English Summary.
Wicca is an initiationary system, meaning that the key to its understanding is the functioning of an initiated priesthood (male and female complementing each other), taking responsibility for a small group of people who study and practice together and celebrate the cycle of nature in a series of yearly festivals. Besides the unbroken chain of initiated priesthood, each group or 'coven' is completely autonomous, leading to a broad variety in Wicca groups. With no central authority above them, there is only the ritual shape of the 'drawing of the circle' and the chain of initiations going back to the founders, to connect them to each other.
Enough has been said and published about Wicca, to make all claims to some pre-Christian religion or Goddess-centered universal belief system mere wishful thinking. These claims, together with a prevailing conservative state of mind and sometimes even threats of right wing nationalism, makes it rather tricky to thread this path these days. The CiA (with a wink to any association with intelligence work, but which besides more mystical hidden explanations could stand for 'Coven in Amsterdam') will take stand against any bad offspring of a movement which began as a dream of relinking with nature, but now has to face the risks of being entangled in bad politics. It is my opinion that any belief system that, like Wicca and most other pagan movements, claims to follow nature's cycles and represent the 'common people', should stand for green politics and a political system of equal share and mutual respect. There simply is no way to deny the political implications and responsibilities involved. But strangely enough, that's what happens too often these days.
Taking our responsibility for the present situation in the Netherlands, I have chosen to work out this concept in Dutch. It’s intended to explain, question and suggest the facts, ideas and principles behind my task as an ordained Wicca priest who takes his duty very seriously, but doesn’t want to fall in the same old traps many did before him. The CiA is not an open group, although guests are welcomd at many an occasion. We take a stand against commercial exploitatation, fantasy lifestyle and dubious political nationalism, which have nothing to do with Wicca to begin with. In order to function in a nature religion we find it necessary to have a "healthy mind in a healthy body". That's why any form of addiction will not be tolerated, and smoking (being not only unhealthy for the smoker but for the people around him/ her too) is totally banned. Although we take our responsibility for helping people very seriously, we are not a therapeutic group either. Besides a serious training and ritual practice for those who want and belong there, we offer the context for personal worship, introspection, meditation and the guiding to inner silence which could lead you to the Light. We still have plans for a public ritual space, but at the moment we work and worship at home and in the open air. This side will be expanded in time.