Earth Temple

Please note: As of December 2023, Earth Temple has stopped hosting public rituals. You can still join this Meetup if you would like to know if our rituals will resume.

Earth Temple is an open Wiccan circle serving the metro Denver area in Colorado. We exist to provide a safe environment for people to worship the Old Gods and gain more knowledge and experience with the Wiccan path of spirituality. We have a steering committee that guides the circle’s activities by securing ritual sites, setting ritual dates, and requesting the time and effort of some of our community’s most experienced Priest/esses to present rituals. We celebrate the New Moons (Esbats) for a total of 12 rituals per year. While Earth Temple has been in existence for several years, this current structure has been in place since 2001.

Who attends Earth Temple?
We still see new people at every ritual, and Earth Temple will always welcome people who are new to the Craft. However, most of the people who regularly attend ET are not beginners, and are looking for a chance  to delve deeper into the spiritual topics and issues we work with as Wiccans. We will offer opportunities to learn and do more advanced work with energy workings, the meanings and issues we deal with during the wheel of the year, connecting with the Divine, and other areas. Again, we do not intend to exclude those who feel they haven’t had much experience in the Craft. We ask those people to partner with others who have more experience, and hopefully create valued learning experiences for all who attend.
Regarding children: We feel that advanced work in spirituality of any kind requires some life experience as well. Adults face issues that children typically do not, and ritual in which these issues are addressed appropriately for adults will not meet the needs of children. Additionally, while Wicca is certainly not all about nudity and sexuality, it is a fertility religion, and the social climate of today’s world does not tolerate children being exposed to material of a sexual nature. 
Therefore, the minimum age for attendance at all Earth Temple rituals is 18 years.

What ritual experience does Earth Temple provide?
Earth Temple is Eclectic Wiccan in nature, working with a balanced God/Goddess energy. We value having a sense of involvement, continuity, stability, and safety for the group. To that end, there are some basic structures that we follow. We always start with announcements, which include information about ET events and other community events as we get info about them. Rituals have a certain basic structure: cleansing of the space, circle casting, invitation of quarter guardians and then Deity at the start of ritual, then a closing with a “cakes and wine” libation. Within that simple framework, our ritual presenters are free to structure their rituals as they deem appropriate. 
Our attendees come to ET to find spiritual meaning for the events in their lives, and they look to well-structured ritual to help them in that search. A ritual may be structured to teach new techniques and skills, or new ways to do old things. Meditations are often a part of ritual. Song and dance may be used, and we encourage our officiants to provide ways for those who can't dance to participate as well. We may also raise energy and do workings, and occasionally our officiants will create an opportunity for attendees to commune with Deity through a drawing down. We operate by the Wiccan Rede: ‘An it harm none, do as thou wilt.’ Therefore, pathways of power used to raise energy will only include those which cause no harm, and workings will be done only for the good of all.
As mentioned above, we will be creating ritual to dig deeper into the spiritual issues this life presents to us. As a fertility religion, the cycles of life, death, and rebirth form a central interest, and the concept of the creation of life from the Divine Male and Female means our own existence as sexual beings is a topic of study as well. This does not mean that all our rituals will be about sex and nudity! It does mean, however, that these topics as an aspect of spirituality may be addressed. If there are ANY topics or issues (not just sexuality) that you prefer not to deal with in public ritual, please contact the steering committee and get the information you need to make a decision about whether or not a particular ritual is for you. The goal of all our rituals is provide opportunities for spiritual growth and connection to the Divine, and all material presented is done so with only that goal in mind.

What do people wear to ET rituals?
Most ET rituals are conducted indoors at a public location. Most people wear “street clothing;” however, ritual attire is also welcomed. We do not practice “skyclad.”

How long does a typical ritual last?
For most of our rituals, we have use of our venue for two hours. There may be rituals for which the presenter requests more time. When that happens, we’ll let you know in our public announcements. Please remember that no one is admitted after ritual begins.

What does it cost to attend ET?
Admission to ET rituals is free. We do accept donations (cash and checks) to help pay for the rental of the venue and for supplies needed for ritual.

Where can I get more information?
Please message us here on Meetup or on our Facebook page: EarthTempleColorado. Also, the ET steering committee members are announced at each ritual, and they would be glad to answer your questions.

Where are rituals held?
Our meeting locations can vary, since we rent either publicly- or privately-owned venues. Our Meetup Group and Facebook announcements will always include the date, time, and location of each ritual.

Chris and Michelle
Your Earth Temple Steering Committee