Should I join a coven?

The whole coven issue can be a bit of a minefield. If you are lucky enough to find a group of people who live near enough to meet up and who share your beliefs and want the same as you do from a coven then great, go for it. But there are a few pitfalls involved in joining a coven so lets look at some of those first.
Firstly, finding a coven can be hard work. A lot of covens are private and so likely not to advertise. Many more will be closed to new members. You may choose to find like minded people and start your own coven but be aware that such a group may not have within it the knowledge and the teaching experience needed to make it work successfully.
Covens can sometimes be a bit of an ego trip for someone who has a desire to see themselves as a High Priestess or coven leader. Don’t invest your energy into the ego of another person. Make sure that a coven benefits all its members and is not solely there to advance the wishes of the coven leader. The ethos of a coven should be to share and grow together.
The other issue with joining a coven is that it can be hard to find people on the same path as you. The danger is that you will end up having to compromise some of your beliefs/practices in order to fit comfortably into the group.  Its ok to make some practical concessions for the good of the group but if you find yourself having to change your fundamental path then that coven isn’t right for you.
Many witches, including myself, prefer to practice as a solitary. You can do the work you want when it suits you, you can work with your own inspirations and create your own practices and your own way of being a witch.
The golden rule - if a coven works for you, great, if it doesn’t - get out!

Image http://www.sxc.hu/photo/212249 (Vale)

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