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The Witches Coven

© Christy Huelsenbeck

'A coven is an organized group of witches, and it is pronounced 'kuvv'n' (not 'Koe-v'n). Its original meaning was simply a meeting or gathering; its root was the Latin convenire, 'to come together' (from which we also get convene, convention and convent). A Witches Bible Compleat by Janet and Stewart Farrar

How does one begin a coven, and then begin the training of said coven when you are new yourself. Some would say you should never attempt such a feat without a good deal of experience on your side. I am inclined to agree with that opinion, for the most part. Running a coven and training other people is not an easy job. It is tireless and often quite thankless. I have always said that stepping up to be a leader is actually stepping up to take responsibility and being prepared to accept the blame is something goes wrong! But to think that a leader must have all the information to lead is wrong as well, because we never stop learning. Those who think they have nothing else to learn would not be very good leaders in my opinion. So with all that being said, many people want to work with others, and don't have alot of information to go on. And most people no longer believe that only a witch can make a witch, so someone willing to stand up and take the reins needs guidance. That is what this section is for.

The first thing you should do is asses YOUR reasons for wanting a coven. If it is for power, glory and admiring glances close this section and go back to the basics because you have missed the whole point of the Craft somewhere along the way. If you find that you like the idea of having others join you and add their expertise (or lack thereof) to your own, enjoy a family atmosphere for holidays, etc., then you are on the right track. So get together your group of interested friends and begin by studying all available resources on the craft, this disk included. With a large information base to go on you can begin to decide what you agree with and what you don't. At the beginning of your studies everyone in your group should perform a dedication to study (included on the disk). When you and the group feels ready the woman chosen to be the Priestess should perform a self initiation. After this she should initiate the man chosen to be the Priest. Then as each member feels ready to make the commitment each one should be initiated, the men by the Priestess and the women by the Priest.

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