Working with Nemed Cuculatii
--
We receive many requests
from people wanting to train with our coven. As a general rule, we
will not accept any long-distance student, or student by mail/email.
The Craft is not something that can be learned from reading a book, no
matter how well-written the book may be.
While divine inspiration
can be a useful tool, it alone cannot teach you the Craft as
we practice it. It can lead you to a better understanding of the world
around us, it can help you to live in harmony with nature, and it can
be very fulfilling emotionally and spiritually. But learning the Craft
requires person-to-person interaction. There is an old saying that
"one cannot be a witch alone."
We take the view
that this is not a proscription against solitary practice of the
Craft, but rather that there is a certain body of knowledge and
methods of working that cannot be taught except by another. A recent
correspondent made the following analogy:
"I have a
theory/believe that we (witches) are being "steered"
(have you read Colin Wilson's novel The Philosophers Stone?) away
from the "old" or "traditional" knowledge - in favour of the new
("if it feels right then do it", or "if it sounds right then use
it") Wicca, and so losing the essential basics. I'm not saying these
"new" things are wrong, but I feel we are losing the Old Ways. A bit
like.. when you learn to drive a car, everyone gets taught the same
basic highway codes, and then when they pass the driving test, they
gain the experience on the road."
We view the in-person
portion of Craft training to be akin to the "behind-the-wheel"
experience gained in a drivers' education course, and the reading and
study portion to be like the preparatory work involved prior to taking
one's drivers license test. While we do accept new students, it is
only after an extensive period of "getting to know one another",
interviews, and interactions with the larger community.
If you are interested in
study with us, you must be located in the Puget Sound region
of Washington state, and be willing to travel to the Snoqualmie Valley
for regular meetings and rituals. We request a face-to-face meeting
with prospective students, and their attendance at a "meet and greet"
event to meet members of our Coven and possibly members of other
Covens in our Tradition.
We will set the meeting up
for some public place convenient to both you and us. This will provide
each of us with a level of comfort. We will simply sit down and
introduce ourselves and proceed to find a little about each other.
There are several reasons
for this meeting:
-
The meeting
provides both you and us a chance to meet to discuss The Craft and
what that means to both of us.
-
The meeting
provides both you and us an opportunity to ask questions of each
other.
-
The meeting allows
us to develop some level of comfort with each other before meeting
in a more private environment.
-
The meeting is an
excellent excuse to eat desserts and drink coffee or other
beverages as appropriate.
There are no requirements
or hard and fast rules for joining our coven. We are simply
looking for people with whom we can work closely toward our spiritual
and magical goals. As a matter of practicality, we would prefer to
accept couples, rather than individuals, although there are and have
been exceptions to this preference.
We normally meet several
times a month, depending upon ritual occasions and individual
scheduling. If you do not feel that you could meet this level of
commitment to a group for an extended period of time (typically a
minimum of a year from initial contact to Initiation, and a year
between each Initiatory level), then perhaps we are not the right
group for you.
As this is a typical condition in most covens, if you
are unable to meet this level of commitment, perhaps you should
reconsider whether the Craft is the right choice for your spiritual
expression. There are many open pagan and heathen groups, of which
many are inspired by the Craft, yet do not need this deep, personal
commitment on your part. (That is not to say that these other groups
do not have spiritual significance, merely that it may differ from
that of the Craft.)
While we do
not charge any fees for training, we do require that members
pay for their own materials, and all are expected to contribute their
fair share to Circles and feasts. We do not believe that it is to the
benefit of the student to finance the cost of their materials for
training. If members cannot afford the very small materials cost, we
may counsel them to return when their life is in better financial
order. We encourage all of our members to be employed to the best of
their ability and to have their lives in general order before
attempting to learn the Craft.
Please remember -
The Craft is NOT
for everyone, and furthermore every person is not a good fit in every
Coven. A decision either on our part or on your part not to continue
association after meeting and talking together
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN
PERSONALLY by either party. Understand that the
interview will not be any guarantee of acceptance into the coven. And
to restate from elsewhere on this website, while N.E.C.T.W. and
Nemed Cuculatii share many things in common with Wicca, we are a
Witchcraft tradition, not a Wiccan tradition. If you are seeking a
Wicca coven or tradition, we are not the group for you.
If you are interested
in pursuing study with us, first read the essay
Wiccan-Pagan Potpourri, thoroughly, and then please write to Nemed Cuculatii, Post
Office Box 916, Duvall, Washington 98019 to be placed on a waiting
list; email inquiries can be sent to
study (at)
nemedcuculatii (d0t) org.
We are accepting new
applicants at the present time.
Please be aware that there may be
a lengthy delay between receipt of your inquiry and a response;
however, we do respond to all inquiries. |
