Phase one- Prospecting

1. Find the House and introduce yourself. Complete this form [link word to form] and submit it. The House will respond if you pass the background check. 
2. Learn what your mentor has to teach; now is not the time to question what you are taught. Once you know the paradigm you can draw your own conclusions about it but not before.
3. Let your life begin to reflect what you are learning. Be eager to show pride in your prospective House, be eager to learn more and become part of the activities of the House, i.e., perform the yearly Feasts on your own if you are not invited to a celebration of them, as one example. Take the initiative in learning about the House and your mentor, who should embody the House for you.
4. Learn, not simply parrot, the philosophy of the House. Use it to define yourself as an Upyre and the world around you from the perspective of the House. One should learn both the general philosophy of the Upyreshi as well as that of one’s particular bloodline.
5. Bring the House into your life; make it a part of all you do to some degree. We are family. Set yourself apart from your life before the House. As you come to lean on us we come to lean on you. Let your identity as an Upyre. Be a reflection of the House as you understand it and show your pride in being a part of it.

Tasks

1. Stay in touch with your mentor. It’s the mentor’s job to teach, not track down students. It’s the job of the prospect to learn both the lessons taught and the culture from the mentor
2. Once a lesson is taught, put it to use. Learn and practice the three roads of the path of the House: the Blood Road of Upyre self-identity and religious faith as well as the culture of our Community; the Star Road, the esoteric arts of the House that an Upyre needs to be able to live as an Upyre and make the most of that existence; and the Road of the Moon, the road of survival in the mundane world and the society of the Upyreshi. For males, martial arts and being the guardians and providers for the House are emphasized. For females, the arts of seduction and being the embodiment of the wealth of the House are emphasized.
3. As a House prospect, acknowledge other potential Upyreshi and guide them to the House.  When someone new seeks to join the House, the prospect or member who introduced the seeker to the House becomes, if the seeker is accepted as a prospect, that new prospect’s mentor. Mentors are responsible for the conduct of their prospects. That is, it is the mentor’s job to hold each prospect to the tenets of the House Rakoczy Code of Conduct and report that prospect to the Head if a prospect acts outside the code.
4. Keep a record of what you are learning in your own words. As you learn the ways of the House use them and demonstrate your knowledge of the meaning behind them. Let the ways of the House overwrite old “human” habits and modes of thinking. To join an Upyre House is to start a new life that less than one percent of those on Earth know about or participate in. We live among humans; our world is parallel to that of humanity. Our security and primary resource is our own kind, not the world of man.
5. Prepare for your full initiation by defining your sense of self as an Upyre by Tribe, Family, Bloodline, House, and Lodge (if applicable). Discern the name you will take as a member of the Community. Make the meaning of that name a part of your sense of self. Once taken, the name cannot be changed.

The prospect phase should last usually six months to a year depending on the individual’s progress. The progress of a prospect is decided by the mentor who is charged with testing the commitment of the prospect, in consultation with the Head of the House. After the prospect phase, one is formally invited to be a member of the House. If one accepts, one is initiated and one takes the name of the House for one’s last name. From that point on, the initiate is no longer seen as the being they were before joining the House.