A question we often get asked is “What’s a Wiccan Coven” and “do I need to join a coven to be a Wiccan”? In order to answer these questions, I’ll briefly discuss Wicca itself so that we can understand the role that covens play within Wiccan religion, before moving on to answer all of your questions about covens in detail. Enjoy!
If you want to learn more about Wicca and Witchcraft, check out these posts on what Wicca actually is, our guide to Wiccan beliefs, the Wiccan Rede, this post on what to research as a beginner witch, one on the different types of witches and a great article about what the difference between Wicca and Witchcraft actually is.
What’s a Wiccan Coven – A Brief Overview
Wicca is a modern, positive and nature-worshipping religion. Wiccans may choose to worship any Gods or Goddesses they wish, however, many Wiccan prefer to focus their worship on the God and Goddess in their form of the Triple Goddess and the Horned God. Wiccan practise often includes the practice of white Magick (usually in a healing capacity or to counteract negativity)
The Wiccan religion is made up of many different sects or traditions, such as the Tanic, Gardnerian, Alexandrian and so forth. Wicca is cellular-based, meaning that although there may be many different sects, covens and traditions, there is no one governing body or authority.
Many Wiccans choose to practice together in small groups. These groups are called Covens. A Coven may consist of any number of people although some Covens prefer to work in groups of 13. A coven will often be a small, close-knit group. In fact, members of a coven often become closer to each other than to their actual family members. This is why Wicca, or ‘the Craft’ as it is known, is often called a family religion.
For this reason, please be sure to choose the members of your coven carefully. Spend time with potential members before initiating them into a coven. See if you are compatible, completely comfortable and at ease with each other. Do not rush to form a coven. Take your time and follow your intuition. Another thing to be considered in terms of the number of people participating in a coven is the size of the circle in which they hold their rituals. Traditionally the circle is set at 9 feet in diameter, so it can be seen at once that the number of people who can comfortably fit in its confines is limited.
What’s a Wiccan Coven Fact #1 Wiccan Coven Hierarchy
A coven always needs a leader or leaders. The leaders represent the God and the Goddess so a male and female leader would be ideal. In some Wiccan traditions, the leaders are democratically elected, after which they will lead for a year. Once the year is up, there would be a re-election. Former coven leaders are still referred to as High Priest or High Priestess to reflect their experience. In some Wiccan traditions, such as Alexandrian Wicca, there are degrees of advancement through promotion.
As another example, let’s look at the Gardnerian tradition. Here the first ‘degree’ means you participate in rituals as part of the ‘chorus’. You must remain in the chorus for at least one year and one day. After this, you can progress to the second and then to the third degree. The higher the degree, the more active you are allowed to be in rituals. According to Gardnerian tradition, a witch who has reached the third degree may break away and form her own coven if she so chooses.
Some covens have more than three degrees, some have less. Some also insist on a longer time between the degrees. Generally, it is understood that the coven leaders are leaders and not rulers. Because covens are autonomous there can be no ‘leaders of all witches’, regardless of whatever claims some leaders may make.
What’s a Wiccan Coven Fact #2 Wiccan Coven Names
The place where the coven is located is called the ‘Covenstead’. Within the covenstead is the covendom. The covendom would traditionally extend 3 miles in all directions from the covenstead. The witches of the coven would normally live within the radius of the covendom. Two separate covendoms should not overlap which meant that covens would always have to be at least 6 miles apart. However, these days the covendom boundary is seldom honoured.
What’s a Wiccan Coven Fact #4 Wiccan Coven Rituals
The Craft used to be a purely oral tradition with written records of rituals being kept. However, with the start of the persecutions, witches and covens were forced into hiding. This meant that they began…
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