Is Joining a Wiccan Coven Right for You?

Are you considering joining a coven? While there is nothing wrong with being a solitary practitioner, many Wiccans feel that it enhances their spiritual lives to be a part of a group such as a coven. Often times solitary practice can leave the practitioner feeling alone and isolated in a world where their own religious beliefs are often misunderstood and attacked in the mainstream and find themselves yearning for the sense of community and camaraderie that joining a religious group can provide. Problematically, these groups are often hard to find. Sometimes this is because there simply aren't any practicing pagan organizations within the area, but you will find that the most common barrier in locating such a group is often intentional secrecy on the part of the group. Reasons for secrecy among covens can be varied, but are usually directed at preventing two things. The first thing that a coven wants to avoid is harassment by outsiders who don't understand the religion, or who outright intend harm to it's members. The second thing a coven wants to prevent is attracting curiosity seekers who invariably cause trouble and discord within the group. Given that there are some obstacles involved in finding a joining a coven , you will want to make certain that you would be interested in joining before you undertake such a task.

How do you know if you would want to join a coven if you have never even been to one? The most important deciding factor in joining a coven will be your personal desires on the subject and your personality. Are you a person who prefers to work in a community or alone? Are you comfortable in situations that require teamwork, or do you prefer to blaze your own trail? Covens work very much like any other group or community, so if your main goal is to join together with others and socialize and learn together this could be a great situation for you. However, if you are looking to join a coven only because you feel that it validates your beliefs, or is somehow required of you to do so, then perhaps you would be better served by continuing to work as a solitary.

Even the most certain people will often run into a problem when they are seeking a coven to join. Sometimes, even after all the above problems have been overcome, the practitioner becomes frustrated by not being able to find a coven that suits their personal needs or desires.It can be very complicated to find a coven that fits you, but it is important that you do. Accepting membership in a group that varies extremely from your belief system or does not provide you with meaningful relationships will not only short you in the long run, but will ultimately impede the progress of the coven as a whole. There are many factors involved in selecting a group . First the members should be people whom you like and whom like you, second you should agree upon pantheons and beliefs, and third you should feel comfortable and open around these people and vice versa. For many people it takes years to find a coven that they can feel at home in, but that is fine because finding a coven should be a deeply spiritual experience for you~ and we all know the journey is just as much a part of the spiritual process as the destination!

If you have decided that joining a coven is definitely for you but have had trouble locating any groups in your area here are some resources that might help you get going. Alternatively, if you are still uncertain about whether you would benefit from joining a coven these resources should also supply you with a general idea of what covens do and don't do, and provide information in helping you to make that decision.

Witchvox offers vast opportunities to the seeker with their World Wide Networking Resources. Version 8.0 of their networking pages was released in 2003 and is comprised of over eight years worth of information and resources including an online locator for local groups, e-groups, events and over 7,000 links to pagan pages and organizations.

The Modern Wiccan offers free membership to their online networking group and includes access to a directory , marketplace and information resources.

Wicca Forums is a great free resource for those looking to socialize within the greater pagan community and even make friends. Offering a variety of topics including community forums, outreach opportunities and online classes there are many ways to join in and have a sense of commuunity here limited only by the amount of time you have to invest.

Pagan.com offers a pretty comprehensive list of yahoo email groups , covering a broad range of practices and topics. You will need to be registered with yahoo to apply for membership in these groups.