American Council of Witches Reconvens

I am so thrilled at this news! To know that an entity that took such a momentous, though too brief, step in Pagan history will be reconvening has me speechless!

The original council convened at a "Witchmeet" in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 11-14, 1974. Some of the noteable members of the original Council of American Witches included: Carl Llewellyn Weschcke (acting Chairman, owner and president of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. ), Gavin Frost, Herman Slater, Isaac Bonewits, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Otter G'Zell along with over 70 representatives from the most prevelant Paths and Traditions of Neopagans at that time.

They assembled to gather information and draft a set of principles to "clarify...unify and define the many differing beliefs across the many paths and traditions prevalent in Neopaganism at that time, and to couteract misinformation, cultural stigma, stereotypes, and government lack of recognition." --Wikipedia
 
The principles that were assembled, became officially titled "Principles of Belief" and published in 1974, have since become known as the "The Thirteen Principles of Belief" and "The Thirteen Principles of Wiccan Belief". These beliefs are still used by many solitaries, covens and groups to this day.
 
In 1978 the Principles were included in the US Army's Handbook for Chaplains in the section on Wiccan Religion, under the direction of Rev. Dr. J. Gordon Melton (Director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and editor of the Encyclopedia of American Religion.) This section has since been updated from it's original in the 80's and again in the 90's with the help of the COG (Covenant of the Goddess) and the Lady Liberty League.
 
Unfortunately, the American Council of Witches disbanded in 1974, due to inner termoil and irreconsilable differences among its members and their traditions.
 
According to the article that I read by Jason Pitzl-Waters in The Wild Hunt, an interview with Kenny Klien (Wiccan author and musician), the "new" US American Coucil of Witches will be contacting those individuals seen as "leaders" of the Pagan community. They are hoping to have thirteen major board members and possibly representatives from each of the US states. This would hopefully allow for representation of the major Paths, Traditions, Groups and various other "Non-Witch" Pagan Practices of our time.
 
The Three Primary Objectives of the Council will be:

• The revising of the original statement  in the US Army Handbook for Chaplains.
• The redrafting and updating of the original set of principles drafted by the first coucil in 1974.
• The revising the original Principles of Belief.

The newly forming Council will include insight from some of the original members from the first coucil such as Oberon Zell and Phaedra Bonewits, widow of Isaac Bonewits, will also have input.

The resurrected US Council Of Witches is being led by Mz Kaye Berry. She is a "Spiritual Teacher, Seer, Occultist, Worker of Magick, Author, Philosopher" who lives in Illinoise. She has quite a history in the areas of the paranormal and spiritual. See her bio for more information.

The US American Council Of Witches has issued a press release on their FaceBook page.

You can contact the US American Council Of Witches at usamericancouncilofwitches@yahoo.com.


I wish the US American Council Of Witches much luck as they attack this massive, historical leap of Faith.
 
Blessings and Love to All! ~Faye