The Forest's Edge Tradition
About
From the TFE blog
The Forest’s Edge is an enchanted threshold between this world and the otherworld, between civilization and the wild. We witches of the Forest’s Edge honor all that is betwixt and between, neither wholly one thing nor the other. We honor an enspirited world through the Presences of the gods, ancestors, fae and nature spirits.
From windswept cliffs to verdant valleys, we walk an eclectic path of green witchcraft. Through priestcraft, spellcraft, hedgecraft, fellowship and celebration we teach our hearts to beat with the rhythms of the seasons. The members of our small tradition form an extended family of wild witches, hedge witches, hearth witches and cunning men and women who draw from ancient traditions and creative inspirations that authentically reflect our lives. Together we honor wholeness and dynamic balance.
We strive to learn and develop throughout our lives, ever deepening our spiritual practices and transforming ourselves. We honor the multicultural influences of our members and support one another in cultivating our individual spiritual ancestries as well as our collective spiritual ancestry. As green witches we strive to live ethically, honoring our connections to humankind and all of the natural world.
Each witch is an individual on a unique spiritual path of empowerment through self-understanding and of partnership with sacred creation. In a sense, each witch in our tradition is solitary, cultivating both a meaningful personal practice and a growing, fulfilling connection with the tradition community. Following their inner promptings, some members also choose to form local covens and/or host local, open events in their geographical area. In the Nashville area tradition members gather to hedgeride (our language for shamanic style journeying), socialize, perform rites of passage, etc. The Forest’s Edge has solitaries, students and one circle in the Nashville area, with other members scattered across the globe.
What The Forest's Edge Means To Us
I found The Forest's Edge at a time in my life when I was very stuck in my spiritual path. I felt that I could go no farther as a solitary witch and was finally ready to delve into the unknown world of praticing in a group. When searching for a group it was very important to me that they not be a part of a specific 'religion' or path. I was not looking for a group of Wiccans or Traditional Witchcraft practitioners. I did not want to be told that I had to have a definition for my path or what kind of Pagan I was. I am ecletic, ever changing and evolving, growing into something different with every lesson learned. I wasn't even sure if a group that would fit my unique path even existed. I finally found The Forest's Edge, hidden in some obscure part of the pagan interweb. I knew as soon as I read the description of the group that this could be for me, but I tried my best not to get my hopes up. A phone call and a meeting in person with one of the founders cinched the deal for me. Here was my Tribe, a clan of very different people from vary different backgrounds that embraced each other as they were and strove to move forward together. Each ritual, holiday, and gathering teaches me something new and sends me down new paths of knowledge and thought. From the light hearted dance around the may pole to the intense experience of meeting The Morrigan, we celebrate all the varied facets of this path we walk and form a unique bond that only those of The Forest's Edge can find.
-Silver
Solitary study and practice has always been a defining part of my worship and witchcraft. But when I am solitary I also long for the connection of like minded people. The connection of people with the same goals in mind and similar beliefs. I have previous experience with a group and enjoyed the connection and undestanding from others that have a similar life experience in regards to their spiritual practice. After being solitary and doing some introspective soul searching for a number of years I felt it became clear that I needed to find a group where I could find a deeper spiritual connection and an oppurtunity to grow on a personal experiential level. I did a search on the internet and I found the Forests Edge. After a meeting with a couple members I knew this could be the spiritual connection I was looking for. From the first Sabbat, a super intense Samhain, I felt that this was the group for me. They are a group that encourages exploration of all facets of witchraft, both internal and external, "dark" and "light". The encouragement to define your own spirituality and the ability to grow in your own practice while being a part of a group has been invaluable to my own growth and learning. It is a place of spiritual growth through the personal experiences in a group setting. It is wonderful to have this freedom in a group without the constraints of specific spiritual or divine path.
-Ayda