We receive many requests from people wanting to study, train and work 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 simply 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 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 Community.
We will set the meeting up in 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 may meet several times a month, or not at all for extended periods, 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 email inquiries to study (at) nemedcuculatii (dot) org. (Please ensure that your SPAM filters will accept an email response from that address!) In your email please include your name (preferred name, whatever name you wish to be called by), age, email address (and optional phone number). Also, please give a general introduction to yourself, what you may have previously read/studied on the subjects of witchcraft, paganism, religion, folklore and history.
Please be aware that at the present time (January 2023) we are not accepting new students, as we are preparing to move across the country during the next two years, and as our training programs entails a multi-year commitment, we are unable to meet that requirement on our part.

Genii Cuculatus - spiritii locii - ancestors of our craft - our mighty dead

Questions we might ask of Potential Students

These are questions we MAY ask of potential applicants for study in our coven. Please do not consider this as asking for students. At present, Nemed Cuculatii is not open for new members, we do not know when that may change.

Please do not just answer these questions and send them to us. We may be able to help you find someone near you, but that is the extent of it.

1.      What is your time of birth, birth date, and birth place.

2.      This is to run an astrological chart on you.

3.      Full name as it reads on your birth certificate; if the name you currently use is different from your birth certificate name, please provide that as well. This is to run a numerological chart for you.

4.      A list of what books you have read and a brief idea of whether you liked it or not, and why.

5.      What is your concept of Deity (God/Goddess, etc.)?

6.      What is your concept of Spiirit?

7.      You will need to travel here at least 4 times a year. This is because we will need to do circle work together and I am not comfortable trying to attempt that over the computer.

8.      If asked to take an oath of secrecy, would you do that? This would include secrets from even your husband/wife/lover(s)/family if they are not also of this Tradition.

9.      What do you want to learn?

10.   You will need to begin to think about a primary form of divination, i.e. I Ching, Runes, Tarot etc.

11.   What do you think your strengths are?

12.   What do you see as your weaknesses?

13.   Why do you want to study Witchcraft?