Family Wiccan Traditions International, Inc.

The Beginnings of a New Hereditary Witchcraft

Tony and Lydia M. Crabtree (Lord Stone and Lady Adialawyddan Dragonstone, handfasted in 2001) were once faced with a challenge of faith when time and again traditional covens and existing Pagan traditions did not meet the needs of their family. In fact, that they wanted to include Lydia’s son as part of their blended spiritual path seemed to be the problem with what the couple had experienced so far.

The solution: Create a family tradition from scratch.

In 2003, Lydia and Tony began crafting their own spiritual path that included Lydia’s son in such a way that Tree Bear was able to participate in rites and rituals. The couple also extended their new family practice to include daily living, from chores to finances to preparing and cooking meals. The usually mundane became magical in the everyday.

After much trial and error, Lydia and Tony made the decision to share their ideas with the greater Pagan community. Lydia created a Web site, posting articles about her thoughts and discoveries on this new spiritual path that they called Family Wiccan Traditions. The idea was to raise and train the children of first generation Pagan practitioners in the Craft, making these children the first generation of hereditary witches and Pagans.

Lydia received an incredible response from parents within the Pagan community. Everyone who followed her postings had experienced the same disillusionment and the same challenge she and Tony had overcome, and they were all hungry for more information.

Once Lydia and Tony started the organization’s Yahoo! Groups discussion forum, shared first-hand their experiences and discoveries, the Pagan parenting community of Family Wiccan Traditions International, Inc. was crafted.

Based on the concepts and values that Tony and Lydia M. Crabtree have established, FWTI continues to provide Pagan parents and families – however “family” is defined – with support and resources that Pagan parents are looking for in order to raise their first generation of hereditary witches and Pagans.