GALDRAHEIM COVEN

Our lineage, origins and beginnings

High Priestess- Pauline Tickhill..  High Priest- Alan Tickhill

Galdraheim coven was originally founded in 1978 as a loosely organised group of  5 like-minded, Wiccan inclined, Pagan  people, all of whom had been exploring magick and spiritual matters individually before that.

By 1981 it was obvious that we were going to walk the paths of the wise for the rest of our lives, and so a more coherent Coven structure began to grow from the ceremonies we were performing, and festivals we were celebrating together, and the knowledge we were gleaning from books, moots and talking with other Pagans and Witches.

In 1982-83 we formally declared ourselves a Coven and decided upon the name of 'Galdraheim'- which means "Home of chanted magick". At this point we were not formally aligned with any tradition and worked our rituals within what are known as eclectic forms. We drew for inspiration mostly from Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and other Northern European traditions and mythologies, but wove in anything that worked for us.

1983: In this year my wife Pauline and I  met and were initiated by a British Traditional High Priestess - Sally Taylor, and her High Priest David Mapley. Sally had been initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in New Zealand, and then she was initiated 1st, 2nd and 3rd degrees by Maxine Sanders and David Goddard in Britain.  Sally was further instructed and assisted through the grade of Adeptus Minor by Alex Sanders- the father of the Alexandrian tradition. 

Sally was also granted the title of "Queen of the Kentish Witches " by Alex Sanders in recognition of her work for the Craft, and that she was, and continues to be, the leading Wiccan in the South of Britain.

David Mapley was initiated originally with Sally by Maxine and David, and then was raised to the 3rd degree by Sally with Phil' Raymond (Algard), a Welsh High Priest.

We were initiated to the first degree by Sally and David, and then after a period of training and learning we were jointly initiated 2nd and 3rd degree in recognition of how much experience we had gained through our previous work with Galdraheim Coven, and of our capacities within the tradition into which we had been initiated.

Galdraheim Coven has continued to flourish since those beginnings, and a considerable number of people have trained, developed and worked in our circle through those years. The core group of High Priestess, High priest and Elder has formed the core since our beginnings in 1978- a span of 22 years, that not many Wiccan covens can rival.

Within this 22 years we have compiled a powerful body of rituals, ceremonies, spells, lore and Wiccan-craft. I personally have written a lot of articles for Pagan and Wiccan magazines, written two privately printed books- one on the basic principles of magick- "The Apogeton", another about the Year Wheel festivals- "The Wheel of the Year",  produced and/or co-written a number of teaching booklets, and contributed to books by other people. Including "The life & times of a modern Witch" by Stewart and Janet Farrar, and recently also completed- "Wicca-The Craft of the Wise". Which is fully detailed elsewhere on this web site.

Blessed Be

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