"When shall we three meet again..." Introducing Covens
Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 9:45 am
For many, a key component of their craft experience comes from being in a coven. While most witches and warlocks work solitary these days due to the abundance of material available to them, there’s still a very powerful place for those who want to work with like-minded people, aimed at a certain focus, and committed to shared hopes and desires. Ultimately, however, this brings us to question number one:
What is a coven?
A coven is a group of witches and warlocks who get together via an organised schedule in order to talk about Witchcraft, perform rituals, celebrate sabbats and esbats, and maybe have “a little dinner and a dance”. Many are initiatory organisations, most focus on specific aspects (such as spellwork, gemstones or herbs) and they can vary in size quite dramatically. Most covens also take care to foster a healthy social relationship amongst their membership.
Ultimately, a coven is a group of witches and warlocks who enjoy being together. The number many aim for is thirteen, but most are smaller than this and a few are larger. There’s no absolute.
How are covens organised?
Nothing is set in stone, and there are as many different organisational aspects as there are deities to align with! Here, however, are some of the more common aspects of a well-run coven:
The coven name.
The name of a coven is the first clue to what type of group it is. They can often contain names of deities, but will almost always have some reference to the general view of its members. When a coven is created, it should be named after the desires of its members which make the name a direct reflection of what you’ll find. A coven devoted to Diana, for example, is likely to see a lot of work based in nature and, particularly, working with animals. One named after Hecate, on the other hand, will more likely be committed to spellwork and rituals. When you first encounter a new coven, think about what the name implies and that should be a good first impression.
High priest or priestess?
This is a sadly controversial topic, but every coven will have a spiritual leader. Craft members such as Gerald Gardner and Raymond Buckland seemed to prefer male leadership, while others such as Janet and Stewart Farrar insist that females are the only choice. In reality, we live in a modern world where crude differentiation based on sex has no real place (especially when we consider gay, bisexual or transgender members of the craft). For that reason, sex is no prerequisite for leading a coven. Your high priest or priestess need not be the most experienced or learned member in the group, but they should be the most naturally talented, charismatic and popular. It’s not uncommon to find additional administrative roles within a coven, but this can take a variety of forms.
The inner and outer court.
Thanks to lessons learned the hard way, covens realised that unscrupulous people were more than happy to be admitted into one, copy out the Book of Shadows, and then depart with nary a word. For this reason, the concept of splitting a coven into an inner court and outer court was formed, and largely credited to American Wiccan Ed Fitch. The inner court consists of the coven’s witches and warlocks, while the outer court consists of its initiates. It breaks down roughly like this:
Each coven should have its own Book of Shadows (sometimes known as a grimoire) and set of magical tools for group working. These are invariably held by the high priest/priestess, but not always. The contents of the Book of Shadows is a secret, and should only be known to members of the inner court. Likewise, the coven’s tools will be specific to that Book of Shadows and could be extremely divergent from what is considered standard or traditional. This is also where you will find clear links to the coven name, and its focus or “current”; a Dianic coven will likely use heavy animal imagery and paraphernalia, the like of which you wouldn’t see in any other coven.
What’s an initiation?
An initiation is a stylised and theatrical ritual that formally recognises the admittance of a witch or warlock into the outer court, inner court or priesthood. These are not universal and, like covens themselves, not mandatory; but they can be very powerful rituals that can change a person’s outlook deeply. There are typically three grades of initiation ritual when dealing with a coven, excluding variations, and they tend to be either Gardnerian or Alexandrian in focus. They roughly correspond with the three grades of Freemasonry, fraternal ritualised organisations that Gerald Gardner was familiar with. They are as follows:
The Maiden is the innocent, starting out on the path and being led to the mysteries by those of more experience.
The Mother is the mature witch or warlock that innovates, critiques and creates while taking care of the Maiden.
The Crone represents learned wisdom, which perfectly captures the nature and deep responsibility of priesthood.
It’s worth noting that Grade III is a ceremonial grade only; if a witch or warlock undergoes that initiation, it means they are going to lead the coven. Should they join another coven, or step down, they will retain the title of “witch” or “warlock” but lose the title of “priestess” or “priest”. It’s also worth noting that if a person is initiated into the inner court, they cannot be removed. They are obviously free to leave of their own volition but, once you have uncovered the mysteries of Pandora’s box, there’s no form of excommunication.
Remember that when inviting someone into the inner court.
That sounds great… Sign me up!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa sweet child o’ mine.
The above description talks about some of the things a coven will operate with and be governed by, but not a single point above is universal. We’re also working off of the assumption that each coven you run into will be well organised, with experienced and conscientious leadership. Sadly, the opposite is true in the overwhelming majority of occasions. If you jump into the first coven you come across, you’d be wise to prepare yourself for disappointment. A great many groups are put together at the behest of one person, others are put together by people with no experience, and many more are there to feed the ego of its leadership. None of these groups are something you want to be part of. Equally, there are many groups with good intentions and who have experienced members, but they just lack the required leadership that turns a coven with potential into a great coven. Here are some things to look out for:
It's demanding.
Okay, you’ve brought me back to earth – how do I find a good coven?
Start with online Witchcraft communities. A great many of these are international, but many of their members are involved in covens and will be able to either refer you or recommend you to their leadership. The Witches Voice (http://www.witchvox.com) is also a globe-spanning website with covens in every country, so that’s also a good place to look. In this day and age, the Internet is your friend and you can literally find a hundred covens a day if you like; just remember the warnings above. Offline, there are areas that have covens that promote themselves either through workshops or seminars, and they can often be looking for new initiates at any given time. This is more common in the United States than anywhere else, but most of the main European countries will have similar periodicals or publications that can give you information. Just look around.
When you find one that you think is right for you, remember – take your time and don’t rush into anything. Spend a bit of time speaking to the leadership so that you can get a clear handle on what they expect of you. Be honest, and say what you expect of the coven. If you feel that it’s a good fit, and that your personal interests and path will be well catered for, join in and give it a go. I always recommend to people that they operate a three strike system. This basically means that three big errors are good enough for you to leave a coven behind and look for something better. One missed ritual or argument can happen, life isn’t perfect; two can be a lapse of judgement, or you may have been personally responsible for an issue.
Three bad experiences, and It’s likely time to move on and find a group more suited to your tastes.
Of course, when all is said and done and you can’t find the perfect coven for you, well… You can always make your own.
And that’s the subject of my next post.
What is a coven?
A coven is a group of witches and warlocks who get together via an organised schedule in order to talk about Witchcraft, perform rituals, celebrate sabbats and esbats, and maybe have “a little dinner and a dance”. Many are initiatory organisations, most focus on specific aspects (such as spellwork, gemstones or herbs) and they can vary in size quite dramatically. Most covens also take care to foster a healthy social relationship amongst their membership.
Ultimately, a coven is a group of witches and warlocks who enjoy being together. The number many aim for is thirteen, but most are smaller than this and a few are larger. There’s no absolute.
How are covens organised?
Nothing is set in stone, and there are as many different organisational aspects as there are deities to align with! Here, however, are some of the more common aspects of a well-run coven:
- - A specific name for the coven.
- A high priest or priestess.
- An inner court and outer court.
- A coven Book of Shadows or Grimoire.
- A coven set of magical tools.
- A specific focus or “current” to work with.
The coven name.
The name of a coven is the first clue to what type of group it is. They can often contain names of deities, but will almost always have some reference to the general view of its members. When a coven is created, it should be named after the desires of its members which make the name a direct reflection of what you’ll find. A coven devoted to Diana, for example, is likely to see a lot of work based in nature and, particularly, working with animals. One named after Hecate, on the other hand, will more likely be committed to spellwork and rituals. When you first encounter a new coven, think about what the name implies and that should be a good first impression.
High priest or priestess?
This is a sadly controversial topic, but every coven will have a spiritual leader. Craft members such as Gerald Gardner and Raymond Buckland seemed to prefer male leadership, while others such as Janet and Stewart Farrar insist that females are the only choice. In reality, we live in a modern world where crude differentiation based on sex has no real place (especially when we consider gay, bisexual or transgender members of the craft). For that reason, sex is no prerequisite for leading a coven. Your high priest or priestess need not be the most experienced or learned member in the group, but they should be the most naturally talented, charismatic and popular. It’s not uncommon to find additional administrative roles within a coven, but this can take a variety of forms.
The inner and outer court.
Thanks to lessons learned the hard way, covens realised that unscrupulous people were more than happy to be admitted into one, copy out the Book of Shadows, and then depart with nary a word. For this reason, the concept of splitting a coven into an inner court and outer court was formed, and largely credited to American Wiccan Ed Fitch. The inner court consists of the coven’s witches and warlocks, while the outer court consists of its initiates. It breaks down roughly like this:
- The Outer Court: Initiates petitioning to join the coven will spend at least a year in the outer court in order to prove their commitment to the craft, but also so the coven and the initiate can get a good look at each other. While initiates are often invited to specific talks or social events, they will generally be expected to perform in the rituals where material isn’t secret and is common amongst craft members. Therefore, any sabbat or esbat performances are a great way of seeing how an initiate works with the established coven members, and a minimum attendance is usually expected. At the end of the year, the members will vote in a secret ballot to decide whether the initiate has earned the right to enter the inner court.
The Inner Court: This is where an initiate takes the title of “witch” (female) or “warlock” (male), and is given access to the coven’s Book of Shadows and magical tools. From here on out, they are able to attend any of the coven’s activities and workings, will be permanently invited to every event, and will be able to work from and with the coven’s materials.
Each coven should have its own Book of Shadows (sometimes known as a grimoire) and set of magical tools for group working. These are invariably held by the high priest/priestess, but not always. The contents of the Book of Shadows is a secret, and should only be known to members of the inner court. Likewise, the coven’s tools will be specific to that Book of Shadows and could be extremely divergent from what is considered standard or traditional. This is also where you will find clear links to the coven name, and its focus or “current”; a Dianic coven will likely use heavy animal imagery and paraphernalia, the like of which you wouldn’t see in any other coven.
What’s an initiation?
An initiation is a stylised and theatrical ritual that formally recognises the admittance of a witch or warlock into the outer court, inner court or priesthood. These are not universal and, like covens themselves, not mandatory; but they can be very powerful rituals that can change a person’s outlook deeply. There are typically three grades of initiation ritual when dealing with a coven, excluding variations, and they tend to be either Gardnerian or Alexandrian in focus. They roughly correspond with the three grades of Freemasonry, fraternal ritualised organisations that Gerald Gardner was familiar with. They are as follows:
- 1) Grade I: The Initiate (Maiden).
2) Grade II: The Witch/Warlock (Mother).
3) Grade III: The Priestess/Priest (Crone).
The Maiden is the innocent, starting out on the path and being led to the mysteries by those of more experience.
The Mother is the mature witch or warlock that innovates, critiques and creates while taking care of the Maiden.
The Crone represents learned wisdom, which perfectly captures the nature and deep responsibility of priesthood.
It’s worth noting that Grade III is a ceremonial grade only; if a witch or warlock undergoes that initiation, it means they are going to lead the coven. Should they join another coven, or step down, they will retain the title of “witch” or “warlock” but lose the title of “priestess” or “priest”. It’s also worth noting that if a person is initiated into the inner court, they cannot be removed. They are obviously free to leave of their own volition but, once you have uncovered the mysteries of Pandora’s box, there’s no form of excommunication.
Remember that when inviting someone into the inner court.
That sounds great… Sign me up!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa sweet child o’ mine.
The above description talks about some of the things a coven will operate with and be governed by, but not a single point above is universal. We’re also working off of the assumption that each coven you run into will be well organised, with experienced and conscientious leadership. Sadly, the opposite is true in the overwhelming majority of occasions. If you jump into the first coven you come across, you’d be wise to prepare yourself for disappointment. A great many groups are put together at the behest of one person, others are put together by people with no experience, and many more are there to feed the ego of its leadership. None of these groups are something you want to be part of. Equally, there are many groups with good intentions and who have experienced members, but they just lack the required leadership that turns a coven with potential into a great coven. Here are some things to look out for:
- - Groups with rules or guidelines that you can’t fulfil. It’s obvious, but nobody wins if you join this coven.
- Groups with difficult members. It’s hard to like everyone, but harder to work with people you dislike.
- Groups that practice more bashing than magic. This only leads to frustration and boredom. Avoid.
- Groups that have inexperienced leadership. Even great covens can be destroyed by this problem.
- Groups with a focus that don’t meet your desire. Looking for spells and you get herbs? Not great.
- Groups that get into “witch wars”. Pointless, inflammatory online attacks are just that; pointless.
It's demanding.
Okay, you’ve brought me back to earth – how do I find a good coven?
Start with online Witchcraft communities. A great many of these are international, but many of their members are involved in covens and will be able to either refer you or recommend you to their leadership. The Witches Voice (http://www.witchvox.com) is also a globe-spanning website with covens in every country, so that’s also a good place to look. In this day and age, the Internet is your friend and you can literally find a hundred covens a day if you like; just remember the warnings above. Offline, there are areas that have covens that promote themselves either through workshops or seminars, and they can often be looking for new initiates at any given time. This is more common in the United States than anywhere else, but most of the main European countries will have similar periodicals or publications that can give you information. Just look around.
When you find one that you think is right for you, remember – take your time and don’t rush into anything. Spend a bit of time speaking to the leadership so that you can get a clear handle on what they expect of you. Be honest, and say what you expect of the coven. If you feel that it’s a good fit, and that your personal interests and path will be well catered for, join in and give it a go. I always recommend to people that they operate a three strike system. This basically means that three big errors are good enough for you to leave a coven behind and look for something better. One missed ritual or argument can happen, life isn’t perfect; two can be a lapse of judgement, or you may have been personally responsible for an issue.
Three bad experiences, and It’s likely time to move on and find a group more suited to your tastes.
Of course, when all is said and done and you can’t find the perfect coven for you, well… You can always make your own.
And that’s the subject of my next post.