For Seekers
If you believe that you are interested in pursuing a path in the Tangled Woods Tradition, here are some of the steps you can expect along your journey. When you are ready to begin, please visit the "covens" page to see if there is a coven that you may contact in your local area.
The First Steps
If you are interested in pursuing membership in the Tangled Woods Tradition, the first step would be to contact a coven in your area. All newcomers to the tradition apply to be a student and be accepted into our Sage Grove by the local coven they will be training with. However, before any individual can apply and be accepted as a student, they must meet in person with the High Priest or Priestess of the coven they wish to join and train with. Therefore, the first step is to contact the High Priest/ess of the coven closest to you, and find out how they handle meeting with new people. For instance, Coven of the Tangled Pines in TN hosts a monthly Coffee Night that is open for anyone to attend, and we ask all newcomers who are interested in pursuing membership with us to begin by attending a Coffee Night or two and getting to know us. However, other coven leaders may prefer to meet with interested newcomers one on one before guiding them through the application process. Get in touch with the coven leader in your area to find out how to proceed.
The idea of "applying to become a student" may seem intimidating, but the student application is really a simple form that will ask you questions about your interests and experiences on your path thus far. Our tradition is one that it built upon connections and shared interests between members, and the student application is a tool that is used as one of the first indications of whether or not a new student is likely to be a good fit. Often, students will not be accepted or rejected on the basis of their application alone, which is why all students must meet with the coven they wish to join in person. However, many coven leaders will be able to determine whether or not this tradition is right for a seeker by reading a few of the answers they give on their application. Coven leaders will use this application, along with their impressions about how well you connect with them and other coven members in person, to decide whether or not you moving on as a student seems like the right step to take. If you are accepted as a student, you will move into the coven's Sage Grove, which officially begins the process of working towards membership.
The idea of "applying to become a student" may seem intimidating, but the student application is really a simple form that will ask you questions about your interests and experiences on your path thus far. Our tradition is one that it built upon connections and shared interests between members, and the student application is a tool that is used as one of the first indications of whether or not a new student is likely to be a good fit. Often, students will not be accepted or rejected on the basis of their application alone, which is why all students must meet with the coven they wish to join in person. However, many coven leaders will be able to determine whether or not this tradition is right for a seeker by reading a few of the answers they give on their application. Coven leaders will use this application, along with their impressions about how well you connect with them and other coven members in person, to decide whether or not you moving on as a student seems like the right step to take. If you are accepted as a student, you will move into the coven's Sage Grove, which officially begins the process of working towards membership.
What to Expect in the Sage Grove
As a Sage Grove member of the Tangled Woods Tradition, you will begin attending classes with other Sage Grove students, which will be taught by some of the Inner and Elder Grove members of your local coven. Occassionally, when there are multiple covens in a local area, they may wish to combine their Sage Grove classes and share the teaching responsibilities. Two tracks of Sage Grove classes begin each year...one in February and one in August...and the group of students who begin each of these tracks will move through the Sage Grove process together.
Sage Grove studies last for a period of 13 months. In your first month, you will attend a class entitled "Into the Tangled Woods," which will give you a broad overview of what makes the Tangled Woods Tradition unique. At the end of this class, you will be given the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to continue studying in this tradition. If you choose to do so, you will take part in a ritual guided by the teachers that will welcome you into the Sage Grove, and you will be paired up with a mentor who will be available to give you one on one guidance throughout your Sage Grove studies. Of course, taking part in this ritual is mainly symbolic, as students can choose to leave the Sage Grove at any time they wish. What's more, your Sage Grove teachers may ask you to discontinue your studies at any time, if it becomes evident that the Tangled Woods path is not the right one for you, or that you will not work out as a member of their coven. Throughout the rest of your time in the Sage Grove, you will attend one class per month, as well as the coven's sabbat celebrations. You will not regularly attend esbat meetings, but each student will be invited individually to attend one dark moon meeting and one full moon meeting during their time in the Sage Grove as part of the learning and evaluation process. In the 13th month of your Sage Grove studies, your teachers will evaluate your progress and make the final decision about whether or not you should be invited into the coven as a member. Typically, if a student has made it to the end of the Sage Grove, they will be invited to move on, but it should be noted that this may not always be the case. If you are invited to join as a member, you will then move into the coven's Outer Grove.
Sage Grove studies last for a period of 13 months. In your first month, you will attend a class entitled "Into the Tangled Woods," which will give you a broad overview of what makes the Tangled Woods Tradition unique. At the end of this class, you will be given the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to continue studying in this tradition. If you choose to do so, you will take part in a ritual guided by the teachers that will welcome you into the Sage Grove, and you will be paired up with a mentor who will be available to give you one on one guidance throughout your Sage Grove studies. Of course, taking part in this ritual is mainly symbolic, as students can choose to leave the Sage Grove at any time they wish. What's more, your Sage Grove teachers may ask you to discontinue your studies at any time, if it becomes evident that the Tangled Woods path is not the right one for you, or that you will not work out as a member of their coven. Throughout the rest of your time in the Sage Grove, you will attend one class per month, as well as the coven's sabbat celebrations. You will not regularly attend esbat meetings, but each student will be invited individually to attend one dark moon meeting and one full moon meeting during their time in the Sage Grove as part of the learning and evaluation process. In the 13th month of your Sage Grove studies, your teachers will evaluate your progress and make the final decision about whether or not you should be invited into the coven as a member. Typically, if a student has made it to the end of the Sage Grove, they will be invited to move on, but it should be noted that this may not always be the case. If you are invited to join as a member, you will then move into the coven's Outer Grove.
Suggested Reading
As a member of the Sage Grove, you will be required to read certain texts as part of your studies, and you will receive a more complete list of suggested reading. However, if you are anxious to begin reading, here is a list of a few favorite books of some of the founding members of the Tangled Woods Tradition. If you are new to the study of Witchcraft, please keep in mind that there are many different ways to approach it, and some of these books might express different viewpoints on certain subjects. Just remember to take elements from your reading that are of value to you. Your Sage Grove classes will help to clarify precisely how our tradition approaches the Craft.
If you have stumbled upon our website for the Tangled Woods Tradition, and are anxious to begin a journey upon the path of the Tangled Woods, chances are that you have already checked to see if there is a coven in your area. However, because the Tangled Woods Tradition is new and still growing, it is very likely that you were disappointed to find that there may not be a Tangled Woods coven close to you. If you live some distance from a Tangled Woods coven, becoming a member of our tradition may prove to be quite difficult. We do wish to see our tradition grow, and our membership expand, but we also wish to maintain the integrity of our tradition. To this end, we have constructed our tradition as an initiatory one, and all initiations must be done in person by an Elder Grove member of the Tangled Woods Tradition.
If you feel very called to the Tangled Woods Tradition, it is possible that some arrangements can be made for correspondence studies. However, one cannot become a member of the Tangled Woods Tradition by distance learning alone. Some travel will be required, particularly for completion of the Sage Grove studies, and for initiation. Whether they are done in person or through correspondence, anyone who wishes to become a member of the Tangled Woods Tradition must complete the same Sage Grove classes, taught by a teacher in the Tangled Woods Tradition. We do not recognize students as our own unless they are working with a Tangled Woods coven through their Sage Grove, and none of our members are self taught. Furthermore, we do not claim individuals are members of the Tangled Woods Tradition unless they have been initiated by a current member who has the authority to do so, and we do not recognize self-initiations. Again, this is not meant to exclude those who feel very drawn to our path, but rather to ensure that our foundling tradition maintains its integrity.
The Tangled Woods Tradition is largely coven oriented, but we do allow for solitary members who follow the proper avenues for membership in our tradition. Still, solitary members must form a connection with a Tangled Woods coven at least long enough to receive their initiation, and we prefer for our solitary members to keep in touch with their teaching coven beyond their initiation, as we wish for Witches of the Tangled Woods to maintain a connection with one another. If a newcomer is interested in forming a coven in the Tangled Woods Tradition, this is certainly encouraged as long as the appropriate steps are taken. The coven's founder (possibly along with an additional person who will act as his or her first Assistant High Priest/ess) will first need to complete all of the requirements for initiation. Once the coven's founder has become an initiate, he or she would be free to form an informal group of members, such as a study group, which begins holding meetings and working together as a group. Once the coven founder's teaching coven feels that they have demonstrated the ability to responsibly lead a group, they will be invited into the Elder Grove, and will be allowed to officially birth their coven.
If you are outside of the area of one of the Tangled Woods covens, and wish to begin a path to either begin a solitary practice or form a coven in the Tangled Woods Tradition, please feel free to contact the tradition's parent coven by emailing watertown.witch@gmail.com.
- The Spiral Dance (Starhawk)
- Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic (Phyllis Currott)
- Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore, and Herb Craft (Ann Moura)
- Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft (Raymond Buckland)
- Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Scott Cunningham)
- Craft of the Wild Witch: Green Spirituality and Natural Enchantment (Poppy Palin)
- The Way of the Green Witch: Rituals, Spells and Practices to Bring You Back to Nature (Arin Murphy-Hiscock)
- Wild Witchcraft: A Guide to Natural, Herbal, and Earth Magic (Marian Green)
- Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal and Practical Magic (Ellen Dugan)
- Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up (Ellen Dugan)
- Cottage Witchery: Natural Magick for Hearth and Home (Ellen Dugan)
- Advanced Witchcraft: Go Deeper, Reach Further, Fly Higher (Edain McCoy)
- The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft: Shadows, Spirits, and the Healing Journey (Christopher Penczak)
- Origins of Modern Witchcraft (Ann Moura)
Live Classes
The listed classes are not directly associated with the Tangled Woods Tradition unless they are specifically listed as such. However, these listings include individuals who we encourage you to see if you get the chance!
Green Witchcraft
Ellen Dugan Tour Shedule
Ellen Dugan is the Garden Witch, and she writes wonderful books that touch on natural, intuitive, and green witchcraft. She is a favorite among the Tangled Woods Tradition, and her live classes are wonderful. We encourage you to attend if she is ever in an area near you!
Christopher Penczak Tour Schedule
Green Witchcraft
Live workshop scheduled for this year's Nashville Pagan Pride Day, September 13, 2008. This class will be taught by Castiel Willow, Elder Grove member of Coven of the Tangled Pines. For more information and workshop times, please visit the Nashville Pagan Pride Day website.
Ellen Dugan Tour Shedule
Ellen Dugan is the Garden Witch, and she writes wonderful books that touch on natural, intuitive, and green witchcraft. She is a favorite among the Tangled Woods Tradition, and her live classes are wonderful. We encourage you to attend if she is ever in an area near you!
Christopher Penczak Tour Schedule
Many of the founding members of the Tangled Woods Tradition had the chance to attend a couple of Christopher Penczak's workshops and rituals at a local festival. They were truly inspirational, and not to be missed if he is ever coming your way!
Online Learning
Here are a few links to online courses and article that you may find helpful as you develop your path. Please note that these are links to do not lead to part of our Sage Grove material, but we do feel that they could be useful in enhancing your studies. Sage Grove classes are not available online. New online resources will be added as we discover them.
Shaping the Wheel
Shaping the Wheel
This is an online course in Druidry offered free from the Druid Network. Classes are written by Athelia Nihtscada, and follow a Wheel of the Year format, with a class to correspond to each of the 8 sabbats. Though the Tangled Woods Tradition is not specifically Druidic, we do incorporate some Druidic concepts, and we feel that a course such as Shaping the Wheel could help our students to understand some of the Druidic influence on our tradition.
What the Heck is a Hedgewitch Anyways?
What the Heck is a Hedgewitch Anyways?
Online article written by Witches' Voice author Juniper that explains her take on Hedge Witchcraft.
Polytheism, Pantheism, or Panentheism: Shedding Light on Pagan Theology
The Tangled Woods Tradition is one of Panentheism, and this term may be new to a lot of individuals who are just learning about or tradition. In this wonderful article, Witches' Voice author Eldyohr explains some of the different takes on Pagan theology, and give a wonderful explanation of what Panentheism is all about.
The Issue of Distance
If you feel very called to the Tangled Woods Tradition, it is possible that some arrangements can be made for correspondence studies. However, one cannot become a member of the Tangled Woods Tradition by distance learning alone. Some travel will be required, particularly for completion of the Sage Grove studies, and for initiation. Whether they are done in person or through correspondence, anyone who wishes to become a member of the Tangled Woods Tradition must complete the same Sage Grove classes, taught by a teacher in the Tangled Woods Tradition. We do not recognize students as our own unless they are working with a Tangled Woods coven through their Sage Grove, and none of our members are self taught. Furthermore, we do not claim individuals are members of the Tangled Woods Tradition unless they have been initiated by a current member who has the authority to do so, and we do not recognize self-initiations. Again, this is not meant to exclude those who feel very drawn to our path, but rather to ensure that our foundling tradition maintains its integrity.
The Tangled Woods Tradition is largely coven oriented, but we do allow for solitary members who follow the proper avenues for membership in our tradition. Still, solitary members must form a connection with a Tangled Woods coven at least long enough to receive their initiation, and we prefer for our solitary members to keep in touch with their teaching coven beyond their initiation, as we wish for Witches of the Tangled Woods to maintain a connection with one another. If a newcomer is interested in forming a coven in the Tangled Woods Tradition, this is certainly encouraged as long as the appropriate steps are taken. The coven's founder (possibly along with an additional person who will act as his or her first Assistant High Priest/ess) will first need to complete all of the requirements for initiation. Once the coven's founder has become an initiate, he or she would be free to form an informal group of members, such as a study group, which begins holding meetings and working together as a group. Once the coven founder's teaching coven feels that they have demonstrated the ability to responsibly lead a group, they will be invited into the Elder Grove, and will be allowed to officially birth their coven.
If you are outside of the area of one of the Tangled Woods covens, and wish to begin a path to either begin a solitary practice or form a coven in the Tangled Woods Tradition, please feel free to contact the tradition's parent coven by emailing watertown.witch@gmail.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you still have questions, please view our FAQ page. See if your question has been answered, or submit one of your own!
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