Prior to acceptance as a student for initiation, the candidate must:

1) Have completed the coven's training program for Dedicants and must have gone through a ritual of formal dedication to a Wiccan path. (This requirement may be waived by the coven's Initiates' Council if the candidate has previously had verifiable training or experience that the Council considers to be equivalent to or an adequate substitute for the training in the program for Dedicants.)

2) Participate actively in the activities of the coven for at least two months after undergoing the dedication ritual before requesting to be considered for student status
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3) Be at least eighteen years of age.

4) Be able to clearly articulate why he or she wishes / needs / is drawn / feels compelled to become a priest or priestess of the Old Gods.

5) Have good reason to believe that mundane issues are unlikely to interfere with his or her progress toward initiation.

After being accepted as a student for initiation and assigned a preceptor, the student must:

6) Meet with his or her preceptor at least once each quarter to review and document the student's progress.

7) Read and demonstrate comprehension of the material contained in the following books:

a) "Antagonists in the Church", Haugk
b) "The Philosophy of Wicca", Laine
c) and at least one of the following:

i) "A Witch Alone", Green
ii) "The Spiral Dance", Starhawk
iii) "Witchcrafting", Curott

8) Become familiar with the elemental associations and correspondences commonly used within OATh.

9) Develop a beginning understanding of how to work with spirit/animal guides, and become acquainted with the guardian spirits traditionally associated with OATh
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10) Acquire a basic set of magical tools and become familiar with their uses.

11) Develop a basic knowledge of magical theory and practice. The student must demonstrate for his or her preceptor actual proficiency in the following magical acts or techniques:

a) Basic individual/personal meditation techniques;

b) Ritual cleansing and consecration ( i.e., "banish and bless") of material to prepare it for ritual use;

c) Circle casting and opening;

d) Cleansing, blessing, and warding for homes and other places
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12) Learn the principles of altar arrangement and demonstrate that knowledge by setting up an altar for his or her preceptor.

13) Create and maintain a personal or household altar.

14) Choose or find a magical name
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15) Identify and establish working relationships with a patron God and a patron Goddess.

16) Demonstrate a working knowledge of one method of divination.

17) Learn the basic elements of ritual design, and demonstrate proficiency therein by designing and thereafter conducting a basic celebratory ritual in the presence of his or her preceptor.

18) Write a short research paper on a Craft-related subject of interest to the student and approved by the student's preceptor. The preferred format would be for the student to raise a non-trivial question about some subject related to the Craft, conduct research to determine the answer to the question, and then prepare a short paper explaining the question and the student's findings and conclusions.

19) Begin acquiring knowledge of counseling: work through "The Parent's Handbook", Dinkmeyer & McKay.

20) Learn proper techniques for designing and leading guided meditations, then lead a guided meditation in a group setting.

21) Demonstrate the ability to cast and dismiss the Circle for group ritual, in the presence of and for evaluation by OATh initiates other than the student's preceptor.

22) Learn the basics of time management and begin to incorporate them into his or her daily life.

23) Demonstrate a consistently self-sufficient and personally responsible lifestyle.

24) Demonstrate by one's manner of living and interactions with others that one is in all ways prepared to become Witch, Priest and Initiate in the First Degree in the Oak, Ash, & Thorn Tradition of Wicca.