Aerik Arkadian

Jump to Lesson:

• Part 1 – Why Volunteering Is Important
• Part 2 – How to Get Started (current lesson)

Selene and I are the only ones in the chapel. There’s a hallway with locked doors on either side, some of which lead to meeting rooms, others to offices. At the end, there’s a large auditorium — just picture your typical church setup — stage, pulpit, speakers, etc.

I’m unlocking doors, rummaging around the empty rooms — they actually gave us a key this time. It’s a master key to every door in the chapel building, which is an interesting thing to walk around a prison with. Somewhere inside these walls is our box of supplies… our incense, salt, water, an altar cloth, a small bowl for a chalice, and a few other barebone essentials for circle — sorry, I mean ” for our worship services” — for which we have painstakingly filled out donation paperwork and managed to get approved for our visits.

I finally find our box hidden inside the head chaplain’s security closet, next to a filing cabinet and what I imagine are cables that tie into a video surveillance system. I hand it to Selene and she starts setting things up in our meeting room. There’s usually a Bic lighter tucked away in the chaplain’s drawer, but it seems to be missing today. I guess we’ll go without incense.

We walk to the front door and hold it open so people can come inside, but nobody seems to be coming.

A guard walks by.

“Can you radio for callouts to the chapel?” I ask him.

“Nope,” he says. “Someone else, uhh… someone else should do that.” He keeps walking. Very helpful…

So we wait. An orderly comes. Then more guards. Someone has to print a list, then check it. Finally the radio call is made and people are slowly released for services.

One by one, the inmates enter the chapel.

An Overview of the Process

If you missed Part 1 of this series, pop on back and give it a quick read just so we’re on the same page of why volunteering within the prison system is an important community service, especially for underrepresented groups like Wicca.

To kick off Part 2, I’d like to give an overview of the steps that Selene and I had to follow in order to officially become approved volunteers. By no means is this a quick process. It’s not like you can just call a chaplain today and then start volunteering tomorrow. From start to finish, it actually took almost six months for us… but it could be shorter or longer for you.

Steps for Volunteering:

1. Contact chaplains in your area – we talked about this in Part 1, so hopefully you’ve done this by now
2. Decide on your volunteer type – in our area there are “Occasional Volunteers” who will enter the facility 5 times a year or less (requires less approvals) and “Regular Volunteers” who will enter the facility more than 5 times a year. If you’re planning on making this a regular session (monthly or otherwise) with scheduled visits, you will need to be a Regular Volunteer.
3. Fill out the online volunteer application. For Florida facilities, this is most likely found at https://apps.fdc.myflorida.com/VolunteerApplication
4. Wait for an initial approval. Honestly, this might happen behind the scenes and you might not even know that it’s been finished. I’m not sure who exactly is in control of this, but someone in the administration needs to look it over.
5. Get fingerprinted. You’ll need to make an appointment with an official government fingerprinting office. A chaplain or volunteer coordinator should be able to get you a list of locations in your area. Our appointment took roughly two hours because their computer system went down in the middle of scanning.
6. Wait for more approvals. At this point, the warden or assistant warden of your particular facility will likely need to sign off on your application.
7. Complete CJIS, PREA, and HIPAA training. Lots of acronyms. This all happens online. You’ll need to register for an account and take some video courses.
8. Schedule your first volunteer visit and start volunteering!

Part of the paperwork you will sign basically says that you understand injury or death can result from being inside the prison and you agree to not hold the facility responsible in any way if it does. It’s some scary wording, yeah, but don’t let that discourage you.

Since this can be a long process, it’s a great idea to try to make some use of the waiting time by preparing information for your first visit. What will you do? What will you teach? What will you discuss? You’ll find some ideas listed at the end of the article, but the best thing for your particular group will depend on what the group wants.

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Getting to Know Your Group

You might have people in your group who are brand new to Wicca and haven’t read or been taught much, if anything. You also might have people who have been studying and reading books for decades. Most likely, your group will have a mix between the two — people of all different knowledge and skill levels.

Try to get a feel and perhaps ask some of these questions:

• Do they want to work on practical skills like meditation or divination?
• Do they want to have circles? How often? Perhaps for the sabbats?
• Do they want to form a coven?
• Do they want formal lessons or do they just prefer relaxed discussion?

For our group, the answers to all of these questions were “yes,” so we’ve structured our visits as a mix of everything. If our session falls near a sabbat, we usually celebrate by having ritual. Otherwise, we try to combine basic lessons and open discussion.

Bonus Info: A security note from the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Wicca Manual states that “Covens are not allowed inside the facilities because of their organizational/hierarchical structure.” If you’re specifically using the term “coven,” just be careful who you say it to. This could be viewed in the same way as a gang.

Learn to Speak The Language

One interesting thing about language is that we have many different ways to describe things. The particular word you choose to call something can reveal a lot about you, where you’re from, or what you’ve experienced in life.

What do YOU call THIS?

I once had a coworker ask me if I wanted a “grinder.” I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Apparently, that’s what people from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont call subs. I mean, at least I call them “subs,” although they could also be referred to as “cheesesteaks” or “hoagies” or maybe even just “sandwiches.” The point is, that was the day I learned that she had grown up in a New England city — all because of how she chose to describe lunch.

In our dealings with inmates, I’ve picked up on a few of what you might say are “prison colloquialisms.”

• What do you call the building that inmates live in? I might say “cell block,” but they call it a “dorm.”
• What do you call their particular room? I might call it a “cell,” but they call it a “bunk.”
• What do you call the facility itself? I call it a “prison,” but they call it “camp.”

And while that’s fascinating and everything… there’s a much bigger communication hurdle that needs to be addressed: learning to speak about our activities in a way that can be understood across religions — in a way that the administration can approve and accept.

Salt, for instance, might be one of the most basic ingredients for use in circle. Even though it’s listed as an allowable religious item in federal documentation, the administration probably doesn’t understand how it’s used or in what quantity — they might question your request to bring in an entire container to keep on-hand for rituals. Instead of telling them “we use it during circle,” which might be unfamiliar terminology, you might choose to say something like, “Salt is required for each one of our worship services.”

Your coven isn’t a “coven.” It’s a study group. The sabbats aren’t “sabbats.” They’re holy days. See what I’m getting at? These are terms that everyone can understand regardless of their involvement with Wicca.

If you happen to have ministerial credentials, you don’t even have to refer to yourself as a priest or priestess. You can sign your forms as a “Rev.”

Getting Credentials

Are ministerial credentials required for volunteering? They might be. This is something that might differ based on your location.

Selene and I currently have credentials issued from Covenant of the Goddess. You can also get them through Cherry Hill Seminary.

For whatever it’s worth, several years ago I also purchased a “lifetime ordination” package from the Universal Life Church. That might be looked at in some circles as slightly less “official,” however, since literally anyone with a credit card can do it.

No one has ever asked for our credentials. In fact, we didn’t have them when we started volunteering. I can’t say for certain if they will aid your endeavors here. The only time I’ve used them is when I’ve signed the bottom of a strongly-worded complaint email.

Roadblocks

Why was I complaining, you’re wondering? Because there are roadblocks. And some of those roadblocks seem to only apply to us (or perhaps only to minority religions) due to prejudices.

In Part 1, I mentioned the possibility of people tackling their volunteer sessions as a group. I had originally written that “I’ve done sessions without Selene there and I have to say I much prefer when she’s with me.” I have since removed that line because it requires an extra bit of added context.

And now it’s time for those details.

Selene and I have always gone on our volunteer sessions together. The only reason I’ve entered the facility alone is because she’s sometimes been barred from entry at the security desk for unfair and non-existent dress code violations. While we can’t prove why that has happened, it does feel like there’s been some extra scrutiny and prejudice against us as witches. In those instances, we felt it was better for at least one of us to go in… which unfortunately meant that she had to wait in the car for a couple of hours. And yes, before you ask, we have an official copy of the dress code and have made sure we are not in violation of any written policies.

It’s also been exceptionally difficult for us to get a recurring “donation memo” approved, which will allow us to regularly bring in one box of donuts and coffee for use during cakes and wine. Meanwhile, the Christian groups seem to be bringing in all the food and drink they desire. Some of our donated ritual items, which are listed as allowable on official forms, have been blocked, questioned, or delayed. Is this a result of lack of understanding and prejudice against Wicca? Or is it just reflective of an ineffective set of rules and procedures inside the administration? I will tell you that at times, it feels like both.

And then there’s been a whole ordeal with keys. We volunteer on Saturdays, when there is no chaplain on duty. Apparently no one else in the entire facility has keys to the chapel. We’ve been locked out of our meeting room several times or had our box of supplies hidden behind a door that no one could gain access to on the weekend. To remedy this situation, there’s a secure lockbox by the security desk that is supposed to dispense a key for us. We have a special code to access it. It worked once. ONCE. And then never again. Don’t even get me started. Nobody seems very interested in fixing it.

None of this is meant to scare you off — only to prepare you for some difficulties that may lie ahead, at which case you can re-read this article and take solace in the fact that we’re going through it too. Just do the best you can, try not to take it personally, and get creative with what you’re allowed.

Allowed Items

The Federal Bureau of Prisons gives the following guidance for allowable personal items for Wiccan inmates:

• Book of Shadows (a spiritual journal)
• Divination Tool (Tarot cards, Rune cards, or Rune stones. Rune stones are plastic or wood)
• Items to honor the elements of nature
  • Salt – Earth
  • Feature/(Herb) – Air
  • Wood Want – Fire
  • Water – Water
  • Picture of Divinity/Unity – Center
• Religious medallion, usually a pentacle, and chain

Furthermore, they give a list of “congregate” religious items that are allowable for the group itself to possess:

• Altar
• Altar Cloth
• Anointing Oil
• Bell
• Book of Shadows
• Candle
• Chalice
• Drum
• Feather
• Herbs (sage, cedar, lavender, frankincense, myrrh, rosemary, chamomile)
• Icon (picture/statue of the sacred)
• Incense
• Pentacle
• Pentagram
• Quartz Crystal
• Rattle
• Tarot or Rune cards
• Salt
• Tabard (hoodless poncho)

Your facility may have additional guidelines. Ours gives the following list:

• Book of Shadows
• Tarot Cards
• Religious medallion
• Beads
• Altar cloth
• Incense
• Small drum
• Candle and Holder
• Sea salt
• Crystals and Stones
• Small chalice
• Text books

Be Creative

Ultimately, you’re going to have to get creative. With or without tools, you can always do ritual. It should be fairly obvious why an athame is not an allowable item within a prison facility, but there’s a chance you might also encounter difficulty or delays with other items on the allowed list.

In such situations, try to look at it as an opportunity to be creative rather than an obstacle or roadblock. Maybe a picture of an athame on the altar will suffice — or even a Tarot card like the Ace of Swords.

But don’t forget you can perform ritual without any tools or other items. We’ve done toolless circles. With a little adaptation, everything can be successfully accomplished inside the prison walls. Even without cakes and wine, you can still deliver a blessing and observe a silent moment of gratitude.

Get Organized

Very early into this endeavor, Selene came up with the idea of doing a book drive. We were able to organize this through Summer Magick Fest and it felt like the community really came together for support. People were just handing us old books and we managed to go home with an entire box full of craft-related reading material.

Aside from getting organized like this within the community, it’s important to get yourself organized as well. If you plan on donating items to use for rituals, like incense or altar tools, try to get this together and submitted as soon as possible — you never know how long paperwork will take to get approved.

And don’t forget about your lesson plans! Wicca 101 material seems to work pretty well — you could have classes on the basics of Wicca, the elements, gods and goddesses, a breakdown of circle, meditation techniques, shadow work, or other topics. If we’re getting close to a Sabbat, we usually spend the day talking about its history and traditions. We’ve also found that Tarot exercises can pretty much occupy an entire session — even something as simple as having each person draw a card and spend some time talking about what it means to them.

Conclusions

I hope this guide has shed some light on the overall process of providing Wiccan volunteer services within the prison system. Maybe it’ll even help someone else get started.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to reach out to me directly or leave a comment here. If you have experience as a volunteer in this type of situation, other people can benefit from your knowledge — let’s have a conversation!