ALKA of the Sacred Hearth is an Pagan Way Tradition coven, teaching basic Craft. Covensted is in the Calumet region of northwest Indiana, also serving northeast Illinois.
ALKA's historical roots run deep into the fertile soil of Chicagoland's Pagan family, a descendant of the Chicago Pagan Way line of Craft traditions.
Richard Clark's south suburban Calumet Pagan Temple of the 1970's was the seed of many Chicago area witches and covens, just as the northside Chicago Temple of the Pagan Way. R. Clark was initiated by Donna Cole Shultz, a former High Priestess of Temple of the Pagan Way with High Priest Herman Enderle , which followed Ed Fitch's "Pagan Way" ritual system.
The Pagan Way system developed as a means to open up Gardnerian practices to a wider audience.
ALKA's ritual practice at this time, particularly Esbat practice, continues to resemble the Pagan Way system, with less emphasis on its' ceremonial magick elements. Our ritual practices may be described as eclectic, as this coven has added to the Pagan Way system by exploring Celtic, Egyptian, Baltic, and other mythological and ritual traditions. We do not "take pieces" from these systems and incorporate them into our practice, but we do study then.
About 1993, ALKA was born as Ab Het Per. This was a coven that was formed after the High Priestess of Aglaian Triad of Wicca left to form a new coven. In 1997, with a change of leadership of Ab Het Per, the name was changed to ALKA of the Sacred Hearth. ALKA is an ancient Baltic word meaning grove, sanctuary.
ALKA is run by a High Priestess and High Priest, who are equal. The group has been run non-stop by properly trained and initated Pagan Way Second Degree High Priestess and High Priest. Pagan Way covens typically have three degrees, of which the highest degree level is Second Degree. Just as we can not divulge the names of coven members, the names of the HPS and HP are also private and will not be divulged here.
