As regards environment, whenever you wish to perform an operation of witchcraft solo, all you
basically need is a corner of your own home, the only prerequisite being privacy and a modicum of
soundproofing. The latter is required not so much as a precaution against the neighbour's objecting to
your noise, but rather as a further aid to the discarding of inhibitions, which is of such primary
importance in all magic.
However, should you wish to gather a group of likeminded friends around you for regular witchcraft
sessions, then of course you will need a larger space to operate in than the one required for solo work.
Apart from the more obvious aspect of companionship and mutual enjoyment of the practices, the
formation of a group, or coven as it is called, brings with it certain advantages not present in the solo
approach.
It is well known among practitioners of the occult arts that a magical operation performed by a group
will often succeed spectacularly, whereas a solo effort may achieve only moderate success. The old
adage about strength in numbers is particularly true in the case of magic. This is the occult rationale
behind the witches' coven. The proviso exists, however, that the group, first, be like-minded, that is
sympathetic to one another in basic belief and emotional rapport, and, second, that there be present a
certain amount of magical dedication and intensity of purpose. This does not necessarily imply a rigid
fanaticism among the members but rather abilities first to bring the mind to bear upon a problem, and
second to let the imagination loose within certain limits.
In fact, the members must all be fully, and practically, conversant with the four powers of the witches'
pyramid. The more magically powerful are the individuals belonging to a coven, the more potent does
the coven become as an entity. And it does become an entity. If enough pyramid power is brought to it
and tied in place by sufficient emotional rapport among the members, witches believe that a pool or
vortex of magical energy begins to form, which, if sustained by regular performance of a ritual, not
only becomes an "energy bank" upon which the comprising members can draw to supplement their
personal resources, but also an artificially constructed collective deep mind, independent in its own
right. This is the magical rationale behind the formation of most occult groups that require secrecy
from their members.
The rituals and symbols special to a group such as this are kept from the eyes of "cowans," or the
uninitiated, not so much for fear of the powers supposedly conferred being abused, but because, by
meddling with the "triggering devices" involved in the symbolism, such outsiders set to naught all the
careful work involved in building the coven entity. This is particularly the case should the intruder be
of a hostile or sceptical turn of mind.
The total number of members to a coven is traditionally limited to anywhere up to thirteen, inclusive
of the leaders. Should the full complement of three leaders be present, that makes ten other members
possible. Whenever the number of members grows to exceed that, a new coven is formed, which splits
away from the original one. In goddess-oriented covens, with their concentration on the sexual aspects
of witchcraft, the group is ideally made up of six male-female couples and a leader. Similarly, these
covens also require that initiations only be conferred from sex to sex, by man upon woman or vice
versa, the only exceptions made being those of parent and child. In other branches of the craft,
however, this ruling does not apply in any way.
Traditionally, covens are supposed to have at least three miles between their physical meeting points.
This seems to stem partly from an old custom dealing with "territorial rights," in some circles referred
to as the covendom, and partly from the days of the persecutions, when smallness of number was
considered a wise precaution. Similarly, the unusual number of thirteen members may also have this
foundation, although there are many magical reasons behind the number, not least of them being the
thirteen full moons to a lunar year. Some modem witches claim, however, that thirteen has a more
pragmatic import, inasmuch as it is the largest number of folk that can comfortably be squeezed into a
nine-foot circle.
The word "coven" itself is derived from the Latin noun conventus, meaning "a gathering or assembly."
It is the same root which gives us our words "convent," "convention," "covenant," and "convene."
The occasions at which a witches' coven meets informally are known by the name "Esbats." The word
itself, derived from the French word meaning "to frolic," hints at how unponderous and nonreligious in
the generally accepted meaning of the word the medieval concept of a witches' meeting was!
Similarly, the eight annual Sabbats, in addition to their magical import, have always been considered
as great occasions of festivity, celebrating the beginning, midpoint, and end of the seasons, the ebb and
flow of the elemental tides. So if and when you form your own coven, always bear in mind that, first,
Sabbats are a time of renewal of friendship and elemental power; and, second, Sabbats are a time of
enjoyment.
The actual details of establishing your own coven can be considered under the following seven
headings:
1. The Nature of Your Coven - the coven "logo," totems, and general symbolism.
2. Your Coven Hierarchy, if any.
3. Your Initiation Ritual (or rituals if you establish a coven hierarchy) making use of coven
symbolism.
4. A Binding Oath of Secrecy imposed upon all members on admission to the coven, fortified with the
additional threat of magical reprisals. This is usually facilitated by the candidate surrendering certain
object links, such as a drop of blood or a lock of hair, et cetera.
5. The Taking of a Magical Coven Name. This may be the same or in addition to the witch name
initially assumed for solo practice.
6. The Actual Witch Insignia to be worn, such as pendant, ring, bracelet, necklace, or garter.
7. A Ritual or Rituals to be performed on any of the eight Sabbats you care to celebrate, again
involving considerable use of coven symbolism.
What you do with the coven after you have established the preceding seven points is entirely up to you
and the other members. Some covens concentrate on attempting to heal the sick, others specialize in
necromancy, but the general goal is one of knowledge and power. In further pursuit of the latter, a few
groups try to bring their powers to bear on political matters, singling out individuals who stand high in
public office on whom to cast their spells. Then there exists those groups who devote their energies
solely to invoking the witch entities as deities, worshipping them not so much for practical and
magical reasons, but rather as an expression of that simpler and maybe purer life of the spirit which
takes its inspiration from pre-Christian European sources. It is these "witch cultists" who have largely
held the public gaze over the past fifteen years, despite the fact that the word "witch" embraces a far
wider circle of people than merely the followers of Gerald Brosseau Gardner.
basically need is a corner of your own home, the only prerequisite being privacy and a modicum of
soundproofing. The latter is required not so much as a precaution against the neighbour's objecting to
your noise, but rather as a further aid to the discarding of inhibitions, which is of such primary
importance in all magic.
However, should you wish to gather a group of likeminded friends around you for regular witchcraft
sessions, then of course you will need a larger space to operate in than the one required for solo work.
Apart from the more obvious aspect of companionship and mutual enjoyment of the practices, the
formation of a group, or coven as it is called, brings with it certain advantages not present in the solo
approach.
It is well known among practitioners of the occult arts that a magical operation performed by a group
will often succeed spectacularly, whereas a solo effort may achieve only moderate success. The old
adage about strength in numbers is particularly true in the case of magic. This is the occult rationale
behind the witches' coven. The proviso exists, however, that the group, first, be like-minded, that is
sympathetic to one another in basic belief and emotional rapport, and, second, that there be present a
certain amount of magical dedication and intensity of purpose. This does not necessarily imply a rigid
fanaticism among the members but rather abilities first to bring the mind to bear upon a problem, and
second to let the imagination loose within certain limits.
In fact, the members must all be fully, and practically, conversant with the four powers of the witches'
pyramid. The more magically powerful are the individuals belonging to a coven, the more potent does
the coven become as an entity. And it does become an entity. If enough pyramid power is brought to it
and tied in place by sufficient emotional rapport among the members, witches believe that a pool or
vortex of magical energy begins to form, which, if sustained by regular performance of a ritual, not
only becomes an "energy bank" upon which the comprising members can draw to supplement their
personal resources, but also an artificially constructed collective deep mind, independent in its own
right. This is the magical rationale behind the formation of most occult groups that require secrecy
from their members.
The rituals and symbols special to a group such as this are kept from the eyes of "cowans," or the
uninitiated, not so much for fear of the powers supposedly conferred being abused, but because, by
meddling with the "triggering devices" involved in the symbolism, such outsiders set to naught all the
careful work involved in building the coven entity. This is particularly the case should the intruder be
of a hostile or sceptical turn of mind.
The total number of members to a coven is traditionally limited to anywhere up to thirteen, inclusive
of the leaders. Should the full complement of three leaders be present, that makes ten other members
possible. Whenever the number of members grows to exceed that, a new coven is formed, which splits
away from the original one. In goddess-oriented covens, with their concentration on the sexual aspects
of witchcraft, the group is ideally made up of six male-female couples and a leader. Similarly, these
covens also require that initiations only be conferred from sex to sex, by man upon woman or vice
versa, the only exceptions made being those of parent and child. In other branches of the craft,
however, this ruling does not apply in any way.
Traditionally, covens are supposed to have at least three miles between their physical meeting points.
This seems to stem partly from an old custom dealing with "territorial rights," in some circles referred
to as the covendom, and partly from the days of the persecutions, when smallness of number was
considered a wise precaution. Similarly, the unusual number of thirteen members may also have this
foundation, although there are many magical reasons behind the number, not least of them being the
thirteen full moons to a lunar year. Some modem witches claim, however, that thirteen has a more
pragmatic import, inasmuch as it is the largest number of folk that can comfortably be squeezed into a
nine-foot circle.
The word "coven" itself is derived from the Latin noun conventus, meaning "a gathering or assembly."
It is the same root which gives us our words "convent," "convention," "covenant," and "convene."
The occasions at which a witches' coven meets informally are known by the name "Esbats." The word
itself, derived from the French word meaning "to frolic," hints at how unponderous and nonreligious in
the generally accepted meaning of the word the medieval concept of a witches' meeting was!
Similarly, the eight annual Sabbats, in addition to their magical import, have always been considered
as great occasions of festivity, celebrating the beginning, midpoint, and end of the seasons, the ebb and
flow of the elemental tides. So if and when you form your own coven, always bear in mind that, first,
Sabbats are a time of renewal of friendship and elemental power; and, second, Sabbats are a time of
enjoyment.
The actual details of establishing your own coven can be considered under the following seven
headings:
1. The Nature of Your Coven - the coven "logo," totems, and general symbolism.
2. Your Coven Hierarchy, if any.
3. Your Initiation Ritual (or rituals if you establish a coven hierarchy) making use of coven
symbolism.
4. A Binding Oath of Secrecy imposed upon all members on admission to the coven, fortified with the
additional threat of magical reprisals. This is usually facilitated by the candidate surrendering certain
object links, such as a drop of blood or a lock of hair, et cetera.
5. The Taking of a Magical Coven Name. This may be the same or in addition to the witch name
initially assumed for solo practice.
6. The Actual Witch Insignia to be worn, such as pendant, ring, bracelet, necklace, or garter.
7. A Ritual or Rituals to be performed on any of the eight Sabbats you care to celebrate, again
involving considerable use of coven symbolism.
What you do with the coven after you have established the preceding seven points is entirely up to you
and the other members. Some covens concentrate on attempting to heal the sick, others specialize in
necromancy, but the general goal is one of knowledge and power. In further pursuit of the latter, a few
groups try to bring their powers to bear on political matters, singling out individuals who stand high in
public office on whom to cast their spells. Then there exists those groups who devote their energies
solely to invoking the witch entities as deities, worshipping them not so much for practical and
magical reasons, but rather as an expression of that simpler and maybe purer life of the spirit which
takes its inspiration from pre-Christian European sources. It is these "witch cultists" who have largely
held the public gaze over the past fifteen years, despite the fact that the word "witch" embraces a far
wider circle of people than merely the followers of Gerald Brosseau Gardner.
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