To Join
We do not actively try to convert, proselytize, or recruit new members, and this website is our only public platform. It solely aims to inform interested individuals in our area about our existence.
OUR PROCESS FOR NEW APPLICANTS
Our coven opens its doors to the public based on the group’s needs and accepts new members from Samhain to Imbolc. We believe in building strong bonds of trust and focusing on personal ministry work or studies when the coven is closed. If we decide to open our doors to new applicants for the coming year, we will notify interested parties via email. Face-to-face interviews will be scheduled from November through January to determine whether this is a good fit for both the applicants and the coven.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO WICCA
If you're considering joining, it's important to note that most people who express interest in joining are new to Wicca or have never been part of a coven before. Most people have little to no understanding of what Wiccan covens are and what they involve. It's essential to understand that each coven, whether it's traditional or eclectic, is unique in its purpose, rituals, and overall nature, including our coven. This uniqueness arises from the individual experiences, needs, and expectations of its members.
For us, a coven has several functions:
A coven is spiritual and religious family with tight bonds and deep trust amongst its members. Building this trust takes time and patience, and joining the group is not taken lightly. New members have the potential to profoundly influence the existing relationships within the group.
A coven is an intellectual, physical, emotional, and magical support group. It's a community where individuals engage in each other's lives regularly, prioritizing their ability to help one another. For this reason, we ensure that new members are fully committed to dedicating a significant amount of time and effort to participate in our rituals, festivals, magical theory and practice lessons, and influencing change each month.
A coven is a group of priestesses and priests who come together as equals at auspicious times to work in the community, honor the sacred forces of the planet, and heal the land and life that depends on it. The group connects with the land's yearly cycles through shared rituals, raising energy as one to support each other.
CRITERIA TO JOIN
If an applicant's interest is casual, we are rarely willing to invest serious time examining the applicant's history, assumptions, character, and expectations or preparing the applicant for inclusion and eventual initiation into the coven. We're in no rush to bring new applicants in. We're not interested in growing in size; we're interested in growing in strength and trust. There are many well-considered reasons for not making the joining process quick and easy, and some of them protect the applicant more than they protect a coven! Consider for a moment if you think it would be wise to rush into any relationship that involves opening your heart up and sharing intimate aspects of your life with total strangers. You'd be taking a huge risk by doing so (and so would we). That is essentially what happens when applying for any coven. The process requires patience and steadfast interest. If we don't see these qualities in an applicant, then we know that joining a coven isn't really that important to the applicant after all.
The initial step in applying to join our coven involves engaging in a series of brief email conversations. Through these exchanges, our coven's representatives and the applicant can mutually explore each other's interests, backgrounds, objectives, and compatibility in a safe manner. Unlike some, we do not prioritize superficial markers of expertise in Wiccan practices such as 'Wiccan seniority' or 'Wiccan lineages'. We are more concerned with the potential harmony between the applicant and our current members rather than the applicant's prior experience in the Craft. To clarify, we are more interested in the possibilities of what we can achieve together with you now, rather than dwelling on what you may have been in the past.
After several online conversations to evaluate the seriousness, experience, and willingness of an applicant to dedicate time to our group, the coven members arrange in-person interviews with the applicant in a public place. These meetings allow both the applicant and designated coven members to further assess compatibility and character. If these meetings go well and the coven feels the applicant is committed enough to devote time (an average of 3 nights a month) and energy (no money involved) to participating in the coven's activities, then the applicant is invited to participate as an 'initiate' with other applicants in the circle's activities for a 9-month period (think of it as a tour of our tradition with serious homework involved) from Imbolc to Samhain. The aim of this 'gestation' is to help initiates understand the basics of our Tradition so that they can make a fully informed decision by Samhain about whether they wish to become full members of the coven or not. If an initiate chooses to become a full member, their membership is voted on by the current coven members, requiring 100% agreement.
If an individual is new to Wicca or has never been part of a coven before, the nine-month gestation period becomes a time for serious, focused Wiccan and coven training. Learning Wicca is like learning how to fly, and learning coven practices is like learning how to fly in formation.
Joining a coven is a significant commitment, and while an applicant can withdraw from the coven at any time during the application process, they must take an Oath guaranteeing confidentiality before participating in their first gathering or ritual. This Oath is thoroughly explained before any applicant becomes involved. We do not use surprise Oaths that could have negative karmic implications in our Tradition. For a general overview of our coven's main rules, please refer to our Coven Profile page.
Applicant FAQ
Please read this section of the page before emailing us if you are seriously considering joining any of our covens -- as it may answer any questions you have about us and save us both a lot of reading and writing time.
Does joining your coven cost anything?
We do not handle any money. We do not have a treasury, dues, property, or focus on financial matters. You won't need to buy anything to participate in our activities. Sometimes, for our rituals, road trips, and gatherings, we may each need to contribute, but we always discuss and vote on these situations, and no one is pressured to pay. Every member is expected to invest time and energy in our coven's activities. Whether you are an initiate or a full coven member, you are expected to contribute equally to all coven duties.
Do you teach, mentor, and initiate?
Yes and each member serves in the role of student and teacher to one another. We do not have rankings in our coven, nor do we offer "accredited curriculums" that "certify" anyone as a "Third Degree," etc. Our coven's initiations serve only to honor a member's accomplishments with personal goals, rites of passage, and recognition of various stages of coven involvement. However, all of our coven initiates work through a very intense and comprehensive curriculum to learn magical theory and practice and prepare themselves for Wiccan priesthood and personal ministerial work. If you're looking for some form of lineage initiation, etc., we will be happy to point you toward other groups involved with validation-model Wiccan traditions.
Do you practice skyclad and the Great Rite?
We sometimes celebrate our rituals without clothing, depending on the purpose. We respect members who are married and have pledged fidelity to their spouses, and they are not expected to participate in the Great Rite with other coven members. To honor the vows of all members, our coven symbolically practices the Great Rite.
How does your coven feel about alcohol and drugs?
We believe in the legal and responsible use of any substance that does not compromise one's health and safety or the health and safety of our covens.
Are you Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Georgian, or some other tradition of Wicca?
We are working to create our own tradition through the practice of an eclectic form of Wicca, which enables its members to accomplish the exact same thing the founders of Wicca accomplished. This includes being their highest spiritual and religious authority, creating their own religious rites to serve their needs and the needs of those they share this planet with, and ministering to the community in a highly effective way. However, we study intensely many of the foundational and current traditions within Wicca to better understand those around us and to better define our growing and evolving tradition.
Does your coven have any restrictions as to who can join?
Yes, we do: no one under 21 may apply or participate in our coven activities. We do not have anything against teenagers or children; our members simply value their freedom to discuss adult subject matter and share fellowship without any government hassles regarding the involvement of minors. All coveners (initiates and full members) are required to take certain vows and agree to abide by the coven's bylaws before they may participate in the coven's rituals. These vows and bylaws are outlined ahead of time so there are no surprises for applicants. Violation of these vows and bylaws results in a person being dismissed from the coven. The process of assessing any applicant's compatibility, behavior, personality and history may at any time disqualify him or her from joining as well. Remember, in the same way you may not be the right fit for our covens, we may not be the best fit for you either. The application process is drawn out to protect your interests as much as ours, and to help you assess how beneficial our covens might be to you as much as how beneficial your involvement in our covens might be to us.
Do you offer public rituals? Do you have an 'outer circle' of people who can participate without committing themselves to your coven? Do you allow guests or spouses to participate in your gatherings?
No, no, and no. We celebrate all of our gatherings, whether for fellowship, study, or ritual, in the privacy of our members' homes and in private places outdoors. No audience, media representative, non-member, spouse or bystander is permitted to observe our rituals or activities, and anyone attending our rituals is a full participant. Private and intimate lives are shared in our coven, and we do not take our trust bond lightly. Our coven may occasionally allow guests to attend certain rituals, but only with the consensus of all coven members prior to a ritual which has been appropriately crafted for their participation.
Why doesn't your coven have a single High Priestess or High Priest?
The roles of High Priestess (HPS) and High Priest (HP) are rotated among all of our members. Some of us have been involved in the Craft for decades and have witnessed terrible abuses of hierarchical authority by certain individuals who permanently held those two positions. These abuses ranged from micro-managing control-freaks and ego-consumed snobs to dependency-gurus and energy-vampires. We believe in every individual's internal power, their capacity to use that power for a purpose, and their direct connection to the Divine without the need for intermediaries. We do not believe in the concept of 'Elders' or 'first among equals'; all of our members meet as complete equals from Day 1. That is what 'meeting as equals' means. There are no exceptions.
We want to clarify that having a High Priestess, High Priest, or Elders in a coven is not necessarily a negative thing. Many covens work effectively with a permanent leader or leadership couple in charge. However, in our coven, we prioritize leadership rotation and decision-making through consensus. By rotating leadership roles, we believe that each coven member can develop strong leadership qualities, making our covens stronger as a whole.
What exactly does your coven do?
We do not discuss the activities of our covens with non-members. We keep private lives private. Suffice it to say, we make time for each other, on a weekly basis, to grow in strength and trust, to heal what needs healing and tear down what needs tearing down, to teach each other and learn from each other, to pool our skills, talents, energy and resources to achieve our combined goals, and to meaningfully observe the Wiccan wheel of the year in the private company of those we can thoroughly trust with our personal intimate lives.
We hope this page has helped you assess whether our coven is right for you. If you wish to continue with the process of joining our coven, we invite you to email us at covenof1000voices@gmail.com.