
How Gala Works
In the past, the will of the High Priesthood was the law in Wiccan Covens. Tarostar, a Gala ancestor who was an Elder in our kin tradition of Sacred Pentagraph while he was alive, wrote that “The Ancient ‘Lord of the Manor’ mentality of the Craft from bygone eras is not fitting to Modern Man. So many big frogs in little ponds have caused much strife among various Covens in recent years. Wicca must reflect the character of the world around it, or it becomes an obstruction to the God’s Universal Order of Progressive Evolution and must fade out.”
While being ever mindful of our roots, Gala Witchcraft (Gala) made some slight modifications to the organizational structure laid out by Sacred Pentagraph in the book that guided their tradition, The Sacred Pentagraph: A Craft Work in Five Volumes, and by our Elders and ancestors who helped pass down Craft wisdom and lore to Gala. Where we made minor deviations from Sacred Pentagraph’s structure, we did so with great thought and care in order to maintain the integrity of the system and better support the unique needs of cisgender Gay men today. Honoring the belief that “Wicca must be progressive or it dies,”
Gala seeks to make our practice of the Craft more diplomatic and fair in our organizational structure, putting checks and balances into practice wherever possible. That is why, we, the Elders of Gala, have determined to outline our initiation requirements and organizational structure here for all to see in order that we may be held accountable to our own standard and thereby earn the good will of our fellow witches while going about our mission of healing and empowering Gay men through Witchcraft. With the goal of transparency, we now outline the grades of the levels of initiation within our initiatory occult society.
There are two parts to the Gala Tradition. One public and available to all cisgender Gay men who wish in earnest to learn how to enhance their magical practice and honor their sexuality and culture as Gay men. The other private, oathbound, and focused on embracing the deeper Mysteries of sacred sexuality within the context of the Old Religion with other cisgender Gay male witches. The first part of our Tradition might best be seen as an Outer Court, which is composed of Seekers, Dedicants, and Friends of the Tradition. Some of the Gay men within Gala’s Outer Court are genuinely seeking higher level initiations (hence the term “Seeker”), but other members have no interest in ever seeking initiation into any organized group. They merely want to deepen their own learning about how to honor their sexuality within their personal practices of the Craft in a supportive, loving environment with other like-minded Gay men.
Gala openly accepts and welcomes these men into our Circle of Companions for public rites and events. The second, inner part of our tradition is reserved for those Gay men who seek initiation into our Order. It is composed of more advanced occult and psychic training, private initiations, private rites and rituals, and the possibility of clergy status for those initiated witches who wish to be of spiritual service to their fellow man. This aspect of the faith may then be seen by comparison as our Inner Court.
Core Values
All of the tradition's initiates agree to honor these core values to the best of their ability:
Wiccan Affirmation of Faith
Therefore it is affirmed that the children of the God and Goddess of Wicca shall accept a belief in the ideals of a balanced life; the philosophy of Harmony among Nature’s Kingdoms; an outlook of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust; an attitude of Humility; a patient tolerance for all humanity; an obligation of learning and the application of Knowledge towards Wisdom. These will bring advancement to better levels of life, according to the Law of Progressive Evolution, in a series of successive life cycles. So Be It Ordained.
Sacred Sexuality
As part of the Wiccan faith, we affirm that sexuality is a sacrament. Sexuality is used to understand interconnectedness, to harness power, and to impart Divine Grace.
Let it be affirmed that sex is a divine gift. When shared between consenting adults, the divine value of sex includes but is not limited to pleasure, procreation, intimate communications, grace, and love. This gift of sexuality is to be responsibly embraced by all people, whether partnered or single, lay or clergy. A complete and responsible sexual ethic embraces the beauty of relationships among people of many sexual orientations and gender identities.
Outer Court
The Outer Court is comprised of Seekers who have gone through a formal Dedication Ceremony and Affiliated Hedge Witches who are marching to their own drumbeat as they explore our public material. Within Gala, both paths are viewed to be equally valuable. They are viewed to be the same Grade.
While we genuinely believe that initiation into a spiritual system like ours is a wonderful path for some people who seek the light of knowledge, we also know that we all receive what we ask for in the form that we are most likely to understand it in this moment. For some people, that knowledge and wisdom can only come from a personal journey outside the confines of organized religion, and that’s okay. Just as an object may be consecrated and made sacred through ritual or by dedicated, consistent use toward a singular purpose, the solitary, dedicated journey of the affiliated hedge witch can be just as enlightening as the path of initiation into a coven. Simply because the rigors and obligations of initiation into an organized religious order, such as Gala, are not the path for every Gay male witch who longs for a supportive spiritual community does not mean that he should be left alone without the benefit of love and support of other like minded Gay men. We are currently working on defining this pathway into our society of companions a bit more. Check back often or reach out. We would be more than happy to talk with you about possibilities.
For Gay men who seek deeper wisdom and want more guidance on their spiritual journey, the Path of Initiation begins here. The first step on this path is simple. Reach out and let us know you’re interested. Upon meeting with the approval of the High Priesthood, you will be given free access to Uncrossing Your Roads and guided through the journey by a qualified mentor. Within Gala, we genuinely believe that knowledge and education should not cost money. They are priceless! However, we also acknowledge the reality that in our current society, people only appreciate what they pay/work for. That is why Uncrossing Your Roads has a price for students who are not seeking initiation into Gala or one of our kin Traditions, but it is absolutely free for anyone going through training with a qualified Gala, Horsa, or Sacred Pentagraph mentor. Mentorship may happen long-distance in our online coven or a Seeker may be mentored in person by a qualified member of the High Priesthood if there is a Gala Coven within a reasonable distance of where he lives. To qualify for Dedication into the Coven, the Seeker must prove mastery over a simple act of meditation and pass a test of willingness to trust the mentor and the group.
Helpful Links:
Check out our Coven page here to see if there is a Gala Coven near you.
Click Here to check out Uncrossing Your Roads
Inner Court
The Inner Court has five Grades or Degrees of Initiation within it. While most people today think that initiations are the beginning of a spiritual journey, Gala witches learned from Tarostar that this is an unfortunate misconsception. Tarostar said, “An initiation Ceremony is not undergone until the Ordeal of Mastery has been successfully experienced. It must be earned and shows the Initiate to be qualified to be considered an Initiate of a specific level or Grade in the Craft.”
In Gala, we have found this advice to be solid, so we have ordered our Inner Court degree system in such a way that these things must be mastered by the witch with a confirmation of that mastery by those of more advanced Degrees before the Degree in question may be sought and achieved.
Personal Degrees
There is but one Grade of Initiation where the witch may be concerned only with himself and his personal exploration and experience of the Craft. That Grade is the First Degree of Initiation. While there is only one Degree in this Grade, there are two forms of expression of that degree.

An Initiate may choose to continue on in his solitary practice as a hedge witch, attending Tradition-wide events and rituals appropriate to his Grade as he and the Elders of the Tradition see fit. In which case, the only obligation he has to remain in good standing with the Tradition is to honor his oaths.

This Degree allows a witch to come to all Coven rituals appropriate for his Grade and to have a vote on the Coven Council for the specific Gala Coven where he is a Covener. To move from the Grade of Dedicant into the Inner Court of Initiation, a Dedicant must first ask for the Initiation. This is the first test. After being accepted by the High Priesthood and the Coven Council of the Coven where he is training, he will meet with the Elder Council of the Covendom where that Coven resides. During this interview, the Dedicant should present all his tools for performing the rituals in Uncrossing Your Roads as well as his Gala-specific tools, which should not have been used for any magical purpose up to that point. The Dedicant may then be quizzed on any aspect of his journey so far by the High Priesthood and Elders present. This may include material (theory or practice) from Uncrossing Your Roads as well as personal gnosis gained from experience working with Uncrossing Your Roads and/or his personal journey along his Hedge Witch Path. If he passes these Ordeals, the Dedicant is permitted to go through the First Degree Initiation and be consecrated as a witch within the Coven. He is now a full-fledged Covener with all the rights and privileges of that Grade.
Degrees of Service (Vocationals)
Rising beyond the First Degree of Covener is entirely optional.
That said, these Degrees cannot be asked for by the witch. They can only ever be offered by the High Priesthood who have already achieved them and accepted or turned down by the witch once they have been offered to him.
No witch should ever be pressured to proceed beyond this point if his personal and/or professional life make more important demands on his time. These degrees are called “Vocationals” for a reason, and once they are taken and accepted, they ought to become almost the primary concern in one’s life.
If a witch turns down any degree when it is offered, he may reconsider his decision when the circumstances of his life change and allow him to commit himself to the higher calling of the next grade. At that time, he may wish to speak with the High Priesthood about the possibility of advancement.
The Elders will keep a watchful eye on the Covendom to better advise and guide the High Priesthood in making these elevations into the Vocational Degrees when appropriate.
Here are some of the most important things that the High Priesthood and Elders will be looking for in making these decisions:
• Competency in conducting rituals and magical acts
• The ability to inspire others with a deep-set faith
• Ability to benefit and bless the Coven by channeling higher forces down to the Earthly level
• Proper Temperament––We talk about the Witch’s Temperament in Uncrossing Your Roads,
Tarostar probably said it best: “The Power Hungry and Seekers of Ego Gratification are not to be considered. The ill-tempered and argumentative, the faultfinders and the petty should have fallen by the wayside …”

Should a Covener wish to take the next level of Initiation, he must prepare for it completely on his own. At this time, the Covener is to take upon himself the study of Spellcasting and the consecration of Talismans. Meanwhile the High Priesthood will be looking for signs of ritual talent as well as the ability to lead and organize. When a Covener shows promise in these areas and demonstrates the proper temperament for the higher Degrees, he may be approached by the High Priesthood of the Coven to serve as Cupbearer, which basically means he will serve as an apprentice to the High Priesthood of the Coven. A candidate aspiring to achieve the Grade of Practicus should learn all needed responsibilities for Esbat ritual and study all Sabbat ceremonials, just in case he might have to fill in for a member of the High Priesthood once he has achieved the Grade. After at least one year in the role of Cupbearer, the High Priesthood of that Coven may offer the possibility of a Second Degree Initiation. If the Covener accepts the call to advance, the Elders of the Covendom would be consulted for further advice and guidance. Once their counsel has been heeded and the Coven’s High Priesthood and Elders of the Covendom agree that it is appropriate, the Covener should seek the sword and broom as symbols of the office he wishes to achieve while a night for the testing of the Ordeals is planned. As part of the Ordeals, the Covener should prepare a 10-minute talk on some aspect of Craft Lore that he has mastered through his time serving as the Coven’s Cupbearer. This presentation is to be delivered before the Coven and the Elders of the Covendom. Ideally, this should happen at an anniversary party, commemorating the night of the Coven’s birth. It should be a celebratory event, marking the joyous fact that the next generation of witches are getting ready to assume office and one day, potentially, “Hive Off” to form their own Covens, perpetuating the Craft. If that first Ordeal is passed, a time should be planned for the second Ordeal to be undertaken. It is the Ordeal of the Second Degree to be able to cast and banish a proper Magic Circle within which the Mysteries may be assumed, or spells cast, or ceremonies, performed, etc., etc. within full view of the assembled Coven and the Elders of that Covendom. This must be done completely from memory by the Covener using his own consecrated magical tools.
Moving Beyond Practicus
From this point on, the higher Initiations are handled by the Craft Elders of the Covendom or Tradition.
While exceptions may be made at an Elder Council’s descretion for a Practicus to serve as the High Priesthood of a Coven, the Grade is generally viewed to be an intermediary stage where the Initiate further devotes his time and effort to developing a solid foundation in Craft philosophy and lore, Sabbat worship, Esbat practice, and Coven organizational leadership.
A witch coming up through the ranks in a Gala Coven would have participated in study, Coven group activity, Coven Council, and Craft Ritual ceremonial. This process builds the inner strengths and co-operative spirit necessary to eventually lead a Coven with honor, integrity, and the wisdom of past experience.

As it is in Sacred Pentagraph and Horsa, “This is the office of the Keepers of the Flame, those who mark the Times and keep the Seasons, of those who mediate the Mysteries of the Old Gods in the lives of Coveners.” The Office of the High Priesthood has the power to initiate to all degrees below it and to form new Covens with the approval of the Elder Council of the Covendom. In order to get this approval, however, a Practicus must first do a few things: • Demonstrate the proper Witch’s Temperament • Express full understanding of the Law of Compensation • Pass the test of Love & Trust, which we refer to as The Anam Cara. In order to ensure that the Anam Caras (some other traditions of Wicca refer to this concept as “working pairs”) are ready to pass from Practicus into the High Priesthood proper, additional tests may be administered at the discretion of the Elders if there is any doubt among the Elder Council of the Covendom. These tests may include questioning an individual Practicus or the Anam Cara pairing together in order to secure the necessary votes from the Covendom’s Elder Council. Some possible areas of questioning include (but are not limited to): the Tradition’s guiding priniciples (including Sybil’s Eight Tenets of Witchcraft), the modes of Coven worship at Sabbat and work at Esbat as well as points of Craft Law and Coven organization.

In order to achieve the Grade of Druid, a High Priest has to help an Anam Cara pairing Hive Off his Coven. Helping another Coven evolve along these lines allows the High Priest to go through one of the three sets of Ordeals for the Druid Grade. While other Traditions acknowledge a hierarchy among the Druid Grades of Bard, Seer (sometimes called Ovate), and Druid, we, in Gala, make no distinction in rank among the three titles. All Bards, Seers, and Druids are equally considered the most senior level of the Gala High Priesthood, and they all fall under the umbrella of “Druid.” Once the significant challenge of Hiving Off a Coven has been met, the High Priest of the original Coven may petition the Elder Council of his Covendom for the Ordeals associated with his preferred Grade. (This really should be the Druidic Grade that is best suited to him.) The Ordeals of the Bard revolve around creativity and magic. The Seer Ordeals involve mysticism and psychism The Druidic Ordeals are based in magic and ritual. When the new Coven has been properly founded, it may look to the Druid of the original Coven for guidance and support, regardless of what Covendom this new Coven falls under. This possible inter-Covendom support is one of the ways that Gala maintains the integrity and cohesiveness of the entire Tradition.

In time, as the Druid guides the Hived Off Coven to grow toward its full capacity of Coveners, that is twelve initiated witches, and he has helped guide the coven’s High Priesthood to assist at least one Anam Cara pairing to pass the Test of Love & Trust, then and only then does the Druidic High Priest from the original home Coven become eligible to be considered for Elder status. When a Druid has succeeded in this endeavor and he wishes to move into Elder status, he may petition the Elders of his Covendom for the right to go through the Eldership Ordeals. If they agree, a date is set to test him before the Elders of the entire Tradition, which should include the Elder Council of his Covendom, two Elders from two other Gala Covendoms, and the Chief Elder. In this way, the Tradition is able to ensure that each Covendom grows organically, according to the dictates of its own High Priesthood and Elder Council while remaining in Harmony with the entirety of the Tradition.