by Cat Castells and Amy Douglass
Star Wicca is a centuries old Pagan tradition founded in the mid-1970s.
Originally established as a single coven in Pennsylvania, Blue Star
evolved over the next decade or two into a collection of more than a
dozen covens all across the U.S., all working in what is essentially
the same framework and therefore recognizable as a tradition.
ancestral coven of Blue Star was founded by a fellow named Frank
Duffner in 1975 and many of the folks who entered the tradition in
those early days are still practicing. It would be Frank's future wife
and Priestess, Tzipora Katz, and her second husband, Kenny Klein, who
would have the most influence on spreading the tradition to students
across the country.
In the course of their career as traveling
folk musicians, Kenny and Tzipora established small Blue Star study
groups all over the country, teaching students during their brief
visits once or twice during the year and later continuing to train via
audiocassette, phone and mail. These days, the number of trained Blue
Star initiates who live scattered across the country makes such
long-distance learning largely unnecessary.
While Kenny and
Tzipora subsequently left the tradition, the Blue Star students and
covens they left behind continue to dot the US landscape from coast to
coast, though certain areas of the country may have higher populations
than others. Examples of heavily populated Blue Star strongholds
include Minneapolis, New Jersey and the Boston metro area.
Organization of Groups
Star practices mostly as a hierarchical, mystery-based tradition with
its roots in Alexandrian Craft. Most covens operate on a Grove system,
in which uninitiated members and students comprise an Outer Court, and
Initiates make up an Inner Court. Traditionally, a Coven (or circle)
would include both Inner and Outer court members and would be presided
over by a Third Degree High Priest and High Priestess. Obviously while
this may be the traditional ideal, the actual operation of Blue Star
covens varies greatly from group to group. Smaller covens may have only
one (or occasionally no) Initiates, while large, extended covens may
have three or more Third Degree Initiates.
There are three
degrees of Initiation in Blue Star, as is common to many Wicca
traditions. Prior to Initiation, Blue Star offers two other degrees,
Dedication and Neophyte. Dedicants may remain Dedicants forever if they
choose, while Neophyte is given specifically to prepare a student for
Initiation and is not meant to be an end-point on anyone's path.
may have detected a theme so far in this description: no two Blue Star
groups are exactly the same. We are almost as much a collection of
rabid individualists as we are a Wiccan tradition. We do, however, tend
to share certain fundamental characteristics:
- A round altar stands in the center of the circle with tools placed in specific locations
- Liturgical songs are used for many actions of the circle
- Children are welcome at most Blue Star Circles
- We celebrate the 8 Wiccan Sabbats, as well as 26 Esbats of the year
- We acknowledge a number of Paths of Power corresponding to the Wheel of the Year
- We tend to emphasize worship of the Gods over the working of magick, and often refer to ourselves as a "teaching tradition"
- We acknowledge and respect the entirety of the Wiccan Rede
- We acknowledge and respect Tenets of Faith as cornerstones of our living philosophy
acknowledge some gender specificity, in that our Priests are male and
our Priestesses are female. We consider neither the Goddess nor the God
to be pre-eminent, and likewise, we see neither men nor women as being
superior. Rather, we seek to balance ourselves with regards to gender
- Most groups operate in a hierarchical structure
- Each group is autonomous, though most of us seek to maintain a connection among various members of the tradition
There may be other interesting similarities or differences between Blue
Star groups, but this list encompasses most of the fundamentals.
Star recognizes and celebrates the 8 common Wiccan Sabbats (Samhain,
Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Bealtaine, Litha, Lammas, and Mabon), and most
groups meet on each of the 26 New and Full Moons (or Esbats) of the
Standards of Conduct
Blue Star asks its members
to live their lives according to the precepts laid down in the Wiccan
Rede and in the Tenets of Faith. We tend to respect the law of
Three-Fold Return and attempt to live our lives in a manner respectful
of the Gods, the Earth and other people. Many people believe a Blue
Star education is significantly more strenuous than an education in
some other traditions, and Blue Star has historically admitted to
demanding a fairly high level of dedication and commitment from its
Role of Clergy
Blue Star often defines
itself as a "teaching tradition, " and part of this teaching involves
instructing students on their path to initiation and Clergy status.
According to Blue Star tradition, Priests and Priestesses of Second
Degree are considered clergy and may minister and teach to students,
while Third Degree Initiates may receive ordination and may actually
perform Initiations themselves. Naturally, there are exceptions to this
rule, and students at Neophyte level have occasionally run groves,
while First and Second Degree Initiates have performed Initiations.
Blue Star is nothing if not pragmatic, and the elastic role of our
clergy tends to demonstrate this characteristic rather well.
Ways of Worship
Blue Star groups observe the Esbats with a Circle ritual, for which
there is a common liturgical format. The exact execution of the circle
may vary depending on the group, but most follow along a similar line.
As stated before, Blue Star emphasizes worship heavily over the working
of magick, though groups may perform magick in circle if they feel a
need or desire to do so. Many Blue Star groups also teach the idea of
living a magical life, and in so doing, encourage their members to
worship the Gods throughout the course of their everyday lives.
Reading and Other References
Star has no formal written record of its tradition. Instead, most of
the tradition is passed on orally from teacher to student. We do,
however, have a deep appreciation for research and knowledge, and we
encourage our students and Initiates to read a variety of materials
encompassing areas as diverse as mythology and folklore, history and
anthropology, divination and psychology. The best way to find out more
about Blue Star is to seek out and talk to a Blue Star person in your
Who the Heck Are These People?
Cat Castells is a
Third Degree Initiate and Priestess in Blue Star who runs an
occasionally overwhelming teaching coven. Amy Douglass is a Third
Degree Initiate and Priestess in Blue Star. Both live on the East
Coast, where they worship, teach and live Blue Star.
photo was shot by Scott. Pictured are, (left to right, standing in the
back), Padraig, Maggie, Turok, Mario, Liam, Paul, Skyefyr,
Sheev, George, Kim, Renee. In front are Michael, Trent, John, Cailin,
Cat, Stacey, J.