Through this website, I’ve shared a fair bit of information about Phoenix Song and about me with you, but I don’t (yet) know anything about you at all! The letter gives us a way to change that.
It…
- helps me learn more about you and your specific interests.
- helps me decide if a face to face meeting is a good use of your time (and me.) Sometimes, the specifics someone shares make it clear there just isn’t a good enough fit with what we can offer or our focus.
- if we meet, it helps us spend less time covering general background and more time digging deeply in a true conversation. I much prefer the conversation – it’s a lot more fun than running down a list of very basic questions.
Don’t worry, we don’t need your life story in every detail! We’re looking for a general overview.
Writing the letter:
Length is tricky. In general, two to three paragraphs (or about 10-20 sentences) per numbered question is is a great length for this overview. We’re open to lists or other ways to present the information if you prefer that.
We don’t need identifying details. We want to know what to call you in correspondence and when we meet, but that can be a public Craft name, a nickname, or anything else you choose. You also don’t need to share where you work, live, or any identifying details about your home and family. We are interested in a general idea of how you spend your time, but this can be very broad. (For example, Jenett might say “I’m a librarian” rather than “I’m a librarian at this specific school”.)
Your letter is a chance to share any practical concerns (like specific needs regarding scheduling or allergies), or other information that can be very important in group work. More information about the level of detail we feel we need when for medical issues is at the bottom of this page.
Please use your own words. While parts of our website may resonate with you, we want to hear about you and your interests in your own phrasing.
How do I submit it?
Send your replies to phoenixsong@gleewood.org as a plain text email with no attachments. We’ll get back to you shortly. (Generally, you’ll get some reply within 3-5 days. If you don’t hear anything after 2-3 weeks, please check: it’s possible it went missing in the ether somehow.)
The Letter:
The points below each question give some things you might want to include. If something doesn’t apply to you, just ignore it. If there’s something we don’t ask that you think we should know up front, please include it.
1) Tell us a little about who you are.
- What name should we call you? (And if the pronunciation isn’t obvious, I appreciate some help.)
- How do you spend your time? This might include work, school, hobbies, or other interests.
- Do you live with anyone else? If you have a spouse or partner, are they aware of your interest? Are they supportive? Do you have children? What ages?
- Astrological information: date, time, and place of birth if you’re comfortable sharing it at this time. (Got questions about this one? See the bottom of the page.) Please don’t attach a chart – just send the listed info.
2) Your path:
- Briefly, what is your religious background?
- How do you describe your desired religious path? How have you learned about this path so far? (Books, online, classes, teachers, groups, etc.)
- Please tell us briefly about a few specific sources you found helpful, and a few you didn’t. (These can be books, websites, experiences – whatever makes sense for you.)
3) Groups:
- Why are you seeking a group at this time?
- What do you hope for from group work?
- Have you worked with any Wiccan, Pagan, magical, or esoteric groups in the past? If so, please describe your involvement briefly.
- Are you currently working with or applying to/considering any other group at this time? Studying with a teacher or mentor?
4) Us:
- How did you find out about us?
- Given what you know about us so far, what particularly interests you about our group?
- We hope our new members will add new and wonderful things to our group. What would you particularly like to bring to or do more with in group work?
- Do you have any questions for us that are not discussed on our site?
5) Practical details
- We strongly prefer email for group contacts. Please let us know your preferred email and about how often you check it. (multiple times a day, daily, every few days, etc.) If email is not feasible for you, what’s the best way to contact you?
- Is there anything we should know that might significantly limit or affect participation in the group as described? (Scheduling, specific needs, other commitments, etc.) Specifically, are you able to meet on both weeknights and weekends as described, and do you have any questions about our other expectations?
- When are generally good days/times you might be available to meet for a conversation?
6) Anything else?
Is there anything we haven’t asked about that is important to you to share right now?
A note about medical and mental health considerations:
As we’ve noted, we expect that anyone working with us will have had any chronic condition reasonably stable for at least 6 months (no major medication changes, significant flares, etc.) and has appropriate professional support. We won’t turn someone down just for having chronic concerns – but we also know there are some things we’re better equipped to handle as a group than others.
We recognise this is a tricky subject to talk about, so we take it in stages. Here’s what we want to know when.
- First meeting: We want to choose somewhere you can be comfortable and focus on the conversation. That might mean a suitable space for hearing impairment or lipreading, mobility concerns, or other things of that kind.
- Discussions: Mostly, we care about allergy issues (Jenett has a cat) and any food needs.
- Ritual attendance: We care about anything that might be an issue in ritual. Some people do find that their body responds differently in circle – this can affect things like allergies, asthma, blood sugar or blood pressure. We don’t need full details, but we would like a basic “If something happens, here’s what to do” head’s up if you’re not sure.
Before accepting someone as a student we will want to talk further about any medical or mental health issues that recur in your life, past significant surgery, etc. This is so we can talk about appropriate options for professional support if something flares during training, or consider some alternate teaching techniques in some cases. I’ll also talk about our past experiences with these things, so you have an idea where we’re coming from.
A word about astrology:
Do we believe in astrology? Yes and no. We use astrological information to:
- Get an idea of some kinds of patterns and approaches that might be more comfortable for someone, or areas we might want to pay particular attention to as we talk.
- If things progress to that point, to help look at some different preferences that might affect who we pick as your mentor or teachers (or things to be aware of in that process.)
- Help make sure we’re looking at everything in someone’s life: even if you don’t think astrology is very useful, it’s a map that reminds us to look at all areas of someone’s life, and at interrelationships between parts of their life.
Simply looking at the chart can make us go “Oh, yes – we should ask about how they build friendships, and what makes non-romantic relationships work well for them” (something important in close coven work) or “Hmm. Maybe we want to talk about communication styles a little more and make sure we’re compatible.” We don’t use it as an absolute, in other words – far more as an inspiration and reminder to look at everything, not just pieces.
If you’re not comfortable sharing it with us in email, or a first meeting, that’s fine – we won’t be offended. If you’re interested in finding out my data, I’m glad to share that in email by request after receiving your introductory letter.