Becoming a Member of the

Northern California Local Council

We invite Witches and Covens who live or meet in our area to join our Local Council.

The membership area of the Northern California Local Council extends from the Santa Cruz area through Central and Northern California and also includes adjacent areas of Oregon and Nevada.

Before applying to join NCLC, we encourage you to:

Read about NCLC in this section

Read about the Covenant of the Goddess in the About CoG menu section

Let us know of your interest, and any questions you have

first@cog-nclc.org

As a Member of NCLC, you can…

Connect with other Witches in your area and other parts of the US and Canada
Be as public or private as you wish
Have a say in who speaks for Witches and the Craft
Obtain clergy credentials based on the particular requirements of your tradition
Join with other Witches to do projects
Create community rituals in partnership
Participate in governing the Covenant of the Goddess

Non-Discrimination Policy

From the National Policy Manual, which was adopted by consensus of the membership

It is policy to admit to membership in the Covenant of the Goddess qualified covens and individuals as member covens and Solitaries without reference to citizenship or country of residence. A potential applicant applies to a particular local council, or to the National Membership Officer, if no local council exists where s/he resides. The local council cannot refuse membership on the basis of tradition, race, gender, sexual preference, age, disability, citizenship, or by country of origin or residence of applicants.

Eligibility

For Individuals

Generally focus theology, liturgy, and practice around the worship of the Goddess, or the Goddess and the Old Gods
Subscribe to a code of ethics compatible with CoG’s Code of Ethics
Be recognized as being a member of Our Religion by whichever members are already familiar with the person

Bylaws on Individual Membership

Criteria for Membership in an Assembly of Individual Members [GC2019 changed Solitaires to Individual Members]
In order to be eligible for membership as a member of an Assembly of Individual Members, an Individual practitioner of Our Religion must meet the following criteria which must be addressed in each applicant’s Statement of Practice:
a. be recognized as being in fact a member of Our Religion by whichever members in good standing are already familiar with the practitioner and proclaim her or himself as a Witch or Wiccan in the Statement of Practice;
b. subscribe to a code of ethics which is compatible with those in Article 9. Ethics, Section B. Code of Ethics, of these Bylaws;
c. generally, focus her or his liturgy, theology, and practice around the worship of the Goddess or the Goddess and the Old Gods;
d. pledge to abide by all provisions of the Charter, these Bylaws, and all policy decisions of the Council; and
e. agree to hold harmless any Officer or Committee of the Covenant or any member of the Officers, Governing Board, or Committee Members for actions taken in their official capacities.

For Covens

A coven is a cohesive group of three or more Witches
who meet (in person) monthly or more often for worship focused on the Goddess, or the Goddess and the Old Gods.
The group must subscribe to a code of ethics compatible with CoG’s Code of Ethics.
The group contains at least one member who is eligible to receive Elder Priest/ess Credentials.
The group must proclaim itself as being Witches or Wiccans in its Statement of Practice,
The group must be recognized as a Coven of Our Religion by whichever CoG members are already familiar with it.

Bylaws on Coven Membership

In order for the Covenant to be viable as an instrument of the joint will of its Members, a Coven, to be eligible for membership in the Covenant, must meet the following criteria, which must be addressed in each applicant’s Statement of Practice:
a. be recognized as being in fact a Coven of members of Our Religion by whichever Regular Members are already familiar with it and its members; and proclaim themselves as Witches or Wiccans in the Statement of Practice;
b. be a cohesive, self-perpetuating group fully able to practice and preserve its Tradition of Our Religion;
c. subscribe to a code of ethics compatible with that in Article 9. Ethics, Section B. Code of Ethics, of these Bylaws;
d. generally, focus its liturgy, theology, and so on around the worship of the Goddess or the Goddess and the Old Gods;
e. have three or more members who have been formally accepted into training for the Clergy;
f. have at least one member who is eligible to receive Elder Priest/ess Credentials according to the provisions of Article 7. Credentials, Section B. Criteria for Obtaining Credentials, Subsection 2. Elder Priest/ess Credentials, paragraphs b., c., and d. of these Bylaws;
g. have been meeting monthly or more often for at least six months in order to conduct worship services;
h. pledge to abide by all the provisions of the Charter, these Bylaws, and all policy decisions of the Council; and
i. agree that the Coven and all its members will hold harmless any Officer or Committee of the Covenant or any member of the Officers, Governing Board, or Committee Members for actions taken in their official capacities.

Bylaws on Elder Credentials

In order to be eligible to receive Elder Priest/ess Credentials, clergy of Our Religion shall:
a. Be an active Member of a Coven that is a Member in good standing; or be a Member in good standing of either a Local Council Assembly of Individual Members or the National Assembly of Individual Members.
b. Satisfy the criteria b, c, and d of Article 7. Credentials, Section B. Criteria for Obtaining Credentials, Subsection 1. Priest/ess Credentials,
c. Have undergone at least one additional full year of active training for the ministry, after the year specified in Section B. Criteria for Obtaining Credentials, Subsection 1. Priest/ess Credentials of this Article and
d. Be in fact fully able to establish a coven, admit members to it, and train them in all the tenets and practices of her or his tradition of Our Religion.

In order to actually receive Elder Priest/ess Credentials, a person shall in addition to the requirements listed in Paragraph 2 above:
e. attest to a competent knowledge of the duties of clergy members as mandated reporters under the laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which they practice. [GC2022]
f. Be in fact able to educate coven members who are applying for Priest/ess Credentials in their responsibilities as mandated reporters under the laws of the jurisdictions(s) in which they practice. To this end, the Covenant provides educational resources on this and other responsibilities of the clergy. [GC2022]

Code of Ethics

The following shall constitute the Code of Ethics of the Covenant:

Every person associated with this Covenant shall respect the autonomy and sovereignty of each Coven, as well as the right of each Coven to oversee the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical development of its

An ye harm none, do as ye will.
Since Our Religion and the arts and practices peculiar to it are the gift of the Goddess, membership, and training in a Coven of members of Our Religion are bestowed free, as gifts, and only on those persons who are deemed worthy to receive them; nevertheless, a Coven may expect each of its members to bear a fair share of its ordinary operating expenses.
All persons have the right to charge reasonable fees for the services by which they earn a living, so long as Our Religion is not thereby exploited.
Members in their own way and shall exercise reasonable caution against infringing upon that right in any way.
All persons associated with the Covenant shall respect the traditional secrecy of Our Religion.
Members of Our Religion should ever keep in mind both its underlying unity and the diversity of its manifestations and should make clear on any communications just whom they are speaking for or about.
These ethics shall be understood and interpreted in light of one another, and especially in light of traditional laws of Our Religion.
Governing Board Representatives, National Officers, or appointees are morally obligated to recuse themselves from any adjudicatory decision in which there is a perceived problem of partiality.

Application

Letters of Recommendation
Along with the formal application to join NCLC, the applicant will present two letters of recommendation from Witches known to CoG, who are acquainted with the applicant. If the applicant does not know whom to ask, NCLC members may help. Under some circumstances, an applicant may be admitted provisionally with a single letter of recommendation and obtain the second letter during the first year of membership.

Statement of Practice
The required Statement of Practice must state that the applicant is a Witch or Wiccan or Coven of Witches or Wiccans, and subscribes to a code of ethics compatible with CoG’s. Other information about practice may vary depending on whether a coven or an individual is applying and how the applicant practices Our Religion. NCLC’s Membership Officer can give advice on writing a Statement of Practice. The Policy Manual also contains recommendations on what to include.

Policy Manual on SOP

STATEMENT OF PRACTICE describes in general terms Who you worship, how you celebrate, how often you meet, what Sabbats you celebrate, how long you have been active in the Craft, how and from whom you received your training, what tradition, (if any) you follow, your relationship to the Wiccan Rede, and other information that lets other members of the Covenant understand your practice of our religion. You must pledge to abide by COG‘s Ethics, Charter, Bylaws and policies, and you must state that you are Wiccan or a Witch.

Statements of Practice
The statement of practice from a group applying for membership must contain the statement that they are Witches. (1989)
Applicants must state that they:

consider themselves to be Witches or Wiccans,
uphold our ethical standards, and
support our charter and bylaws, in addition to the other information they provide in the statement. (1996)

Tithe (Donation)
The Covenant of the Goddess is a volunteer organization whose ordinary operating expenses are contributed by its members. Most of the expenses of NCLC are also covered by donations from NCLC members. Donations are tax-deductible. In order that the organization be open to every Witch, NCLC and CoG maintain Grace of the Goddess funds to pay the tithe for members who cannot afford them.

Current Yearly Membership Tithe: 11/1/2024–10/31/2025
(Partial years are prorated)
Coven $110-$170 (CoG), $25 (NCLC).
Individual $50-$90 (CoG), $10 (NCLC)
For further information, contact first@cog-nclc.org

Definitions

Active Involvement

At least a year and a day of sustained, face-to-face involvement and in-person training with a teacher or a Coven and its members, including becoming initiated or otherwise considered a “full Member” of the Coven by that Coven’s tenets of our religion.

Coven Contact

The individual designated by a Member Coven to receive Covenant communications on behalf of that Coven.

Tradition

A particular denomination of Witchcraft/Wicca/The Craft. When forming a local council, a minimum of three Covens of at least two different traditions is mandated by these Bylaws. For the purposes of ensuring diversity within a new Local Council, the two traditions must not be founded by any single living source in common.

Another way of looking at it:

For the purposes of CoG membership, a tradition consists of the ritual practices, ethical standards, mode of self-governance, outlook, and customs which a coven imparts to its members. A tradition may consist of multiple covens which have a common origin and shared lore. Equally, a tradition may be unique to a single coven.

A Local Council must contain covens from more than one tradition.