Temple of Our Lady of the Sacred Earth
An Introduction to Wiccan Spirituality
Our wonderful world is made up of a myriad different peoples and beliefs. But one thing many people have in common is an inner sense of connection with something - a part of themselves, something larger - that feels "Divine" or "other-worldly." This connection, and the practices that strengthen it are known as Spirituality. Many Spiritual practices exist today, both religious and secular, but one of the most popular and fast-growing is known as Wicca.
Wicca (or Neo-Wicca as it is sometimes called) is a spiritual practice that emphasizes universal and personal balance, introspection, awareness of one's environment, self-responsibility, social justice, and a rich appreciation of and connection to Nature. It is Polytheistic, which means that it allows freedom in the individuals perception of the Universal forces, polarities, and nuances. It is common in Wiccan practice to hear people referring to their perception of the Divine as "The God and Goddess" or "The Lord and Lady." This is because Wiccans generally tend towards a balance of both male and female, rather than subjugate one to the other. Because of this, Wicca is a comfortable and suitable spiritual practice for both men and women.
Who We Are
Our Lady is a real-time group based in North-Western Arizona that studies the Correllian Tradition, celebrates the Wheel of the Year, and occasional social gatherings. We also organize several Yahoo groups, including an on-line discussion group and a book discussion group, as well as an on-line social site.
We also have several "satellite" groups in various areas, and distance members as far away as Japan.
See the About Us pages for more information.
The Correllian Nativist Tradition
In Wicca the different forms or denominations are known as "traditions." Each tradition has it's own unique characteristics, forms and rules. One of the largest of these traditions is known as Correllian Nativist. Over time, the Correllian Nativist tradition has spawned many off-shoots and look-alikes, but authentic Correllian Nativist Tradition branches are characterized as holding allegiance to one family, the High-Correll Family.
The High-Correll Family originated the Correllian Nativist Tradition in 1879, before which it was simply an intermingling of Cherokee spiritual beliefs blended with Scottish folk magic, like herbalism and healing. Much like the Pennsylvania Dutch who practiced their beliefs privately (but the remnants of which can be seen in the beautiful "Hex" designs,) the family kept it's practices private until 1979 when the leaders decided it was time to share it's form of spiritual and religious teachings with the world.
The Tradition has two leaders who share the responsibility of administering this wisdom to the public. The feminine leader is Krystal High-Correll, who was granted her office in 1979, and her cousin and friend Don Lewis-Highcorrell, who was granted masculine leadership. Many of the families' elders and youth worked with Don and Krystal to create a written curriculum of what was taught to the families' children naturally throughout their formative years. This took many years, and the completed first set of lessons were not ready for the public until 1999, twenty years after the inception of the families' project.
Today those lessons, and the succeeding lessons, are available world-wide through small personal groups, on-line study groups, and an on-line school. With a firm structure and outline, but with plenty of room for personalization, this form of Wiccan Spirituality has found intense popularity with many who felt called to the beliefs, but found impersonal books lacking and other forms too restrictive or focused more on interpersonal politics than spirituality.
