How To Join

Since we have put this website up, we have had a number of inquiries about how to join Celestial Tides.

Please take time to read this page carefully BEFORE you write to us about becoming a member. We receive at least one mail message a day about people wanting coven membership. Because of this, we have made some changes in coven policy concerning membership.

Thank you for your interest in the coven!

First, the Coven of Celestial Tides is not a cyber-coven. We meet once a week (more or less) in and around the Athens, Ohio area. At these meetings we have book discussions, hold workshops to teach each other what we know, do meditations/visualizations/journeys, share poetry, music and artwork, plan rituals, discuss past rituals and do rituals! We celebrate the Big Eight (Sabbats), Full Moons, and sometimes even New Moons. Oh yes, and lets not forget that we socialize. Sometimes we catch a movie (complete with popcorn and munchies) and then discuss it. We attend gatherings together. So, at the bare minimum in order to be considered at all, a potential member has to be in the local geographic area.

IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN OR AROUND THE ATHENS, OHIO AREA, YOU CANNOT BE CONSIDERED FOR MEMBERSHIP!

We only write this because of the HUGE number of letters that we have received. It is nothing personal. The reason that our group exists - and its specialness - would cease if we had members who couldn't attend regularly. So no matter how practiced or how wonderful or how needy or how sincere you are - we still don't accept members outside of the area. We hate sounding this gruff about it, but our mailbox has been very full lately.

We are initiatory. This does not mean that we have a hierarchical structure. In fact, once a member becomes initiated, they have veto rights on any issue before the coven, regardless of how long they have been a member. This also means that we are very careful about the people who join. We consider ourselves as chosen family, and so friendship and trust are important. That means that if someone just walks in off the street proclaiming they want to join us, they will get a lukewarm reception at best. We want to know people first. How can you get to know us? Going to the local open Pagan group, The Circle of Gaia Dreaming is probably the best way. Someone from the coven is usually at every event hosted by The Circle of Gaia Dreaming.

This is not meant to be spooky or scary or or secretive or anything. Most of us do our public outreach within Gaia Dreaming. (We feel that public service is important.) However, we don't go running around with huge badges saying "COVEN MEMBER HERE!". We think Gaia Dreaming is a great organization and we don't want people to think that we are somehow better than the average Gaia Dreaming member. What is wonderful about Gaia Dreaming is that it lets you meet lots of local people on many different paths. We think exposure to lots of different rituals and beliefs is very importan - so important, in fact, that it is one of our first degree requirements and is required for initiation. We don't want people coming to us because they think we are the only game in town or as some perceived "status" thing. We also don't want people thinking that Gaia Dreaming is just some kind of recruitment group for us. It's not. What Gaia Dreaming does is important. If you want to meet us, then you need to get involved in Gaia Dreaming first. There is a great yahoo groups list for Gaia Dreaming and they have a webpage. Check them out. You may find that this isn't your path after all and that what has been waiting for you all of this time is there. You won't know until you really check out all of your options.

What has been interesting to us, is that we still get e-mails from people asking to join the group. They get a fairly standard response about going to The Circle of Gaia Dreaming events. Nine out of ten people DON'T SHOW UP TO GAIA DREAMING. You know, if these people were really interested in joining the coven, they would actually pay attention to what we have written here. And we want to be honest here - you aren't going to get into our coven by going to one event. You need to get involved so that we can get to know you. We value the relationships that we have together, and we are very selective. That is not to mean that some folks aren't worthy or whatever. It just means that we want to have a good fit - and that means everything from spiritual practice to personality. We just can't make that determination until we really get to know you. It is terribly disruptive to the energy of the group to add OR subtract a person. So when someone new comes in, it is only after serious consideration - even though it is "just" for a trial period.

With all of that said.....We don't ask people to join our group. We feel that it is up to the person to decide that their path can be found within this type of structure. When the time is right, a person interested in joining the coven usually asks a coven member that they know. (If you come to enough Gaia Dreaming events, it is very evident who we are. We are not secretive, nor do we make a big deal out of it.) The coven member takes this request back to the rest of the coven and a decision is made. Sometimes the coven will run a training group. Most of the time, the person asking for entrance has become friends with a number of people within the group. If the coven thinks the person is someone that would be a positive addition to the group, then usually there is an agreed upon try out period. This gives the coven and the probationary member a chance to decide if the "fit will be good." At any point the probationary member can back out as can the coven should things not be working out. Minimum time to be in the group before 1st degree initiation is a year and a day.
 

How do you know if you would be a good probationary member?

YOU NEED TO LIVE IN THIS AREA - ATHENS, OHIO!

You are involved in The Circle of Gaia Dreaming.

Website: http://www.gaiadreaming.org

We are looking for stable, balanced people who enjoy working with others. People looking for a counseling group or a power trip need not even ask. Although we think that it is important to support our members in their lives, we cannot (and will not) sit down and try to fix your life for you. It won't/can't happen anyway. Only you can change you.

We are looking for people who want to make a commitment. We are not telling you to give up your normal life, but we do consider this spiritual work to be important. This means that you are willing to and CAN make time for coven events. We think that each person needs to take his/her path seriously. By the way, this doesn't mean that we don't have fun - we do!

A sense of humor is important. We laugh - a lot.

You have to be a practicing Wiccan within the group. It is important that you consider your spiritual path to be one of a witch. (Which is actually different from just practicing the religion of Wicca.) We expect members to maintain their own personal spiritual practices - but have to acknowledge that in order to work together, we need to have a common practice as a group.

You have to be dedicated to your own learning. Knowledge comes from self-discipline and practice.

You have to believe in magick, We have done a lot of healing, protection, and prosperity spells. We regularly practice magick at our full moon rituals.

You have to have a refined sense of ethics and follow the Wiccan Rede.

You have to be 18 or older. It's not that we do anything inappropriate for younger folks. It is simply a matter of self-protection. Most teens are not practicing with their parent's consent. If you are under 18 and are looking for an environment supporting alternative religious choices, you might try Unitarian Universalism. It is even possible that your folks would not object to you going to a UU fellowship or church. Most UU churches have Youth Groups (YRUU) or Covenant of UU Pagans chapters (CUUPS). To find a UU church near you, go here.

Do you have all of these traits, live near the Athens area and have a desire to become part of a close-knit group? Come and meet us through the The Circle of Gaia Dreaming! Click here to go to The Circle of Gaia Dreaming Website.

If you write to us asking to join the coven, you will be sent a message referring you to the The Circle of Gaia Dreaming page. Again, we are a close-knit group. We consider ourselves a chosen family which is an extremely important commitment. These kinds of ties cannot be made with total strangers. If you are serious about this path, meeting us through a public, open group should not be considered an undue hardship, merely one step in a complete and whole process of getting to know each other.

If you don't live close to Athens, don't despair. We would be happy to e-mail you for friendship or help. Just drop us a note! If you are looking for specific information, then send us your questions. It's easiest for us to answer specifics anyway. The same goes if you are close to Athens. If you need a specific question answered or just want to be e-friends, we would be happy to respond to your mail.

 

Finding Covens or Groups in Your Area
	The best place on the web to find other Pagans, witches, covens or groups in your own area is The Witches' Voice. These folks have an incredible on-line international database. If you write to us asking for information on a coven in your area, we will be sending you to this amazing site.
So, we decided to go ahead and just add the link here. Clicking on Witches' Voice image will open a new browser window and take you to their front page. The individual networking pages are listed under Witches of the World and their group networking pages are listed under Covens. BTW, we can't vouch for any of the people listed. Please use caution and your intuition when making contact with new folks. Bright Blessings and much luck to you on your path!

 

 This page was updated on January 8, 2005 .