Membership and Contact Information by Jeffrey Benner Membership Aglaian accepts all people who are serious about Wicca regardless of race, former or  current religious or cultural  heritage, and regardless of sexual orientation. We expect prospective members to be already well-read on the topic of Wicca, and preferably to have already been a practicing solitary. Absolutely no financial compensation for our teaching is  expected, accepted, or required. There is a monthly due of $5 to cover the cost of ritual materials and normal wear and tear of the temple. Our financial books are open  to all members of the coven. The median age for Aglaian members is 35  years old. There is an equal mix of white-collar and blue-collar professions represented. The kind of person who works well with this coven will have  the following qualities: Inquisitive, truly open mind. You will not be looking for this coven to justify preconceptions of what  you think at this point a witch is. You believe there are things yet you do not know or understand, and  wish  to improve  yourself. We probably will not challenge many of your current beliefs, we do not want to challenge your beliefs, but in the normal process of spiritual inquiry we may challenge those beliefs. We are a way to enlarge your world possibly by  embracing  new ideas you have not yet encountered, or further expanding your current occult knowledge. We have encountered students in the past who almost seemed to want us to be a rubber stamp and feel-good committee for  their current beliefs. They  felt they knew everything they needed to know just because they read a few books (the well-known "3BP" syndrome - "3BP" = 3 Book Pagan. Related to the IRAB phenomenon - I know  everything already because I Read A Book.  [thanks to Dan C. for this slang.]) Positive, pro-active attitude. Not blaming your misery upon external circumstances. Humble. Not a bragger about spiritual, psychic, or magickal attainments. Able to sit silently and  listen to others as equals. Not looking to start a New Age fan club for yourself. Your past lives,  visionary  experiences,  etc. are meant for you, and you alone. They are not meant to make you popular  or give you hex appeal. Looking for a spiritual path, not a magickal group or a drumming circle. Not a "crystal foo foo pagan", thinking that acquiring numerous New Age consumer items imbues  you with power. Power comes from within, not from crystals, wands, pet rocks, Sharper Image  catalog, etc. Persistent. Devoted. Able to do the "long haul". Not a quitter. Not in denial about a substance abuse problem. Not a current user. You know, or are beginning to know, your true dreams. You are not looking for this group to supply  direction to your life. You already have an idea where you want to go, you are just looking for the  best way  there. You don't want to join just for the free psychotherapy. Joining Craft to celebrate the joy of life, not bash Christians or otherwise to externalize your pain  upon institutions you have no control over. Not running from fear, imagined curses, black magick, and countless enemies supposedly ruining  your life through magickal means, looking for us to protect you from your own phantoms. A self-taught, self-motivated person with good study skills. Good social skills. Able to play well with others. One caveat: If you are under eighteen years of age, we will not be able to accept you for membership without your parents' permission. How to contact us Telephone contacts You may call  us at (708)  799-6474, leave a message for jef or Debbie. This is the preferred method for serious students. Electronic Contacts You may also email us. If you do write us via email, please be concise and if possible  provide a telephone number. We  do not have the time to get involved in lengthy email correspondence and find frequently that a question can be answered more easily over the phone. We do not do any form of teaching via email,  so please do not ask us doctrinal, ritual, or  magickal questions via email. We unfortunately just do not have the time to keep up with email, so if your email cannot be answered quickly it may not get answered at all. We  also want to emphasize here that we are a "f2f, carbon  community". We are not an internet entity or a correspondence school. We do not do any form of long-distance training of students, or initiations by email or  telephone. If you cannot travel to the south suburban Chicago area, you should  probably not bother to contact us because you must attend meetings to benefit from this coven. You must be able to commute to a suburban location,  we cannot give you a ride. Sorry. Postal Contacts If you would like to write us a traditional letter, you may also snailmail us at: Aglaian Triad of Wicca P.O. Box 1662 Homewood, IL 60430-0662   BUT WE MUST WARN YOU that we are unlikely to write you a response  back. As with our situation with email, we do not have the time for traditional non-electronic correspondence. So,  if you want a response to your letter, you must provide a telephone number where we can call you or an email address where we  can write you back. We do not have any pamphlets which describe Aglaian to send you, or any  other literature, so please do not write to us asking for such mailings. This web page is it! We are happy to get mass mailings from occult  organizations and metaphysical businesses, so please feel free to add us to your  mailing list. written by: Jeffrey Benner, July 29, 1996 updated: January 19, 1998 document AGLAFIND © 1998 by Jeffrey Benner. Permission must be obtained before  reproducing in any non-electronic format. E-mail the Aglaian Triad of Wicca's webmaster at pagan@ebenner.com. You may return to: An introduction to the Aglaian Trad of Wicca. The index of English Traditions of the Craft. The Beaufort House home page.