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The following questions should be answered in detail when sending in a request to join Shakti Wicca's mentorship
program.
Your answers will help us determine you readiness for mentorship, and also your current level of education and training,
so that we can best aid your journey.
The Shakti Wicca mentors reserve the full right to deny training to anyone that we feel does not meet the minumum
standards of education. A strong background in eclectic Wicca makes it easiest for us to transition Probationers
into an IndoWiccan practice.
For that reason those with little to no experience with an eclectic Wiccan practice are
not eligible to apply to Shakti Wicca's distance training program. These individuals will benefit most from studying and practicing
at least five years to obtain a solid working understanding of mainstream eclectic Wiccan skills, thea/ology,
mythos, thought and practice.
At present we simply do not have the resources to train applicants in mainstream Wicca, and then sufficently educate
them in Hinduism, to FINALLY facilitate their transferance into an IndoWiccan practice. While we are eclectic, we are a tradition
of INFORMED, INTELLECTUAL SYNCRETISM.
There is only so much we can teach and still maintain our focus on the evolution and integrity of our tradition. Therefore
we must set standards that will inevitably exclude some who would wish to learn with us. We hope that these individuals will
take the time to obtain the firm educational foundation that we require, and re-visit us at a future date.
We are working on expanding our distance training in include eclectic Wiccan basics that are geared towards guiding
the student into an IndoWiccan practice - however our priority is towards establishing an extensive IndoWiccan training
program, as we are currently the only organization to offer this focus. There are presently innumerable resources available
to those seeking to learn mainstream Wiccan basics, and we encourage aspirants to avail themselves of them in the interim.
Here are the questions to answer IN DETAIL in your inquiry:
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- What is your basic religious background previous to your embracing NeoPaganism &/or Wicca?
- How many years have you been studying and practicing NeoPagan spiritualities?
- Please give us a detailed overview of your involvement and spiritual development within NeoPaganism and Wicca thus
far.
- What Wiccan tradition are you a part of, and for how many years? Or, in detail elucidate your involvement with and
practice of Wicca.
- What skill-level would you say that you are at in eclectic Wicca?
- Do you already have experience with neo-shamanic journeywork? Please explain.
- How much study and experience do you have with Hindu traditions? How long have you been studying? Please provide an outline
of what educational materials or other resources you have been using in this context.
- At what level would you place your knowledge of Hinduism?
- How long have you been drawn into blending Wicca and Hinduism? What have you done so-far in this vein?
- Are you familiar with the use of mantras? Do you utilize mantras in your current practice?
- What deities have you been working with so far, in what ways, and for how long?
- What level of interest do you have in learning Sanskrit to the extent of learning tradition method of ritual worship?
(This is not a requirement, it is simply a query for our information.)
(Please note that Shakti Wicca's pantheon is Hindu-exclusive. Applicants are welcome to work with deities outside
of Hinduism in any local working circles they may be a part of, however the Shakti Wicca tradition is not eclectic
in the sense that deities from any culture are welcome to be used within our tradition.)
- Have you already completely read through the IndoWiccan material that has been posted on this website? Have you begun
integrating them, or have you already integrated similar practices into your personal practice? Please be specific and
provide a detailed account.
- Do you currently have a daily meditation &/or ritual practice? Please describe it in detail. If you do not, do you
have the time and scheduling abilities to begin one and commit fully to it? How would you propose incorporating this into
your life?
- Do you have the financial resources to keep up with any assigned readings, or required texts and material for the training
courses - many of which may not usually available through libraries, but may only readily available through online
book retailers, such as Amazon.com? If you do not, how do you propose to get the information and required materials?
Can you handle nominal enrolment fees for the online classes while in the Probationary phase of the mentorship
program?
(Please note that online classes requried for Probationers carry a nominal enrolment fee - $40 per class, with each class
lasting 3-4 months in length, and being designed and graded on a college/university level of material sophistication. There
are currently 2 required classes in the Probationary phase of the mentorship program.
Due to the nature of the Probationary process, there is a high risk of no-shows and drop-outs in the courses, which
makes it extremely frustrating for facilitators who donate a great deal of their time and energy to providing highly
individualized and in-depth feedback and guidance to each one of the students throughout the course.
The enrolment fee provides a modest amount of monetary compensation for the facilitator's time, and also goes
towards paying site maintenance fees - allowing Shakti Wicca mentors to constantly design and upload new courses,
while keeping the site generally bug-free and available online 24-7.
Once a Probationer has proven themselves ready, and goes through the dedication process becoming a First Degree member,
they will no longer be required to pay for additional training and will have full-access to the courses at The Lotus Academy
of Spiritual Arts, as well as have access to the dedicant-exclusive Shakti Wicca online community.)
- Are you comfortable with your computer skills in mediums such message boards, discussion forums, word processing programs,
online chat and messaging, etc?
- Are you willing and able to begin journalling all your experiences within Shakti Wicca, and submitting the bulk of them
to a facilitator?
- Are you prepared for and committed to spending 4-18 months as a Probationer gathering and mastering the required education
and skills to be considered for formal dedication?
- Do you have the time available to you that is necessary to enrol in and complete the required Probationer online
coursework, as outlined above?
- How many hours per week do you feel you can commit to studying the Probationer courses and participating in the online
classes?
When you have completed the questionnaire in detail, please send it to: Shakti Wicca.
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