Circle of Oak and Mistletoe
Encyclopedia
The Circle of Oak and Mistletoe (O&M) is a Wicca
n teaching coven
based in Flagstaff Hill
in the City of Onkaparinga
; and an online teaching group
and community. It is the founding coven of the Community Church of Inclusive Wicca
which was incorporated in South Australia in 2008. Whilst primarily a group for Australian practitioners, it has evolved into a provider of teaching services globally.
, bulletin boards
and a variety of other services designed to generate, support and maintain a community of interested parties, students and initiates.
Initially Oak and Mistletoe was constituted as the first Australian coven in the Universal Eclectic Wicca
tradition. However, almost immediately Dr. Smith decided that establishing an independent tradition would allow greater flexibility in developing a program that was as inclusive as possible; and it became the founding coven of the Inclusive Wicca
tradition.
. Initiates are members who have completed their initial training and have undertaken the mystery rite of initiation with the group leadership and other initiates.
Student entry to the face to face arm of oak and Mistletoe follows tradition Wiccan principle in that the applicant must undertake an interview with the group leadership to determine commitment levels and a general fit with the existing group membership. Training is free.
The Oak and Mistletoe website has two levels of public membership. The first are forum members who are able to access the site's chat room services, open forums and information pages. Accepted online students have the same access plus that of the lesson to which they are currently assigned.
Student entry to the online arm of Oak and Mistletoe is via an application form located on the website which is then vetted by the group leadership. Training is free.
s are conducted annually
and voting
is secured through a variety of methods to ensure all members have equal opportunity to participate. The Council operates under a constitution that articulates both the strategic and operational aims of the group.
. The curriculum called Seekers Guides 1,2 has been published in two formats, one for the northern
and one for southern
hemisphere. Whilst essentially both the same, the southern format also explains and explores the differences to original Wiccan practice that are often required in the southern hemisphere in order to maintain a geographically sensible religious practice. Thus face to face students automatically utilise the southern hemisphere version. Online students have the choice of using either although they are encouraged to also read the supplementary material
in the southern hemisphere version to better understand the differences in practice.
Face to face students undertake theoretical
and practical training with their fellow students and group initiates for eight months during which time they are encouraged to also attend monthly Esbat
s and the eight celebratory Sabbats of the liturgical year.
Online students are provided with a series of interactive activities to simulate and later generate effective practical application of the religion. They are also provided with a one to one tutor who meets with them regularly to review their progress and to move them through the lessons where they have achieved the lesson outcomes. There are regular chat sessions where all students are invited to discuss topics in real time with each other and their tutors and each week a new topic of discussion and exploration is opened in the bulletin boards that supplements their curriculum.
Online students, by the very nature of the fact that the website has a global presence, are often a considerable distance from the face to face group, in fact most online students are located in the United States and UK but are nonetheless encouraged to attend events with the face to face group whenever they might travel to Australia.
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n teaching coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
based in Flagstaff Hill
Flagstaff Hill, South Australia
-Federal:Flagstaff Hill is covered by one Federal Electoral Division, the federal Division of Boothby, whose representative is Dr Andrew Southcott.-State:...
in the City of Onkaparinga
City of Onkaparinga
The City of Onkaparinga is a local government area located on the southern fringe of Adelaide, South Australia. It is named after the Onkaparinga River, whose name comes from Ngangkiparinga, a Kaurna word meaning "The Women's River"...
; and an online teaching group
Virtual school
A virtual school or cyberschool describes an institution that teaches courses entirely or primarily through online methods. Though there are tens of thousands of commercial and non-accredited courses available online, the term "virtual school" is generally reserved for accredited schools that teach...
and community. It is the founding coven of the Community Church of Inclusive Wicca
Inclusive Wicca Tradition
Inclusive Wicca Is an Eclectic Wiccan Tradition which developed from the Oak & Mistletoe Teaching Coven founded by Amethyst Treleven. It aims to present Wicca in an open way that adapts to the needs of individual seekers....
which was incorporated in South Australia in 2008. Whilst primarily a group for Australian practitioners, it has evolved into a provider of teaching services globally.
History
Oak and Mistletoe was founded by Dr. Ziggy Smith (Craft name – Amethyst Treleven) in 2005 in Western Australia. It started as a small face to face teaching group, but in 2008 an online presence was established with an Oak and Mistletoe website. Although this was a response to a perceived need to provide Wiccan training for isolated students within Australia who were unable to locate, or join, a teaching group in their locality; it quickly attracted Wiccan students from around the world. Within a year, the website was upgraded to provide real time chat facilitiesChat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
, bulletin boards
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
and a variety of other services designed to generate, support and maintain a community of interested parties, students and initiates.
Initially Oak and Mistletoe was constituted as the first Australian coven in the Universal Eclectic Wicca
Universal Eclectic Wicca
Universal Eclectic Wicca is one of a number of distinctly American Wiccan traditions which developed following the introduction of Gardnerian and Alexandrian Wicca to the United States in the early 1960s...
tradition. However, almost immediately Dr. Smith decided that establishing an independent tradition would allow greater flexibility in developing a program that was as inclusive as possible; and it became the founding coven of the Inclusive Wicca
Inclusive Wicca Tradition
Inclusive Wicca Is an Eclectic Wiccan Tradition which developed from the Oak & Mistletoe Teaching Coven founded by Amethyst Treleven. It aims to present Wicca in an open way that adapts to the needs of individual seekers....
tradition.
Admission
The face to face group has three levels of membership. The first are friends of the group who may be solitary practitioners and who do not wish to learn formally. They are invited to open festivals held by the group. Student members are those who have been accepted for study and who are undertaking the initial training programTraining
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
. Initiates are members who have completed their initial training and have undertaken the mystery rite of initiation with the group leadership and other initiates.
Student entry to the face to face arm of oak and Mistletoe follows tradition Wiccan principle in that the applicant must undertake an interview with the group leadership to determine commitment levels and a general fit with the existing group membership. Training is free.
The Oak and Mistletoe website has two levels of public membership. The first are forum members who are able to access the site's chat room services, open forums and information pages. Accepted online students have the same access plus that of the lesson to which they are currently assigned.
Student entry to the online arm of Oak and Mistletoe is via an application form located on the website which is then vetted by the group leadership. Training is free.
Leadership Structure
The Circle of Oak and Mistletoe has a Coven Council which includes various portfolios that ensure both online and face to face members are equally represented. ElectionElection
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s are conducted annually
Year
A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving around the Sun. For an observer on Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic....
and voting
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
is secured through a variety of methods to ensure all members have equal opportunity to participate. The Council operates under a constitution that articulates both the strategic and operational aims of the group.
Study format
All students, regardless of whether they are utilising the face to face or online methodology follow the same curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
. The curriculum called Seekers Guides 1,2 has been published in two formats, one for the northern
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
and one for southern
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
hemisphere. Whilst essentially both the same, the southern format also explains and explores the differences to original Wiccan practice that are often required in the southern hemisphere in order to maintain a geographically sensible religious practice. Thus face to face students automatically utilise the southern hemisphere version. Online students have the choice of using either although they are encouraged to also read the supplementary material
Supplement (publishing)
A supplement is a publication that has a role secondary to that of another preceding or concurrent publication.A follow-on publication complements its predecessor, either by bringing it up-to-date , or by otherwise enhancing the predecessor's coverage of a particular topic or subject matter, as in...
in the southern hemisphere version to better understand the differences in practice.
Face to face students undertake theoretical
Theory
The English word theory was derived from a technical term in Ancient Greek philosophy. The word theoria, , meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", and referring to contemplation or speculation, as opposed to action...
and practical training with their fellow students and group initiates for eight months during which time they are encouraged to also attend monthly Esbat
Esbat
An esbat is a coven meeting other than one of the Sabbats within Wicca and other Wiccan-influenced forms of Neopaganism. Janet and Stewart Farrar describe esbats as an opportunity for a "love feast, healing work, psychic training and all."...
s and the eight celebratory Sabbats of the liturgical year.
Online students are provided with a series of interactive activities to simulate and later generate effective practical application of the religion. They are also provided with a one to one tutor who meets with them regularly to review their progress and to move them through the lessons where they have achieved the lesson outcomes. There are regular chat sessions where all students are invited to discuss topics in real time with each other and their tutors and each week a new topic of discussion and exploration is opened in the bulletin boards that supplements their curriculum.
Online students, by the very nature of the fact that the website has a global presence, are often a considerable distance from the face to face group, in fact most online students are located in the United States and UK but are nonetheless encouraged to attend events with the face to face group whenever they might travel to Australia.