BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Pagan Covens and Solitary Witches

One question relevant to those both new and experienced with paganism is the decision of whether to be a coven member or be a solitary practitioner. Each path comes with its own pros and cons.

Covens and Solitary Witches

Excellent article!

Thought I'd stop in to say hi. It seems I spent all my time at the cemetary for a few months and I let myself process my grief. I went back to work full time last week and spend most of my time driving, so there's no online access during the workday.

I've never belonged to a coven but had a strong desire to do so a few years ago. I never moved forward with it.

I have organized a pagan group and it was like trying to balance on a beach ball on a mine field. I'm not competitive and have no need to be worshipped or famous or notorious but my associate did. I withdrew myself and the group is thriving. I feel good to have laid the groundwork but I'd never go back to the leadership part!

Sadly, our community was like a war zone for some time and is still somewhat segregated. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for conflict and power games. So, I'm solitary and my own high priestess. Sometimes I let the cats be my handmaidens!

That was a great article, really well written. I enjoyed reading it very much.

I actually have been solitary and I am part of a large group and I am part of a coven. I Think the most important thing to remeber is that a coven is a very intimate group. YOu have to be able to trust the other members with ANYTHING. Larger groups are great for celebrating Sabbats with even if you are a solitary. But a coven is something special and hard to find. Sometimes they can come out of the larger groups and I have known people who have tried to create that coven setting with people that they barely know and it never seems to work.

It is really a difficult thing to develop that kind of relationship, but when it is right it can be the most amazing and profound experience.

I'm a solitary, but I am just back from spending the weekend attending a fire circle ritual. The event is called "TipiFire" and is hosted by a couple in their 50s who own this lovely 125 acre chunk of land. A friend donated the 27' tipi poles to them three years ago and they've held an annual ceremony in there ever since.

It was an eclectic group ritual, if there is such a thing... LOL... Elements were Native American and Wiccan, but much was created (or improvised) by all of us. I supplement my solitary practice with gatherings of a dozen to a few hundred people a few times a year, often at an event that happens annually, as a way of having connection to community. And for things like making music or singing, it always sounds so much better with others versus doing it by yourself....hahaha

Interesting article. IMO, I feel it leaned a little too much towards the coven side of things.

Personally, I like being solitary. I didn't, however, agree with any of the reasons someone might choose to be solitary in the article. For me, I have the flexibility to learn at my own pace (usually pretty quick) and develop in the areas that feel right for me. I think she put kind of a bad light on the reasons someone might go solo.

I suppose I might be interested in joining a coven one day if the right one presented itself but for the most part I prefer to practice my spirituality my own way.

~Skyrah

I think it's interesting you felt I was so slanted in the direction of a coven, Skyrah, especially since I am solitary myself.

Great article, Rae!

I've recently realized that I am, indeed, a Pagan. I've researched the net looking for groups in my area but since I live in such a rural area, they're pretty far apart.

However, I've always been a solitary type. Even when I was in church (and as a pastor) I never really felt like I was worshipping *with*. Always felt like it was just me and God anyway.

I'm thinking about getting Cunningham's book for solitaries, but we'll see. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hey, Janet!

I'm glad you liked the article. I was quite delightedly surprised to see your banners running on my site here the other day....

The more I learn about the various forms of spirituality that can be considered pagan, the more I learn about the diversity in the world. I also recently had the pleasure of describing my spiritual beliefs as "northern California eclectic neo-paganism" and the other person laughed and completely understood what I was implying....LOL...

LOL!

Well, you know, the ideas of spells and such seemed so darned foreign to me at one time. How in the world could I be a Pagan, I thought?

But some of the New Age isn't really "me"...like channeling aliens and paranoia, for example. (Not all, but some. As "airy" as I am, I can't get into airy fairy stuff that has little or no bearing to my personal reality. Not bad, I guess, for one deficient in the Earth element!)

I've always felt close to nature and my family and I speak to trees...and convey what they "say" to us. (It's so normal I guess it never occurred to me this could be Pagan. Talk about missing the proverbial forest for the trees!)

So the other day, I listened to an excellent CD by Caroline Myss called Your Primal Nature--where she discusses the First Chakra or "Pagan Point". Boy, did her visualization ground me! Then, I began reading a book I've had on my shelf for months: Exploring the Pagan Path - Wisdom From the Elders. I read "What is Paganism?" by Oz while in the bathtub and it dawned on me: OMG...I'm a Pagan!

While I'm still not big on formal rituals, I at least now understand that spells are merely intentions that have been "physicalized". Kind of a touchstone, if you will. And gods and goddesses? Well, while I feel there is only one Divine, so to speak, it has many faces. Whether these "faces" are archetypes that are empowered by belief or are actual entities are really irrelevant to me. So I use my Doreen Virtue Goddess deck, have a little altar on my shelf, am now reading more Pagan and Wicca books...

Isn't it hilarious how far and wide we can journey on our spiritual path?!

I'd probably call myself an eclectic Neo-Pagan solitary, but hey! I'm still Janet. HAHAHA! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I've always had so many of my own ideas, it doesn't surprise me that I'm solitary. However, I do enjoy attending larger rituals where people are open to the diversity of the pagan community. I like to see how else people talk to Spirit and how they honor the Divine in us and around us.

I think my article on Spell Crafting and Ritual Magic was really popular because it talked about magic as a focused intention, and not just eye of newt and all that rigamarole.

I often think when I say that I'm a Pagan, that I'm saying more about what I'm not than what I actually am. Most of my magic is done wherever I am at the time, with whatever is on hand. I have friends that can't do anything without the proper setting, robes, and accoutrements, but that just isn't my brand of magic.

- Rae

Rae,
Great article. I am a solitary practioner and the path of being a Pagan and a Witch was born out of a deep spirotual need. It's funny Janet, but I remember reading about Paganism and Wicca and then, in the middle of the night, it dawned on me that that was exactly who I was!
I feel most comfortable being solitary because to me, my spirituality is a private experience. But I will say that I think sharing my spirituality with those in this forum is wonderful.
Janet, I have Cunningham's book and he writes it with such gentleness and love. Get it, you will like it very much.

I read that article after I posted, Rae, and it was very synchronous! (LOL @ eye of newt). You're absolutely right. I guess I was *so* ingrained by my religious upbringing that I held a narrow vision of "spell casting"...seeing it as superstitious and "backward". But then, even prayer is a form of "spellcasting". When the Apostle Paul "charged" a handkerchiefs in the NT and individuals took them to loved ones who were ill--and miracles occurred--it was a form of spellcasting. Same way with putting cards featuring Scriptures around the house to "remind" of a prayer or intention and so on.

Gosh, it's weird how the mind blocks out information it's not ready for and can't see obvious correlations and/or similiarities! Maybe that's why the world needs more Yin/Feminine Energy/Divine Feminine: the Yin side of the brain/spirit is receptive and sees where we have commonalities whereas the Yang/masculine sees where we are different.

Yeah, I can't imagine having to have a particular herb, scent, crystal, etc. to spell cast. No matter what the spiritual tradition, it seems that some are more comfortable with formality and ritual (and getting it "right"?) while others are more informal in their path.

Hi Kristen! Thanks for your recommendation. I'll definitely be getting that book then. (Heads off to Amazon.com) I've heard many good things about that book!

How interesting that you had a "dawning" very similar to mine. Maybe we're born again Pagans...? HAHAHA! ^_~

Janet - I have heard people say quite proudly that they are born-again Pagans... LOL....

To me, when you make a wish, cast a spell, say an affirmation, or pray, you're doing the same thing in each instance, but maybe the context and intensity is a bit different in each case. Now, that's a really solitary viewpoint, that's for sure.

I enjoy being solitary, but from time to time, I check out various groups and covens to see how they are working. I know if I found a group and the energy felt right, I might work with them for a while to see how it goes, but so far I've always found some element that encourages me to continue doing things on my own.

LOL!

I'd love to check out a group sometime but I'm having a hard time locating any that's local. Ah, well. If I'm supposed to hook up with any groups--even for just occassional contact--I'm sure it will happen when it needs to. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Janet... did you check on www.witchvox.com? They have a lot of listings fro pagans all around the country

Hi Fiona!

Yes, Witchvox is the first place I went to, actually. The only listing I could find was a pre-teen boy interested in networking with other Pagans.

I found a Pagan Yahoo group from my state, but none of them seem to be from my area.

You might also check out http://www.tribe.net There are a lot of groups from all over there.

Thanks, Rae. I tried to navigate that site but found it very confusing...

I find tribe.net to be like the mutant off-spring of Friendster and Yahoo Groups with a dash of Craigslist thrown in.

I found a page of links of pagan groups mostly in the North-Eastern parts of the US, maybe you can find something off of this...

http://www.geocities.com/sheherazahde/Pagan/RegionalLinks.html

Thanks so much for your help, Rae! Alas, the groups are all on the other side of the state...much like what I found at Witchvox.

I'm just destined to be a solitary, I tell ya! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

To be honest, Janet, I expect when you feel ready, you'll wind up starting your own group.

*groan* People have said that to me all my life. I don't wanna! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I have noticed something significant;
1. witches are in COVENS and God has COVENants.
2. the holy day for witches is the SABBAT, Christians and Jews have the SABBATH.
3. a coven of witches is 13. 13 is considered in Judaism to be complete. There were 12 apostles + Christ=13. 13 witches in a coven represents 12+ satan=13
Interesting huh?

Interesting observations..

1. the definition of the word covenant is a binding agreement. A coven is a group of people who have made a binding agreement, or covenant, with each other.

2. Actually in Judaism it is Shabbat, and all three words mean holy day or a day of rest and worship. Same root word, diferent language origins.

3. Very few covens that I am aware of actually have 13 members. Some have as few as 3 and some many more. 13 is a sacred number in many religions. And satan is a Christian concept, most witches are not Christian and don't even believe in satan, so they would probably not invite him to coven.

It's not really that significant when you consider that Paganism is a few thousand years older than Christianity, and that the Church adopted or changed a lot of pagan customs in their actions to draw more people to their faith over the years. In fact, if you took away ever single custom in Christianity that came from pagan roots, you'd probably be surprised.

Very true Rae. The Christian calendar would look pretty thin if you removed the pagan-rooted festivals wouldn't it? This isn't denying anyone's belief in God, Jesus or the rest of the Bible- just to say that early Christians picked up & utilised lots of ancient dates & rites.

Lauren,

It'd be like looking at Japanese culture if you took away all the bits that were incorporated from the Chinese.

Rae,
Someone in an above post said something about the Christian calender. Do I not have the right to respond to that? Why do you keep deleting my posts? If someone said something about pagans in a Christian thread would you delete their posts if they reponded? I thought we were beyond censorship.

The owner of this web site has empowered me to run my forums as I see fit, a right each and every editor here at Bellaonline also has in their own forums. This power includes being able to keep or removed whateve threads they wish from their own forum.

My editorial powers only extend the subjects that I write, being both Body Art and this Pagan topic, so no, I don't do anything about what is said in the Christian-oriented forums.

Suffice to say, if I feel you are putting down or insulting Pagans over their beliefs or if you've come here to proselytize, I'm gonna delete you and the reason is that's how I run my boards. I do the same thing over at Body Art when people post saying tattoos and piercings are ugly and stupid.

Anyone who doesn't like how I run my boards is free to post elsewhere.

So, you fear debate and dissension? Why? If you are not prepared to defend it, it isn't worth defending.

No, but I don't like when people put words in my mouth. I'm not afraid of you, but spending time debating you is not what I am here to do.

If you wish to debate someone, go find someone who wants to. You are not welcome here. As I stated earlier, it's perfectly within my rights as Editor to run this forum as I wish.