How You Become a member

This is the Year of the Goddess

Disglair Bendithion! Ymofynnydd Annwyl: (Bright Blessings) (Dear Seeker)

Croeso I Paganiaeth Cymreig. Welcome seeker.   I am a member of the tradition of Dynion Mwyn. This article is in response to your obvious search for a spiritual home in a Witchcraft coven or grove.. 

WELSH WITCHCRAFT

  PURPOSE

Dynion Mwyn is a Welsh Tradition of Witchcraft established in the United States in 1967, and is the basis for  the Y Tylwyth Teg tradition which was legally incorporated as a church in the state of Georgia in 1977 by Lord Rhuddlwm Gawr. (Go to ORIGINS) The Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn, Inc. was also incorporated to provide a legal basis for the Dynion Mwyn tradition.  We have been recognized as a church by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and an Administrative Court of the United States federal government.  Dynion Mwyn  has three major goals:

To provide a haven for those who believe in the Welsh God and Goddess, worshipping them, and keeping their Sabbats sacred;

Members share a philosophy of belief that all life is interconnected and sacred. This belief is the heart of our religion. Following the Welsh Witches Way involves applying and living this belief, which has evolved and developed over the past thousand years. A central part of this philosophy is the observance of eight seasonal festivals during the year, resulting in deep connections built between ourselves and the Gods of of Nature and Spirit.  At other times we meet to work, study, meditate and enjoy each other's company. These meetings are called Circles and are usually held every two weeks.  Additionally, Esbats - Moon Rituals, are held at the time of the Full Moon every month.  Individual members and Covens exist in many countries worldwide. For more information, send an e-mail to:CONTACT    Back to the top

  HOW WE ARE ORGANIZED

Dynion Mwyn has grown to be an international religious movement and has numerous sister covens throughout the United States, Africa, Australia and Western Europe including Great Britain. The Church is organized around an Inner and Outer Circle, with the Outer Circle representing those members who are studying for initiation and the Inner Circle which is composed of Initiated witches. The Coven of Dynion Mwyn has both resident and correspondence study courses available for seekers wishing to learn more about our tradition and possibly become initiated. In order to be initiated, a student must be personally taught by a high priest or High priestess certain amount of face to face training is required. No one is initiated by correspondence. The tradition practiced  is Dynion Mwyn

Training in Y Dynion Mwyn consists of Levels or stages of instruction.  Each Level has its own initiation which is performed with others in a Circle or Grove.  The first three levels are:

• The Witch
  Initiation into the first Level is followed with work on the healing and divinatory skills of the Y Dynion Mwyn, a study of sacred sites and trees, animals and plants. This level takes you on a journey through the cycle of the year.

• The Priesthood
  This Level introduces you to the advanced concepts of Witchcraft and shows you a living Way that can be taught in the modern world, bringing a greater sense of connection with all of nature, and with the ancient heritage of the Celtic wisdom/tradition. The initiate learns to teach and lead.

• The High Priesthood
  In this Level, the teachings continue with the study of the Celtic Grail myths and are particularly concerned with helping each member find their true direction and purpose in life. The initiate is becoming an Elder.

Among the many characteristics that distinguish Y Dynion Mwyn from other traditions of Witchcraft are: a strong emphasis on the shamanic trance experience, through drumming, meditation, and sensual awareness; the acknowledgment of an ecstatic journey to Faerieland through the art of Shape-Shifting; a path of sexual mysticism; the use of the Welsh language, bardic poetry and liturgical material in ritual and worship; acknowledgment of Welsh deities and archetypes specific to the Tradition;. a strong identification with the realms of Fairy; the generation of Fairy Power; a unique assignment of the elements of air, earth, fire, and water to the four directions; the principle of the Three Selves; a robe and cingulum of specific colors which represents the level or degree of attainment; visualization of a blue flame of protection; a tribal and clan experience in the coven; and veneration of the warrior ethic. Our tradition does not coddle the weak, support those who are insincere, or tolerate dishonor. Y Dynion Mwyn is gender equal.

Because of an ecstatic Shamanistic emphasis, there is more risk of mental disturbance than in Wiccan traditions, which only work with the fertility aspect. There are uncertain boundaries and unseen dangers in this dimension of the spirit which we call Faerieland because the Trance State takes us into a different state of reality. Tree Spirits, Gnomes and fairies dwell there, and you must be careful how you deal with them. For this reason, our tradition is not for everybody, and it is not open to mass attendance.

The Y Dynion Mwyn religious philosophy includes a deep respect for the wisdom of Nature, a love of natural beauty, a manifestation of bardic creativity, and the practice of Celtic Shamanism. This is in contrast to traditions which practice only psychodrama through ritual.

Y Dynion Mwyn , in common with other initiatory traditions of the Craft is a mystery religion of Love, Knowledge and Power, resulting in the mystery of physical, mental and spiritual ecstasy, and a direct communication with the divine. Our Gods are not forces from the collective unconscious; they are REAL. Thus, we have the responsibility to respect them and help them just as we do to our human Mother and Father.

Y Dynion Mwyn uses a specific collection of Welsh chants and ritual tradition, which provide a framework for our Circles. The Magickal events are triggered by the participants entering into a psychic state of sensitivity. Rituals are diverse and passed down from the ancient Welsh tribe of Dynion Mwyn, although we have borrowed from other Celtic sources as well. Y Dynion Mwyn has a initiatory lineage, traceable to the Bards of Prince Llewellyn of Wales.

To discover the origins of British Wicca and Welsh Witchcraft, go to http://www.dynionmwyn.net/SecretHistory.html

HOW DO YOU BECOME A MEMBER

o, You want to be a Witch?  Why?  What do you have to offer us and the Craft?  Are you trustworthy?   Are you loyal?  Are you sincere? 

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 a Georgia, USA based cenedl of a Welsh Tradition. The parent cenedl is 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.

What will you get out of the study of Welsh Witchcraft? You will have the satisfaction of knowing you are serving an ancient creed which you believe to be true...to some there is the fun of belonging to a secret society.   If you have any power, you are among people who will teach you how to use it. One of our elders said: "My life holds infinite possibilities, and is entirely satisfying to me on all planes of consciousness. I have power to move in other dimensions and realms of being. I have communication with entities of different life forms, and by the development of new and magic gifts within myself I have certain powers of ESP. I have knowledge and the ability to bring about anything I really want in my own life: I experience forms of pleasures whose very existence is unknown to the majority of people. I have conquered fear. I have learned of the ordered pattern behind apparently unrelated things."

You may also receive the knowledge necessary to become a Priest or Priestess...legal Pagan Clergy.

I would like to explain the process we use to select those seekers we believe are truly interested in the craft as a spiritual "way". This process is a necessary step in weeding out those who are just curious and not serious. We have covens in almost every country of the World. Most of them have long waiting lists. So, you have limited choices: 1) you can wait for an opening, 2) you can join an on-line study group, or 3) you can join or start a Study Group in your area with our support. The local study group could gradually become a Y Dynion Mwyn coven. If you start a local study group, we would refer other seekers to this group if they also reside in your area. If you have little interest in becoming an initiated Witch but are very interested in Welsh Witchcraft, join the DM General  on-line study group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMGeneral/join

The craft is a way of life, not just a hobby to fill up the spare hours of your day. By taking our time and looking at each applicant as if we would be spending the rest of our lives with them, we have time to sift through all the e-mail notes and letters we receive, to find the ones we feel are truly serious. Hopefully this delay will also give you time to decide if the craft is something you really wish to become involved in, or if you just want to satisfy your curiosity. By giving you the time to reflect, hopefully we can both find a good match.

Over time, as we find out more about you and you find out more about us, we can come to know if your path is compatible with our ways. If you are not, we will then be able to direct you to a path which better allows for your personal and spiritual growth. If your path is to join with us, then we can grow and learn together.

It may seem like this letter is more of a questionnaire than an Introduction to Welsh Craft and an answer to your note, but we don't know you and you do not know us except for what you have read of our Web Pages.

Now a little about Tylwyth Teg and Y Dynion Mwyn. Dynion Mwyn is a Welsh Coven founded near Betws-y-coed, Cymru (Wales) in the 1300s. Y Tylwyth Teg is a USA based cenedl (which means "Kind" in Welsh) or coven founded in 1967 near Landover, Maryland. We apply the word cenedl as meaning a type of Grove or Coven of the Welsh Tradition of Dynion Mwyn.  Dynion Mwyn's focus is on the teaching of the ancient Welsh mysteries with a healthy dose of information from other sources as well.

We don't CLAIM to be a Pre-Gardnerian Traditional Witchcraft Religion of Wales, we ARE a Pre-Gardnerian tradition of Welsh Witchcraft.  We do claim a mystical lineage from the Bards of the last true Prince of Wales, Llywelyn Y Llyw Olaf, who died in 1282. We are descended from Cenedls in Wales.  A North Wales Coven was established in the fifties from the remnants of what was called the Wynne tradition or Dynion Mwyn. Two Wentworth covens were established in the sixties; one near Cardiff and the other outside London England. A Coven and Grove was also established in Central Wales.

In January, 2000, after an extended illness, Taliesin Wynne, one of two surviving elders of the Dynion Mwyn Welsh Family Gwyddon (Witchcraft) tradition, died quietly in his sleep.

Taliesin was born in the forests of North Wales in 1927. During his first thirteen years, because of his father's government position, the family traveled throughout Europe. They returned to England in 1938, and the children were sent to live with relatives in Wales. In September, 1940, their father and mother were killed in the Blitz bombing of London during the Battle of Britain. He and his sister were taken in and raised by an uncle and auntie in a small village in the North of Wales. It was here they learned of his families heritage of Druidism and Witchcraft as they met Y Dynion Mwyn (welsh fairies) at Fairy Ring near Betws y Coed, and swam with the water sprites in the local river. He says in his journal this was the happiest time of his life.

In 1965, an American, Rhuddlwm Gawr, met Sarah Wentworth while on holiday in Majorca. She invited him to visit her in London and meet members of the "Elder Faith"; those who practiced the Welsh tradition of Witchcraft, as she called it. Intrigued, he decided to take her up on her offer and met her in August of 1965.

After a day of discussion, they drove to Wales where he was introduced to Taliesin and other family members.  Rhuddlwm stayed in Wales and studied The Old Ways with the Wynne family until he returned to the U.S. in 1966. Rhuddlwm later established the Coven and Church of Y Tylwyth Teg in Landover Maryland. (See http://www.dynionmwyn.net/history.html   )

Taliesin taught the Old Ways until 1992 when he turned over the leadership of Dynion Mwyn to his sister who became chief elder until she died in 1999. In that year, Lord Rhuddlwm Gawr and Lady Cerridwen Gawr, of the United States, inherited the leadership of Dynion Mwyn. Lord Rhuddlwm is Welsh by blood.  Taliesin was responsible for opening up the Welsh tradition to outsiders. His dying wish was that the basic philosophy of the Welsh tradition be available to all through the Internet, and that seekers be given a "Taste of Wales" through home study classes. Y Dynion Mwyn sponsors the Dynion Mwyn Welsh page on the net at http://www.dynionmwyn.net/dynionmwyn/dynionmwyn23.html

If you are primarily interested in the Welsh craft as found on the Web at this site then read on and you may become part of a study group in your area, but as I said before, our groups have a long waiting list.  Ordinarily the wait could be several months, but we sympathize with your situation and offer an alternative.  We have organized several Welsh Witchcraft on-line study groups under the direction of our elders. If you wish to take the homestudy course, or are invited to attend Y Dynion Mwyn classes, join one of the on-line members study groups closest to your location:

ARE you really interested in studying witchcraft? Have you read the Mabinogion and the Story of Taliesin?

Why do you wish to follow the path of the Wise Ones? If you wish to determine if our tradition of Witchcraft is what you are looking for, read on! If you are interested in Witchcraft because you've just seen the film "The Craft", and want to have control over the person who's just ditched you; or you have seen "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" and want to be able to change your dress in an instant; or you've seen "Charmed" and want to win the lottery; or you just watched "Practical Magick" and wanted Sandra Bullock's powers; or you saw "Blair Witch" and are now excited that "Blair Witch II, a Book of Shadows" has been released; or you were watching reruns of "Bewitched" and got excited about the prospects of twitching your Nose; you've come to the right place; there is Power in Witchcraft, but it must be used responsibly!

Welsh Witchcraft is about Spiritual Enlightenment, Religion, Healing, Magick, Knowledge, and yes - Power, but it is also about your Spiritual Growth. 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.

Once you start on this path, it will become one of the most important parts of your life. Being a Witch is a vocation, just as being a Doctor, Nurse, Architect, Engineer, 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, who will be legally authorized to perform marriages, or minister to a congregation. 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. We teach seekers to become Pagan clergy.

Once you are a Witch, 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. You will be able heal others. You will be able to perform magickal rituals. You will truly walk in the other persons shoes.

Some people make statements like: "Witches are born not made", and others claim 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 work hard, you can't be a Witch. If you become a student, you will acquire knowledge through hard work, study, and the practice of the Art through an ongoing craft structure preserved, modified, and continued in various forms and folkways from the days of our Pictish and Druidic ancestors, and before. What, you say? Haven't true Witchcraft Rituals and Spells continued unchanged since the time of the Romans and ancient Druids?

Think about it!!! There are two phrases you will hear as time goes on. "If it ain't broke don't fix it!!!" And "If it doesn't work, find out why and make it work or change it." You will learn that rituals and spells are personal. Some work for you and some work for others, but not every spell is for everyone. You must learn the basic rites and rituals that work for everyone and then create those special rituals and spells that work only for you. How do you do that? Through work and more work and study!!! 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. That is why we screen all who come to us looking for initiation into the Welsh Gwyddon. We will do a psychometric reading of your photo and your handwriting. If you are not honest with us, you will never hear from us again.

Always keep in mind every true Witchcraft tradition strives to promote certain behavior from you. In Wicca, which is a distant cousin of Witchcraft, they have a saying that perfect love and perfect trust are promoted among its members. WE, on the other hand, will also expect you to be totally HONORABLE and RELIABLE.

If you can convince us 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. It will also give you a great deal of BASIC occult and metaphysical knowledge.

For our part, we will devote as much time and effort as it takes to help you become a Witch, High Priestess and a Representative of Y Dynion Mwyn if we see there is potential within you; 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.

Why do we teach by home study? Because either you are not close to one of our covens, there is a long waiting list, or you wish to begin your studies as soon as possible. Besides, certain information is more easily taught by home study and we have just so many teachers. We will not have to devote much needed resources to attempt to train those basic seekers who find it difficult to retain new knowledge. After we have evaluated your capability and sincerity over the course of time, by reading your answers to our questions and evaluating your exam results, THEN we will talk about personal instruction.

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 our Tradition to be your first mottoes. These two words are part of the Twenty-Three Tenets (or Virtues) which you will taught in your first year. (see http://www.dynionmwyn.net/tenets.html )

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. Some people cannot handle the truth, or the power of Magick. You don't share a loaded machine gun with a five-year-old child. That is why you will take an oath of secrecy before you are initiated. With that said, there are many impostors claiming to be Witches. And several claiming to teach a Welsh tradition with an unbroken lineage.

Be very careful of anyone who boasts that they teach witchcraft unchanged for two thousand years, and they have wondrous abilities and they are a third or fourth degree mucky muck. They are almost certainly just I.R.A.B.s (I read a book).

Welsh Witches don't boast of their abilities. They don't have to. Do not take the word of anyone just because they may sound reasonable or knowledgeable. Investigate any Magickal group you are involved with. Ask about their qualifications. Ask who their teacher was. Ask for a way to contact that teacher and confirm their claims. Caveat Emptor - "Let the Buyer Beware!!!

Legend says our tradition includes the Welsh Mysteries that were passed down to Y Dynion Mwyn from an ancient priesthood. This legend also concerns the search for the Mystical Grail of Immortality. For this reason, we believe Welsh Witchcraft, is one of the world's oldest Mystery traditions. Although the principal legends and secrets containing the language, symbols and philosophy of the tradition, have changed little over the centuries, they have changed. This legacy embodies our customs, history and religious sacraments. It has changed by making its precepts more understandable to you in this modern age, and we are always experimenting to see if there are better ways of doing things.

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 until this day it has existed in Wales. In 1967 it was also brought to the U.S. by a craft elder, and we have dozens of groups throughout the States..

We will show you how to live in harmony with Nature and its forces. In our teachings, we emphasis the creative aspects of the God and Goddess, the Great Spirit, and stress the respect 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.

This training will enable you to 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 acknowledgment of their seasonal influences, is the heart and soul of our philosophy.

Now are you someone we would want as a student? Burn a white candle just before you go to bed three nights. Ask yourself if you qualify three times. If your spiritual guide answers yes and you can convince us of your sincerity, you may then join our Outer Circle of students, 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 invited to join a working coven near your area, if there are none; or if there is a waiting list, we will encourage you to join an on-line study group or form a study coven under our direction. If you continue with the study coven until you are initiated, you may then become a High Priest or High Priestess of Y Dynion Mwyn of the Grove of Dynion Mwyn.

When you become part of the Outer Circle, you will be apprenticed to an elder for any help 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 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.

These officers answer to a council of Elders made up of High Priests and High Priestesses of third level or higher of other Dynion Mwyn covens.

Ethics: we teach and practice the highest form of ethics. We have to. We are visible to both the pagan and mundane world. We expect our students and members to reflect the same concern for ethics we do.

How will you learn? 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.

Another facet of your training will be when your teachers 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 striving 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.

Your instruction will initially take the form of hands-on one on one oral Instruction if near a Coven or study group, or a correspondence course and a Intermediate Course until such time as your elder feels you are ready for initiation.  Most correspondence, will be by e-mail.

All right. You've read this Introduction, and you want to continue. What do you do now? If you are still interested in learning more about our way: Go to the following sites and read all information contained therein: