Reclaiming Tradition

I practice and teach in the Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft. We are an ecofeminist, (aspirationally) antiracist, non-hierarchic tradition that blends activism with magic because acting for the Earth that we are part of (not separate from) is essential for the health and sustainability of all beings and the world. Our Principles of Unity guide us and demonstrate immanence, the sacredness of connection, and the need to act for justice and freedom.

The Pagan Umbrella

Some consider all non-monotheistic traditions “pagan” in the widest sense of the word, including Hindu, Buddhist, and most Indigenous traditions. In other words, Pagan has come to mean all but the Abrahamic religions. That said, calling Indigenous people Pagan is considered insulting to many.

Witchcraft is a wide and varied heading under the Pagan umbrella. While “Wicca” is often used as shorthand for Witchcraft, it is but one branch stemming from hierarchic British traditions.

EIEIO

liberty sigil

I love the ecstatic flavor of Reclaiming. Starhawk, who co-founded our tradition, coined the acronym EIEIO to describe us. In her words:

Ecstatic: in that we aim to create a high intensity of energy that is passionate and pleasurable.

Improvisational: We value spontaneity within the overall structure of our rituals, encourage people to create liturgy in the moment rather than script it beforehand, to respond to the energy around us rather than predetermine how it should move.

Ensemble: In our larger group rituals, we work with many priest/esses together taking different roles and performing different functions that, ideally, support each other like the members of a good jazz ensemble. We encourage a fluid sharing of those roles over time, to prevent the development of hierarchy and to allow each person to experience many facets of ritual.

Inspired: Because we each have access to the sacred, we are each capable of creating elements of ritual. Although we honor the myths, the poems, the songs and the stories that have come down to us from the past, we are not bound by the past, for divine inspiration is constantly present in each of us.

Organic: We strive for a smooth, coherent flow of energy in a ritual that has a life of its own to be honored. Our rituals are linked to the rhythms of cyclical time and organic life.

We could add a few more E’s like experimental or eclectic. To me, the most important E is evolving. We changed our Principles of Unity in 2021 to embrace all of our community and to state that we are an antiracist tradition. Beginning in 2022, we’ve been considering how to be accountable to all those equity- and justice-seeking in our tradition who may have been marginalized (or still are). Being an antiracist tradition is an ideal; collectively, we acknowledge that we are striving towards this as well as striving to decolonize our ways of working and relating. We also strive to be anti-ableist and anti-transphobic.

While there is little universal liturgy in Reclaiming, early on our basic circle casting referred to the Goddess. We evolved that language to both Goddess and God. More recently, our casting tends to be nongendered. These changes make their way at different speeds through our many worldwide communities. We evolve.

Like many in Reclaiming, when I acknowledge the Elements in ritual, I no longer call for them to join us (some name this invoking). Rather, I acknowledge their being all around and that they are sacred. Like many in Reclaiming, when calling to Allies and Mysterious Ones, I invite not command. Another way we evolve.

Air is sacred -:- Fire is sacred -:- Water is sacred -:- Earth is sacred -:- Spirit is sacred

Worldwide

Reclaiming is a worldwide tradition. I practice in the Northeast of Turtle Island, the greater New York City and Philadelphia areas. The Lenape are the original caretakers of this region. They were killed, pushed, and swindled from the land by colonizers. Some were pushed west and north. Some stayed, often in hiding. Now, a number of vibrant and rooted Lenape Nations exist–some “recognized” by governments and some not. I offer support and allyship to the Lenape. (Do you know whose land you are on?)

See Reclaiming’s homepage to find us worldwide and for much more about our vibrant, inclusive tradition.

Witchcamps

Our weeklong intensives are wonderful ways to immerse between the worlds for deep, mystical, radical experience. Choose among paths that range from Elements of Magic (our first core class) to magical activism to shadow work. Nearly all our worldwide witchcamps have deep ties to the land and work with the Mysterious Ones of this and all realms. I have taught at a number of our Witchcamps many times, including online camps that emerged recently. I most recently taught at SpiralHeart, Tejas Web, and the global online WorldWide Witchcamp. More about witchcamps here.

Evolving

Our tradition continues to renew and evolve through those who practice in Reclaiming and the world around us. We strive to know and address our personal and community “shadows”; seek authentic ways to hold power and thrive in the world; and create just, regenerating futures. We strive to identify and change settler/colonial ways, to honor and center Indigenous people. We strive to dismantle white supremacy and to practice antiracism, honoring and centering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color).

Though I identify as LGBTQIA+, I hold privilege as a white cis woman. I strive to de-center myself and use my privilege as an ally. It’s a process.

Principles of Unity

“My law is love unto all beings…”
– from The Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente

The values of the Reclaiming tradition stem from our understanding that the earth is alive and all of life is sacred and interconnected. We see the Goddess as immanent in the earth’s cycles of birth, growth, death, decay and regeneration. Our practice arises from a deep, spiritual commitment to the earth, to healing and to the linking of magic with political action.

Each of us embodies the divine. Our ultimate spiritual authority is within, and we need no other person to interpret the sacred to us. We foster the questioning attitude, and honor intellectual, spiritual and creative freedom.

We are an evolving, dynamic tradition and proudly call ourselves Witches. Our diverse practices and experiences of the divine weave a tapestry of many different threads. We include those who honor Mysterious Ones, Goddesses, and Gods of myriad expressions, genders, and states of being, remembering that mystery goes beyond form. Our community rituals are participatory and ecstatic, celebrating the cycles of the seasons and our lives, and raising energy for personal, collective and earth healing.

We know that everyone can do the life-changing, world-renewing work of magic, the art of changing consciousness at will. We strive to teach and practice in ways that foster personal and collective empowerment, to model shared power and to open leadership roles to all. We make decisions by consensus, and balance individual autonomy with social responsibility.

Our tradition honors the wild, and calls for service to the earth and the community. We work in diverse ways, including nonviolent direct action, for all forms of justice: environmental, social, political, racial, gender and economic. We are an anti-racist tradition that strives to uplift and center BIPOC voices (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). Our feminism includes a radical analysis of power, seeing all systems of oppression as interrelated, rooted in structures of domination and control.

We welcome all genders, all gender histories, all races, all ages and sexual orientations and all those differences of life situation, background, and ability that increase our diversity. We strive to make our public rituals and events accessible and safe. We try to balance the need to be justly compensated for our labor with our commitment to make our work available to people of all economic levels.

All living beings are worthy of respect. All are supported by the sacred elements of air, fire, water and earth. We work to create and sustain communities and cultures that embody our values, that can help to heal the wounds of the earth and her peoples, and that can sustain us and nurture future generations.

Reclaiming Principles of Unity – consensed by the Reclaiming Collective in 1997. Updated at the BIRCH council meeting of Dandelion Gathering 5 in 2012 and most recently BIRCH 2021 to affirm our antiracist tradition.