INTRODUCTION: Both Wicca and Witchcraft are nature-oriented religions whose primary belief system revolves around a relationship between the individual and Deity. Sometimes the Deity is identified with "The Land", sometimes as "The Great Spirit", but usually as a polarized Male and Female deity know simply as the God and Goddess. Wicca and Witchcraft differ from mainstream religions in their relationship with nature, a worship of both a male and female deity, and sometimes, the practice of Magick.

Although Wicca is a new religion, its traditions are drawn several ancient sources: traditional Witchcraft, pre-Christian pagan beliefs, Eastern philosophy and ceremonial magick.  Wicca tends to be misunderstood because of its ancient association with Paganism and Witchcraft. For this reason, Celtic Paganism in Medieval times, was treated as an enemy of the Catholic church which demonized everything which was not the Catholic version of Christianity. Witchcraft or Folk Magick was therefore associated with evil when the Catholic Church began to Christianize Europe. It was firmly believed after the 1400s, by those who were not Pagan, that in order to become a witch, one must make a formal pact with the devil. Modern scholars, however, have shown that the Inquisitors fabricated the pact with the devil and other anti-witch propaganda to further their own social and/or political agendas.

BIRTH OF WICCA: Numerous people have contributed to the neo-Pagan/Wiccan movement in numerous ways. The most important individual was the founder of Wicca, Gerald B. Gardner (1884-1964). After retiring from civil service as a British customs officer, Gardner joined a secret society known as the Fellowship of Crotona (he was also a member of several other secret societies, including Crowley's OTO, for which he was granted a charter to open up a new branch). It was while a member of this group that he claimed he first came into contact with a woman called "Old Dorothy." Gardner alleged that in 1939 "Old Dorothy" initiated him into one of the few surviving witches’ covens. He said that the rituals that the coven possessed were not complete, and he had to use his own knowledge and studies, which were extensive, to make them whole again. The already existing pieces, if there were any, were in the care of the coven’s living members who were all elderly women. In order to generate the publicity that he felt the Craft needed to survive, he began publishing books on the subject of witchcraft after the repeal of Britain’s Witchcraft Acts in 1951.

LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL EXISTENCE: In the past two decades, Witchcraft and Wicca have gained ground toward becoming more accepted by society at large. In the 1985 case of Dettmer vs. Landon, it was decided that Wicca is a legitimate religion and is therefore entitled to protection under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

GENERAL BELIEFS: Generally speaking, both Witches and Wiccans view divinity as the balance of masculine and feminine powers and personify these powers as a Goddess and a God. Forming a personal relationship with these deities is central to the practice of Witchcraft and Wicca.  Witches and Wiccans often worship the Goddess in a three-fold form: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The Maiden is the Goddess in her virgin aspect; she represents youth and purity. The Mother aspect represents nurturing, fertility, and the giving of life. The Crone represents age, death, and the wisdom that comes from experience. Healing, love, and the bearing of children are all believed to be sacred to the Goddess, though there are many death and war goddesses, such as the Morrigan, Hecate, and Andraste. The Goddess is both the giver and the taker of life. The God, often referred to as "the Horned One," is associated with the Sun, the wildwood, and horned animals. Most Wiccans believe that the Goddess and God are equals, though the God is most often represented as the consort of the Goddess. They personify the feminine and masculine sides of "the All" or the "Great Spirit" - the one power that Wiccans believe makes up the universe and all creation. Therefore, in Wiccan theology, the Goddess and God are simply two halves of this single power, and different names for them represent different aspects of the same universal power. Explanations of Wiccan deity concepts can take up whole books, so I will not go into further detail in order to be brief.

ORGANIZATION: Each coven is led by its own priest or priestess and except for a few cases, there is little hierarchy, the exceptions being the Welsh Dynion Mwyn tradition with its emphasis on history, and the Gardnerian tradition with it's emphasis on linage.

MEMBERSHIP: In the spirit of the secret societies in which many of its beliefs originate, Witchcraft and Wicca are traditionally initiatory religions. Traditional Witchcraft and Wiccan initiations usually include a challenge, an ordeal, symbolic death and rebirth, and dedication to the Goddess and God. Another part of most initiation ceremonies is the receiving of a magickal name to be used in the circle and known only to the other members of the coven (or only between the individual and the Divine, for solitaires). Initiation is intended to be a mystical, spiritual experience aimed at bringing the initiate into a more magickal, attuned state of mind.  Most Witches and Wiccans consider the exchange of money for initiations as taboo.  In modern Wicca, self-initiation is becoming a more and more widely accepted phenomenon. It should be noted, however, that self-initiation is not regarded as valid by most traditions, and that to be a member of certain Wiccan traditions and all Witchcraft traditions, an initiation and formal training must take place.

McCoy, Edain. Celtic Women's

A Warm Welsh Welcome or "Croeso Cynnes Cymraeg!" This is an on-line source of free information about the old religion of Wales and Great Britain.  Discover knowledge, love and power as you browse many fascinating pages of wisdom. This is a doorway page created to help you find our site more easily. Your complete satisfaction is our number one priority.

Croeso I Paganiaeth Cymreig. Welcome seeker. Y Dynion Mwyn is a Georgia, USA based cenedl (Which means Kind.) We apply that meaning as a type of Grove or Coven) of a Welsh Tradition.  Our parent cenedl Dynion Mwyn, is located in North Wales. Our cenedl's focus is on the teaching of Magick and ancient Celtic mysteries with a healthy dose of information from other sources as well.

This web page is dedicated to the thousands of seekers who are looking for TRUE answers to those age old questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of Life? Is there a god (or Goddess)? Where am I going? and What is Witchcraft?

Almost everyone has asked these questions from time to time.  It is the nature of humanity to be curious. Many thousands of books have been written over the years that have tried to address these questions with only limited success. We will now try to answer these questions from a perspective of a Welsh Witchcraft philosophy.

Before you go any further, If you don't know anything about Welsh Witchcraft, go to http://www.tylwythteg.com/beliefs.html out the Principles of Belief and/or Frequently Asked Questions. Then click on our Reading List, History of Y Dynion Mwyn in America, our Dictionary, Wheel of the Year (Religious Calendar), Coven Symbols, and our Gathering of the Tribes 2000 festival. We also have a page which describes Other Traditions.

We have two navigation areas above this article which include a Site Index and a Disclaimer. Also available is a Search page, a Recommended Groups page, a Halloween Page, and much more. Wherever you see words that are underlined, you can be sure that they are links to pages on or off this site.

Now that you have read the above pages, we can discuss Y Tylwyth Teg and Dynion Mwyn, and you should have a pretty good idea about what we are talking about.

Welsh Witchcraft was founded over 700 years ago by the bards of Prince Llewellyn ap Gwyffes, the last true Prince of Wales.   Their descendants were of the family which they called Dynion Mwyn. Although we have only seen proof that it was in existence in the 1920's, we do believe that it has components of an older surviving Mystery Religion. The principal legends of Dynion Mwyn, containing the language, symbols and main theme of our tradition, are said to be substantially the same as they were in Prince Llewellyn's time.

Y Dynion Mwyn (which means The Faerie Folk) is a clan of the tribe of Dynion Mwyn and was brought to the United States in 1966. The beliefs of Y Dynion Mwyn are veiled in allegory and illustrated by esoteric symbols that tell the story of the search for the Mystical Grail of Immortality. This is the eternal search by men and women for Love, Knowledge and Power.

We are both an extended family from Dynion Mwyn, a hereditary system of Worship in North Wales, handed down to us through Sarah W. Llewellyn and Taliesin enion Vawr.

Within our tradition, you will find simple human friendships and discover an empathetic and supportive community. You will experience a personal relationship with the Great Spirit and the Lord and Lady. This worship of the God and Goddess and the acknowledgment of their seasonal influences is the heart and soul of our philosophies.

We also place a great deal of emphasis on ecological and environmental concerns as well as demonstrating our LOVE for Mother Earth. Our overall purpose is to relink humanity with itself and Nature. Therefore knowledge of the world of Nature and the forces of Nature, are important in this tradition.

Our ultimate goal is the spiritual and psychic development of our members. We give you the tools to understand the Universe and all its myriad aspects; and we show you how you can live in harmony with nature and its forces. In our teachings, we emphasis the creative aspects of the Great Spirit and stress the respect that you must have for these forces.

In days past, oral teachings were the basis for our tradition, but times change and many of our teachings have had to be written down or lost forever. In 1933, there were 23 family members in North Wales, who followed the path of Dynion Mwyn. Today there are only two who are directly descended from Prince Llewellyn, and practice the old ways.

Thankfully, in 1965 eight outsiders were adopted into the tribe of Dynion Mwyn and these eight have gone on to establish hundreds of cenedl (covens) around the world and thousands of Gwyddoniad Cymreig. (Welsh Witches)

If you study our ways, you will learn various techniques of obtaining inner awareness such as meditation and rituals which will help you to induce a higher form of consciousness leading to spiritual enlightenment. These methods are also essential in the practice of Natural Magick.

We regard Natural Magick as an integral part of our workings. We believe that Magick can be used to heal and to help. Magick and psychic development are our tools for understanding the Universe and all living things and improving the conditions of our life. We believe that Magick is the essence of creativity, that it is the energy of the God/dess and the nature spirits.

We teach a healthy respect for Nature shown by our worship of the God and Goddess, the Lord and Lady. We celebrate the Turning of the Wheel at the Sabbat festivals, and meet together at Full Moons and at other times for ‘work’ as well as worship.    By these means we attune ourselves to the changing seasons and the phases of the Moon.

The first phase of our path is the study of herbology, learning to recognize different species of trees, plants, and wildlife in their natural state. You will learn to follow the animals into the OtherWorld. This involves experiencing ‘wild’ places in forests and mountains. You will learn to use all your senses to observe and remember. You learn a kind of meditation in order to communicate with the living things around you.  

You learn to appreciate the different forms of Weather and learn to dissolve clouds. You will experience nature in different seasons and in all kinds of weather. You will learn weather lore and bird migration patterns.

On clear nights you will be taught how to observe the stars and the Moon, and learn its four major phases.

You will learn to work with the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. You will learn the control of the forces associated with each.

You will be taught the four cornerstones of Magick: Belief, Will, Secrecy and Imagination. The most important tool you must develop is the ability to imagine or visualize. This involves allowing the left or creative side of your brain to develop, and allows you to shut out the everyday thoughts which can interfere with your visualization.

You will be taught techniques of healing, dowsing, Tarot, astrology,etc., and develop whatever we think is appropriate.

The mysteries of Dynion Mwyn will be found in your communion with the natural world and the study of the Welsh/Celtic mythological cycles.

If you complete this training and are initiated, you will become a Gwyddon! (Witch!) A Witch is a pagan who has dedicated him or herself to the service and worship of The Mother Goddess and The Father God in all the many forms and names they are known by. A Witch teaches the knowledge of the Mighty Ones, and lives by the philosophy of the Three Fold Law of Utterance and Return. As in days of old, only true witches are involved in the most magickal aspects of the ancient ceremonies, though pagans and friends can celebrate the Great Sabbats together, feasting and reveling. The title Gwyddon is exclusively reserved for those pagans who know the Craft well, who are knowledgeable of its many facets and who have been properly initiated. A Witch is initiated by someone who has already completed the training and has gone on. A Gwyddon by definition cannot be initiated by themselves. You can dedicate yourself to the Craft. You can do a great deal of reading by yourself. You can meditate by yourself. You can worship the gods by yourself. But you cannot become a Witch by yourself.

After initiation, you can practice solitary and you can do rituals solitary, but the nature of the practice of Witchcraft makes it imperative that you ground yourself and come together with others of your coven from time to time to balance your energies. One of the old laws is "Thou shalt not be a Witch alone!"

The Craft of the Wise is rich with unspoken Secrets and Mysteries that are well guarded from the uninitiated. The Mysteries cannot be expressed in words to those who are not ready, because they will not understand. The Greater Mysteries are for those serious students who desire to know and search for the Mysteries of their being and discover why they are part of the All-In-One, the Great Spirit, the Divinity within everyone.

Copyright © 1977, 1992, 2003 by Church of Y Dynion Mwyn.   All rights reserved. Revised: 19 Feb 2008 12:11:52 -0500