11/10- clarified verbiage
I. Introduction
a. The Twilight Tradition of Wicca was created in the year 2004, in February, as a not-for-profit tradition of Wicca dedicated to bringing practitioners together to practice Wicca creating a new, lineaged tradition.
II. Core Values of the Twilight Tradition of Wicca
a. The core values of the Twilight Tradition of Wicca (henceforth referred to in this document as the Tradition) are as follows:
i. Honor polarity- honor both the Lord and Lady
ii. Celebrate the eight sabbats of the wheel of the year
iii. Celebrate the full moon esbat each month
iv. Honor the structure set in place in these bylaws
v. In magick, heed the Rede
vi. Utilize the Wiccan ritual structure in the Twilight Tradition
vii. Honor the tradition in the tools and altar
III. Organization and Structure of Covens within the Tradition
a. Covens in the Tradition shall be structured and organized as follows: The coven shall exist of the Officers, Inner Court and Outer Court.An additional congregational group may be created at the discretion of the individual coven. All potential coven members shall be over the age 18.
b. Degrees of Participation
i. Guests: Interested people who attend open events and meetings
ii. Aspirants: People who are interested in becoming a member of the Outer Court.
iii. Outer Court Members/ Dedicants: People who have filled out the application, been accepted as a Dedicant , but have not been Initiated as an Inner Court member, denoted by a black cord.
iv. First Degree Initiates: Initiates that are beginning their course of study of Wicca and Witchcraft in the Coven, denoted by a green cord.
v. Second Degree Initiates: Initiates that are advanced in their studies and/are in training to become High Priestess status in the Coven, denoted by a green and gold cord.
vi. Third Degree Initiates: Initiates who have received High Priestess Status in the Coven, denoted by a white and gold cord.
c: Hiving
i. If the coven gets too large in number, if there are multiple 3* priestesses, or at the discretion of the High Priestess, a coven may hive and create a seperate and new coven
ii: The new coven would be considered the Daughter Coven, and the original coven would be considered the Mother Coven, though the covens will be seperate, but equal and may also be considered Sister Covens.
iii. The Daughter Coven would abide by the tradition, and these bylaws, and construct a set of coven bylaws for her new coven. coven bylaws will not conflict or supercede Tradition bylaws
iv. The High Priestess of the Daughter Coven must be either a 3* or a 2* undergoing priestess training at the time of the hive.
v. Members of the Mother Coven may choose to hive with the Daughter Coven, or to stay with the Mother Coven.
IV. Membership within the Coven
a. Membership within the Coven may be terminated at the High Priestess (or Initiates) discretion at any time, and without warning. This includes any of the following reasons: endangering the coven and/or its members, outrageous behavior, alcohol or illegal drug intoxication during ritual, illegal chemical drug use at any coven event, putting the coven in a poor light within the community, untreated mental illness, or conflict/issues within the coven.
b. There will be two courts within the Coven within the Tradition, the Inner Court and the Outer Court
c. The Inner Court shall consist of all Initiated members of the Coven
d. The Inner Court shall discuss most matters of program planning and activities, finances and budgeting, networking and outreach and all other basic coven matters
e. Initiates are expected to heed the Wiccan Rede, and act in accordance to the principles of the religion of Wicca
f. The Outer Court will consist of members that have dedicated, but are not initiated
g. The High Priestess shall be the main facilitator of the coven, in her absence, another 3* Priestess or the Maiden shall assume the position of the High Priestess. If another 3* Priestess or the Maiden is absent, then another officer member shall step in.
V. Offices within Covens of the Tradition; the Officers and Elders Council
a. The officers and elders council consists of the Coven officers and is established to work on policies and discuss administration issues. Offices will be filled, and additional offices may be added as seen fit by each individual coven of the tradition. HPS of each coven will be responsible for filling those offices, and will take under advisement opinions set forth by the other officers. These officers will form an elders council. There may be positions created by the HPS that are not offices such as special coordinators and Sponsors.
b. High Priestess
i. Responsibilities will vary, but may include:
(1) Chairs the Inner Court
(2) Responsible for spiritual counseling and growth of the Coven
(3) Establishes policies for the Coven
(a) Policies may not circumvent nor contradict the Bylaws of the Tradition
(b) When a Sister Covens policy is found to conflict with the Bylaws of the Tradition, the Bylaws of the Tradition shall take precedence
(4) Coordinates training
(5) Leads rituals or designates the leader
(6) Keeps Coven Book of Shadows with help from Scribe
(7) Appoints officers
ii. The High Priestess shall be assisted by the Maiden, or the Inner Court
iii. If the office of High Priestess is rendered vacant by death, retirement, or other reason, the Maiden will step into the office with the approval of the Inner Court. If the Inner Court disagree, a new High Priestess of at least second degree will be decided upon or the coven will be dissolved. If there is no Initiate of the second degree, an acting High Priestess will decided upon, and the Inner Court will actively seek a new High Priestess.
c. Maiden
i. Responsibilities will vary, but may include:
(1) Assists the High Priestess with rituals and other tasks
(2) Assists in teaching
(3) Provides spiritual counseling
(4) Assists in the administration of the Coven
(5) Serves as an example to the rest of the Coven in her participation, ethics and spiritual principles
(6) To be a resource to the coven, especially in her knowledge of lore
(7) To aid in setting up and taking down of the ritual area
(8) To act as High Priestess when High Priestess is absent
(9) Collects Dues
d. Scribe
i. Responsibilities will vary, but may include:
(1) Keeps minutes at meetings
(2) Handles correspondence
(3) Keeps general records of projects and activities
(4) Keeps written record of Coven history
VI. Grievances
a. If an Initiate or Dedicant has a grievance with another Initiate or Dedicant that interferes in the participation of ritual or other coven activities, it may be resolved in the following manner:
i. The Initiate or Dedicant should first schedule a meeting with the person(s) with whom she has a grievance, to attempt to resolve the issue. This meeting should take place on neutral ground. Participants may request the presence of the High Priestess or other Officer to act as witness.
ii. Neither party will talk, state, write, e-mail, or post publicly any view, opinion, hearsay about the grievance.
iii. If the grievance can not be solved by the aforementioned method, than the person(s) with the grievance should schedule a meeting with the High Priestess or the Inner Court to attempt to find a resolution
iv. No records of these meetings shall be kept, save to record that the meeting took place, the names of those who attended, and any decisions rendered.
VII. Disciplinary Actions
a. If a coven member breaks any of the bylaws or is found to cast the Tradition, the Coven, Wicca, Paganism or Witchcraft in a poor light, she may be subjected to the following disciplinary actions
i. High Priestess may schedule a meeting(s) with the Initiate or Dedicant to resolve grievances or issues
ii. Initiate or Dedicant may be asked not to attend rituals until grievance is resolved
iii. Initiate or Dedicant may be asked not to attend any coven activities until grievance is resolved
iv. Initiate or Dedicant may be asked to leave the coven
b. Disciplinary actions taken by the Coven will not include the removal of an Initiates degree. Initiation is a state, which, once conferred, may not be rescinded.
c. Any Initiate or Dedicant who has been asked to leave the Coven, or banished from the Coven may not claim membership in the Coven.
VIII. Changes to Tradition Bylaws
a. Any change to these bylaws must be agreed upon by the High Priestesses of all covens practicing the Twilight Tradition of Wicca.
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Coven Bylaws
I. Core Goals of the Coven of the Twilight Moon (also referred to as Twilight Moon Coven or the Coven in this document)
a. Practice our craft in the Twilight Tradition of Wicca
b. Honor the Gods
c. Strengthen the bonds of our sisterhood
d. Education of our circle sisters, as well as the community
II. Attendance and Meetings
a: Initiates
1. Each initiate of the coven is expected to participate in 75% of meetings, events and activities, including training and studies.
2. Meetings will take place approximately two-three times per month. Estimated meetings will include Sabbat Celebrations, Full Moon Esbats, Training, and/or meetings and social gatherings.
b: Dedicants
1. Each dedicant of the coven is expected to participate in 85% of all assigned meetings, events and activities, and 100% of all dedicant classes. Make-up work may be accepted in lieu of a class, at the discretion of the teacher.
2. Dedicants may be invited to Sabbats, Meetings and other open activities, approximately two times per month. Class schedule will be assigned in advance.
III. New Membership and Outer Court
a. To become a member of Coven of the Twilight Moon, one must go through the procedure outlined below:
i. Outer Court Process
1. Prospective Outer Court member will fill out application online, and send to High Priestess
2. Prospective Outer Court member will attend an interview with the High Priestess and/or Officer(s), where a set of questions will be asked. Several meetings may be scheduled, dependent upon availability. If all Initiates attending the meeting agree, she will be accepted as a Outer Court member (may be online, via email, or in-person)
3. Each Outer Court member may be assigned an Inner Court sponsor dependent upon membership in the coven. The sponsors responsibility will be to make sure that Outer Court members questions are answered, and to be a liaison of sorts from the Outer Court member to the Inner Court.
4. Outer Court members will be expected to come to esbats, sabbats, wicca 101 classes, and social functions. Outer Court members will not come to regular coven meetings, working rituals, and in-coven trainings. They MAY be invited to camping trips and festivals. Outer Court members are expected to contribute dues.
5. Outer Court members may be invited to join the Inner Court after completion of mandatory classes and projects. Initiates will discuss the candidate for initiation, and dedicant may be initiated/dedicated into the coven at next esbat. HPS may overrule this if she feels as though the member would be a detriment to the group dynamic.
6. The combined number of members of all groups within the coven will not exceed 15
b. Petitions
i. Petitions for the Outer Court may be accepted quarterly, each Greater Sabbat will be a cut off date for petitions. There may be other dates where the Outer Court will open for new members, and there may be periods of time that the Coven remains closed to any new members.
V: Shadow Sisters- A Circle of Congregants
a. Participation
1. Membership in Coven of the Twilight Moon’s congregational circle, Shadow Sisters, is by invitation only, and may be made up of friends and aspirants
2. Shadow Sisters are invited to attend most sabbats, all-coven meetings and other rituals at the discretion of the Inner Court
3. Participation is not mandatory, however if a member does not attend events for 4-6 months, her membership within the Shadow Sisters may be terminated
4. Membership within the Shadow Sisters may be terminated at any time by the HPS
VI. Special Requirements for Participation within Coven of the Twilight Moon
a. If one is diagnosed with a mental illness, one must be taking medication for said mental illness
b. One must be free of illegal chemical drug use during their membership in the coven
c. One may not be dedicated to another coven while dedicated to Twilight Moon Coven
d. One must be born a woman to take part as a dedicant within the coven, though open events will be open to those to identify with any gender
VI. Colors, Dress and Coven Symbolism
a. The main colors of Coven of the Twilight Moon are black, white and purple. Coveners will dress in black robes during the fall and winter seasons, and will dress in black or white dresses or other lightweight ritual garb in the summer
c. The coven symbol is a fleur de lis
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