Because of the Witchvox article, we get a lot of inquiries regarding teaching. If we have openings in our grove, we might send something like the following letter:

Dear Prospective Student,

My coven is a traditionalist Wiccan coven working in the (centuries-old ;-) Blue Star tradition which has been in existence since the mid-1970s and has members in more than 15 states across the country. No one seems to be sure at any given time how many active initiates there are in our tradition,but we estimate that the current number is somewhere between 75 and 150. In addition, there are probably 100-175 students studying the tradition who have not been initiated. My own coven has 7 members and
15 regular students, with a group of about 15 others who often join us for sabbats.

I have been studying Blue Star for over 18 years and have led our coven for the last 14 or so years. Like many traditionalists, I can't charge for teaching my tradition. However, my coven does charge a small ($10-15 currently/month) membership due once you have been dedicated. Let me back up and give you an idea of how students come to us, usually. First, you get invited to a sabbat celebration Almost all of our sabbats are open to non-members.

If you come around a couple of times, we like each other, and you indicate interest in studying our tradition further, you'll get invited to come to classes on New Moons. We meet on the Saturday evening closest to the New Moon (and Full Moon and usually Sabbat, too). If you like what you experience, and we're hitting it off, you might ask to be dedicated into our Grove (that's what we call our students and dedicants).

Dedication is basically saying, "Hi, I'm pagan and expect I will be for the rest of my life and you guys are pretty cool, so I'd like to hang around with you and learn what you do." That's the level of commitment. Usually, at this point, you've formed some kind of a bond with one of the initiates in the coven who will be your primary teacher. After asking for dedication (and having been told accepted), you become officially a member of the Grove, with the ability to attend all of our circles, New, Full and Sabbat. This is when the real teaching begins. As you can probably see, we aren't a quick tradition in which to learn Wicca, but we do a very thorough job of training our students.

From there, you might choose to remain a dedicant for the rest of your life, or you might find that you have a calling towards further service of the community and the Gods. If that's the case, you might pursue initiation and become a member of the clergy. I think that's enough for now, though. Let's make sure you're interested in my tradition before going further.

Blessings,

Cat

You can contact us via e-mail if you're interested.