About Treebridge Wicca
Principles:
Treebridge has somewhat shamanistic leanings, meaning that although we perform ritual at the Sabbats like most Wiccans, much of our focus is on trancework and traveling to the other Worlds to communicate with those who live there. For this reason, after initiation, there is a growing focus on learning trancework and astral projection, and on studying and meeting the Fey and other "nature spirits."
Our tradition is one of "Deep eclecticism." This means that, although we allow mixing of religious and magical ideas from different cultures, we strongly prefer that this be done out of a strong basis in research, rather than the "if it feels good" random mixing that sometimes takes place in eclectic practice. Whatever we do, we want to do well. At the same time, we do not encourage slavishness to ancient practices if they are not practical or do not resonate with us today. Creativity balanced with research is our goal.
Like most Wiccan traditions, we work with the polarity of Goddess and God. However, we see this somewhat differently from most traditions, for reasons that will become clearer as one moves deeper into the tradition. Specifically, we do not see this polarity as defining the roles that women and men must take, either in life or in Circle, or as a divine edict for heterosexuality. Gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgendered people are welcome into the tradition; coveners are not formalized into working couples as in some traditions, but are expected over the course of their training to become capable of taking every role themselves, including that of Drawing Down the Deity of the opposite "gender." Between the poles is a balanced Third, and it is to this balance that we aspire.
We advocate taking personal responsibility for yourself, dealing honestly (and gently) with your own weaknesses, balancing honesty with tact in dealing with others, respecting others without compromising personal integrity, and trying to live your life as an example to others. As the Charge of the Goddess tells us, we seek to embody "Beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence." These are goals, obviously, and you will not be banished from our midst if you should sometimes fall short of them: but these are the ideals to which we aspire and toward which we work.
The dominant influences on Treebridge are Greek paganism and British witchcraft (including their work with the Fey), with secondary influences including Norse, Celtic, and Egyptian. Some of our material also comes directly from our experiences in Faery. The tools that are initially handed down to you will come from these influences. However, this does not mean that you should feel yourself confined to them, and indeed--keeping the balance of creativity with research in mind--we encourage you to add whatever else you find to be of value once you have mastered the basic forms. But should you ever come to teach Treebridge to others (by having been initiated to the proper degree!), we ask that you teach the basics as you were taught them before you add your own perspective.
As in most traditions, we ask that you not discuss your work or training as a dedicant with those outside the tradition. This is for several reasons. One, some of the training material is specific to this tradition, and is not intended for others. Two, there is a strong temptation to "teach" your new lore to friends, and doing this distracts you from "learning" it! Three, although nothing you are being taught is wrong, some of it is incomplete, or will be complemented with a different perspective later. Teachers are required to have full understanding of all levels of the material. Without this understanding, any attempt to pass the knowledge on will have "holes" in it. Four, magical and ritual workings are traditionally kept secret from those who did not participate. This maintains the sacredness (specialness) of the rites and conserves their energy. The traditional and preferred way to vent your desire to discuss such things is for you to keep a journal of your thoughts on what you’ve done. In fact, this is required. You may also talk to your fellow dedicants and teachers, although you will find that sometimes you want to keep some experiences to yourself. On the other hand, you may freely share the Outer Court material, and information pertaining specifically to the Fellowship of Isis, which keeps no secrets.
Training is relatively demanding. It includes reading materials, in-class and at-home assignments and long-term practices, and regular attendance at Sabbats and Esbats (full moon rituals), as well as periodic tests including a final in January. Your reward for this is that in the end, your essential abilities and understanding will be strong. You will be able to move energy and have it be felt; you will have met and begun working with the Wiccan Gods and elementals; you will have a foundation for your personal development even if you do not continue with second degree training.
Notes on Treebridge as Compared to Wicca
The first degree material will be the most similar to Wicca as it is commonly practiced in America today. However, as you progress through the other degrees, differences will start to arise: our concepts of the Gods and the worlds in which we work, our approaches to magick and ritual, our views on polarity and on the Rede, will change over time. Our approach in Faery is also fairly unique (and Otherkin-friendly, for those familiar with that concept), as will become more evident as time goes on.
You may wonder why we have chosen this approach. There are several reasons.
One is that, by teaching the relatively "mainstream" terms and practices first, we are trying to give you a common ground with other modern pagans, which will make for easier communication between you and the community at large.
Another reason is that many of what we would consider advanced concepts in magick and philosophy cannot be grasped until the proper groundwork has been laid. When you first learn subtraction, you are told that you cannot subtract a larger number from a smaller one; later, when you are deemed ready for the concept of negative numbers, this teaching changes. Likewise, when a concept in Treebridge is very subtle or unorthodox, we feel that it is better to introduce it in stages.
This approach is intended to minimize confusion and discomfort for the student, but it has certain attendant risks. Students who are happy with mainstream Wiccan views may become alienated as we start to diverge from that path: others, particularly if they have already given thought or practice to other concepts, may feel alienated from the views given in the first degree material. Please, never be afraid to tell us if you have a difference of opinion with your lessons! Sometimes the problem may simply be that you have jumped ahead to an idea that we are moving you toward anyway, and this can easily be resolved. If the difference is more severe, we may be able to gear you toward a path better suited to your world view. There is no judgement or failure in this: no one path is right for everyone.
There is an additional reason for differences on the level of practice, specifically ritual format and adherence to the Rede. In such matters as these, we tend to move from more stringent requirements to more relaxed ones. The key reason here is discipline. We want you to think about the how and why of your ritual and magickal practices. We want you to understand exactly what should be happening and how it should feel for you. Once this understanding is in place, you will be able to improvise or change elements without compromising the integrity of your work. While it is possible to learn in the opposite direction, improvising and eventually discovering the "rules," this method is slower and involves--take our word on this--a lot of knocks on the head.