Baltimore Reclaiming is a radically inclusive community of witches who use our magic to bring transformation, justice, and healing to ourselves, Baltimore, and the world. 

About Baltimore Reclaiming

Reclaiming is a community of people working to unify spirit and politics. Our vision is rooted in the religion and magic of the Goddess, the Immanent Life Force. We see our work as teaching and making magic: the art of empowering ourselves and each other. In our classes, workshops, and public rituals, we train our voices, bodies, energy, intuition, and minds. We use the skills we learn to deepen our strength, both as individuals and as community, to voice our concerns about the world in which we live, and bring to birth a vision of a new culture.

In 1980 two women in the Neopagan community, Starhawk and Diane Baker, joined together to offer a class on Witchcraft in the Bay Area.  This class drew upon the training each of these women had previously experienced, which included training in the Feri Witchcraft tradition with Victor and Cora Anderson and feminist goddess spirituality. This class proved to be popular enough that more classes were planned and offered, and resulted in the students forming covens to continue the work.  This core group named itself the Reclaiming Collective in 1980.  During this same period, many Collective members and people from the larger community were active in anti-nuclear civil disobedience at Lawrence Livermore Lab and Diablo Canyon.  Those actions and the experiences Collective members had there were essential towards involving Reclaiming in politically oriented magic. 

Baltimore Reclaiming was founded in 2005 when a group of witches who were affiliated with the Reclaiming and Feri traditions from Baltimore found themselves regularly traveling to Washington DC to attend Reclaiming-style rituals. They began hosting rituals and classes in Baltimore, starting at members’ homes, then expanding to rented spaces to accommodate larger groups.

Today, Reclaiming can be found all over the globe, with groups practicing in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Europe, and the Americas. Read more about the history of Reclaiming.

Reclaiming Ritual

We often use the acronym EIEIO to describe the way we work. These letters stand for Ecstatic, Improvisational, Ensemble, Inspired, and Organic.

• Ecstatic: In our rituals we are interested in deepening our connection to the energy that is present and arising, whether that is deep and trancelike, or high and excited, or somewhere in-between or outside of that.

• Improvisational: We value spontaneity within the overall structure of the ritual. Though we have a general framework, we do not read from scripts, instead responding to the energy present in the moment.

• Ensemble: In our large group rituals we share power by having many priestesses involved in the ritual by holding roles and performing different functions. This allows people to develop skills and support each other.  

• Inspired: We understand that we are a modern people inspired by the past, not bound by it. We reach into the past and, respectfully, see what these myths and stories have to tell us about the world today.

• Organic: We strive for a smooth, coherent flow of energy in a ritual that has a life of its own to be honored. Our rituals are linked to the rhythms of cyclical time and organic life.

Rose May Dance, a Reclaiming elder, has said of our tradition's rituals...“[Reclaiming’s] circles are participatory, usually without a high priestess or priest. The wand [of power or leadership] passes around the circle quite a bit. In many rituals, spontaneous invocations and prayers are the norm. Some liturgy has been developed for high holidays but is not always used, and more is forever being created.Empowerment is a byword of Reclaiming tradition. Some folks call us the evangelicals of the Goddess Religion, because there is much room for ecstatic and cathartic experience in our circles. We try to bring movement and emotions into our rituals.”

Reclaiming Community & Consensus Process

Reclaiming was born within a fascinating intersection of feminism, activism, and goddess spirituality in the late 1970's in the California Bay Area (read more about that at this link; a wonderful Reclaiming Quarterly focused on Reclaiming history.)  One of the results of that parentage was a commitment to non-hierarchal structure and consensus process. This means that unlike many other Craft traditions, Reclaiming does not have a High Priest or High Priestess. Rather, local and regional groups are run by cells that come to decisions using consensus process.  Consensus process is a type of group decision making that allows for every voice to be heard. Here is a great primer by Starhawk on understanding consensus.

How is Baltimore Reclaiming organized?

The Baltimore Reclaiming community currently meets twice a year to conduct the business of the community. Anyone is welcome to attend these meetings as long as you have previously attended a Baltimore Reclaiming event. Our tradition is non-hierarchical and no one is in charge. Rather, our community has working groups called "cells" that self-organize uses the principles of consensus. Here are the cells that are currently active in Baltimore Reclaiming:

These cells are currently active in Baltimore Reclaiming:

The Activist Cell
The Activist Cell meets to plan campaigns, direct actions, solidarity with other activist networks, and other activist-oriented items of interest.  If you are interested in getting involved, contact Romana.
The Activist Cell has signed the statement "Transphobia has no place in Reclaiming"

The Family Cell
The Family Cell meets to provide fellowship for families, and is exploring questions around childcare during rituals and other events. Want to get involved? Contact Robin and Clare. 
The Family Cell has signed the statement "Transphobia has no place in Reclaiming"

The Ritual Planning Cell
The Ritual Planning Cell is responsible for putting on the public rituals that Baltimore Reclaiming holds. Participation in this cell requires a year-long commitment and taking Elements of Magic, a Reclaiming core class. For more information, contact the Ritual Planning Cell. Click here to learn the history of the RPC and how to join.

The Teaching Cell
The Teaching Cell organizes the workshops and multi-week classes that Baltimore Reclaiming offers each year, which include the traditional Reclaiming core classes and original offerings. The cell also develops student teachers and selects guest teachers to visit from other Reclaiming communities. For more information, contact the Teaching Cell. Interested in learning how to join the Teaching Cell or make a proposal? Link here.
The Teaching Cell has signed the statement "Transphobia has no place in Reclaiming"

The Hearth Cell
This is a brand new cell that has just been created as of 1/7/2018. We imagine it will offer social events, host orientation calls for new members, and generally help make Baltimore Reclaiming a fun and welcome place to be. This cell is open for anyone to join, and its offerings are open for anyone to attend. Want to join? Contact the Hearth Cell.

The Media Cell
This cell is responsible for managing this website, the Baltimore Reclaiming Instagram and Facebook accounts, and generally handling the online profile of our group. The Media Cell also takes the lead on creating any printed material that is needed, and hopes to start a blog in 2018! Interested in lending your help? Contact Jessica.
The Media Cell has signed the statement "Transphobia has no place in Reclaiming"

Learn More about Reclaiming

Whither Reclaiming?
Learn about all the regional groups and visit their personal websites.
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Witchcamp 
One of the unique offerings of the Reclaiming tradition is week long spiritual intensives known as Witchcamp. Visit this page to learn about all the Witchcamps offered across the world.

Principles of Unity 
What do people in Reclaiming believe?  The Principles of Unity are a statement of core values.

Reclaiming Quarterly
Enjoy an archive of articles from the past several years. This is a great resource to go more indepth about the history and practices of Reclaiming witches.

Starhawk's Personal Website
Starhawk is regarded as one of the founders of the tradition. At her personal website you can read her blog and learn about her books.

Witches Being Funny
The Revolutionary Pagan Workers Vanguard...for your needed dose of Reclaiming humor.

Consensus Process
Reclaiming is a non-hierarchical tradition and follows consensus process.  Learn how that works!

Many Reclaiming rituals feature music. Here are several resources for learning some of our beloved chants.

• The text-based Reclaiming Chantbook (good for when you want a certain word included-just hit Ctrl+F!)

• Recordings of chants from Reclaiming Quarterly

• Peti Songcatcher's Website- Recordings of chants from the Witchcamps she visits

• Reclaiming Chants on Youtube (Available for purchase here)

• Suzanne Sterling chants on Youtube (available for purchase here )

• Thorn Coyle and Sharon Knight chants (available for purchase at the link)

Please support these artists! They are amazing!

Regional Pagan Resources

The Baltimore-Washington area is home to some wonderful Pagan groups and events. Here are some we think worth checking out!

Sacred Space Conference
An annual conference that brings together some of the biggest regional and national names.

Central Maryland Pagans
A group of Pagans from many different traditions with classes, rituals, and social events.

The New Alexandrian Library
The NAL is a research and lending library located near Georgetown, DE dedicated to the preservation of books, periodicals, newsletters, music, media, art works, artifacts, photographs, and digital media focused on the metaphysical aspects of all religions and traditions.

CedarLight Grove, ADF
CedarLight Grove is a Druid Fellowship located in Baltimore, Maryland.