We ask those questions, because our religion is important to us and we have to be certain that you will treat it with respect and honor. Since no Witchcraft Coven ever seeks out members, we must wait until seekers come to us.  And, they must convince us that they are sincere and dedicated to the search for truth. That is why we carefully screen all who come searching for initiation into the Craft.

"Croeso I Paganiaeth Cymreig". Welcome seeker.   Dynion Mwyn is the parent cenedl of a Welsh Tradional Craft located in North Wales. Our cenedl's focus is on the teaching of ancient Celtic mysteries with a healthy dose of information from other sources as well.

If you are interested in Witchcraft because you've just seen the film "The Craft", and want to have control over the boy/man ( or girl/woman) who's just ditched you, or you just watched an Tele episode of "Charmed", or you have seen "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and want to be able to change your dress in an instant, or you want to win the lottery, or you were watching reruns and "Bewitched" got you all excited about the prospects of twitching your nose, you've come to the right place; because we're going to do our best to discourage you!

If you have come here because you are interested in Witchcraft for excitement, wild sex, large silver pentacles, black gothic clothing, turning your mate in to a toad/your slave and going for self indulgence, you'll be very disappointed! That's not to say that Witches don't like excitement, large silver pentacles, black gothic clothing, turning your boy/girlfriend into their slave and having wild sex (after all I'm sure there are some kinky Witches out there!), but that's not what Witchcraft is about.

If you can honestly answer YES to MOST of the following questions then you may be Witch material.  We only seek a select few who would be compatible with the Old Ways.  This path is not for every pagan, witch, or magic worker.  (Thank you Ed Fitch for providing the basis for this list)

1. You are over 18.
2. You are not currently involved in a major trauma in your life at this time.
3. You honor both goddess and god and seek a balance in your life.
4. You are not ashamed of your mind, body, or spirit.
5. You tend toward the mystical and are very intuitive.
6. You prefer lineage and tradition over eclecticism and politically correct, feel-good rites. 7.  You know what a fluffy bunny pagan is and you don't want to be one.
8. You can live with learning the ancient mysteries over time, not instantaneously.
9. You can be both a leader and a follower.
10. You are ready to be involved in a group with a long history and high expectations.
11. You are ready to commit years, even decades to this path.
12. You are not a collector of initiations.
13. You do not join a group and then expect to alter its system, tradition, language, philosophies.
14. You are attracted to joining a Witchcraft tradition whose members are Interested in Learning, and not being the Witch Queen or King of the community.
15. You are unique and highly intelligent but not an oddball.
16. You have a healthy attitude toward sexuality and are neither a prude nor a libertine.
17. You keep your promises and do not break oaths, ever.
18. You can be silent even when sorely tempted to speak out and correct others.
19. You are ready to make an old Craft tradition an important part of your life.
20. You feel it's important to observe the turning of the wheel of the year.
21. You practice magick and observe the seasons, and know when the moon is waning or waxing.
22. You read a lot of books.
23. You are healthy.
24. You are not addicted to drugs or alcohol, and you are not currently in psychological therapy.
25. You don't whine, make excuses, or pass the buck.
26. You are considered by others as an "old soul."
27. You work for a living or have an independent income.
28. You want to work in a Celtic tradition primarily.
29. You are willing to train for a year and a day and can accept hierarchy as necessary to development.
30. You seek structure in your spiritual life but you can also be spontaneous and inventive.
31. You have learned other systems or experimented with reincarnation, tarot, runes, astrology, psychometry, metaphysics, energy projection, healing, sacred dance, etc.
32. You enjoy reading the mythology and folk tales of other countries, in particular, the stories of the six Celtic nations.
32. You feel that you would want to work with both sun and moon energies.
33. You are particularly attracted to the Welsh Goddess Cerridwen after reading "The Mabinogion" by Lady Charlotte Guest
34. You are ready for a deepening of your soul.
35. You have recently experienced a calling to Welsh or Celtic Witchcraft.
36. You know the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft - or can learn.

If you have answered yes to the above questions and can convince us of your sincerity, you may then join our Outer Circle of students, (which we call The Pagan Way) and we will give you the opportunity to begin introductory training. This instruction will introduce you to basic philosophy, magickal rites, healing rituals and religious practices of our Coven. When you complete the course of study, you may be accepted into one of our covens in your area if there is room, or we may allow you to form a study coven under our direction. If you continue with the study coven until you are initiated, and you become a High Priest or High Priestess, we will charter your group as a full-fledged Coven of  Dynion Mwyn.

Although Witchcraft contains elements of Healing, Magick, Knowledge, and yes - Power,  it is also about yourSpiritual Growth. So, if you are not interested in your own Spiritual Growth, and not interested in doing all the hard work involved in becoming a Witch, put this letter down, and read it when you are. We are serious about our religion and craft!

Once you start on this path, it will become an important part of your life. Being a Witch is a vocation, just as being a Doctor, Nurse or for that matter, the Priest of any other religion is, because that is what you are going to be: a Priest or a Priestess. In Christianity, a minister or Priest must work very hard to become the leader of a congregation. A Witch Priest or Priestess must work just as hard and just as long or even longer.

Once you are a Witch, although the door swings both ways, you can't undo what you've learned. It will be with you for the rest of your life. You will always "know" things and understand things others won't. You will feel things more.

There is a statement used during initiation; "thou must suffer in order to learn". There are no truer words. If you are accepted as a student, you will soon learn that during your year and a day study toward initiation, changes will occur in your life which may be very painful; for some it means their life being turned upside down for an entire year, after which they take their final vows to their deity to give service of the Gods. That year will hurt. But you will learn more about spirituality than you would have in the previous seven years.

At the end of the day, being a Witch is about service to the Lord and Lady, so you have to go through the pain of service. After all if there is No Pain: there will be No Gain! If you avoid the pain of initiation, who are you serving? The answer; no one but yourself. Uncomfortable yet? Having second thoughts? If yes, give up reading this now. If not, read further.

Some people make statements like: "Witches are born not made", and another that "Witches are made, not born". Neither is totally true. Yes, psychic ability does come easier to some people, but the majority of Witches learn the Knowledge of the Craft through hard work. If you can't do that, you can't be a Witch.

If you become a student, you will acquire this knowledge through hard work, study, and the practice of the Art through an ongoing craft structure preserved and continued in various forms and folkways from the days of our Pictish and Druidic ancestors, and before. You will learn that you never stop learning; that there is always more to learn, particularly about yourself.

Discipline and responsibility are cornerstones of our expectations. We require them no less from our students than we do from ourselves. In certain ways, our training and discipline bears a resemblance to the martial arts.

That is why we screen all who come to us looking for initiation into the Welsh Craft of the Wise. Always keep in mind that every true Witchcraft tradition strives to promote honor and trust among it's members.  We will therefore expect you to be honest, reliable, and honorable.

So, if you can convince us that you are sincere, and ready to work, we will give you the opportunity to begin introductory training. This instruction will introduce you to the basic philosophy, magickal rites, rituals and practices of our religion.

For our part, we will devote as much time and effort as it takes to help you become a Witch, but we will also expect certain things from you: we will expect you to complete your lessons in a reasonable length of time. If we ask you to return an exam in a month, we don't mean two.

When it comes time to be taught in person by an individual teacher, we will expect you to give him or her your complete attention as well as the courtesy and respect due an elder of the Craft. Therefore we will expect loyalty and honor to the Tradition to be your first mottos. These two words are part of the Twenty Three Virtues which you will be taught in your first year.

If you complete our course of study, you may be accepted into one of our covens in your area if there is room, or we will allow you to form a study coven under our direction. If you continue with the study coven until you are initiated, we will charter your group as a full-fledged Coven of Dynion Mwyn. To be chartered as a Coven is an honor, and shows your commitment.

Since then our tradition has initiated thousands of Witches, trained hundreds of Elders, High Priests and High Priestesses, and started many Covens. But even though Witchcraft is a popular religion, this knowledge is not for everyone's eyes.

Ancient Pictish Witches and Welsh Druids passed on their spiritual, mystical and magickal knowledge of the mysteries and beauty of Nature to our forefathers over a thousand years ago, and our tradition has existed in Wales in its purest form.  In 1967 it was taken to North America by a craft elder. Since then our tradition has initiated thousands of Witches, trained hundreds of Elders, High Priests and High Priestesses, and started many Covens. But even though Witchcraft is a popular religion, this knowledge is not for everyone's eyes, so we are careful whom we accept as a student.

Legend says that our tradition includes the Welsh Mysteries that were passed down toDynion Mwyn from an ancient priesthood. This legend also concerns the search for the Mystical Grail of Immortality. For this reason, we believe that Welsh Witchcraft, is one of the world's oldest Mystery traditions. The principal legends and secrets containing the language, symbols and main theme of the tradition, have changed little over the centuries. This legacy embodies our customs, history and religious sacraments.

Our Elders have developed a study program available to selected candidates for initiation. During your participation in these studies, you will be given tools to understand Nature and all its myriad aspects. As you learn these mysteries of Nature you will begin to understand the ways of Natural Magick. We regard Natural Magick as an integral part of our workings. Magick and psychic development are the tools we use to understand the Universe and all living things and to change the conditions of our life. We believe that Magick is the essence of creativity, that it is the energy of the God/dess and the nature spirits.

We will show you how to live in harmony with nature and its forces. In our teachings, we emphasis the creative aspects of the Great Spirit and stress the respect that you must have for these forces. You will learn various techniques of obtaining Psychic Inner awareness, through such techniques as meditation and rituals. This process will help you attain a higher form of consciousness, eventually leading to Spiritual Enlightenment. You will also discover a personal relationship with the Lord and Lady of Nature, unlike anything you have ever experienced. This worship of the God and Goddess, and the acknowledgement of their seasonal influences, is the heart and soul of our philosophy.

There are many who CALL themselves Witches or Wiccans, claim they are initiated, but in reality obtained their limited knowledge from reading a book. We call them I.R.A.B.s (I Read A Book). These people have very little to teach you, and you might want to be wary of them until you can discover what their motives are. There is nothing wrong with obtaining basic information from books written by reputable authors and researchers, but Witchcraft is a mystery religion and can endow the practitioner with magickal gifts. That is why certain aspects should only be taught by an initiate. We believe that Welsh Witchcraft can only be taught by someone who has been properly initiated, who is knowledgeable of the many facets of the old religion, and has been trained by those who know the Craft well. As in days of old, only true Witches are involved in the most magickal aspects of the ancient ceremonies, celebrating the Great Sabbats together, feasting and reveling.

At some point, a personal teacher will be assigned to you. You will be apprenticed to him or her for your studies and for any help that you may need. Your study in this Outer Circle has no time limit, but it is up to you to complete the requirements for initiation at the suggested pace. You will not advance to the Inner Circle by cutting corners. Indeed you must realize that the completion of the requirements will not mean an automatic and instant initiation into the Inner Circle. That will only come when your personal teacher has given us his or her approval.

As to coven hierarchy, our ranking officers are the High Priest and High Priestess. According to traditional Witch Laws, their word is law in the coven, since they have years of experience in these matters. They are assisted by other senior members of the coven or grove, whose rank will be explained to you at a later time. Our leadership does not rule with an Iron Fist. The ultimate decision for solving personal problems between contending parties that cannot be resolved through mediation, resides with the coven council.

A word of advice before we go any further - all Witchcraft and Wicca traditions have their critics just as other spiritual groups may. Fundamental Christians represent one kind of critic, but there are others. There are always those who would pretend to study our tradition, but cannot pass the written or oral requirements, or maintain the discipline and standards of learning that the Welsh Tradition demands.

Because they cannot advance, instead of recognizing their unreadiness for involvement in the Craft, and choosing a different path, they become bitter and resentful; attacking the tradition or it's leaders personally and spreading false rumors about them. This is their way of hurting the tradition or religion that they think "rejected" them. This occurs in all religions and all cultures.

We have only one thing to say about this "Caveat Emptor" - "Let the buyer beware".  Follow your heart and your common sense when looking for a teacher.

The methods used in your training will be manifold: you will receive written lessons as well as oral teachings. You will experience hands-on training and trial by ordeal. All of these styles will serve to strengthen and educate you in different ways.

You will find that as you ultimately reach higher levels of involvement, seekers will come to you for help and instruction, and you must be strong in the ways of the craft in order to assist them. Your instruction will initially take the form of a Introductory class which you will be expected to attend if you live within forty miles of Kennesaw, Georgia. If you live in Georgia, but can't attend classes, we will expect you to take the correspondence course, and then make a trip to Kennesaw once a month for individual instruction. If you live in another state, and cannot travel to Georgia, then you will be expected to take the correspondence courses until such time as one of our teaching Covens has room or you start a Study group and the form a Coven of your own (under the direction of one of our teachers of course).

Another facet of your training will be "trial by Ordeal", in which your teachers will place you in situations to gauge your reactions. These are tests of character and of courage. You should see them as being as much a benefit for you as for us. The greatest power involves knowing yourself and your limitations, and then strive to exceed them. These tests have proven difficult for many students in the past, but they will not harm you.

Have you changed your mind? Have we discouraged you yet? Still with us? If you are and you still feel you would like to continue, then you should take the next step on your search.

Go to the following sites and read all information contained therein:

http://www.dynionmwyn.net/bos.html

http://www.dynionmwyn.net/welsh1.html   and read about Y Dynion Mwyn, our sister coven in the states.

http://www.dynionmwyn.net/dynionmwyn/lesson1/thirteen1.html   this is a Home Study Course prepared by a craft elder.

http://www.dynionmwyn.net/QUEST/QUEST.html   read this book as soon as possible.

"All right I've read these pages, and I still want to continue. What do I do now?" If you are still interested in learning more about our way, complete the questionnaire below, and the Auxillery Membership form, attach a letter, telling us why you wish to become involved in Welsh Witchcraft, describe yourself in detail, and send a photo of yourself for psychometry. Return these items, a large self addressed envelope and $15.95 U.S. for postage and printing to: Dynion Mwyn, P.O. Box 672125, Marietta, GA 30006-0036.  Wait approximately four to six weeks and then e-mail Lady Cerridwen and ask if you have been accepted.