Ash nicSidhe has walked the path of the Craft since childhood, formally entering tradition at Beltane 1973 under Lady Aphrodite and Lord Mercury of the Georgian Tradition. She later studied with Zanoni Silverknife, co-founding the Sacred Grove of Vril and the StarBorn (Sothis) Tradition.

In 1975, Ash was elevated to Third Degree in the New York Coven of Welsh Traditionalists, a Tradition with ties to the N.E.C.T.W., marking a shift in focus toward the teachings of Lady Gwynne. After completing military service, she met Raven in 1981—and made her the Lady of her life. Together, they worked within StarMist Cuveen, the second StarBorn Coven.

In 1984, they encountered two Elders of the Tuatha de Danann Tradition—another branch of the N.E.C.T.W. family tree—and were reinitiated and elevated to Third Degree in the “Old Rites of N.E.C.T.W.” Shortly thereafter, they relocated from California to Washington to begin a new chapter of their work, which included the closure of StarMist Cuveen and the formation of Nemed Cuculatii, with Ash, Raven, Scarecrow, and Ladybug as its founding members.

In 1992, Ash and Raven connected with the N.E.C.T.W. Historian, and in 1993 were formally elevated to the Priesthood Degree, the highest rank of the Tradition.

Returning to Rhode Island in 2019, Ash was affirmed in her role as Elder High Priestess within N.E.C.T.W. While her personal practice draws respectfully from the many traditions she has studied and been initiated into—including Gardnerian, NROOGD, Glencoran, and others—her work within Nemed Cuculatii remains firmly rooted in N.E.C.T.W.

Beltane 2023 marked Ash’s 50th anniversary in the Craft—and nearly 60 years since she first gave names to the ceremonies she had long enacted beneath the Full Moon in the backyard of her New Mexico childhood. She affirms inclusive, ethical practice rooted in the values of N.E.C.T.W., and is proud to serve alongside her wife, Raven.

Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me;
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me
what a long, strange trip it’s been.

(The Grateful Dead)