Thirteen Moons Society

 

Article 1- Statement of Purpose

A. Our purposes are to:

1.            Live in a manner which honors the Lady and Lord, following the Wiccan Rede.

2.            Support one another within the coven in our healing, growth, and aspirations.

3.            Hold rituals on the Sabbats and Esbats, and other special occasions, in order to celebrate the seasons, work magick, recognize rites of passage, and honor the Lady and Lord.

4.            Honor the Earth and all her creatures as sacred, and work to heal and protect the environment within our community, throughout our nation, and across the world.

5.            Teach Wiccan beliefs and traditional skills to members and students, and sisters and brothers in the Craft and kindred spiritual paths.

6.            Where appropriate, to educate the general public about Wicca and Witchcraft.

B. Commitment: All members of the inner circle of coven must have fully committed themselves to this purpose in their beliefs, their activities, and their lives.

C.  Traditions: We are a mixed Tradition circle. We are all solitaries and hold on to our personal beliefs and traditions. We welcome others of any and every path; we unite to honor the Lady and Lord. We call this The Moonlight Tradition.

 Article 2- Membership

A.            Qualifications: Membership shall be offered to individuals upon recommendation of the High Priestess and/or High Priest, and consensus of all Initiates (Inner Moons members) of the coven. No person shall be denied access to membership on the basis of gender, race, ethnic background, sexual preference, physical handicap, or age; providing they have meet attained their majority.

B.            Degrees of Participation and Membership: Participants in the programs sponsored by this coven may include the following:

1.            Guests: Interested parties who may attend all open activities, and coven-only with or without the intention to join; must have an open-mind and heart.

2.              Congregants: Persons who consider themselves Wiccan or Pagan and participate in and support open activities of the congregation.

3.            Dedicates: Persons who have dedicated themselves to the study the path of Wicca, Witchcraft, or Paganism and who, with the approval of all active Initiates, are following the prescribed course of study in this coven. These are persons who wish to become members of the Inner Moons. After one year and a day of participation, a Dedicate may be asked state his/her intention to qualify for initiation into the priesthood or to withdraw from the coven.

4.            Membership in the coven itself shall be limited to:

a.              First Initiation Duties & Requirements:

1.            Be with the TMS for at least a year and a day.

2.            Attend at least five sabbats during that time.

3.            Go through the required classes and lessons.

4.            An elder will be picked to do their initiation ceremony (of opposite sex if possible).

5.            Get approval of the council to become a full-fledged coven member.

6.            Attend sabbats and meetings on a regular basis.

7.            Sit on the council and have a vote.

8.            Follow rules and ethics of the TMS.

9.            Help set up and cleanup for ritual.

10.          When in a coven situation, you will be addressed by your magical name and address others by their magical names. Also, you will address the High Priestess as Lady and the High Priest as Lord. This is a sign of respect for the God and Goddess in all of us. 

11. If duties are not met, then the council will make a decision on what is to be done and the initiate will abide by that decision.

b. Second Degree Duties & Requirements:

1.            Be in the coven at least a year and a day after the first initiation.

2.            Attend at least five sabbats during that time.

3.            Go through Second Degree class work.

4.            An elder of opposite sex will conduct the ceremony.

5.            Get approval of council to become a second degree.

6.            Act as a Priest/Priestess of TMS.

7.            Write ritual when needed.

8.            Organize rituals.

9.            Preside over council when needed.

10.          Teach others of First Degree.

11.          Be referred to as an elder.

12.          Meet incoming members for the first time in public.

13.          Be on top of current trends and periodicals/books on paganism.

14.          Serve the God and Goddess in all ways.

15.          Attend sabbats regularly or begin own coven as a daughter coven, abiding by all rules set forth for daughter covens.

16.          If duties are not met, then member will have to come before council and abide by their decision.

c. Third Degree Duties & Requirements:

1.            Must be in coven a year and a day past their second-degree initiation.

2.            During that time they must attend at least five sabbats.

3.            They must go through the appropriate class work and training.

4.            Lead coven functions whenever needed.

5.            Must get council approval to become a third degree.

6.            Must be (preferably) initiated by an elder of third-degree status of opposite sex.

7.            Act as a High Priest/Priestess of TMS.

8.            Set example as an elder of the TMS.

9.            Help with first and/or second-degree initiates (class work, training, mentoring, etc.).

10.          May have a coven of their own without being a daughter coven.

11.          Be at one with the God and Goddess.

12.          If duties are not met, then the council will make a decision on what is to be done and the initiate will abide by that decision.

C. Additional Titles of Recognition: The titles of Mistress of Arts or Master of Arts shall be granted by this coven in recognition of special achievement. Initiates who have attained proficiency in the appropriate field and have been approved by a committee of all active Second and Third Degree Initiates may be designated Mistress or Master of:

1. Divinatory Arts (general, or specializing in Tarot, astrology, scrying, I Ching, runes, lithomancy, dreamcraft, Radiesthesia, scrying, etc.)

2. Herbalism (for healing, amulets/talismans, incenses, oils, etc.)

3.            Healing Arts (specializing in herbal healing, nutrition, energy work, aromatherapy, flower remedies, psychic healing, rebirthing, color therapy, music therapy, stones, or other healing modality)

4.            Familiar Arts (animal magick, totems, Shapeshifting, etc.)

5.            Talismanic Arts ( creating amulets and talismans)

6.            Ritual Toolcraft (the crafting of ritual tools in metal, wood, etc.)

7.            Psychic Skills (specializing in astral travel, telepathy, telempathy, clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience, psychometry, etc.)

8.            Incantation (words of power, charms, chants, mantras)

9.            Fascination (trancework, meditation, hypnosis)

10.  Bardic Arts (music, storytelling, drama)

D. Membership Status: After initiation is complete the individual is a Covener. Only Coveners may vote during Coven meetings. The student must confirm that he/she wants to be dedicated and initiated prior to a final Coven vote. A Coven member cannot be a member of any other Coven (does not apply to online covens), but all are encouraged to attend other Pagan events. The Coven may dismiss any person by a 2/3 vote.

E. Process of Membership: Membership into the Coven is a two-step process: first the individual must be dedicated, and then she/he must be initiated. Requirements for both are described in Article 2, Section B, Number 4 (A2.B4). Maximum amount of Conveners for Inner Moons will be 13; Outer Moons have no limit. (Members who are primarily a part of the online coven, this rule does not apply.)

F. Branched-off Covens: Any member of the Coven who has been a member for more than 3 years and has been a third degree for more than 2 years may wish to found his/her own Coven in our tradition. A request should be made to the Scribe and will be voted on by the Coven. A majority vote is required to pass. As a founder, the individual takes over as High Priestess and/or High Priest of the new Coven for at least the first year. The Book of Shadows should be copied and taken by this member. The new Coven can name itself and add the following: "of The Moonlight Tradition" While they may use the same BOS, they may adopt their own Bylaws as an autonomous Coven.

Article III-Administration and Operation

A. Coven Council: This body shall handle the ordinary business of the coven.

1. Membership: The Coven Council shall consist of all initiates (full members) of the coven. Dedicates may be invited to attend and participate in Council meetings as well.

2. Scope: The Council shall discuss all matters of:

a.            Program planning and activities

b.            Dedication, initiation, and membership generally

c.             Finance and budget

d.            Outreach, networking, and affiliations

3. Facilitation: The High Priestess shall ordinarily chair meetings of the Council. Where she is absent, or chooses to delegate this responsibility, the High Priest shall chair the meeting.

4. Method of Operation: The Coven Council shall make decisions by consensus. When consensus cannot be reached, the Council may refer the decisions to the High Priestess (or in her absence, the High Priest) who shall consider all that has been discussed and make the decision.

5. Meetings: The Coven will meet once a month to discuss any new ideas for rituals and the Lunar Council shall meet once a month to designate ritual leaders for all rituals taking place in the following quarter and the Coven Council shall meet every quarter or as called by any Initiate.  Any new rituals suggested may be used and asked for inclusion in the Book of Shadows at this time. New rituals may be presented to the Coven Council prior to or after any required ritual, as well.

6. Lunar Council: A Lunar Council meeting shall consist of the active elder members present at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Coven Council, or three quarters of the active elder membership at any specially called meeting.

B.            Offices and Duties: The following offices shall be filled by the Lunar Council whenever a vacancy occurs:

1.            Maiden: High Priestess-in-training. She is to know ritual and help the High Priestess set up and conduct ritual.

2.            Summoner: The Summoner is responsible for communication of accurate and timely information to the Coven’s Temple.

3.            Bard: Collect songs and chants; teaches and leads the coven in music, and provides accompaniment; collects lore and legends; preserves and passes on the old lore, coven history, and its traditions.

4.            Scribe: The Scribe will have the duty of writing rituals into the Book of Shadows. Will keep the initiation date of the Conveners and will be in charge of creating the minutes for all Coven meetings. Second copies of the minutes are to be given to the High Priestess when completed; writes correspondence for all business dealings.

5.            Pursewarden: In charge of the Coven funds and bank accounts, if applicable.

6.            Herald: In charge of organizing any special events (open circles, trips, etc.) that are open to non-Coven members.

7. Archivist: Will record ritual attendance and maintain list of all Dedicates, Initiates, and Conveners in the TMS and their positions. Keep a scrapbook of all coven activities.

8. Teachers: Term limits should not be needed; all Coven members are expected to serve a position appointed to them based on preference and availability. (All Coven members are expected to teach and will be assigned students based on convenience.)

C. Guidelines for Conduct: All Dedicates and members shall be guided in their conduct by “The Wiccan Rede”, “The Law of Return”, “The Rules of Conduct” and by the Goddess and God within each person.

Article IV- Meetings and Attendance

A. Esbats: The Coven will meet 13 times a year during the time of the Full Moon for rituals. These are the Esbats. A ritual will be held on the weekend before or after the Full Moon based on a majority vote. In the event of a tie, the High Priestess’s vote will be the tiebreaker.

B. Sabbats: The Coven will hold ritual for all 8 Sabbats. Rules for when the meeting will take place are the same as those for the Esbats.

C. Attendance: Attendance for all required rituals is expected. To remain in good standing, a Covener can miss no more than 4 Esbat and 2 Sabbat rituals during a one-year period beginning at their initiation date.

D. Events: TMS may elect to hold public rituals; trips, parties and festivals that are open to all. These events are not mandatory for members, but obviously, they would be strongly encouraged to attend.

1. The First Saturday of every month is Moons Scouts for the children of the Coven and community to learn about nature religions.

2. The Second Saturday of the month is the Year and a Day classes for all members and those of the community with an open mind.

3. Coven Meeting and Small study group will be held on the Third Wedensday of the month at different locations.

 

Article V- Finances

A. Coven income shall include donations, profits from fundraising projects, and interest from banking accounts, if any, established by the Coven Council.

B.  The budget shall be established and disbursements approved by the Coven Council.

C.  The Pursewarden shall make a full quarterly report of income and expenses to the Coven Council.

D. All required forms shall be filed with the state and federal governments as required to maintain the church’s legal status.

Article VI- Privacy of Members

A.            Oath of Secrecy: No documented rituals in the BOS may be used elsewhere. No Coven member is to use the Wiccan name of any other member outside the Coven without permission from that person. No person is to reveal the identity of any member at all who chooses to remain "in the broom closet." We encourage community activity and Wiccan/Pagan activism, so we encourage members to be "out of the broom closet."

Article VII- Revising the Bylaws

1. Any part of these By-Laws may be amended by consensus of the Lunar Council.