The Fellowship of the Sacred Grove meets in sacred space to find our way to the mystical Grove in the inner worlds where we have encountered the Lord and Lady and experienced awe and reverence in Their Presence. The Bhakti Wiccan Tradition encompasses the ritual structure, liturgy, and shared understanding that guide our return, again and again, to experience this Mystery.
Over the years we have shared this experience with wider groups through teaching cooperative meditation workshops and offering ritual at gatherings, festivals, and home-based classes.
The Book of Shadows on this site is intended to preserve and share what we have learned and continue expanding the intimate web of the Grove.
This intimate web is part of a much larger web that includes other circles, groves, and clans following other Traditions or developing their own. We share in the interest of joy and community.
That web connects with even wider webs, where we are a church within a community or communities. And in that context, we have needs and responsibilities, just as those communities have needs that we may be able to meet and resources on which we depend — not the least of which is the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion, right to assemble, and right to speak and hear the truth.
This opens a large question as to what role is a church expected to fill in a community?
Expectations vary, given the wide variety to size, history, cultures, financial endowment, teachings, and traditions in the many religious organizations of our time and place. Among those organizations, we are very small, unfamiliar, limited financially, and outside their assumptions.
As a church — or as churches — we have possibilities:
- We can stand as examples that “people like us” can be OK — decent humans, if a bit weird.
- We can help individual people in need.
- We can help our children and others who look to us to develop helping skills and emergency response skills.
- We can work with other spiritually-minded groups to address larger needs.
- We can explore our individual and our group connections to help people seeking their own best sacred space and connections to find their way home.
- We can remain alert and responsive to things going awry.
Sacred Grove has:
- Provided credentialed chaplains to the County Chaplain Corps, the local hospital chaplaincy, Rising Sun Outreach Ministry and its ordained clergy;
- Provided Religious Marriage Celebrants who performed legal weddings;
- Conducted workshops and public ritual at festivals and gatherings;
- Conducted presentations as requested to schools, churches, and businesses;
- Assisted individuals in need find access to local, state, and national social services, including qualifying as disabled for Medicare and Medicaid purposes;
- Sheltered individuals temporarily until they could find housing;
- Provided telephone support to individuals in crisis;
- [to be continued]
I’m Noah and I am in the process of joining The Coven of the Lake of Succubus and Nymphs, followers of the Goddess Aphrodite’.
I have been wanting to join their Coven since I was 16, but they told me to wait till I was 18.
I turned 18 on October 11th.
I have known all their members for about 4 years. Their Coven is going to take me and teach me their pathway.
On November 9th I will be joining by conducting what they call the “Initiation of Acceptance” process that has two stages.
1. Is the wearing of the Rainbow, which is consisting of me wearing a Rainbow G-string. It is to show support and inclusion for the LGTBQ community.
2. Is the Walk of the Wild Woods, is a Sky Clad Walk through the woods on their pathway through and around the wooded area on their Conven’s property
The Coven members instructed me that if I had a concern to reach out to another Coven.
What I need to know is that do some Covens have different rules and requirements such as their Coven?
I hope I have worded my question, so it isn’t confusing.
I am hugely shy so it will be very embarrassing, but it will be a big step for me in moving forward in overcoming my shyness.
I hope I was not wrong in contacting you.
Thanks,
Noah Larson
Greetings, Noah Larson, and congratulations on reaching your adulthood birthday and taking the steps you find yourself called to take.
Your explanation of the quest ahead of you is very clear, and your Coven’s suggestion that you reach out for answers gives me reassurance that you have found a responsible group of people with whom to take the next steps in your journey.
Regardless of oaths and affiliations, a Coven consists of a group of individuals who are responsible to themselves, their commitments, and each other for their teaching and conduct. I sincerely doubt that any two Covens on any given day have identical rules and requirements. From what you have shared here, I see no red flags that cause me worry.
For an initiation rite, I would expect to find challenges to you the Initiate that call you to put energy into exploring yourself, challenging yourself, and coming to terms with what you find there. Your embarrassment, in this case, is a measure of the energy you are called to give or to pay for that which you seek. The rainbow g-string is a brilliant touch. Walking skyclad in the woods would be a challenging new experience — if you haven’t done it before or don’t seek that experience out of your own desire to do that — and at 18, the opportunities will have been few for you prior to this. I speak from my own experience in this.
Thank you for contacting me. I hope I have been of some help. And, if you will, please feel free to write again after your Initiation to let me know that it went well.
Blessed be, young friend, and welcome1
Peace, RedBird