Our Initiatory levels are as follows:
Dedication is intended to bring the Seeker closer to the Gods; it also serves formalize the Seeker's desire to tread a Path that will lead them towards Initiation.
We will not Dedicate anyone who has not been a member Silver Skein for less than three months. In that time, you will be expected to show genuine dedication to the Craft as well as to the Coven and the community we serve.
Initiation is NOT for everyone; it requires a lot of time and effort both the part of the Student and the Teacher.
Neophyting, also known as Student Oathing, is intended to bring a Dedicant together with a First or Second level Initiate who will thereafter be his or her Teacher and guide upon the Path. Although the High Priest and High Priestess are teachers to the entire Coven, a Student's individual teacher is the person who guides them through the Spiritual Workings taught by Silver Skein.
Neophyting/Student Oathing may follow quickly after Dedication, or a Dedicant may take a year or more to work with different Initiates to find the "right match."
You should expect to spend a minimum of two years "working your butt off" between Dedication and First Initiation. This is NOT an absolute time frame. Each student must work at his or her own pace, according to their own needs and the demands that other areas of their life places upon them. This is NOT a race.
If it is in your heart to get there, you WILL get there.
The First Initiation confers the title Priest or Priestess and the concept of clergy within Silver Skein Coven. While everyone has "access" to the Gods (we don't need our clergy people to serve as mediators for us), Priests and Priestesses are considered to be the Servants of the Gods. Think about that for a second. That's a lot of responsibility. Not everyone has the kind of time it takes to meet the demands of being a Priest or Priestess.
All First Initiates will be expected to be lead rituals, teach classes and take on Students.
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The Second Initiation confers the title of High Priest or High Priestess and the concept of High Clergy within Silver Skein. To us, being High Clergy means serving not only the Gods, but also the People of the Gods (in whatever ways the Gods chose to have you serve -- and we can never know ahead of time what They are going to havein mind for us!) Think about THAT for a second. THAT is a LOT of responsibility. And that is why we do not take (or give) Initiation lightly.
Second Initiates may also chose to "hive off" and form their own Coven with complete autonomy from Silver Skein.
Sometimes we get asked why we only have two "degrees."
The answer is that this is what makes sense to us. It is also why we shy away from using the word "degree", because if you want to get technical, we have four levels or "degrees" -- and you may have noticed how neatly those coincide with the Four Elements. You may also have noticed that we don't set these up the way most other folks do (typically Fire represents the highest "degree" in an elementally structured system.) Once again, we do it this way because this is what makes sense to *us*.
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