Precepts of Our Coven

While we share the same core teachings and lineage of our tradition, each group is autonomous and will have its own characteristics that make it different from other groups. There are three main elements that makes us unique:

  • We are not dedicated to a specific god and goddess of any one pantheon, although we may call upon certain deities as the situation dictates. Instead, we are dedicated to the Wiccan Horned God and Mother Goddess in all their guises, which encompass all gods and goddesses. What we mean by this is that we see them both in triple form as the archetypes of Son/Father/Sage and Maiden/Mother Crone. This gives us an eclectic flair to our coven work and allows each of us to work with the deities that call to us in our personal work.

 

  • We take the Shadow and the Wolf as our symbols:
    • Shadows are constructs of light and dark; both are needed for a shadow to exist. By embracing both light and dark halves of our inner world, we begin to understand the totality of our being; the duality of divinity within us. By embracing both light and dark halves of our outer world, we begin to understand the endless cycles of nature and time; the duality of divinity around us.
    • The spirit of the wolf is intelligent and nurturing, fostering a deep connection with intuition and instincts. With the wolf as our guide, we can walk the path of shadows to reach our highest potential, create effective magic and commune with the gods.

 

  • We strive to live in harmony with nature and recognize that we are stewards of the Earth and have a responsibility to take care of our planet. That means being a little more conscious about our day to day activities, like recycling when possible and not wasting water or electricity. We are also dedicated to community service. Whether it be volunteering, raising money for a specific cause or just gathering canned goods to donate to a local food bank, we believe in giving back to our community not just in a magical sense, but also in a mundane one.

Structure

New students, called seekers, are not included here since they are not officially part of the coven yet. Likewise, Hearthkin is also not listed for similar reasons. Hearthkin consists of friends of good faith and/or family members of coven members, which includes past or inactive members (so long as their was an amicable parting of ways) of any group within our lineage. We use a five level, three degree system:

  1. Neophyte
  2. Initiate, 1st Degree
  3. Initiate, 2nd Degree
  4. Initiate, 3rd Degree
  5. Elder

A coven is ideally lead by both a High Priest and a High Priestess, with other Initiates filling other designated roles as needed, however, this may not always be possible. Sometimes it is lead by a High Priest or a High Priestess, and there simply may not be enough Initiates or interested Initiates to fill other roles. In these situations, typically the High Priest or High Priestess will will fill multiple roles, or others will be asked to fill needed roles as needed, but not in an official, permanent capacity. Flexibility is important and we work with what we have. Currently, Shadow Wolf Coven does not have a High Priestess and is led by Lord Dercinius alone.

High Priest: Lord Dercinius
Hight Priestess: N/A

 

The Courts

Shadow Wolf Coven is divided into two groups, an Inner Court and and an Outer Court, which allows seekers, hearthkin,  and prospective initiates to still circle with us, albeit it in a limited capacity. The identities of any guests or members is kept secret to protect their privacy.

 

Outer Court:
The Outer Court consists of everyone related to the coven: seekers, neophytes, initiates, elders and hearthkin. The Outer Court regularly meets for classes, socials and Sabbat (solar holiday) celebrations.

 

Inner Court:
The Inner Court is composed of coven initiates only; the priesthood. This is essentially the heart of the coven that maintains both it's mundane and spiritual aspects. In addition to the Sabbats, the Inner Court also meets for Esbat (lunar holiday) celebrations. It's other activities are teachings are considered oathbound and treated with secrecy. We are a mystery tradition after all!

Our Philosophies and Beliefs

  • We believe in one source or divinity, termed the All, which is formless yet infinite. The first primary division of this one source, or divinity, is that of duality. We refer to this division as force and form, light and dark, the Lord and Lady, or as the God and the Goddess, from which all gods and goddesses come.

 

  • We believe in seven planes of existence which affect and shape what we know as reality and what we think of as being the unknown. Out of this one source, all things, known and unknown, come into being and exist across the seven planes at increasing degrees of separation from the source. On the first plane of existence The All exists in its natural form; formless, nameless, and all inclusive. As the planes progress toward the seventh, the aspects of The All become more and more differentiated, going from formless and nameless to fully formed and named.

 

  • We believe that everything in nature is composed of parts of The All and that there is a part within each of us which contains an essence of The All in its true form; a spark of divinity containing both halves of duality. In our rituals and initiations, we encourage everyone to make connections in mind, body, and spirit to divinity through acknowledging and exploring that inner spark and the connections that it has to the Elements, nature, the God, the Goddess and ultimately to the All.

 

  • We believe in the pursuit of individual connection with divinity and so practice a system of worship intended to allow that connection. Within our worship we strive to align ourselves with things that are of an energy level that are closer and less differentiated to The All. Thus, we strive for awareness of the four Elements and the fifth Element of Spirit, along with their presence in everything in nature.

 

  • We strive to develop a personal connection with the gods and goddesses, who are often easier to relate to than the one vast, all-inclusive God or Goddess. As we develop a relationship with individual gods and goddesses we have a realization that any goddess is a part or a face of the one Goddess and all gods are a part or a face of the one God; and that ultimately the God and Goddess are part of and reflections of the All, the source of divinity.

 

  • We believe that all the planes of existence reflect on one another, therefore, we see The All reflected in nature around us. Because of that, within our rituals, we celebrate the cycles of the Earth and their relation to the universe around us. More specifically, we celebrate the cycles of the sun, which we term the Wheel of the Year and the cycles of the moon. We do this with the idea that by aligning ourselves with the cycles of nature, which reflects The All, that we are becoming more in tune with The All and so will be able to make a connection with divinity easier than if we were to work against the cycles of nature.

 

  • We believe that consciousness evolves through many lifetimes and gives meaning to the universe and our personal role within. Through this evolution, we can make stronger connections to The All and transcend the planes of existence to the point to where our divine spark will ultimately rejoin the one source.

 

  • As an initiatory religion, we seek to understand the ways of nature and the universe. We believe that there is no ultimate conflict between religion and science. We believe all religions have a valid place and do not seek to deny or suppress religious practices and beliefs, or lack thereof, that are different form our own, so long as they do no bring harm to its practitioners or harm to others.

 

  • Our beliefs give us a unique responsibility toward our environment, and we seek to live in ecological balance and harmony with nature. We strive to assist others whenever possible but are careful to stay within our means. We practice magic, which is the art of connecting with and using the energies of nature to bring about intended change. We strive to work magic of a positive nature with the intent to benefit the well-being of all involved and we accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions.