The Temple of Ara is the realization of a vision and a promise. It’s a spiritual home for whoever has the courage to travel through the realm of the divine.

The Tradition of Ara, founded in 1983 by High Priestess Phyllis Curott, is rooted in the Gardnerian and Minoan Wicca of New York City. However, the Tradition of Ara isn’t simply a rielaboration of gardnerian Wicca because, in the same period in which she was attending the women’s circle described in “Book of Shadows”, Phyllis was also part of the notorious “Brooklyn Circle”. This group was the first to translate into practice prof. Micheal Harner’s teachings, future founder of Core Shamanism.

By using shamanic techniques, Phyllis discovered it was possible to find again the essence of ancient traditions thanks to connection with nature, spirit allies and deities. During her first trip to Italy, she has received the key to interpret this essential teaching and to found the Tradition of Ara, as she describes in an open letter.

The Temple of Ara expands and spreads this revelation, bringing back to life the spirit of the ancient Mysteries.

The power that arises from this work of deep connection with the Goddess and Nature is an answer to Mother Earth’s cry for help, healing both us and the world.

This tradition was born to help us in discovering the presence of the divine inside and around us and finding joy in the ecstasy of this communion.

Phyllis Curott
explains the Wiccan
Traditions and how to
find the right one for you.

Phyllis Curott explains the Wiccan Traditions and how to find the right one for you.

Open letter written by the founder Phyllis Curott

“The Temple of Ara is the realization of a vision and a promise. It is a tradition that developed all around the world, an open Community that welcomes unique individuals that share the same practices, principles and spiritual experiences. It is a spiritual home for whoever has the courage to travel through the realm of the divine. The Temple of Ara is not a structure or a building, but the people who are part of it. You are the Temple of Ara. The name means “temple of the altar” and it refers to the homonymous constellation of Ara, also known as the Altar. Ara was exactly on the cusp at the moment of my birth, but its importance was revealed to me only in 1987, during my first trip to south Italy: a pilgrimage around Paestum and the big temples of Magna Graecia devoted to goddess Hera and, later, to god Poseidon. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and energy that I felt in the structures and on the land on which those were erected. I sat on the big field behind the main temple to perform a shamanic journey, looking for a vision about the future. During my journey many important images came in succession, all powerful and mysterious. I asked for advice to the Goddess, and she answered with these words : “ Build my Temple”. Coming back to New York, where I lived and worked, for a long time I felt distraught for the task I was given: how could I, with my humble income, build a temple in one of the most expensive cities in the world? Many weeks later, during a circle with the first coven of which I was High Priestess, I received an answer: “building” a temple actually meant teaching the practices that enabled each one of us to experience the divine’s presence in the world and in ourselves. Ancient Mysteries and the Old Religion celebrated important rites in which the priestess herself was the altar. The altar is always the temple’s core. All of us, women and man, are the altar – the place where spirit and matter come together – and our lives are temples where we understand our spirituality. And so it was from my shamanic experiences, the practice of Wicca, my trip to Italy and from the revelations received in New York that Ara’s circle was born. It was from this circle that Ara’s temple was developed. This Temple is a family, in which every member is honored as an altar, sacred in its communion of spirit and body. In our Community we can share our paths, desires, gifts and the commitment to the creation of this vibrant and dynamic spirituality. Welcome in the Temple of Ara, I hope it will be a source of inspiration for all of you. Me and the Ara community wish for your own contribution on this journey of discovery and growth.” H.Ps. Phyllis Curott New York, September 2003