Frequently Asked Questions
How do I talk to someone about this tradition?
If you are interested in learning more and want to see if the Silver Branch priesthood is right for you, email your request to information@silverbranchtradition.com.
Is the Silver Branch Priesthood a Wiccan tradition?
The Silver Branch priesthood is a Pagan priesthood of Hecate. We are neither Wiccan, nor Hellenic reconstructionists. Each of those fine traditions has specific practices, paradigms, and theology. Silver Branch has some practices in common with these traditions, but not enough to claim to be either. We are a polytheistic priesthood of Hecate, dedicated in service to her work. We work with the Gods and Goddesses who support the work of this priesthood, and employ practices and paradigms that further Her work.
What does it mean to re-enchant humanity? How do you do that anyway?
One of the biggest problems we face as a species is that we, as humans, have forgotten our place in the universe. We don’t remember where we fit or what our job is. We have forgotten that we live in deep relationship with nature, and with other beings, both seen and unseen. This illusion of separateness is so ingrained in our culture that by and large, very many of us have forgotten how to even live in active relationship with all the parts of ourselves. Re-enchantment starts with bringing ourselves back into awareness of these relationships and then more deeply into active participation in them. This means we relearn how to be in active relationship with ourselves, our bodies, our food, our air, our water, our land, our gods and guides, the unseen ones, and so on. In learning this, we relearn wonder. Once we begin to understand that we are a part of everything – not in an abstract way, but in a conscious, deeply aware way, we begin to see and learn to work with the magic and wonder of all that is.
So the question becomes, how do we bring this to both the culture and the species of humanity? First, we come into this place of awareness and relationship ourselves and strive to live it. You cannot give to others what you do not have. Next, we teach it to others in many different ways an applications. Finally, we work with humanity on an energetic and magical level to bring this awareness and wholeness back to the species. Only through healing humanity can we heal the ecosystems, physical and spiritual, that contain humanity.
Why is it called Silver Branch?
It was made very clear to me that you cannot initiate a thing without naming it. And so I asked Hecate to help me sort out a name. When doing some visionary work, the name Silver Branch was given to me, so, like any good 21st century Pagan priestess, I did an internet search. What I found were several accounts of Celtic and Irish mythology in which silver branches are given by faery (or unearthly women) as a means of entry into the Otherworld, where they find magic and wisdom and truth.
I also found a potentially defunct women’s group semi-locally that is called Sisterhood of the Silver Branch, which seems to be a non-denominational Pagan study group. It was hard to tell if they were still operational. This discovery made me concerned about confusing people and inadvertently making them think the groups were related. A few days before the initiation, I went back and asked Hecate to please help me sort out the name. She decided to cater to my sudden need for a physical, clear cut answer and told me to go get Orion’s Tree of Enchantment and flip it open and there I’ll find my answer.
I flipped the pages around without looking, and then looked down to see the text in the front of chapter 13. My eyes immediately fell on the following (bold by me to call attention to words):
"May I be like unto a silver branch on your holy and enchanted Tree.
May I bear the fruits of wisdom that shall feed the whole of the eternal family now and throughout timelessness. ” [Foxwood, 2008]
The priesthood was named.
What are the primary influences of the Silver Branch tradition?
The primary influences are our gods and guides, specifically Hecate, the Weaver, Nuit, the Guardian, and the faery. Additionally, our foundational understanding draws from RJ Stewarts work, Orion Foxwood’s Faery Seership work, and T. Thorn Coyle’s work. We believe in study and in learning from others and require and encourage reading of various well regarded Pagan authors to provide context for the work we do and the teachings we receive from our gods and guides. To see our reading list, click Resources.
How many levels of initiates/priests/priestesses are there in the Silver Branch priesthood?
There are four levels of initiation within the priesthood, each with its own inherent work.
1st Degree work – Coming into relationship
2nd Degree work – Coming into priesthood
3rd Degree work - Contributing to the body of work of the priesthood
Elder - Mentoring 2nd and 3rd degree initiates and guiding the work of the priesthood
Within this priesthood there is no role of congregant. The work of the 1st degree initiate is the work on integration and stability required to prepare to serve as priest or priestess. In our experience, this work takes at least 3 years. The 2nd degree work is the work of learning to serve effectively as a priest/ess. This includes a focus on magical/energetic training and technique, as well as deepening relationships with self and with our gods. The priest or priestess that moves into the 3rd degree is working deeply within the Silver Branch stream and bringing through work/teachings that are appropriate to bring into the canon of work that defines the priesthood.
How do you join?
The process to join involves meeting the group, learning more about who we are and what we practice, and spending some time defining why you want to study with the priesthood. We run a pre-initiate class that takes approximately a year to complete and that gives students experience in the stream we work within and the ways we work. Pre-initiate classes meet approximately twice a month.
Once you have studied with us enough have a basic understanding of the tradition and practices (at least a year), if you are interested in initiating you will work with the founding priestess to determine your readiness to do so. Together you will determine the requirements that still need to be met to help you get ready for initiation.
Why the focus on Daily Practice? What is that anyway?
A daily practice is meant to provide an environment of growth and change in as balanced a manner as possible. Transformation, growth and change are often hard for people. Appropriate care for your body, sleep, meditation, and regular exercise provide better opportunities for you to absorb, process, and integrate teachings and for you to move through the transitions those teaching bring about. These practices also help develop the connections between your physical body, energetic body and spiritual body. These connections are vital for integrated spiritual growth. All students, initiate and pre-initiate, are required to have a daily practice. For non-initiates, the requirements are lighter. Pre-initiate students usually define their own practice and commit to what they feel they can appropriately integrate into their lives. Initiates are required to have a more consistent and more stringent daily practice. Usually, this is not a difficult requirement. Participation in a daily practice feeds one’s ability to participate in a daily practice.
Content copyright 2015, S. English. All rights reserved.
If you are interested in learning more and want to see if the Silver Branch priesthood is right for you, email your request to information@silverbranchtradition.com.
Is the Silver Branch Priesthood a Wiccan tradition?
The Silver Branch priesthood is a Pagan priesthood of Hecate. We are neither Wiccan, nor Hellenic reconstructionists. Each of those fine traditions has specific practices, paradigms, and theology. Silver Branch has some practices in common with these traditions, but not enough to claim to be either. We are a polytheistic priesthood of Hecate, dedicated in service to her work. We work with the Gods and Goddesses who support the work of this priesthood, and employ practices and paradigms that further Her work.
What does it mean to re-enchant humanity? How do you do that anyway?
One of the biggest problems we face as a species is that we, as humans, have forgotten our place in the universe. We don’t remember where we fit or what our job is. We have forgotten that we live in deep relationship with nature, and with other beings, both seen and unseen. This illusion of separateness is so ingrained in our culture that by and large, very many of us have forgotten how to even live in active relationship with all the parts of ourselves. Re-enchantment starts with bringing ourselves back into awareness of these relationships and then more deeply into active participation in them. This means we relearn how to be in active relationship with ourselves, our bodies, our food, our air, our water, our land, our gods and guides, the unseen ones, and so on. In learning this, we relearn wonder. Once we begin to understand that we are a part of everything – not in an abstract way, but in a conscious, deeply aware way, we begin to see and learn to work with the magic and wonder of all that is.
So the question becomes, how do we bring this to both the culture and the species of humanity? First, we come into this place of awareness and relationship ourselves and strive to live it. You cannot give to others what you do not have. Next, we teach it to others in many different ways an applications. Finally, we work with humanity on an energetic and magical level to bring this awareness and wholeness back to the species. Only through healing humanity can we heal the ecosystems, physical and spiritual, that contain humanity.
Why is it called Silver Branch?
It was made very clear to me that you cannot initiate a thing without naming it. And so I asked Hecate to help me sort out a name. When doing some visionary work, the name Silver Branch was given to me, so, like any good 21st century Pagan priestess, I did an internet search. What I found were several accounts of Celtic and Irish mythology in which silver branches are given by faery (or unearthly women) as a means of entry into the Otherworld, where they find magic and wisdom and truth.
I also found a potentially defunct women’s group semi-locally that is called Sisterhood of the Silver Branch, which seems to be a non-denominational Pagan study group. It was hard to tell if they were still operational. This discovery made me concerned about confusing people and inadvertently making them think the groups were related. A few days before the initiation, I went back and asked Hecate to please help me sort out the name. She decided to cater to my sudden need for a physical, clear cut answer and told me to go get Orion’s Tree of Enchantment and flip it open and there I’ll find my answer.
I flipped the pages around without looking, and then looked down to see the text in the front of chapter 13. My eyes immediately fell on the following (bold by me to call attention to words):
"May I be like unto a silver branch on your holy and enchanted Tree.
May I bear the fruits of wisdom that shall feed the whole of the eternal family now and throughout timelessness. ” [Foxwood, 2008]
The priesthood was named.
What are the primary influences of the Silver Branch tradition?
The primary influences are our gods and guides, specifically Hecate, the Weaver, Nuit, the Guardian, and the faery. Additionally, our foundational understanding draws from RJ Stewarts work, Orion Foxwood’s Faery Seership work, and T. Thorn Coyle’s work. We believe in study and in learning from others and require and encourage reading of various well regarded Pagan authors to provide context for the work we do and the teachings we receive from our gods and guides. To see our reading list, click Resources.
How many levels of initiates/priests/priestesses are there in the Silver Branch priesthood?
There are four levels of initiation within the priesthood, each with its own inherent work.
1st Degree work – Coming into relationship
2nd Degree work – Coming into priesthood
3rd Degree work - Contributing to the body of work of the priesthood
Elder - Mentoring 2nd and 3rd degree initiates and guiding the work of the priesthood
Within this priesthood there is no role of congregant. The work of the 1st degree initiate is the work on integration and stability required to prepare to serve as priest or priestess. In our experience, this work takes at least 3 years. The 2nd degree work is the work of learning to serve effectively as a priest/ess. This includes a focus on magical/energetic training and technique, as well as deepening relationships with self and with our gods. The priest or priestess that moves into the 3rd degree is working deeply within the Silver Branch stream and bringing through work/teachings that are appropriate to bring into the canon of work that defines the priesthood.
How do you join?
The process to join involves meeting the group, learning more about who we are and what we practice, and spending some time defining why you want to study with the priesthood. We run a pre-initiate class that takes approximately a year to complete and that gives students experience in the stream we work within and the ways we work. Pre-initiate classes meet approximately twice a month.
Once you have studied with us enough have a basic understanding of the tradition and practices (at least a year), if you are interested in initiating you will work with the founding priestess to determine your readiness to do so. Together you will determine the requirements that still need to be met to help you get ready for initiation.
Why the focus on Daily Practice? What is that anyway?
A daily practice is meant to provide an environment of growth and change in as balanced a manner as possible. Transformation, growth and change are often hard for people. Appropriate care for your body, sleep, meditation, and regular exercise provide better opportunities for you to absorb, process, and integrate teachings and for you to move through the transitions those teaching bring about. These practices also help develop the connections between your physical body, energetic body and spiritual body. These connections are vital for integrated spiritual growth. All students, initiate and pre-initiate, are required to have a daily practice. For non-initiates, the requirements are lighter. Pre-initiate students usually define their own practice and commit to what they feel they can appropriately integrate into their lives. Initiates are required to have a more consistent and more stringent daily practice. Usually, this is not a difficult requirement. Participation in a daily practice feeds one’s ability to participate in a daily practice.
Content copyright 2015, S. English. All rights reserved.