The Dynion Mwyn (, meaning 'The Fair Men') tradition is said by its adherents to be derived from Welsh and Pictish religious sources as well as Druidic and witchcraft magical practices.
Dynion Mwyn documents claim its priesthood evolved from Welsh Druidism, Pictish witchcraft and Etruscan culture, including in its ancestry Druids, Bards, Ovates, "Faerie Doctors", "Cunning Men", "Men in Black", and "Wise Women".
History Dynion Mwyn church history claims the teachings evolved from an oral Faerie Tradition: "The Children of Dôn chose to stay in Wales after the invasion of the Celts, and took refuge under the hills." The Religious Tradition of Dynion Mwyn was revitalized in the 1950s and 1960s by Taliesin einion Vawr a Dynion Mwyn High Priest, in North Wales. He combined elements of Pictish Witchcraft, Knights Templar philosophy, Druidry teachings, Etruscan religious ritual, NROOGD magical ritual and Kibbo Kift ceremony in his workings. The original Mother Organization, Dynion Mwyn, was said to be created between 1282 and 1525, by descendants of the Bards of Prince Llewellyn, the last true prince of Wales. In the summer of 1965, William William Wheeler III, (an American working in Europe), met his future teacher, Sarah Llewellyn, on the Isle of Majorca, Spain, and an instant spiritual connection began. Robert Graves, who wrote The White Goddess, spent the last year of his life about two miles from their meeting-place.
In 1966, William was initiated by Taliesin einion Vawr into the Welsh Tribe of Dynion Mwyn, "The Gentle Folk", near Betws-y-Coed, in North Wales. He was given the name Rhuddlwm Gawr by the elders of the Dynion Mwyn tradition, and told that he was to return to the United States and begin to teach the Craft of Y Tylwyth Teg (the Clan of "The Fairy Folk"). After returning to the United States, he worked on NASA's Apollo Manned Lunar Project. He began teaching a Witchcraft class in a small Houston bookstore.
In Spring 1967, the Coven of Y Tylwyth Teg of Dynion Mwyn became "The Church of Y Tylwyth Teg in America." Many seekers who were Pagan and seeking an Earth-religion-oriented spiritual philosophy, became interested and joined classes. Lord Rhuddlwm initiated Lady Dana who become the first American Priestess of Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg. Y Tylwyth Teg presented the first pagan Gathering of the Tribes ever recorded and its first Midsummer celebration presided over by Lord Rhuddlwm and Lady Dana. Y Tylwyth Teg established sister covens in Florida, Texas, California and Georgia. The Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn through the Church of Y Tylwyth Teg founded "The Association of Cymry Wiccae" as an assembly of Welsh Traditional Covens in America. Y Tylwyth Teg then established sister covens in California, Florida, Texas and Georgia.
Dynion Mwyn also established "The Association of Cymry Wiccae" as an assembly of Welsh Traditional Covens in America. Three Welsh Witchcraft covens formed a conclave which was thereafter called "The Grove of The Crystal Dragon." It consists of "The Coven of The Crystal Dragon", "The Coven of Merlin" and "The Coven of Ganymede."
Sharing a common vision of the ancient gods and the survival of the Dynion Mwyn Pagan religion, it was agreed that the Grove was to keep a low profile and operate in secret for as long as possible. So, through the summer and early fall of 1968, the Grove deepened their commitment to the survival of the Dynion Mwyn tradition. The helped establish other pagan groups in the Washington, D.C., and Northeast U.S. In the Fall of 1968 they began sponsoring classes and lectures in Alexandria, Virginia.
In 1969, Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg formed a pagan group known as "The Welsh Family". Since several members were government employees the true purpose of "The Family" was kept a secret. The second annual festival of the Gathering of the Tribes, was held near Cumberland, Maryland.
Membership in "The Welsh Family" reached thirty-two in 1970 and the fourth annual Gathering of the Tribes was held on the eastern shore of Maryland.
In the Fall of 1971, Dynion Mwyn, the Association of Cymry Wiccae and Church of Y Tylwyth Teg, relocated to Georgia and the fifth annual Gathering of the Tribes was celebrated on Land near Kennesaw, Georgia.
In 1972, Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg joined the Pagan Way and begins distributing the rituals. The sixth annual gathering of the Tribes was celebrated on Land near Kennesaw Georgia.
In 1973, Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg received a Group Tax Exempt Status from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
In 1974, Dynion Mwyn and the Church of Y Tylwyth Teg joined the Fellowship of Isis of Ireland. They founded the first Pagan Special Interest Group at the University of Georgia. Lady Sirce of Sacramento, California was initiated. Lady Branwen of Augusta, Georgia was initiated. Lady Eilonwy of Florida was initiated, Lady Althaea of Rhode Island was initiated.
In 1975, Rhuddlwm Gawr of Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg founded the Pagan-Occult-Witchcraft SIG of MENSA. Valerie Voigt and others eventually became coordinators for this fine organization. Y Tylwyth Teg began publishing The Sword of Dyrnwyn, a newsletter of Y Tylwyth Teg.
Until October 1975, the Tradition of Dynion Mwyn and the Church had grown very slowly and deliberately. But during the Samhain ritual, one of their elders received a spiritual insight which changed his life and the direction of Dynion Mwyn forever. He saw figures of a Woman and a man merge within an Oak tree. It is explained to him by his spiritual guides and his teacher Sarah, that this meant that his future task was to help relink humanity with Nature. The energy toward manifestation quickened as the number of member covens grew from the original three to twenty-three. Their public relations work on behalf of Paganism began. An accurate and positive article about Paganism accompanied by a full color photo of a High Priest of Dynion Mwyn performing a ritual appeared in the local newspaper. Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg founded the Sword of Dyrnwyn Newsletter and started an information exchange to help Pagans from many traditions and groups connect with each other. The newsletter included articles on Paganism, Witchcraft, Magick, herbs, spiritual healing, metaphysics, and parapsychology. Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg began serving as a resource center for Pagans and Witches.
Between 1975 and the present Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg have: helped with the publicity of the Pan Pagan Festival sponsored by the Midwest Pagan Council, began establishing Camelot-of-the-Wood, an intentional community of members of Dynion Mwyn and Y Tylwyth Teg; received a US IRS Group Tax Exemption was issued to the Church and The Association of Cymry Wicca. This was the first Group Tax Exemption issued to a true Witchcraft church by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service; became legally incorporated by the State of Georgia in Smyrna, Georgia on February 2, 1977; founded Camelot Press and Pagan Grove Press whose purpose is to publish a Newsletter and books on paganism and Witchcraft; co-sponsored the first Gathering of the Tribes held in the North Georgia mountains where Wiccan and earth religion leaders attended from all over the United States; after Dynion Mwyn was contacted by Lady Circe of Toledo, Ohio, Dynion Mwyn helped one of her neophytes, Sintana, become established in Atlanta and gave her a great deal of study material to help her found Ravenwood; Lady Rhea of Louisville Kentucky was initiated; Lady Galadreal of today's Grove of the Unicorn attended her first neophyte class with Lord Rhuddlwm and Lord Mithrandir; Dynion mwyn staff has presented workshops in California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Virginia, New York, Texas, Iowa, Kansas and many other states; published Paganism's first "Yellow Pages", The Pagan NewAge Occult Directory, containing names and addresses of groups and individuals from many paths, plus a bibliography and other information and was published until 1982; published The Quest, the Way and the Word, a trilogy about Welsh Witchcraft; founded Bangor Institute to provide way for members of the Welsh Witchcraft tradition and others to work toward entering the priesthood and acquire specialized degrees associated with the ancient Bardic traditions; and has done much to further Paganism in the U.S. and the World.
Gathering of the Tribes Every year, the Celtic Church of Dynion Mwyn holds a national Pagan festival. The first Gathering of the Tribes festival was held in the forests of Maryland, United States in 1967 and was held there until 1970. Since then the Gathering has been held near Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, Unicoi State Park, Helen Georgia, Faerie Glen in South Carolina, Pangea in Georgia, and near Waterloo, Iowa. The Gathering of the Tribes is not affiliated with or associated with any other festival using the name Gathering of the Tribes, whether held in the U.S. or a foreign country.
Beliefs Dynion Mwyn has a statement of beliefs which is only a small portion of their belief system. Similar beliefs can be found among a number of other pagan religions. Among their beliefs, they believe that every Witch should welcome sincere cooperation with other traditions of the Craft and other religions. They accept several basic principles: (With permission.)
ʶ They believe all of nature is a Sacred manifestation of the Great Spirit, where all things seek balance and are interconnected. The Goddess and God are a personification of this Great Spirit and are incarnate in the soul of each human.
ʶ They believe because there are so many spiritual paths, each person must find their own way, searching for the deity in whatever form it may manifest. We respect all such attempts to find spiritual enlightenment.
ʶ They believe they should respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share their learning within the Grove.
ʶ They believe their God and Goddess is in all things. The Great Spirit shows itself as the female principle of ecstasy, fertility and creation: The Lady (or the Goddess) of Nature and the Earth; and the male principle of procreation: The Lord (or the God) of the Sun and the Hunt (which are only a few of their aspects).
ʶ They believe they should offer love and spiritual dedication to the Divine Earth Goddess and the Celestial God. The confirm a dynamic balance between female and male deities honored and/or invoked at every ceremony and encourage a gender balance within the priest/esshood. They communicate directly with and relate to their God and Goddess and with the Elemental realms on a personal level.
ʶ They believe Magick is a viable tool to bring about change in their lives as well as the things around them, ever remembering the Law of Threefold Return, that whatever is sent forth, returns threefold; therefore they believe in a form of Karmic law which reminds them that their actions affect everything, and retribution comes from the Law of the Gods.
ʶ They believe the Soul is eternal and all the children of the Gods Reincarnate, but the form of the Reincarnation may vary depending upon the spiritual maturity of the individual and whether he or she wishes to follow his or her soul's pathway.
ʶ They believe Nature and Spirit are linked...that without this relationship there is disharmony and imbalance.
ʶ They believe it is necessary to have a respect and love for Nature which is divine in her own right and to accept themselves and all humans as a part of Nature and not as her "rulers."
ʶ They believe they must honor the four sacred elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water...and believe that no one can own them or use them for their own personal gain.