Article Provided by Coven Oldenwilde
Coven Oldenwilde is a deliciously wicked mix of olde world and new — a wildlife habitat and 3-story Appalachian Covenstead, and a cutting-edge training ground in the Bible belt that teaches Witches worldwide savvy ways to eliminate religious persecution.
Founded on Samhain in 1994, the Coven is a 501(c) (3) religious nonprofit that practices a blend of traditional British Gardnerianism and experiential Italian Strega magic, led by High Priestess Lady Passion and High Priest *Diuvei (authors of the critically acclaimed The Goodly Spellbook: Olde Spells for Modern Problems).
Bold advocates of the antiquity, beauty, and validity of the Olde Religion in everyday life, the pair has garnered extensive coverage of their trail-blazing spiritual activism in print (AP, Washington Post), radio (BBC, NPR), and TV news (CNN, etc.).
“We became politically-adept early on by experience,” explains *Diuvei. “We learned the only way to thrive was to insist on our rights by publicizing the buried laws that upheld them, and to expose bigots’ own words to the light of print. This method evokes public sympathy, and has made Asheville a safe haven for thousands of Witches who move here each year from all over the nation.”
One of many successful examples from their extensive Wiccan web site: their campaign against North Carolina’s anti-divination law forced legislators to repeal it in 2004. International celebrity spokes-Witches, Lady Passion and *Diuvei often work Witchcraft for TV studios (Universal, Sci-Fi), production companies (A. Smith & Co., L.A., Trafford Media, England), and series (Extra!, Finding America).
“Last year we were filmed circling with an Indian family from war-torn Kashmir. Their 16 year-old daughter had made her own black cape and robe and was breath-takingly beautiful. They all danced a Cone of Power with us and played music with all their hearts. It was absolutely inspiring!”
For the past 30 years Lady Passion and *Diuvei have helped thousands of people worldwide solve their medical, magical, and legal problems. Legal clergy, they marry and bury folks, sponsor prison and military Covens nationwide, bless new homes and de-ghost houses prior to re-sale, secure Pagans’ religious rights, give fascinating, empowering talks about their magical adventures, the politics of persecution, and Conscientious Objectorship to War, heal with herbal medicines they brew, and teach the Craft of the Wise to people of all ages and backgrounds — from soccer moms, to cops and Mensa members.
“Probably the most gut-wrenching problem I help with daily is Witches who’ve been repressed to such a degree they don’t feel empowered enough to resist when they’re being blatantly persecuted,” Lady Passion says ruefully. “It strikes me as odd, for Witches have a long, proud history of defying bad laws, leaders, and landlords. But most of the time all they need is support in the form of a reminder: A Witch’s backbone is a bully’s kryptonite. Then they’re off to make their abuser regret it,” she grins.
Rave reviews for their The Goodly Spellbook caused it to be practically sold out of its initial run within four months of its international release. “We’re ecstatic that readers who devour fiction like Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code want to work real ancient, yet easy magic,” smiles Lady Passion.
The book’s mystique is that it reveals never-before-published material about The Secret Language of Witches, Barbarous Words of Power, Magical Alphabets, and the mystical methods politicians and advertisers use to manipulate the masses. Lavishly illustrated and replete with fascinating true tales of the authors magical experiences, the 476 page hardcover book covers healing, protection, attraction, discernment, concealment, and repulsion spells, and teaches Magical Gestures, Witch dance steps, Herbalism, Sacred Music, and much more.
Organized into 3 parts — Scope (magic history); Skills (traditional techniques); and Spells (hundreds of authentic, easy olde charms for all life’s needs) — The Goodly Spellbook lists all its sources and includes helpful Glossaries of Magical & Medicinal Herbs and Common Craft Terms.
The book’s success has raised demand for Lady Passion and *Diuvei’s work to a fever pitch. Indeed, they just returned from an extensive book tour in England where they were featured in a popular BBC London radio interview (hear a snippet or their full interview at: oldenwilde.org).
So what’s next for this revolutionary power-Coven? One thing you can count on, whatever they do, it’ll be unprecedented.