Spirited (27 page)

There is always the chance that your coven will attract the wrong sort of people—those who are into Witchcraft and Paganism because it is a popular trend. Don't invest too much time stressing over such people, as they quickly become disinterested and adopt a new guise of “social empowerment.” These people are a minority, though they seem to have multiplied rapidly in recent years due to the resurgence of all things occult in the media, and we can blame the capitalist ventures of our century for that.

Those who disrespect the depth and seriousness of the Pagan path will meet their comeuppance soon enough and will most likely withdraw from anything associated with it ASAP! There's also the oddity that is the misguided “black” magician or the high, bleary-eyed moron from the next planet over, and we all know what type of things they're into. Such interests and recreational activities are evident in the occult underground of today but rarely surface unless provoked or invited. If such a crowd finds their way into your group, gently but firmly state that their presence is unwanted and their activities are considered distasteful.

8. Is sharing too much about myself straightaway a danger to my security and self-esteem?

Being involved in a coven requires a great deal of honesty and conviction. I can safely say that most Pagans are open, accepting individuals. If you fear that an aspect of yourself will be regarded as profane or immoral, then think again. Pagans are encouraged to speculate. Sexuality, political anarchism, gender equality, and food lifestyles are commonly regarded liberally within the Pagan community.

You will come to realise that Pagans as a whole uphold the individual's right to freedom of choice. A coven is a reflection of a greater entity and is composed of the same senses and responses. A coven should never be used to gratify the selfish and supremacist values of a misled individual.

Joining a Coven:
Things to Do

You may have been personally invited to join a coven, or perhaps you actively sought one out. Whatever the case, if you desire to have a positive experience, then use the following as guidelines to fulfil that dream:

1.
Allow yourself a period of three months to get to know the people concerned.
This is not to say that you will be initiated at the culmination of this waiting period; in fact, it is highly unlikely! Most covens have this period in order to familiarise themselves with you and vice versa. In that time you will have been invited to a couple of circles and gatherings. You are now in the position to evaluate your feelings regarding ritual and structure, as well as build a rapport with the members. By the end of the period, you will have reached a conscious decision as to whether the coven is right for you.

2.
Find a group that suits your needs.
There's nothing to gain by compromising yourself in order to serve the standards of
the first coven you make contact with. This issue arises when an individual who is unsure of what tradition they are inclined towards is invited to join a traditional coven. Of course, if you are not a traditionalist and wish to join an Eclectic Pagan group, you have much more choice. Each coven will allow you a period
of time to familiarise yourself with their way of doing things.
By the end of that period, you should realise whether the group is right for you or not.

3.
Understand that if there is any serious in-fighting within the group, then it will most likely disband.
If the members of a coven are not actively supporting each other or
appropriately
addressing problems, then the group will most likely collapse under pressure.

Infighting is a sign that the coven is sitting on the edge of a
knife. If the fighting develops into malicious sabotage and wilful
desecration of one's vows, the blade will strike. You need to be sure that you are joining a group that deals with problems maturely and that regards each member's input as essential to
resolving the situation. The leaders should stress the importance
of cooperation and consider each candidate carefully before
allowing them entry into the coven.

4.
If you feel negatively about the group or mistrust the central
man/woman, take heed of your intuition.
Our intuition is one of our most precious gifts. When we receive an inspired
burst, we need to pay close attention to the details. If the central
person is, after close inspection, someone whom you could
never trust, then step back from the group and cut all ties with the leader. Trust your instincts on this one.

5.
M
ake sure that you are comfortable with how the coven is organised and that you connect with the members on a deep level.
It's good to enjoy the rituals of your coven whole-heartedly. You need to be sure that you feel comfortable in
whatever organisational structure the coven has. You should also feel connected to the members, as you will be developing strong magickal ties with them. Be yourself, and never allow your voice to be censored or compromised.

Within the inner court of my coven, if one of us is feeling an intense emotion, the rest of us will generally be affected by it. We share strong psychic connections and often key into things around the same time. This is what happens when you work
with Magick together in a group. It is inevitable that the Witches
within the coven will become empathetic with each other.

6.
If you begin to feel romantically for anyone in the coven, don't
hide it shamefully, but do not make your love interest the
central theme of your involvement with the coven.
Romance and sexual attraction are inevitable in such intimate conditions. It is not taboo to pursue a covener; however, it needs to be done
maturely. Sneaking around behind the coven's back in order to protect the secrecy of your relationship will not score you
any brownie points in the trust factor. Be open, passionate, and express your love, but make sure that this is done in perfect love and perfect trust.

7.
Know that sometimes things can go wrong and for various reasons your coven could disband, leaving you feeling lost and confused.
It's common for groups to crumble under the weight of disorder. Unfortunately, in most cases, this leads to the members feeling contempt for each other. If a coven is not built on loyalty, honour, and unity, then there is a great chance that it will dissolve because of the lack of positive ties a successful group engenders.

8.
A coven is a serious commitment and is not something you leave as an accessory on the side. However, a coven should not consume your life to the point where it becomes your life.
Paganism stresses balance in all aspects of life. You are not expected to devote the entirety of your free time to the study of Pagan spirituality; rather, it is encouraged that you integrate its principles into your life so that it becomes the underlying nature of your attitude. However, it should also be said that the individual is not expected to adapt to a Pagan's precepts; instead, you should have the freedom to creatively inhabit the spirituality and explore its dynamic traditions.

Working with a coven involves dedication, faith, and cooperation. It is not a periodic stop-off for you to attain the level of ecstasy that raising energy in a group provides. Covens are strongholds of power, and with power comes responsibility.

Covencraft opens us up to the nurturing serenity of community and the provocative challenges of the spiritual path. Maintain the delicate balance between coven and self, and the benefits will far outweigh the negatives.

Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

“How do you enter?”
“With perfect love and perfect trust.”

Perfection is not a standardised quality revered in the Pagan spirituality. To be perfect does not necessarily refer to contrasts or comparisons. It is not the stressed frame of an anorexic figure, nor is it the money-accumulating enterprise attached to the successful businessperson. To be perfect, at least in the Pagan traditions, is to live in integrity and in complete peace with the Self (the centre of being; all of it).

Nature is perfection. It is not a guilt-ridden entity suffering from trivial dramas; it simply is and flows accordingly. Each aspect relates to another in honourable coexistence. Nature is not merely composed of trees and rocks; it is the manifestation that is an expression of the divine. By extension,
it
is divine.

When I hear the word
perfect
used to describe “God” or the feeling of a moment, I do not associate the word with morality or a persistence that embraces all expectations and lives up to every ideal. When I hear of something being perfect, I know in my heart that it simply
is
the natural and purposeful being of a thing that evokes such strong emotional responses.

“Perfect love and perfect trust” is not a creed that orders us to banish all doubt and mindlessly agree with everything that comes to pass in coven decision-making. It is an active mantra continuously reminding each of us of the vows to remain diligent and earnest, and to do so in respect for each covener in turn.

During Wicca's early years, there was still a great deal of prejudice and fear concerning its cult status. The sensationalist media reports, which often made use of photographs of Witches performing rituals skyclad, did not help the matter. In fact, Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente had a falling-out over the issue of publicity and eventually parted to pursue their own paths because of this. As a result of this initial coven dispute, Gardner conjured up the Laws of Witchcraft, which lay down strict codes of conduct within a coven. The origins of the Laws remain unknown.

Many of the laws are specific to the organisation and structure of a coven and, of course, its secrecy. The passwords that accompany a Witch's initiation into a coven—
perfect love and perfect trust
—are the summation of these precautionary laws. In essence, this sworn love and trust entails a great deal of discretion on the initiate's part and a respectful attention to service and oaths.

Early Wiccans (and many today, including the rest of us) had to endure an intolerable consistency of persecution as the revival of Witchcraft occurred in a conservative Christian environment where the word
Witch
was synonymous with Satanist. Many ardent churchgoers refused to accept this newly formed group of individuals and therefore punished them for their daring to come into the public eye. Belonging to a coven was much more than a means of joining with those of like mind; it was also sanctuary and support.

Secrecy was/is integral to the Wiccan faith, and the personal details of initiations were not offered willingly. The right to deny one's own Witchhood was even included in Gardner's Laws. Taking the vow of secrecy inferred an obligation to protect one's fellow coveners. It ensured that the coveners did not have to live in constant fear of returning home only to discover their house had been crudely vandalised or their car windows smashed. The mutual bonds of love and trust were a healthy expression of a coven's future success. Without them, many Wiccan covens may have crumbled.

To illustrate the simplicity and reality of perfect love and perfect trust and the effect it has on a particular group or situation, I will refer to a pond. This pond I speak of is healthy, and the ecosystem it supports is thriving. All is in balance and harmony, a picture of perfection. How does this pond continue to exist in its state of well-being when it is in truth a greater entity (the egregore) comprised of many volatile aspects (the coveners), which at first glance may appear to contradict each other (personality)?

The newly hatched tadpoles are devoured eagerly by a passing fish, and that fish is then swiftly eaten by a larger specimen, and so on and so forth. It is the renowned food chain that is occurring—survival of the fittest. Or is it? Now, not every tadpole is eaten; otherwise, there would be a shortage of frogs, and since this pond is exactly as it should be, there is definitely not a shortage of frogs. If, however, the number of small fish increased, then an imbalance would occur, and the number of predators preying on the tadpoles would greatly outweigh the succession of tadpole births, until the fish ate the tadpoles out of existence. On and on it goes, similarly with predator and prey. It is seen that there needs to be a balanced or complementary number of both predator and prey to ensure the continued survival of each species in the pond.

The very framework of this food chain and the state of the pond is the result of perfect trust. The trust lies in the expectation of each species within the food chain that there will be enough food to satisfy their hunger while also sustaining a number of each species for regeneration. This truth is essential to the ecosystem, and without it, the pond and its inhabitants would soon disappear.

Perfect love and perfect trust is not an empty vow. It is a powerful and self-decisive commitment that evaluates the integrity of the initiate. You should not have to join a British Traditional coven in order to experience the intense undertaking of an oath regarding secrecy. In fact, the code should be integral to all initiations, no matter what tradition the group is working in. It is the essential creed of covencraft that each covener has the right to participate without fear of retribution.