First Priesthood’s New Year Address - Year 25 Aq
Greetings!
As year 2024 has come to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect back on our first full year in office. It was an exciting year, and we have done a lot of work focused on utilizing our not-for-profit status, rebuilding the Witch School website, presenting rituals and virtual classes, and planning for the future. It is this future that excited us the most and we are so inspired to see pictures and news from Temples and Shrines all over the world.
This was a special year for us. In May we were honored to be invested as First Priest and First Priestess of the Correllian Tradition in a truly beautiful ritual held on the banks of the sacred Vermilion River in Danville Illinois, birthplace of the Correllian Tradition. For us, this is more than a job or title, it has truly been a calling from the Ancestors and though sometimes this role is eye-opening and astounding, we are grateful to be able to work behind the scenes keeping the lights on, the website running, the Nexus stable, and the Ancestors fed.
We are excited to be working side by side with long-time Elders like Lady Raene Packery, Lady Anna Rowe, and Lord Jason Highcorrell just to name but a few. They also work tirelessly for our Tradition. We truly rely upon all our Elders, Arch Priesthood and Clergy to help us form this community. You are each so special and so needed. Each a beacon of ancestral grace. At the same time, our Outer Court members form the backbone of this Tradition, attending rituals and classes, giving needed feedback, participating in discussions and engaging with their journeys. We believe that this is the most important part of having a community. Community is something we all build together every day, at every level of participation. We are so excited to see it continuing to take shape, as we all form bonds, share our journeys and support each other. We really want to urge you all to take ownership of this community, to be vocal, to post what your local Temples and Shrines are doing and to comment on the posts of others. This is how we will build bonds that weather dark times.
Our seminary Witch School has been undergoing a much-needed full overhaul and we are excited to be debuting that this Spring. The current rendition of our seminary has proven to be unconducive to the vision that was given to us to expand on. As our seminary platform nears its completion, we have been organizing and preparing new and updated courses to launch. We have also been closely analyzing our current clergy standards to make sure we keep them high in order to produce learned and knowledgeable Clergy who are comfortable and confident in themselves. We are also happy to say that we are once again sending out updates via emails to our mailing list and we urge you all to sign in to your Witch School accounts in order to officially opt in to receive mailings.
This year saw Regional Lustrations being held in at least three locations. We are overwhelmed with joy at the sight of this aspect of our tradition returning vigorously. We want to urge all our High Priesthood to consider performing the Regional Lustration of the Living Ritual with your local communities in the fall. Additionally, you could consider assisting a nearby Temple or Shrine. Local community is just as important as our global Correllian communities, and we want to see both thriving and connecting as we continue to grow and nurture our bonds as a spiritual Family. The regional Lustration is an excellent opportunity for you to let your local community know that you exist, are connected to a large organization, and have something tremendous to offer.
The global Lustration of the Ancestors will be held this year in Philadelphia Pennsylvania the weekend of April 25th through the 27th. Registration is currently open, and the super early bird rate will end on February 1st, so we urge you to register now. The rates will increase incrementally as the date gets closer. The longer you wait the higher the registration feel will be. This Lustration is being hosted by the Temple of Holistic Knowledge, Dancers of Shakti Temple, and Enchanted Mystery Temple and features a visit to the gravesite of Charles Godfrey Leland, who transcribed the famous Vengello Delle Streghe. According to family legend, Charles Godfrey Leland is an Ancestor of this Tradition and as such we will be honoring him directly.
Finally, we held our first ever Correllian Town Hall in June, where we talked about the previous year, gave our report of the Tradition finances for 2023 and discussed ongoing projects and future plans. The Correllian Town Hall was well received, and we are excited to make this an annual event where we discuss the current status and future projects of the Tradition. Our 2025 town hall, recapping Year 24 Aq. will be held on February 9th, 2025. Keep your eyes open for more information coming soon.
In short, we are looking forward to Year 25 Aq. and we can’t wait to see our community continue to grow and prosper.
With Abundant Love,
M. Rev. Alyssa Kemp and M. Rev. Phoenix Coffin-Williams
First Priestess and First Priest
As year 2024 has come to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect back on our first full year in office. It was an exciting year, and we have done a lot of work focused on utilizing our not-for-profit status, rebuilding the Witch School website, presenting rituals and virtual classes, and planning for the future. It is this future that excited us the most and we are so inspired to see pictures and news from Temples and Shrines all over the world.
This was a special year for us. In May we were honored to be invested as First Priest and First Priestess of the Correllian Tradition in a truly beautiful ritual held on the banks of the sacred Vermilion River in Danville Illinois, birthplace of the Correllian Tradition. For us, this is more than a job or title, it has truly been a calling from the Ancestors and though sometimes this role is eye-opening and astounding, we are grateful to be able to work behind the scenes keeping the lights on, the website running, the Nexus stable, and the Ancestors fed.
We are excited to be working side by side with long-time Elders like Lady Raene Packery, Lady Anna Rowe, and Lord Jason Highcorrell just to name but a few. They also work tirelessly for our Tradition. We truly rely upon all our Elders, Arch Priesthood and Clergy to help us form this community. You are each so special and so needed. Each a beacon of ancestral grace. At the same time, our Outer Court members form the backbone of this Tradition, attending rituals and classes, giving needed feedback, participating in discussions and engaging with their journeys. We believe that this is the most important part of having a community. Community is something we all build together every day, at every level of participation. We are so excited to see it continuing to take shape, as we all form bonds, share our journeys and support each other. We really want to urge you all to take ownership of this community, to be vocal, to post what your local Temples and Shrines are doing and to comment on the posts of others. This is how we will build bonds that weather dark times.
Our seminary Witch School has been undergoing a much-needed full overhaul and we are excited to be debuting that this Spring. The current rendition of our seminary has proven to be unconducive to the vision that was given to us to expand on. As our seminary platform nears its completion, we have been organizing and preparing new and updated courses to launch. We have also been closely analyzing our current clergy standards to make sure we keep them high in order to produce learned and knowledgeable Clergy who are comfortable and confident in themselves. We are also happy to say that we are once again sending out updates via emails to our mailing list and we urge you all to sign in to your Witch School accounts in order to officially opt in to receive mailings.
This year saw Regional Lustrations being held in at least three locations. We are overwhelmed with joy at the sight of this aspect of our tradition returning vigorously. We want to urge all our High Priesthood to consider performing the Regional Lustration of the Living Ritual with your local communities in the fall. Additionally, you could consider assisting a nearby Temple or Shrine. Local community is just as important as our global Correllian communities, and we want to see both thriving and connecting as we continue to grow and nurture our bonds as a spiritual Family. The regional Lustration is an excellent opportunity for you to let your local community know that you exist, are connected to a large organization, and have something tremendous to offer.
The global Lustration of the Ancestors will be held this year in Philadelphia Pennsylvania the weekend of April 25th through the 27th. Registration is currently open, and the super early bird rate will end on February 1st, so we urge you to register now. The rates will increase incrementally as the date gets closer. The longer you wait the higher the registration feel will be. This Lustration is being hosted by the Temple of Holistic Knowledge, Dancers of Shakti Temple, and Enchanted Mystery Temple and features a visit to the gravesite of Charles Godfrey Leland, who transcribed the famous Vengello Delle Streghe. According to family legend, Charles Godfrey Leland is an Ancestor of this Tradition and as such we will be honoring him directly.
Finally, we held our first ever Correllian Town Hall in June, where we talked about the previous year, gave our report of the Tradition finances for 2023 and discussed ongoing projects and future plans. The Correllian Town Hall was well received, and we are excited to make this an annual event where we discuss the current status and future projects of the Tradition. Our 2025 town hall, recapping Year 24 Aq. will be held on February 9th, 2025. Keep your eyes open for more information coming soon.
In short, we are looking forward to Year 25 Aq. and we can’t wait to see our community continue to grow and prosper.
With Abundant Love,
M. Rev. Alyssa Kemp and M. Rev. Phoenix Coffin-Williams
First Priestess and First Priest