Thanksgiving Edition 2022 I am very thankful Wicca is my way of life. I am particularly thankful for Lady Morgana’s Tradition, which we carry on to this day, and into the future. I am thankful for this Coven, Inner Circle Sanctuary, which is made up of so many wonderful people, new and long term, from so many different backgrounds, who make us the hardcore, hard working, proud Coven that we are. There’s a lot to unpack in the preceding statement. Wicca is so widespread now, so recognized, it may be easy to forget that it wasn’t always that way. It certainly wasn’t that way in the 90s even, in Family Court, when I had to teach the Family Specialists and even the judge about it, while fighting for custody of my son. It certainly wasn’t when our founder, Lady Morgana, started teaching her brand of Witchcraft to the public, and established Temple Of The Inner Circle. I am so thankful that Wicca is so widespread now, and so recognized- as it should be! We are sometimes asked what Tradition we are, and we have sometimes joked around with trying to create a clever “-ian” type of name for us, but realistically, our Tradition is the Inner Circle, the Mystical Dragons- names chosen by the “first brood” of TOTIC students, and approved by Lady Morgana. Although we had two beloved Gardnerians as Elders (Lady Pandora and Lord Loki) we are not Gardnerian. Although we use A Witches Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar as our first year textbook, we are not Alexandrian. We are Lady Morgana’s people. While generations come and go, and members come and go, Lady Morgana’s Tradition continues thanks to its members. Our members are hardcore. Does that seem an odd descriptor for a Wiccan? Does that not fit with your understanding of Wicca? Hardcore describes us to a T. One of our mottoes is Wicca To Be Proud Of and that takes hard work. Lots of it. Years of it. But the funny thing is when you love it, as we do, it doesn’t seem like work. It never gets old. I get as excited for each class and each Sabbat as I ever have. I am very proud of our Tradition, Lady Morgana’s Tradition, and all of our Coveners, of every degree. I also hear from Temple members who continue to practice as Lady Morgana taught us, and am very thankful for that. It is a rich Tradition, a deep Tradition, that constantly reveals its brilliance to me, and clearly to those people who see it as a way of life. While never “Bastardizing the Craft” as Lady Morgana put it, Temple Of the Inner Circle evolved over time, and Inner Circle Sanctuary continued this evolution. It is a very well thought out Tradition, both through research and practice, tradition and experimentation. Lady Morgana defined Wicca as “a disciplined philosophy” and this continues to be our modus operandi. We teach six days a week, have a public lecture at least once a month, and of course celebrate every Sabbat. In between, we practice, perform Initiations, Handfastings, Requiems and other rites of passage. And alone, our members are expected to have a consistent daily magical practice. Lady Morgana’s opening line in new student class back in the Temple days was “Sooo, you vant to be vitches?” in a glorious, over the top German accent. I knew I did. I still do. You may notice I use Wicca, Witch, and Pagan almost interchangeably. This is intentional. Not necessarily to piss certain people off (though this is a happy benefit) but because we are. Our practice consists of all of these (and more), to the point where silly limitations disappear, and all are one for achieving mystical and magical results. This is the way we were raised, and I am VERY thankful for it. I am very thankful for Inner Circle Sanctuary. I am very thankful for Temple Of the Inner Circle. The former being my life’s work, the latter being my true Alma Mater. If you are Wiccan, I hope you are proud of your practice, and thankful for Wicca. I know I am. Lord Tanys Follow Inner Circle Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.
If you are interested in learning more about us, please don't hesitate to Contact Us. If you are interested in joining our classes, please start with our questionnaire here. Want to see how we do things? Try out a sample test: Follow this link to a Google Doc: https://forms.gle/7oaQ5GF3d8k4CsA37 I started my magical path as so many do, as a Solitary, with very eclectic practices. I began practicing Ceremonial Magick, and Witchcraft. I was in a dorm room on Nellis Air Force Base, and thanks to my gig with NAFB Honor Guard, was given a room to myself. I did many of the exercises I found in my Wicca books, and some spells, but I don’t recall doing any Sabbats- if only I had kept a journal. My first recollection of performing a Sabbat then, would be Imbolg 1991, with my soon-to-be first wife. I believe the Ritual itself was mainly a mix of Scott Cunningham and the Farrars. And wouldn’t you know my wonderful son was born in October of that year. “In the belly” (one of the more popularly understood meanings of the name of this Sabbat) indeed! When I joined classes in the Temple of the Inner Circle, with our Founders Lady Morgana and Lord Mordred as my teachers was when my Witchcraft really kicked into overdrive. My first Sabbat with TOTIC was in fact Imbolg, with Lady Rochelle and Lord Karonis as the High Priestess and High Priest of the Ring. Our Sabbats have always been led by students, and after taking part in this particular one, my view of the seasonal practices of Wicca would never be the same. We were in the desert near the lake and the glow of the fires lit strange shadows on all the rocky walls around us. The standard Sabbat set up for us in those pre-drought days included a fire in every quarter, and in the center, and one for Elders’ Row and one for Guests’ Row. The ring was immense, marked by a long rope, and even larger than the ring we had practiced in the weekend before in Lady Morgana’s front yard. Lord Karonis was resplendent in the Black and Green robe of a First Degree Initiate, wearing a hugely horned helmet, and as he lit the Center Fire with a plumber’s torch, I thought to myself (and not for the first time in my burgeoning TOTIC career) “Wow, these people really know what they’re doing.” And when Lord Karonis delivers his lines, he proves this over and over again. I remember Lady Rochelle also being an incredible earthly representative of the Goddess, in her robes and finery, and her voice ringing out into the night and one of the most Witchy deliveries I have ever heard. It gave me chills. Thankfully I got to see her do it again at Spring Equinox. These two were incredible leaders, and made my first Sabbat with Temple of the Inner Circle not only a game changer, but set the bar very high for Sabbat performance, which is a bar that to this day we try to reach and exceed. “Wow, these people really know |
Inner Circle SanctuaryInner Circle Sanctuary is a school for traditional style Wicca and holds eight sabbat festivals every year. Categories
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Inner Circle Sanctuary
An Eclectic Traditionalist Oath-bound, Initiatory Wiccan Coven |
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