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Saturday, February 6th 2010

5:22 PM

Like Wildfire...

Wow...As I look back over my last updates on this website, I am amazed to think about how much has happened.  My last updates were, after all, over a year ago.  This is due in large part to the fact that I have been busy actually doing the work of nurturing a fledgling tradition, and haven't had a lot of time to put into upkeep of things like this site.  However, I will admit that some of it has been personal.  For me, 2009 started with the loss of one of my parents, and ended with starting a new business, so it was a year that I spent focusing on what was really necessary.  However, as Imbolc has just passed, and things are starting to stir beneath the surface, I am starting to get the first inkling of the surge in energy that is to come, and I am starting to get back on top of things that I may have fallen a bit behind on.

This have spread like wildfire in the Tangled Woods Tradition.  I think I can speak for all of us involved in the founding of this tradition when I say that we had no idea that there would be such a demand for what we were doing.  We were completely prepared for our tradition to be meaningless to everyone but us, and knew that maybe a few people--the right people--would get it and find their way to us.  What we didn't expect was that people would find us from hundreds of miles away and contact us, asking to become a part of the tradition.  What we also didn't expect was that both the founding coven and the first additional coven in this tradition would have been approached by more seekers than they could easily handle.  I am truly humbled by it.  I'm honored that there are others who see value in what has come out of the small little group of witches that I put together some years ago, and I'm excited to see where things go from here.

All of this unexpected growth has meant that we have had to become adaptable.  Rather than turn people away who we weren't prepared to accommodate, we have tried to put our heads together in coming up with creative ways to works things out.  We're presented with new challenges all of the time, and while the core beliefs and structure that we laid out for the Tangled Woods Tradition at the very beginning remains the same, after a year and a half, we are still a work in progress!  Each new situation presents us with a new challenge to address, and ultimately we hope that it won't be long before all of this learning and adapting through experiences will lead us to a place of having a solid foundation put down that will serve us well for years to come.  Of course we knew that this would be a journey.  To us, Witchcraft itself is a journey, so how could this be anything else?  I consider myself lucky to have so many brilliant and beautiful people taking this journey with me, and can't wait to see what the future holds.

Devia WildOak
HPS Coven of the Tangled Pines
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Wednesday, August 13th 2008

10:33 AM

Change is in the Air!

August means change for those of us in the Tangled Woods Tradition, as this is the time when we take in our second round of students for the year.  Since we are still such a small tradition, the bulk of those students will be taught by those of us here in Tennessee, in Coven of the Tangled Pines.  Our new group is already in place, and the teachers in our coven are getting excited about the start of their classes later in the month.  "New blood" always means change, and we always hope that change will be for the best.  As teachers and mentors, we are always excited to begin working with these new individuals, forming bonds and discovering what gifts they will bring to our group. 

As the founders of a new and still very small tradition, I have to say that we are honored and humbled that we have drawn as much attention as we have.  Though we have taken in other students in the past as a coven, this is the first group that will be going into classes with the intention of training within the Tangled Woods Tradition.  I find it very fulfilling that this new group of students is our largest group to date, because it means that while our little tradition is still a mere blip on the radar of the greater Pagan community, there are others out there who see value in what we do. 

I know that for those of us here in TN, summer has been a hectic time, and it isn't over yet.  There is always much commotion surrounding the start of a new set of classes.  We also still have our local Pagan Pride Day coming up on Sept. 13th, which most of us are on the staff for.  We'll also be selling hand-made crafts and doing a public ritual for PPD, so there is still a lot to do before summer officially comes to an end.  My sense is that it has been just as busy for the other Tangled Woods witches in other parts of the nation.  But if the cycles of the seasons have anything to say about it, it won't be long before summer's rush of activity begins to wane.  As autumn sets in, I look forward to having the time to slow down, focusing a little less on all of those outwardly-focused responsibilities, and focusing a little more on deepening the bonds of all of the witches of the Tangled Woods...whether old or new, near or far!

Devia WildOak
HPS Coven of the Tangled Pines
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Tuesday, June 24th 2008

7:58 PM

It's Official!

Well, it's official!  Coven of the Tangled Pines launched the Tangled Woods Tradition at our Litha celebration on the 20th.  Though it was an understated affair (just one part of a larger Midsummer ritual), I feel that it was pretty emotional and exciting for all of us.  For me, it was such a breath of fresh air.  It feel amazing to have a word for my path, and to know that we are all a part of something that is already larger than just our own coven.  Coven of the Woods Rose in Reno has already begun their training, and they are off to such an amazing start.  We're honored to have them taking part in this with us, and being in on the "ground floor."  Coven of the Tangled Pines also has a small group of students who have been studying with us for several months, and they all seem to be excited by the changes taking place.  And we even have more students signing up to take part in the new round of classes that will start in August.  It's amazing!  I can already envision this tradition growing by leaps and bounds very rapidly.  I know that some people believe that being very specific about what you are looking for and refusing to settle for anything else can serve to exclude people, but this just goes to show that it can actually do a better job of attracting just the right people to you.  I look at the other people I know from the local Pagan community, who are involved in other groups and organizations, and I know that they are right where they are supposed to be.  And now, I can look at our coven, the wonderful people who are studying with us and seeking membership with us, and the amazing ladies of Coven of the Woods Rose, and I know that we are right where we are supposed to be now too.

This is an exciting time for all of us!

Blessed Be,
Devia WildOak (HPS Coven of the Tangled Pines)
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Wednesday, May 28th 2008

3:31 AM

Things are Under Way!

So many things are happening right now, and so much excitement is building.  Coven of the Tangled Pines, the parent coven of the Tangled Woods Tradition, will be celebrating a coven anniversary at Litha.  It is our hope that we will have our tradition firmly in place, and that we'll be able to officially launch the tradition and embark on this new path together at our Litha celebration.  This website is being built and added to slowly as we go along, but so much work is happening behind the scenes.  Even though this tradition is being founded based on beliefs and practices that we already have in place, there are still so many matters to address, and even more than that...there are still so many things to get down in writing.  But all of this is taking place, as well as the writing of classes and rituals, our continued practice as a group, and the continued training of our current students who are being so patient as they watch all of these changes taking place around them.  Soon we'll be gearing up to take in our second round of students for the year, and these will be the first group to officially train in the Tangled Woods Tradition, which is very exciting.  Still, there is a lot of work to be done in order to make sure we're ready for them.

Even before August, when we'll take in our next group of students, we'll be busy teaching.  Training will begin soon for the ladies of Coven of the Woods Rose...the first new coven to enter the Tangled Woods Tradition after Coven of the Tangled Pines.  We are so looking forward to welcoming them into our family, and to watching this tradition grow.  This is such as exciting journey for all of us!

Blessings of the Gods Be On You!
Devia WildOak, HPS Coven of the Tangled Pines
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