C.O.G. HISTORY
By: Michael Thorn - 20 Nov 93 12:09
The Covenant of the Goddess is one of the largest and oldest Wiccan religious
organizations with members in North America, Europe and Australia. Wicca, or
Witchcraft is the most popular expression of the religious movement known as
Neo-Paganism, which, according to the Institute for the Study of American
Religion, is the fastest growing religion in the United States. It practitioners are
reviving ancient Pagan practices and beliefs of pre-Christian Europe and
adapting them to contemporary life. The result is a religion that is both old and
new, both +traditional+ and creative.
Witchcraft is a life-affirming, earth- and nature-oriented religion which sees all of
life as sacred and interconnected, honors the natural world as the embodiment of
divinity, immanent as well as transcendent, and experiences the divine as
feminine and often as masculine, as well. Like the spiritual world view and
practices of Native Americans and Taoists, Wiccan spiritual practices are
intended to attune humanity to the natural rhythms and cycles of the universe as
a means of personally experiencing divinity. Rituals, therefore, coincide with the
phases of the moon, the change of the seasons, solstices and equinoxes and
days which fall in between these such as May Day and Halloween. This calendar
of celebrations is referred to as the Wheel of the Year. Most Witches consider
their practice a priest/esshood, akin to the mystery schools of classical Greece
and Rome, involving years of training and passage through life-transforming
initiatory rituals.
All Witches agree on an ethical code known as the Wiccan Rede, "An it harm
none, do what ye will," which honors the freedom of each individual to do what
she or he believes is right, but also recognizes the profound responsibility that
none may be harmed by one's actions.
In the 1970's there was a marked rise of interest in Witchcraft not only in the
United States, but throughout the world, reflecting a growing feminist awareness
and global concern for the environment. In the Spring of 1975, a number of
Wiccan elders from diverse traditions, all sharing the idea of forming a religious
organization for all practitioners of Witchcraft, gathered to draft a "covenant"
among themselves. These representatives also drafted bylaws to administer this
new organization now known as the Covenant of the Goddess. At the 1975
Summer Solstice, the bylaws were ratified by thirteen member congregations (or
covens). The Covenant of the Goddess was incorporated as a nonprofit religious
organization on October 31st, 1975.
The Covenant is an umbrella organization of cooperating autonomous Witchcraft
congregations with the power to confer credentials on its qualified clergy. It
fosters cooperation and mutual support among Witches and secures for them the
legal protections enjoyed by members of other religions. The Covenant is non-
hierarchical and governed by consensus. Two-thirds of its clergy are women.
The Covenant is coordinated by a national board of directors. Many of its
activities are conducted at the regional level by local councils. The Covenant
holds an annual nation-al conference open to the Wiccan community, as well as
regional conferences, and publishes a newsletter. In recent years, the Covenant
has taken part in spiritual and educational conferences, interfaith outreach, large
public rituals, environmental activism, community projects and social action, as
well as efforts to correct negative stereo-types and promote accurate media
portrayals. Its clergy perform legal marriages (handfastings), preside at funerals
and other rituals of life-transition, and provide counseling to Witches including
those in the military and in prisons.
The Covenant also provides for the need of it members and their
families with disaster relief, health insurance, Scouting awards,
sponsorship of college and university student groups, and legal
assistance in instances of discrimination. The Covenant's participation
in the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions continues its efforts
to restore the respect due to a legitimate and deeply-rooted religion,
protect and preserve the earth through its public dissemination of its
wisdom and traditions, and participate in dialogue as a contributing
member of the world's community of faiths.
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