The Covenant of the Goddess adopts formal position on environmental issues.

  

The Covenant of the Goddess

P.O. Box 12193, San Bernardino, CA 92423-2193

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA - On Aug. 22 the Covenant of the Goddess (CoG), a 39-year-old national organization representing Witches and Wiccans, adopted a formal statement and policy regarding the environment. Approved on Friday at the yearly national business meeting, the statement reads:

We, members of the Covenant of the Goddess, honor the sacredness of Planet Earth and Mother Nature. 

We honor the powers of Air and we rejoice in breathing fresh air and in all the creatures of air. We support efforts to protect the atmosphere that shields our planet and to ensure that our air is clean and refreshing.

We honor the fire of the Sun above and the fire within our Earth -- the fires that warm us and transform us. We support efforts to provide sustainable energy to fuel our future without further damaging our ecosystem.

We honor the Waters of Life – springs, rivers, lakes and oceans – and the waters of our bodies – blood, sweat and tears --the waters that keep our bodies and our dreams fluid and ever-changing. We cherish all the creatures of water. We believe that access to clean water is a basic right, and thus we oppose privatization of water sources and efforts to deny anyone access to those sources. We support efforts to prevent and reverse pollution of our waters, to preserve groundwater, marshlands and the oceans that embrace our world.

We honor the Earth, our bodies, trees and plants, animals and rocks, and all that is manifest on this plane of existence. We support efforts to remediate damage, to conserve natural resources, to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity, and to maintain wilderness areas.

We stand at the Center, mindful of our interdependence as part of the Web of Life. We commit to support efforts to rebalance our wondrous world for future generations.

We know that climate change presents an imminent threat to humanity and other life on Earth. Since this imbalance is caused by human activity, we humans must accept responsibility for our actions and seek to reverse the damage and restore the balance.

We support local, regional, national, and global efforts to conserve natural resources, to seek clean, sustainable sources of energy, and to rebalance our world.

The CoG environmental statement was originally proposed and developed by longtime member and national CoG interfaith representative M. Macha NightMare (Aline O'Brien.) She said, "It gives me a great sense of accomplishment that we, the Witches of the Covenant of the Goddess, have crafted a statement about our beloved Mother Earth that reflects our shared values and expresses our mutual concern for our planet, as well as our responsibilities for its current state and our hope for the future. Having this official statement on behalf of the entire membership will be immensely helpful to those of us who work in interfaith arenas. I am proud to have it to share.

For more information about the environmental statement or Covenant of the Goddess, contact Heather Greene, pio@cog.org

The Covenant of the Goddess is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that has represented Witches and Wiccans for 39 years. Beginning in 1975, the Covenant of the Goddess has worked diligently to secure legal protection for Witches and Wiccans, provide ministerial credentials, offer education through interfaith outreach or collaboration, and foster community within its membership. For more information go to www.cog.org 

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Covenant of the Goddess prepares for its first Merry Meet conference in Atlanta

For Immediate Release

In two weeks, Covenant of the Goddess will be hosting its yearly convention, Merry Meet, in Atlanta Georgia, from Aug. 21-24. The event is not only a festive learning experience; it is also the all-important annual business meeting for the 39-year-old nonprofit Pagan organization.  

The first Merry Meet was held in 1981 in California. At that time, the organization was still young and building its network. Since that time, Merry Meet has been held in a variety of different cities and venues across the country. The exact location is chosen by a bidding process two years in advance. Last year, the event was held in the historic city of Salem, Massachusetts. Next year, Merry Meet will be in Ontario, California. 

The event's organizers are typically members of a CoG local council or simply area members. This year's event is being organized by Dogwood Local Council (DLC), based in Atlanta, GA. Coincidentally, 2014 marks DLC's 20th anniversary as an organized local CoG representative, supporting Wiccans and Witches in Georgia and Alabama.

Merry Meet 2014 will be hosted at the Crown Plaza Ravinia in Dunwoody, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Outside of the CoG business meeting, Dogwood has planned two days worth of workshops, a drumming ritual, a masquerade dance, and a Kirtan concert. Local vendors will be also be on hand with a variety of products ranging from handmade soaps and besoms; to tie-dye clothing and crystal potpourri. 

In addition, DLC is hosting a Leadership Institute, as is traditional, on the day before the conference.  Held at the beautiful Chattahoochee Nature Center, the program, called "Standing on Common Ground," will focus on the importance of interfaith work. During the day, several of CoG's Interfaith representatives (including, Rachael Watcher, Don Frew and Macha Nightmare), along with members of Atlanta's interfaith community, will be sharing their experiences and wisdom.

DLC has also invited special guest, Circle Sanctuary's Rev. Selena Fox, to attend the leadership institute and conference. She will be sitting on the interfaith panel, speaking at the hotel during dinner, and offering a workshop on Saturday called Pagan Death Passages.  

In conjunction with Merry Meet, Selena will also be offering a second workshop on cauldrons at Phoenix & Dragon bookstore in Sandy Springs. Although this is not an official part of CoG's conference, bookstore owner Candace Apple, has invited Merry Meet guest to attend the Thursday night event. She is also giving every registered Merry Meet guest a $10.00 gift certificate to be used in her metaphysical store.

Members and non-members are invited to attend. Passes for Merry Meet are still available through DLC's website. Tickets to Thursday's Leadership Institute are $50.00 and include lunch. Day passes for the conference are $100.00 per day and are all-inclusive. See the site for more details on each day's events.

For more information about DLC or the upcoming Merry Meet Conference, go to its main website. 

For more information about CoG or any of its local councils, go to www.cog.org

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News From Around the Covenant of the Goddess

Around CoG

Live Oak Local Council

Live Oak LC sent two members to help break the Guinness World Record for simultaneous sandwich making. The event was held in Dallas Feb. 22 and the effort was a success. Nineteen hundred people showed up. All 136,000 sandwiches were donated to the Food Banks that Live Oak normally works with such as NTFB and SoupMobile. Read more here.

Northern California Local Council



PantheaCon 2014 is now over and NCLC members can look back at another successful convention. Each year NCLC hosts a suite jointly with the New Wiccan Church and the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn. NCLC first officers said, "NCLC is grateful for the generosity of CoG members in other parts of the country who donated toward the expenses of the Hospitality Suite. Their help made this project much easier." 

NCLC members M. Macha Nighmare and Crystal Blanton will be participating in an "Alternative Spirituality" Panel on March 8 at the 2nd Annual Day of the Book. The event is held at John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California and hosted by its Liberal Studies program.  For more information go this website.

Dogwood Local Council

Merry Meet 2014 Registration went live on Sunday February 24. Dogwood is looking vendors, workshop participants, sponsors and more. Follow the Merry Meet progress on Facebook.  Or go to Dogwood's website.

Dogwood Local Council will be attending the yearly Atlanta Pagan Market Place of Ideas held in Marietta GA each spring. The day-long indoor festival attracts people from all over the metro area and includes vendors, workshops and more.

Chamisa Local Council

This past Sunday Ardantane Pagan Learning Center, operated and supported by members of Chamisa Local Council, held its annual Ardantane Visioning Day. "Each year we gather to celebrate Ardantane’s past, do a reality check on the present, and imagine the possible futures of this community and its campus...[It is] one day to let our imaginations soar, and to discover our dreams and goals for the year ahead."

Registration has opened for Beltane Southwest 2014. "Join the merriment and celebrate spring's return to the Land of Enchantment!  Dance around the Maypole, cheer the May Royals, jump over the Bale Fire, enjoy workshops, vendors, feasting, drumming, dancing, and other rites of spring.  Beltane will be held May 1-4, 2014 in the Manzano Mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico."  Chamisa members regularly enjoy this seasonal event, serve on its Board and act as May King and Queen. For more information contact NMBeltane@gmail.com

Covenant of the Goddess: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Samhain has come and gone.  The weather is cooling off and the leaves are changing color.  As the seasonal tides turn, so do those of Covenant of the Goddess (CoG). On November 1^st, the newly elected National Board took office to help steer the organization through yet another year of advocacy and adventure.  This date also marks CoG’s 38^th birthday having been officially founded on October 31^st of 1975.

Over the past year, CoG and its local councils found themselves doing incredible outreach work in so many areas. A very small sampling of this work included:

•        Financially supporting the Council for the Parliament of World Religions, Cherry Hill Seminary and Ardantane.
•          Attending interfaith conventions and working with local and national interfaith groups.  (For details see CoG’s own Interfaith Blog)
•          Acting locally as advocates for Pagan rights in cases of religious freedom. (e.g. Florida’s Kyrja Whithers and Pahokee Summer Solstice Festival) 
•          Communicating with the media and others to offer supportive information and corrective feedback at a national level (e.g. Fox News, CNN and Facebook)  
•          Representing Wiccans and Witches in Global forums and within our local communities.
•          Acting as chaplains in prison and military environments.
•          Working with and showing support for Lady Liberty League and The Pagan Federation International
•          Attending and sponsoring Pagan Pride Events, local classes and seasonal festivals.

In August, CoG held its yearly conference, Merry Meet and Grand Council, in the historic town of Salem.  During the event the members held an impromptu ritual to honor those killed in the name of witchcraft.  During that ritual onlookers gathered and some even joined in the work.  It was a high-point in the year for many of members.

Our social media presence has more than doubled since last year. In mid December we had 9,287 Facebook likes, no Pinterest account and only 37 followers on Twitter.  A year later, we have 21,332 Facebook likes, 217 CoGTweet followers and 125 CogPins followers.

As we move into the Yule season, we will begin our festive postings “Yuletide with CoG” to share the warmth of the season from our members to the greater community.  

For more information about Covenant of the Goddess, please go to our main website at www.cog.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.  If you’d like to donate to our members’ outreach work, you can do so through by contacting any of our local councils, our national officers or through PayPal’s Giving Fund or eBay’s Giving Works (both formerly called Mission Fish.)