Phoenix started his journey into witchcraft at the age of 24, after trying to fit it at yet another subsection of Christianity, as he had tried his whole life. He realized that maybe his place was not within the Church but within the power that had been suppressed by the Church for decades. But his connection with the natural world ran much deeper than that and it wouldn't be until later that he realized that. Raised in the foothills of Appalachia, and taught the teachings of the Ojiwe culture by his step mother, Phoenix combines both into his current practice, along with Hellenic reconstructionism. A blend of lifestyles and teachings as unique as (enter something witty and inspiring here)

Since she was a child, Ocean has felt pulled toward the supernatural, even if she wasn’t able to identify it as such.  A voracious reader, she would borrow stacks of books at the library; her favorites being “Gnomes”, “Faeries”, and ones about rock collecting.  She was sure that the gnomes & faeries were real, and that if she only looked hard enough in the right places, she might find them.  From a very young age, Ocean has had many instances where she had feelings she couldn’t explain; times when she knew that someone had passed on; premonitions of upcoming loss; or feelings that something was going to happen (both good and bad).  Over time, she learned to trust and listen to those instincts, rather than dismissing and ignoring them.  A few years ago, she began to wonder where the ability came from, why she had it, and whether she could strengthen it somehow?  Ocean turned to books in an attempt to find answers, and this research led her to the craft.  While undertaking her formal studies, she discovered she had a longtime protector and guardian in Thanatos, the Greek god of peaceful death.  It took her a bit to adjust to that bit of news, but she is now following the call to create her own path related to grief, loss, mourning, and honoring the departed.  She knows that little Ocean was right to believe that the Faerfolk are real - but she’s smart enough now to not go looking. 

Carter grew up in the Midwest and was taught typical Christian beliefs, although this never resonated with him. When Carter was about 10, his uncle’s partner introduced him to Wicca (although he would not formally teach him it). After this, Carter was always drawn to Paganism and Witchcraft. Growing up, he was inquisitive and often felt and saw things he could not explain but was confident they were real. He was unsure what to do with this intuition and continued on a mundane path. In college, Carter realized he needed something more profound and wanted to know himself better. He began researching and practicing Buddhism. He became particularly good at meditation and is still avidly doing this today. Carter learned many Buddhist philosophies that helped change his outlook on life, but it was not entirely what he was looking for. Eventually, he returned to that memory of his uncle’s partner being a witch. He wanted to study Witchcraft and find out what his path was. Carter started learning independently as a solo practitioner for about four months. Then, he decided to seek out community and formalized teaching. Carter found TOTNS in February of 2022. He completed his studies, and his path has been evolving ever since. Carter currently works with Odin (Norse) and specializes in dark magick and divination/astrology. Carter also enjoys dream interpretation. He is an academic who loves to read and explore various interests that enhance his craft and quality of life. Carter’s favorite aspect about the TOTNS community is the impressive knowledge exchange in our syncretic model.

Matt started his journey only recently, at the age of 33.  When he was a kid, he was placed withing a Church of England School where he always found it hard to express himself.  He always has a wild imagination and believed that there were things out there the couldn't be explained.  But no one at the School would hear any of that.

Raised in the UK, Matt was never really aware of the spiritual world around him, and wouldn't discover it until he moved to America, where Paganism would kick down the door and announce its presence.  This whole new world would validate his experiences and ideals from his childhood and help him grow more in a year than he had in his entire life.

Matt took the Year and a Day studies through Temple of the Nightshadow, graduated at Mabon 2023 and is now a Leader in Training.  He works closely with Loki and Dragons.

Like most edgy teens in the mid 2000s, Nero knew there was more to existence than just being a boring old human. Sure, as they grew up they learned that they couldn't be turned into vampires to live eternally in the shadows...or could they? Nero spent many years doing extensive research on a variety of topics pertaining to the darker side of the occult and witchcraft as a whole. This interest, along with their own cultural ties to the magic of the Caribbean is what led to the Crooked Path of their own making. From dabbling in Hellenism and Kemetism to studying to become a Demonolator.