Prospective Initiates must be willing to set aside the usual beliefs of western culture. As a basic foundation of our Faith, we are animists. This is essential to the effective practice of Feycraft Wicca. Spirits, deities, etc, are not psychological constructs to help you feel better. It takes work to fully accept this as truth because our western culture has taught us that everything is a figment of our imaginations. The Spirits, Deities, and Ancestors are literal Spirit Beings.
Prospective Initiates must be willing to make Coven activities a high priority. It takes time and commitment to make it through the Core Classes, and then when that’s over, you still have to participate in regular Coven life. We become a chosen family. Participation by every individual is of high importance. This isn’t a free-for-all where you can come and go as you please – everyone’s presence is important to the flow of ritual, and the cohesion of the egregore.
Prospective Initiates must be real people. You must be willing to drop the societal masks. We are not prone to being “fake” with one another. While we recognize that a facade is sometimes necessary to properly exist in modern western society, we cast that facade aside when we are with one another.
Prospective Initiates should have their mundane lives in somewhat decent shape, or at least pursuing that as a goal. You don’t have to be independently wealthy or plan to stay at your current job forever. You should be doing your best for you, for now. None of us are perfect people, but we try to be reasonably stable, so have a job, pay your bills as best you can, and have reliable transportation to, and from meetings. As long as you have made peace with where you’re at, and refuse to become stagnant, this should not be a difficult requirement to meet. Despite what some other faiths try to teach you, poverty, and spirituality do not make good bedfellows.
Prospective Initiates should realize, before even applying, that we camp. At least once throughout the year, and sometimes more, the Coven goes on a camping excursion. This is not an option. At the very least, you, as a Coven Member, must be willing to take a tent into the woods, live without wi-fi, and cellphone for a few days, and just be with the Coven, at Beltane every year. We attend the Beltane festival at Our Haven Nature Sanctuary every year, and we use this as our Annual Spiritual Retreat – its a wonderful way to help Members bond on a spiritual, and emotional level. There are showers; we set up our own bathroom nearby for just the Coven; they sometimes have food on the grounds, but we stay self-sufficient; there is spotty data signal, and sometimes could be wi-fi at the Pavilion if you absolutely have to communicate with the outside world. At minimum, you should be able to attend Beltane with the Coven.
Prospective Initiates should realize that we have a zero tolerance policy against bullying, harassment, hate speech, racism, misogyny, misandry, and any sort of activity or speech that appears to be anti-LGBTQIA+. We will not tolerate it. Black lives matter, women’s rights are human rights (including the right to quality medical care), no human is illegal, science is real, love is love, representation matters, and kindness is everything.
