Covenant of the Goddess
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The Covenant of the Goddess (CoG) is one of the oldest and largest cross-traditional groups among Wiccans and neopagans. It was founded on October 31, 1975 (Samhain or Halloween),[1] as a non-profit religious organisation in California and has grown to become an international organisation, and is currently composed of over one hundred Wiccan covens,[2] plus solitary elders and associates. The aim of the group is to increase co-operation between Wiccans, Neopagans and covens, as well as securing the legal protection which is present in many other world religions.[3] As expected from the name, member covens must be either Dianic Wiccan or have a focus on both the God and the Goddess, which is general practice within Wicca.[4] The group, which maintains strict autonomy for all members, operates largely by consensus.
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[edit] Activities
At each Sabbat the group publishes a newsletter for members. The newsletter is available free to member covens, but those who are solitary or non-members are only added to the list after submitting a 'suitable tax-deductible gift'.
Representatives of CoG attended the Parliament of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999.[5]
All members are also currently involved in the campaign to have the Department of Veterans Affairs recognize the pentacle as suitable for headstone markers; see also Sgt. Patrick Stewart.
The group organizes and sponsors an annual festival called "Merry Meet",[6]. Representatives from all the member Covens congregate and decide on relevant issues affecting the organisation, and Wiccans in general. The business meeting is called the "Grand Council", and is run in a consensus format. There are also workshops, vendors and shopping. As is common with many Wiccan festivals, there are also community rituals and spiritual connections, which play a large part in the festival.
[edit] Code of Ethics
The group operates by a Code of Ethics, which all members (covens or solitary) are expected to understand and follow:
- An ye harm none, do as ye will.
- Since our religion and the arts and practices peculiar to it are the gift of the Goddess, membership and training in a local coven or tradition are bestowed free, as gifts, and only on those persons who are deemed worthy to receive them. However, a coven may expect each of its members to bear a fair share of its ordinary operating expenses.
- All persons have the right to charge reasonable fees for the services by which they earn a living, so long as our religion is not thereby exploited.
- Every person associated with this Covenant shall respect the autonomy and sovereignty of each coven, as well as the right of each coven to oversee the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development of its members and students in its own way, and shall exercise reasonable caution against infringing upon that right in any way.
- All persons associated with this Covenant shall respect the traditional secrecy of our religion.
- Members of this Covenant should ever keep in mind the underlying unity of our religion as well as the diversity of its manifestations.
- These ethics shall be understood and interpreted in light of one another, and especially in light of the traditional laws of our religion.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ http://kepler.ss.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C0757513
- ^ Adler, Margot (2006). Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. Penguin, 101. ISBN 014019536X.
- ^ http://www.cog.org/aboutcog.html#purpose
- ^ http://www.cog.org/assoc/assocapp.html
- ^ http://www.cog.org/interfaith/pwr/pwr99.html
- ^ Merry Meet 2006: http://www.emlc.net/mm2006/mminfo.html
- ^ http://www.cog.org/aboutcog.html#ethics
[edit] External links
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