Do I Need to Be in a Coven?

[Aimhirghin]

Since i am New to the Witchcraft, I wonder Do i need to be in a Coven or can i be a stand alone ?
I know those who are in Wicca Coven call them self Witches and that is fine, but I am not a Wicca follower.
But i read and study Witchcraft alone. What is the term i can use of my self then?

Aimhirghin

[-Dark-Moon-]

Solitary witch. There are many of us

[Aimhirghin]

Thank you Dark-Moon

Now i have a name on it, and that is good.

Aimhirghin

[Echo_of_shadows]

Being in a coven is up to you. If you want to, there are a couple things you might want to take into consideration.

• Do you work well with others? It's hard to adopt a ritual attitude when you'd rather have a root canal than be near Priestess Pain-in-the-boots. If you normally work alone in most areas of your life, working with a group just to celebrate sabbats or practice casting spells may become tedious.

• Do you have the time? Getting groups of people together at the same time can be a challenge. You may have to work with someone else's schedule over your own. In some cases, communion may include cakes and coffee, especially if a group of normally diurnal people are going to be performing rituals long after sunset. Some covens make it mandatory to be present for a certain number of meetings. Failing to do so may result in the coven thinking that you aren't dedicated enough and they may ask you to leave.

• Do you have your own transportation? Have your own vehicle will be an asset. If you don't, ask your future coven mates if they would mind giving you a lift. My former High Priestess had to pick up the rest of us for sabbats since she was the only one with a car.

• Can you afford it? Some covens will ask you to help pitch in for supplies and sabbat snacks. It's not usually mandatory, but it is greatly appreciated.

• Know your path and the coven's path. Since you don't practice Wicca, you probably would't want to be part of a group that practices Wicca.

I personally don't believe that it's necessary to be in a coven or group setting. If you feel fulfilled reading and studying alone, then being a solitary witch may be right for you. Many of us here follow the solitary path. I do. I'm part of this forum for the social interaction, no Priestess Pain-in-the-boots needed.

[Aimhirghin]

Thank you Echo_shadow

I am very agree about what you say here.
Even if i wanted to join a coven i really dont know where they are hehe.
Norway is a small country and i dont think there is a lot of coven here.

So i will stay on my solitary path

Aimhirghin

[Firebird]

here's a couple
http://www.witchvox.com/vn/gr/noxx_gra.html

[Aimhirghin]

Thank you Firebirdflys I took a look at the link you send, and it is not very far from me hehe.

Aimhirghin

[loona wynd]

Since i am New to the Witchcraft, I wonder Do i need to be in a Coven or can i be a stand alone ?

This is one of the most common questions asked out there. In general to be a witch the answer is no you do not need to be in a coven. Witches can be solitaries. Witchcraft is after all a craft that can be applied to basically any religion and or philosophy. Witchcraft is also a highly personal practice and as such it is one that is often best done alone.

I know those who are in Wicca Coven call them self Witches and that is fine, but I am not a Wicca follower.

Thats good to know (that you don't follow Wicca specifically). There are many different ways of practicing witchcraft. Not all of them are Wiccan. Not even all forms of religious witchcraft are Wiccan. Wicca is a very specific religious tradition. Its one of many.

Now above when I said i general a witch does not need to be in a coven. This is very much true. There are however traditions and styles of witchcraft and magic that do have coven requirements. British Traditional Wicca (BTW for short) is a series and style of Wicca that can only be worked in Covens. There are other forms of Traditional witchcraft not related to BTW that are also coven based forms.

So there are some traditions and styles where coven practice is a must for them. Unless you join or want to practice one of those traditions you can very much practice alone. Covens are popular ways of group worship and of enjoying community for non traditional or eclectic style religious witchcraft. While they are all members of a coven they also all have a solitary practice as well.

But i read and study Witchcraft alone. What is the term i can use of my self then?

You are a self studying self taught solitary witch. There is nothing wrong with that. I bet there are more overall solitary witches out there than there are coven based witches.

[-Dark-Moon-]

I suppose I'm technically not really solitary, as my partner is a Shamanic Witch. We cast spells together. Takes 3 to make a coven though...

[Aimhirghin]

I have to say i really feel happy about all the new knowledge i am gaining from this forum.
And i am grateful to all who answer on my questions, Thank you Guys and girls.

Aimhirghin

[loona wynd]

I suppose I'm technically not really solitary, as my partner is a Shamanic Witch. We cast spells together. Takes 3 to make a coven though...

My partner has no real interest in ritual. For him experiencing the divine is in nature itself. So while he does join me for ritual he doesn't work magic with me. I typically do a Blot style ritual when he and I do something together. This also is because his Patron is Tyr. So working Norse style ritual in honor of those Gods is part of our household spiritual practice.

[loona wynd]

I have to say i really feel happy about all the new knowledge i am gaining from this forum.
And i am grateful to all who answer on my questions, Thank you Guys and girls.

Aimhirghin

We are happy to help. These forums are here to help teach people and to exchange ideas and concepts over how things are done. So for many reasons I'm glad you have found information here. Please feel free to continue to ask questions. We will all do our best to answer them.

[creatrix]

I practiced solitary for about fifteen years before joining a coven. I learned a lot from the coven about group rituals. I learned about aspecting, calling quarters, ritual space and set up, and working with others. I still have the highest respect for my High Priestess who moved away.

That being said, you have to be careful who you work with. There are some witches who are too quick to do baneful magic and if you get into a dispute with them they may cast against you.

Also we all have preferences. If your preference is working with Norse deities you may want to find a Norse Coven, etc.

I still practice with other witches on occasion but we have our creative differences. I recently wanted to do a spell with another witch but she didn't feel right contacting the same deity so we decided to do it separately. I am on an eclectic path and am comfortable pushing out of my comfort zone and connecting with new deities. She is not. Her preference is to continue on a path working with her specific Goddesses/Gods that she is used to and I respect that.

[Lillady]

Just like everyone else has already stated it is a personal choice whether to be part of a coven or solitary. I have never been part of an actual coven, I have wanted to but never have been able to find the people who think similar to me to where we could work and practice together. I personally prefer to be solitary, so this way the focus is right and I know it is so that way things will hopefully work the way I need them to.

[PhoenixFlight]

There's just one thing I want to correct for our new friend here.. Wicca is the same as the word Witch (Wicca and Wicce are pronounced Witch-ah and Witch-eh) Wicca and Wicce are the masculine and feminine forms of the original word for witch. So, in reality, Wicca is not actually the name of a religion or path at all (HOWEVER the name of Wica was the original, and correct name, for the path that was developed and popularized by Gerald Gardner. You can thank the media for mis-spelling the name, and then popularizing the mis-spelling), but rather a reference to the practitioner themselves. Wiccan is the plural form of the masculine noun, with Wiccen being the feminine form.


In regards to the specific question about covens... It is not required, though for some exercises, such as the cone of power exercise, it certainly would produce more potent results. Most of the members here are solitary, or rather, not in an official coven. I think I may be one of the few exceptions to that actually. It really comes down to personal preference, and, availability of covens around you. As you mentioned, small country, small chance of covens being in the area. I didn't take a look at the vox link that was placed, however, vox is a great resource for just about anything you might need to find out in the way of covens. Also, though I do not believe they are quite nearly as good, and much too impersonal for my tastes, there is always the option of online covens. Hope that all gave you some food for thought...


~Phoenix