Ash às an t-Sìth, called by some Ash nicSí or Ash nicSidhe, has walked the path of the Craft since early childhood. At around age five, she was kissed on the forehead by the Lady in the Moon and told, “You are Mine, now and always.”
She formally entered the Craft as an Initiate of the Georgian Tradition at age 19 and later received Third Degree in the New York Welsh Tradition. Her work within that tradition drew her toward a deeper study of the teachings of Lady Gwynne Thompson and her family tradition.
After meeting Zanoni Silverknife and years of shared work in the StarBorn Tradition, she met Raven and worked with her and StarMist Cuveen until Raven closed the coven in 1992.
When Nemed Cuculatii was created later in 1992, Ash was among the first to be accepted. In 1993, she and several others were formally elevated to the Priesthood Degree, the highest initiatory degree within N.E.C.T.W.
In September 2019, she was raised to the position of Elder High Priestess by Lord Theitic, High Priest of the Coven of Minerva, N.E.C.T.W. This is the highest rank of our Tradition.
Ash continues to serve Nemed Cuculatii as Maid of the Coven, assisting Raven in her role as Lady and High Priestess of the Coven.
Her academic studies led to a major in Religious Studies and Philosophy. Her spiritual studies have included the longstanding study and practice of Bön Buddhism and traditional Shinto practices of Japan. She also studied martial arts for several years, earning belts in Judokan and Goju-Ryu Karate.
Beltane 2023 marked fifty years since her formal initiation—though her path began long before, with moonlit rites in a New Mexico backyard. More than fifty years after that initiation, she continues to draw respectfully upon the many traditions she has studied and worked within—including Georgian, the New York Welsh Tradition, StarBorn, Gardnerian, NROOGD, Glencoran, and others—while keeping her Work within Nemed Cuculatii firmly rooted in the values and teachings of N.E.C.T.W. Her personal praactices remain informed and influenced by all that she has studied throughout her life.
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
(The Grateful Dead)
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me
what a long, strange trip it’s been.