesn’t end here…Blessings to Awen, Ana, Arione, Helona, Ratna Devi and Talaria, amazing WildWood Witches of the priesthood, Rowan, Luna, Meriel, Serica and Muireann, beautiful WildWood Witches of the inner court, and Luke, Jacqui, Darren and Rhianna, our newest aspirants. To the WildKin - Lilly, Bianca, Annie, Margaret, David, Millie and Mirrabelle.

~A WildWood Blessing~

Blessed be the WildWood,

In my heart and in my mind,

Blessed be the ancient grove,

For in the ring my soul I find.

Blessed be the Sacred Four,

The Old Ones, faceless and hooded;

Blessed be the Oaken Door,

Revealing the Crescent and the Horned.

Blessed be the Elements,

The Guardians and the Wild Tree,

For I am protected and centred,

By the magick - so mote it be.

Blessed be my wildkin

For whom I love and deeply care,

Blessed be the WildWood

Without, within and everywhere.

If you are interested in the Coven of the WildWood or the WildWood Tradition please e-mail us at covenofthewildwood@hotmail.com or search for ‘Coven of the WildWood’ on facebook groups for our cyber gathering-ground.

There is a place…

There is a place, not far away. Deep and green, vast terrain; thickly treed; undergrowth like a lake of fire, intoxicating, wistful and alluring. A carpet lain down by the elemental fusion of earth and sky, and the trickling veins of water rich in minerals circle serpentine and weave lines of power across the land.

Edges blur and boundaries crumble as the maidens of the ring make their invocations and stir the forces that lie dormant, but who hear and understand. Soon their wings lift and their shine increases rapidly, and spheres of power hum and glow about them.

There are four who we speak of and who speak back. The Old Ones, faceless and masked. The Gods, crowned and horned. They have names and we know them, but they remain in secrecy, enshrouded and guarded, but at due time, to the seekers and those who aspire, they will be revealed.

There is a grove and it encases a Tree. A tall Tree; its branches and roots ever-reaching, yearning to stroke the abyss which is all-being, underlying. Shadows move and slip through the darkness, punctuating that which seems to spurn the seeds of light that dash between the boughs of the majestic Tree. We know only to dance and to pay homage and often we lean against the bark and allow the strength of the Tree to fold us in. Or we may merge our feet with the twisting roots and delve into the depths, allowing our minds to travel with them as they go; and then if it is knowledge we seek, we drink. Cupping our hands beneath the fountain or immersing our bodies in the river, it is here we learn that the darkness harbours peace and contemplation, where we receive our Sight.

When we speak to the Old Ones and have been known by them and have made ourselves known we may ascend the Tree into the kingdom. There is light and it seems eternal; enduring shine; airborne ribbons fluttering on the wind-swept star-lit chariots. Gods, Powers, Beings of Magick, it is here they dwell, but the Tree is their forever-pole and their journeys are tales of myth and legend and we whisper of them in reverence, speak aloud their wisdom with pride and laugh at the misadventures they take simply to wreak chaos within the world. The upturned soil of cosmos is the hole that chaos digs.

We have been called to a service; to fulfil an ancient charge. We feel the impulse, the beckoning, the awakening to a consciousness that resonates and thrums as the spinning wheel cycles and fashions the tapestry. We are young, though age and time stand beside us as do the pillars black and white, and we search for the mysteries, surrounded by them, inner and outer, and trust in the words, in the visions they impart through and to us.

We are called Witches and there are those within the courts who kneel and those who stand and those who by guile commit to both. The path unravels and we climb the mountain, toward the Tree. We meet and beneath the Tree we call our Tower, the Circle is made whole and the star nations glitter as the white-fire jewels become the constellations of indigo flag.

I speak of the WildWood; of a place that was once the pinnacle of the sacred and knew that the Witches would return and herald its ancient, timeless message.

We are all vessels of power, posts of the reality that is both real and unreal, a wavering illusion of fancy, the thin veneer that coats the truth. But truth leaks. Our rites and ceremonies, our magicks, our powers, they help to form the channels that lead to the still pool of the forever mystery, the original source. Here it is where One is Truth and nothing is forgotten. Go in peace friends and allies.

On the WildWood Tradition of Witchcraft

Witchcraft, as Witches of the WildWood, live it, is a shamanic, eco-conscious, magickal spirituality. It can also be described as an ecstasy-driven, earth-based mystery tradition. Ecstasy-driven because we seek altered states of consciousness to experience the ‘Other’ realities. Through this one’s identity is absorbed into and becomes synonymous with the All that is Nature. Earth-based because this biosphere is our point of origin - the common denominator; our foundation as home. By attuning to the natural rhythms and cycles we come to wholeness as children of the Great Mother. Mystery tradition because as Witches we walk between the worlds and we know how true and powerful the Mystery is that makes it possible for us to do so. Mystery is intrinsic, underlying quintessence and is said by some to be a Goddess - a Paradox. The beauty and rhythm which is synchronicity and Magick is sometimes called the Wyrd in the WildWood.

The WildWood Tradition was officially brought into being at Imbolc (August) 2008 with the first coven branching of the Anthesterion Circle from the original Mother Coven, Coven of the WildWood. With the initiation of the second coven the tradition was perpetuated, and thus carried through. The original coven was founded at Samhain (April) 2006. The WildWood Tradition derives its namesake from our devotion to the WildWood which we know both as an astral realm and as the green, raw pockets of pure Nature that still exist on this planet - and the union of the two.

Covens are organised into inner and outer courts. The inner court comprises of Dedicants and the Priesthood (Initiates). The outer court consists of Aspirants, Children of the WildWood (WildKin) and anyone at all who attends coven open circles (outer-court members). A brief description of each ’state of being’ follows:

Initiated Priest/ess - An initiated Witch of the inner court. A Priest/ess is devoted to the mysteries of the Sacred Four and the WildWood and serves his/her community as such. Generally initiation occurs after a year and a day of dedication; six months of which is committed to intensive weekly Priest-training. A Priest/ess who branches to form a new coven is called an Antheon Priest/ess.

Dedicant - A dedicated Witch of the inner court. A Dedicant is empowered to lead and facilitate WildWood rites. Dedication occurs after a period of aspiration (including training in the lore, rites, philosophy and technique of the Craft).

Aspirant - An affirmed member of the outer court and one who aspires to dedication into the inner court. Aspiration occurs after an individual officially decides the WildWood is for him/her.

Child of the WildWood (WildKin) - A member of the outer court who is perceived by the inner court to be an integral part of the coven’s group-soul. A ritual is performed to formally identify an individual as such.

Outer-Court Member - Anyone who attends a WildWood open circle is considered a member of the outer court. When new people are present a short welcoming ceremony is performed.

The reverence and celebration at WildWood circles is devoted to the Gods and Old Ones of the WildWood, known collectively as the Sacred Four. The Sacred Four are the Weaver, the Green Man, the Crescent-Crowned Goddess and the Stag-Horned God. They are also invoked in that order. The latter two have secret names known only to the inner court. Their mysteries of the cycles of life, death and rebirth are at the heart of our tradition’s mythos.

The Weaver is the midnight lady who spins the silver thread of Wyrd through the Web of Life. She is our sovereign mother and the grandmother of space. Her gifts are knowledge of one’s fate and wisdom itself.

The Green Man is the face of the Weaver’s mystery. He is the green blood of Nature and the stalker of shadows. The Green Man is the Old One of the Earth whose bones are its skeleton. His gifts are connection to Nature and insights derived thereof.

The Crescent-Crowned Goddess is a lunar and stellar being who governs the psychic tides and thus all Witchcraft. She is also the Goddess of dreaming and a walker between the worlds. The moon is her symbol and her gifts are the Sight, intuition and the ability to move between worlds.

The Stag-Horned God is one of the old hunter deities and governs the realms of death and rebirth through sacrifice. He is the Lord of the Dance of Life and a friend to all wild things. He brings us to ecstatic states of liberation from ego and mundane constraints. His gifts to us are ecstasy and true intimacy with the wild things of Nature.

The WildWood Tradition is an auto-chthonic tradition in that it has naturally developed over the years. Pagan traditions derive from Nature and seek not to impose ‘civilisation’ on it. We are inspired by the WildWood and its mysteries reflected through the Sacred Four. Various magickal techniques, chants and other liturgies come directly from the Gods, usually by means of trance and drawing down. Other aspects of the tradition are creative additions of our own, but we seek to stay within the Anglo, Celtic, Aegean and Mediterranean cultures which have always influenced our spirituality.

We celebrate in sacred space, however this is defined. This generally includes the casting of a Circle, the honouring of the indigenous spirits and elders of the land, the welcoming in of the Elemental forces including Spirit (and our associated animal guardians - Air, Horned Owl; Fire, Cunning Fox; Water, King Stag; Earth, Mother Bear and Cub) and acknowledgement of the Celtic (and shamanic) Land, Sky and Sea or Middleword, Upperworld and Underworld. The WildWood Call is recited also and this aids in aligning and attuning the group or individual to the WildWood itself (found within and without). The eight sabbats of the NeoPagan Wheel of the Year and both new and full moons are celebrated. Our rituals usually (if not always) include meditation, trance, mythic drama, the ecstatic raising and releasing of power, the blessing of offerings and feasting.

Those seeking an entry-point into the WildWood should contact a coven through an appropriate channel. At this point in time we have four covens worldwide, and information on each can be found below.

Contact Information

— Coven of the WildWood — Brisbane, QLD

E-mail - covenofthewildwood@hotmail.com

— The Anthesterion Circle — Oxford, United Kingdom

E-mail - anthesterion.circle@googlemail.com

— OakSun Grove — Gold Coast, QLD

E-mail - oaksungrove@hotmail.com

— Spinifex Grove — Mt Isa, QLD

E-mail - spinifexgrove@hotmail.com

— The WildWood Tradition —

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