.png)
About Us
North Wyldewood Coven
Denise Cruci, High Priestess
JoAnna Farrer, High Priestess
Founded in 2003, North Wyldewood Coven (NWC) has developed a focus on respectful animist practice, as well as on healing the Earth and her inhabitants, including ourselves. We strive to apply our healing gifts for the greatest good of all, while deepening our connections to our spiritual traditions, and the Earth. The North Wyldewood Tradition of Witchcraft was founded by JoAnna and Denise in the spring of 2021.
​
We heal through the arts (music and dance, visual arts, writing, etc.), through volunteering for animal rights and welfare, and through ecological regeneration of the Earth using Permaculture and other cooperative practices. We provide healing experiences for our fellow pathwalkers through the use of meditation, divination, ritual magic, and oracular trance, working within generally Wiccan ritual formats.
We strengthen and heal ourselves by attuning to the rhythms of nature, the moon and seasonal cycles, and we worship the energies and spirits of our Ancestors, the Nature Spirits, the Good Folk, and the Gods. We have a deep love of learning, and are constantly working to further our scholarly and experiential knowledge.
We believe that a fundamental purpose of our practice is to offer spiritual service and community to others. We strive to lead by example, and to nurture love and respect for Nature, while fostering greater understanding of our Wiccan faith in the modern world.
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
Our Tradition believes in the importance of the Wiccan tenet of "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust."
For us, it represents an ideal: a goal for interacting with our fellow covenmates in faith and friendship. We strive to build healthy relationships with one another (as well as with the Ancestors, Gods, Spirits, and beings of the Earth) by valuing honesty, kindness, conviction, gratitude, courage, responsibility, and love. Since "perfection" is a thing we strive for but rarely achieve, the act of reaching towards these goals helps us grow as Witches.
To help make this possible, we add members to the Tradition slowly and carefully, through our Enter the Wyldewood Birch Path and Evergreen coursework. (See our JOINING page for more details.) We also celebrate rituals with the wider community (see our Open Sabbat event calendar PDF) as well as private Esbat and Sabbat celebrations. Coven members are also involved in decision-making within the Tradition through the Council of Elders, which meets regularly online.
Scholarship and Curiosity
Our Tradition seeks to show respect to the Gods and our Ancestors by emphasizing research, inspiration, and care in what we practice and teach. None of us can claim to fully "get it right" when we talk about history and religion, since we are modern people living in a different world from our Ancestors. However, we do our best to stay informed of modern research, balancing new understandings with the traditions and magical workings that work best for us.
We are also not a Pagan reconstructionist group, although we expect members to work to develop a solid understanding of the history and cultures of the Gods as part of their Witchcraft. Our rituals and Traditions are informed by the practices of the past, but they are also a product of our present-day culture, including the structures created by Gerald Gardner and the other founders of Wicca. We ask members to use good critical thinking skills when evaluating source materials, magical practices, and even information they receive through journey work and divination. Balance is the key!
Our Coven Culture
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust
​
Scholarship and Curiosity
​
Recognizing and Celebrating Special Interests:
Our Tradition also has private book clubs, special interest groups (Seer work, tarot, spellwork, etc.), and coffee and divination meet-ups that are run by 2nd and 3rd degree members of the Tradition. These "extras" are mostly held online, so everyone can take part (if they choose to) no matter where they live!
The Summer Retreat - NWT Magic in the Woods:
One of our favorite times of the year is late August, when we all gather together for the annual Retreat in northern Vermont. Over the course of 5 days on the Land, we take part in a wide variety of rituals, honor our well Ancestors and Gods with feasts and journey work, spend time in Nature, practice more advanced magical techniques, sit down for morning coffee and divination on the deck, and just enjoy spending time together! We currently have members all along the East coast of the U.S., and the private Retreat is a treasured part of our year.
​
the intermediate-level (invitation only) Evergreen Path.