Thalia Clan is led by the Initiate Council, comprised of all Initiates, and the Eldar. We work by consensus when we can, and have five voting offices when we can't, to provide direction and leadership for the Clan. The High Priestess is the Eldar of Spirit and the religious leader of the Clan. She is the "president, CEO, and Mommy" and the leader of all clan rituals. The Clan Chief, Eldar of Water is the social leader of the clan, as well as being the keeper of customs and practices. He is also the sworn keeper of the Thalian Corkscrew and Tapper J. The Clan Protector, Eldar of Fire is the head of Security for the Clan and the coordinator of Magickal practice within it. The Clan Oracle, Eldar of Earth is the Clan Seer and the keeper of the law. And finally, the Clan Herald, Eldar of Air is the head of communications, networking, and general gossip. These officers can be initiate-level members (defined later) of any of the Hearths of the Clan, and the Eldar coordinate all the Hearths.
A Hearth is a working group or 'circle' of the Clan, an individual branch of the family tree. Each Hearth is autonomous, following the Charter and Traditions of the Clan, but most Hearths are led by a Hearth Council, comprised as each sees fit, but usually of those who have chosen to deepen their commitment to the Clan by Dedication or Initiation.
A Torch is a "spin-off" group for Thalians who have relocated and wish to continue working as Thalians, but who don't have the two Initiates required to start a full Hearth; Torches are started by one Initiate, or one or more Dedicants. Each Torch has a parent Hearth that will guide and guard it until such time as the Torch is ready to be a full Hearth.
There are three levels of membership in Thalia: Postulant, Dedicant and Initiate.
Just so you know, if you hear someone called a 'friend of the Clan', this is a person who comes to social gatherings with us, but has chosen not to be a member of one of our Hearths for ritual purposes.
Once you have attended a ritual of a Thalian Hearth, you're a Postulant. Sim salah bim and presto. That's all there is to it, and there's no requirement that you choose to commit yourself in any other way. However, most Hearths do not include Postulants in Hearth Council, and a Postulant cannot start his or her own Hearth. Once a Postulant, always a Postulant (unless you do something really repulsive, like try to knock off the Priestess or break the "harm none" law or "perfect trust" guidelines in some other way). And if for some reason we don't see you in ritual for six months (unless we know in advance that you're on sabbatical, so to speak) your membership will drop to inactive status. All you have to do to re-activate is ask your Hearth leadership.
This is the first committed level of membership to a Hearth. If you choose to deepen your commitment to your Hearth through Dedication, you have decided that at this moment Thalia is the tradition you'd like to work in and the people you'd like to work with. You are committing yourself to learning, to growing, and to supporting your fellow Thalians as people you've grown to care for. And you are asking the Hearth to support and care for you in return. Note that membership in Thalia does not mean you can't be a member of another Tradition. However, as a Dedicant you are expected to attend all rituals and social functions (work and family permitting, of course), so all we'd ask is to think about how much time and energy you have. A Hearth will never ask anyone to Dedicate - you have to ask about it yourself, because it is always your choice. If you ask your Hearth leadership for Dedication, your deepening ritual date will be set and you'll be given some questions to give answers to. These questions are designed to give you insight into how and why you have made the decisions that you have made as well as to help us understand what brought you to this point in the Road. Once you Dedicate, you can also choose to specialize your personal study through a Kinship to an Element, signifying your natural interests in one or more of the traditional correspondences of the Elements: Communication, Magick, Divination, or Priesthood or Priestesshood. You can choose more than one Kinship if you feel so called.
This is the final level of commitment to the Clan. As an Initiate you have all the rights--and the responsibilities--of any member of Thalia. Responsibilities are a key word for this level, because Initiates have chosen to commit themselves as foundations of the gestalt, anchors for the Web, at the deepest level of service and oath to the community. After spending an entire Circle of the Year as an active member of Thalia, as well as completing your Dedicant and Kinship courses of study, you may discuss with your Hearth leadership your deepening ritual to Initiation if you are certain that Thalia is the Road you wish to follow. An Initiate is Thalian clergy and as such may start a Torch on their own, or, with other Initiates, start a new Hearth.
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