The Mountain Ash Grove
Welcome
to the Internet home of The Mountain Ash Grove. We hope you find what you seek.
This tawdry little website is a work-in-progress, so please bear with us during
construction.
The Mountain Ash Grove is
many things at once. It is the vision of a hallowed grove for the practice of
mystical pre-Christian spiritualism nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills of
Virginia, preserved and dedicated in perpetuity.
It is the non-profit corporation that will own and administer the Grove as a
private spiritual preserve and nature conservancy. It is the initiatory current
of shamanic hedge craft practiced by the members
of the current known as the Nameless Art. It is a sacred place for our people to do sacred things in
peace, tranquility, and privacy. It is an obligation of service and devotion to the
sacred Land, the Mighty Ones, and each another. It is a legacy of
ancient truth and wisdom, preserved for our children, and their children.
Our structure is that of a loose confederation of like-minded cunning folk who work and share their wisdom in a supportive and non-threatening environment. We believe strongly in the old idea that in the final analysis, all Knowing folk are ultimately “solitary” and need the freedom from oppressive structure and formality to truly grow and progress. The Grove is not a hierarchical “coven”. It is a fellowship; an extended family bound by the Knotted Cord with a commitment to a common base of lore and praxis.
The Grove is a Mystery
tradition in every way. It encompasses the people,
places, things, and ideas that constitute it. It exists both across and between
the worlds. It is new, but very old. It is ultimately formless, yet with a
clearly discernable form. It is in perfect balance. It is transcendent. It is
ours.
The Mountain Ash Grove is
not affiliated with, derived from, or in any way beholden to, any other
publicly-known “stream” or “tradition”.
We claim no cord to any other group or current, and we are not New Age, Neo-pagan,
“Eclectic”, or “Wiccan”. You may notice some similarity to other currents, but
that is just a reflection of the commonality of real wisdom and shared teaching. What we do is an Art, the Craft of the Wise, not a
religion. The framework for our community and praxis is built on
ancient European and American folk traditions, but loose enough for the members
to flourish in their own unique individual wisdom walks, with a cohesive
foundation of
common praxis. The Virtue of the Grove rests with our La
Being migratory interlopers on this land known as America, we absolutely honor and respect the spirits and traditions of our Native American brothers and sisters, both living and gone before, but we do not dishonor native peoples and their ancestors by committing unintended mockery in our own works. We nevertheless recognize the universality of the Truth that transcends man-made borders, and humbly ingratiate ourselves to the spirits of the sacred land as friends.
We acknowledge the absolute primacy of the feminine in all things metaphysical, as did our forebears of the Old Ways. Ultimate authority in the Grove rests with our Ladies, as daughters and rightful heirs of the Old Veiled One Herself. Our Man in Black and his apprentices serve in their traditional supporting roles. We do not practice "skyclad", and mystical sensuality is regarded as a serious matter for specific occasions only. Members are expected to keep their base instincts under control and out of the compass.
Membership in the Grove is by invitation after a period of acquaintance. We firmly maintain that witches are born, not made, and that the Craft finds those who are destined to it. If it is meant to be, it will be. We are a serious working group of people who define themselves by their mystical being. The Craft is not a weekend hobby or social club for us...it is the core of our existence.
For the benefit of all the would-be “authorities” who may stumble upon us, the terminology used herein is our own arcane usage. If you are looking for an argument, keep looking; you won't find one here. To paraphrase an old chestnut, “It is so because we say it is so.”
Please
use the navigation bar on the left to move about the site.
Some of our
friends whom we proudly sponsor include:
