Many people express interest in studying, training, or working with our coven. We deeply appreciate that curiosity — but as a general rule, we do not accept long-distance students or students via mail or email. This has been our practice since our founding in the 1990s, rooted in the belief that the Craft is best transmitted through in-person teaching and shared experience within our coven.

However, as the world continues to evolve, so too may our methods. We are currently revising our apprenticeship program to explore whether certain aspects of our teaching may adapt meaningfully to the changing times. While no decisions have been made, this is an active area of discernment and reflection.

The Craft is experiential, relational, and embodied. While solitary practice is valid, and divine inspiration may guide understanding and connection with the natural world, the deeper mysteries often require direct teaching. Learning the Craft is akin to learning to drive — books can offer foundational knowledge, but real skill comes through hands-on practice and personal mentoring.

We do accept new students — but only after a thorough, relational process that includes interviews, shared interaction, and mutual discernment.

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.

Our Coven and Study Grove have varying meeting schedules. We may meet several times a month or not at all for extended periods, depending on rituals and individual schedules. If you cannot commit to at least a year from initial contact to initiation, and a year between each initiatory level, we may not be the right group for you.

We do not charge training fees, but members must pay for their materials and contribute to Circles and feasts. We recommend having a stable income and a well-balanced life before starting 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 or the apprenticeship group. 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, next, read the essay Wiccan-Pagan Potpourri thoroughly, check our Suggested Reading list, then please email inquiries to study (at) nemedcuculatii (dot) org.

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 (summer 2024) our apprenticeship program is being updated and rewritten, and we may not be currently offering study at this time.

Interview Questions We May Ask

These questions help us get to know you — not to gatekeep, but to foster mutual clarity and readiness. Please do not send answers in advance.

We may ask: 

• Have you ever had a natal astrological chart or a numerological profile created for yourself? If not, would you be open to having one crafted?
  → We use natal charts to explore cosmic signatures that may shape your personality, challenges, and spiritual trajectory. Numerology allows us to examine the energetic vibration of your names and the journey they hold. These tools help us honor the deeper patterns that inform your path in the Craft.
• Books you’ve read in the realms of witchcraft, folklore, paganism, or related subjects — and your thoughts on them
  → To understand your background, interests, and how you engage critically with spiritual material.
• Your personal concepts of Deity and Spirit
  → To explore your cosmology and how it aligns with our tradition’s frameworks.
• Your comfort with travel and your reliability in attending in-person gatherings and rituals
  → We ask this to understand your practical availability and consistency. Craft study with Nemed Cuculatii requires physical presence and a dependable rhythm of attendance. This helps us build trust, mutual accountability, and ritual continuity within the coven.
• Your willingness to take an oath of secrecy
  → A reflection of your commitment to preserving sacred trust and ritual privacy.
• What you hope to learn and your goals within the Craft
• Your perceived strengths and areas where you feel you could use support
• Your chosen form of divination (e.g., Tarot, Runes, I Ching)
  → Divination is a vital practice for spiritual insight and magical development.
• Any food or drink allergies or sensitivities
  → To ensure your comfort and safety during feasts and rituals.
• Your comfort level with working closely with individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including LGBTQIA+ members and leadership
  → Nemed Cuculatii is led by two openly queer women and proudly affirms LGBTQIA+ identities. We are committed to cultivating a coven space grounded in sacred equality and inclusive respect.
• Your understanding that the Wiccan Great Rite—symbolic or actual—is not, and has never been, part of our teachings or practices
  → As a Traditionalist Witchcraft group affiliated with N.E.C.T.W., our lineage and work diverge from Wiccan rites and philosophy.

Think about what questons you would ask of us, as well.