A Note to the Seeker

In these days of electronic communication, many seekers’ first contact with Paganism is through the Internet; and their first contact with an individual Pagan is often through email.

As a Priestess listed in The Witches' Voice as well as with her own website referencing the Alexandrian tradition, I receive many emails from people seeking help in getting started.  Many of these I simply reply to with a book list or a reference to one of the networking sites to help them find someone geographically close.  If they are geographically close, I usually start up an email exchange to gain an understanding of what they are seeking and their level of experience.  Some of those actually end up as personal meetings and some of those as potential coven members.

That’s the usual way of things.

However, my interest in getting to know a person can be limited by a few things in an initial email.  I have certain expectations in an email from someone who tells me that he or she is interested in the Wiccan Path, the Way of the Wicca, or the Alexandrian Tradition, or whatever words she or he uses to describe what she or he seeks.  I would just like to list some of my expectations from a Seeker’s email to me.

First, I expect that someone writing to me will tell me something about themselves.  Why is she writing to me?  What has she read?  What kind of experiences has he had with ritual, if any?  Is he interested specifically in the Alexandrian Path or is he still seeking to understand the differences in the traditions?  And I, personally, look for a nice ending to the note, with a name, either magical or real.  That is certainly not one of the “make or break” points of an email, as I do understand the desire to keep a name private.  It’s just that I enjoy writing an email back to someone with a name; it feels more personal.

Second, I expect that someone writing to me has chosen me for a reason.  Perhaps something on my website drew her or him to write to me.  What was that thing?  Perhaps she has been studying the different paths and has already figured out that she wants a very traditional path, such as the Alexandrian or Gardnerian Traditions.  Perhaps a friend has guided him to write to me.  I want to know why this person has specifically written to me.  I can best respond to a person if I understand what has gotten him or her to this point in time that he or she is writing to me, as opposed to writing to the person who wrote the previous website.

Third and lastly, I expect that someone writing to me treats his or her email almost as if it were a resume.  This email is my first impression of someone who wants to be considered for membership in my coven.  I look for decent punctuation and spelling - in other words, not all CAPS, not just words strung together with no thought to paragraphs.  It doesn't need to be perfect grammar or perfect punctuation; I love language, but that's not what I'll be teaching a seeker.  I just should be able to tell you thought it through. Why?

As an Alexandrian High Priestess, I know that the road to initiation and Elderhood is long and requires dedication.  It also requires book reading, essay writing, homework, leadership, compassion, and a positive response to constructive criticism.  Ultimately, I don’t want someone who is sloppy with details eventually teaching a Tradition I know and love.

No one gets to “re-do” a first impression.  In these days where the first impression is often an email, everyone must make the most of every detail in that email to encourage the reader to reply back.  In the case of a Priest or Priestess on a “Seeker’s List”, that Priest or Priestess is usually getting a lot of requests.  We choose carefully to which seekers to simply send a suggested reading list and to which seekers we actually craft an individual reply.  How do we make that choice?

We make that choice by the content and manner of the Seeker’s email.

Seeker, do not underestimate the power of the written word.  Exploit the power of the written word!  In direct face-to-face meetings, you will not get the chance to “proof-read” what you say – once you’ve said it, it’s out there and you can’t revise it.  Email gives you a powerful opportunity to say exactly what you mean!  Seize that opportunity and make the kind of impression that will cause the Priest or Priestess to say, “I NEED to get to know this person!”

This is Sulis' own essay.

Send mail to k@roseankh.com with questions or comments about this web site.
The Rose Ankh
Last modified: September 05, 2010