Blue Star Wicca

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A blue septegram is used as the symbol of the Blue Star tradition.

Blue Star Wicca is one of a number of Wiccan traditions created in the United States in the 1970s based loosely on the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions. It continues to be practiced today in areas of the United States (including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and others), as well as having members in the United Kingdom and Canada.

1 Origins and history
2 Practices
3 Ranks and degrees
4 Relationship to other traditions
5 External links
6 Notes and references

[edit] Origins and history

The "Coven of the Blue Star", established in Philadelphia in 1975 by Franque D "the Wizard", gave birth to both the name and the original membership of what would eventually become the Blue Star tradition. In 1980, on its membership application to the Covenant of the Goddess, the coven described itself (with tongue in cheek) as practicing "Great American Nontraditional Collective Eclectic Wicca".

Tzipora Klein, who had joined the coven in 1977, and her then-husband Kenny Klein, left on a folk music tour after the 1983 release of their cassette Moon Hooves in the Sand, which contained Blue Star liturgical music. The music tour facilitated the spread of the tradition throughout the United States, as the couple helped to found new covens while on the road.^[1]

As new covens were formed, it was common practice to include the words "blue" or "star" (Raven Star, for example, or Wolf Star) in the name, but this practice is less observed nowadays. Some groups have used references to stars (Nova Grove, for example, or Polaris Coven), but some simply choose the name that inspires them (Compass Rose, SummerOak, or Braided Stream).

Despite the inevitable disagreements and friction that will develop in a large, diverse, and widely-spread group, a remarkable sense of community and closeness obtains between members of the Tradition, to the point where annual convocations are often referred to as "Family Gatherings."

[edit] Practices

Blue Star remains a predominantly initiatory coven-based tradition in the model of the Gardnerian or Alexandrian traditions, but a number of "solitary" practitioners exist.

Blue Star practitioners are known primarily for an unusual (amongst traditional Wiccans) focus on music in their ritual and liturgy, the importance placed upon a ritual feast, and for initiatory tattooing^[1]. The use of a septegram as a symbol, instead of a pentagram, is also unusual. Blue Star and the Feri tradition are the only two large traditions of witchcraft to feature a septegram prominently in their symbolism^[1]

Blue Star rituals typically have a round altar in the centre of the circle of participants. The positioning and handling of the ritual tools on the altar is given special attention within the tradition^[2].

The Blue Star tradition's theology allows for enough flexibility to allow polytheists, pantheists and monotheists to participate in the tradition, and rituals can involve prayer or invocation to Wiccan deities, the Gods and Goddesses of Pagan peoples, or deified abstractions^[1].

[edit] Ranks and degrees

Blue Star is unusual for having a five-part rank system, as opposed to the three degree system of most initiatory Wiccan traditions.

Dedication is the first rite of passage within the Blue Star tradition, and indicates a commitment to a Pagan spirituality generally and a loose commitment to the tradition specifically. Those who have been through this ceremony are referred to as "Dedicants".

Neophyte marks an intermediary step between Dedication and Initiation, and indicates both a level of facility with Blue Star practice and theory, and a willingness to take on increased responsibility within the tradition. Neophyte differs from the other ranks in being seen as a preparation for priesthood, as opposed to an end in and of itself. After this rite of passage, the person is referred to as a "Neophyte".

First Degree Initiation is the ritual through which someone enters the clergy within Blue Star. Someone who has attained their First Degree is referred to as a priest, priestess, or simply "initiate."

Second Degree recognizes further training and commitment within Blue Star beyond that of the First Degree. It is usually, although not always, the time when one takes a leadership role in a coven, preparatory to "hiving" or establishing an independent coven.

Third Degree is given to those people who are judged by their teachers to be capable of leaving the coven that they were trained in and taking full responsibility for creating a new coven of their own^[3].

[edit] Relationship to other traditions

As mentioned above, Blue Star Wicca was inspired at least in part by both the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions. It was also influenced by the American Welsh tradition and the Pagan Way series of class material.^[1]

In turn, Blue Star has inspired other traditions, such as Maidenhill Wicca, and Braided Wheel.

Blue Star has a special relationship to the Odyssean tradition, as a "sister" or "cousin" tradition^[1]^[4].