Solitary Practitioner or Coven Member?
by Morgana RavenLake

"Which one is best, to be a solitary practitioner or to join a coven?" If I got a dime every time I have been asked that question, I would be so rich that I would quit my job and move to a tropical island. This is the burning question most beginner in the Craft ask me. I have been both a solitary practitioner since I was a beginner, and now a member of White Fire of the Moon Coven and Sisters of the Celtic Moon Circle. On the outright I can say that one is not better than the other. Both can be very enriching experiences. Like every thing in life, being a solitaire or a member of a coven has its advantages and disadvantages. (Hey, what did you expect? Nothing is perfect, you know.) Based on my experiences, I will briefly analyze each situation. There are benefits in being a solitaire. One of them is that it gives you the opportunity to explore all areas of spirituality. The more you read the more you shape and reshape your ideas. You bring into your own spirituality those things that you believe in and make you feel good from other religious beliefs. In other words, you create your own path and tradition. There is no one there to tell you that is wrong to celebrate the Chinese New Year if you are mostly following a Saxon tradition. Solitary practitioners can be creative. There are no rules binding them. They create and modify their own rituals, circle casting, spells, and more by adding their own personal touches that make them very unique. For instance, how you celebrate Beltane is personal and yours alone. Many solitary beginners complain that they need of a mentor to guide them, or they will never become proficient in the Craft. Personally I disagree. And I am sure many of you who are reading this agree with me! You can become as proficient as anyone in a coven on your own. Being self-taught is quite a challenge. You must be willing to study, think and experiment. Nowadays there are many books available on wicca and witchcraft. Study hard everything you can find on the topic. (This brings me to the fact that there are those who claim that they need a teacher because they tend to be lazy. Procrastination has no place in the Craft.) Think thoroughly what you have read. Don't believe in the first thing you read. Finally put into practice what you have learned. (Do you think that witches don't make mistakes? Then, you are wrong! Read a witch's Book of Shadows and you will find her detailed account of spells and rituals going wary and the reasons why.) Another misconception is that being a solitaire is being a hermit. Now, that is totally ridiculous! Being a solitary practitioner does not mean you have to isolate yourself from the wiccan/pagan community. Let's be honest, nowadays solitary practitioners are more and more in contact with other wiccan and pagans. Thanks to the internet, the solitary practitioner is no longer alone! Since the internet provides them with anonymity, webweaving with others becomes easy. There are BBS, IRC Chat, and web forums where solitaires and beginners can exchange ideas and learn about witchcraft. I met LadyHawke, one of the first pagans to be friend me now a very dear friend, online when I posted a question about totem animals on ISCABBS Pagan Forum. If you do not have internet access, you can still webweave through letters. (For more information on this, see how to begin webweaving) Besides, you can be a solitary practitioner and yet celebrate the Sabbats with an open circle. This is quite a common practice. And there is nothing wrong with it. Being a member of a coven has its benefits too. All beginners are assigned a teacher or mentor. That specific person will supervise your magickal and spiritual growth. This one-to-one contact with someone more knowledgeable is sometimes necessary for some beginners. Beginners attend learning circles that the coven has set to help the coven-wanna-be's increase their knowledge in the tradition observed by the coven. Also, as a coven member, you have other Wiccan of like-mind to guide you and enrich your knowledge. The coven acts as a spiritual and emotional "family." These are the people you share with those important things in your life (like the change of seasons). They understand you. They nurture you. They are part of that safe haven where you can express yourself spiritually. Many pagans need this kind of connection since their true families are Christians. They fear what their families will say if they tell them they are pagans. Others feel misunderstood by their families. Even those whose families have been accepted them as pagans feel that they cannot share with them ritually. As for the disadvantages, you are restricted to the pantheons, spells, and rituals that the coven has determined as part of their tradition. Many covens follow specific traditions like the Black Forest, Gardnerian, Faery, Celtic, etc. As a coven member, you are not allowed to experiment outside the norm imposed by the coven. That is unless you join an eclectic coven. Sometimes eclectic covens have a tendency to lean toward certain pantheons and rituals though. Of course, there are covens that permit their members to join other covens and circles as part of the spiritual and magickal development of the members. (All this is stipulated in the coven's contract, so I suggest you read it thoroughly before signing it.) Joining a coven is not a decision you should take lightly. After all, a coven is not like a "treehouse club." A coven is very formal situation that requires a high level of commitment to it (even the eclectic ones). Do not join a coven just for the sake of celebrating the Sabbats and Esbats with others. There are open circles for that. If you are not sure if a coven is the right situation for you yet you do not want to practice as a solitaire, you might wish to attend either an open circle or a study group. Both an open circle and a study group do not have the formalities and restrictions that a coven has. They are an excellent way to meet others of like-mind, learn, and worship. If none of these exist in your area, then start one! If you are a beginner, you can start your own study group with other beginners. Together you can take workshops and attend festivals outside your hometown. If you are already a witch who wishes to have a group to celebrate rituals, then start your own little circle. Perhaps you can find two or three other solitaires like you while webweaving to share the Sabbats rites. "Should I be a solitary or should I join a coven?" Then again, the decision of whether to practice Wicca on your own or join a coven is totally up to you and what you seek spiritually. Nobody can take that decision for you. Think about what I have said here. Meditate on what your spiritual and emotional needs are. Take your time. Do not rush into it! Then make an intelligent decision.

written by: Morgana RavenLake (Raven Dance)
first published: January 1999
Updated: May 2003