Wicca Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Covens=== Lineaged Wicca is organised into [[coven]]s of initiated priests and priestesses. Covens are autonomous and are generally headed by a High Priest and a High Priestess working in partnership, being a couple who have each been through their first, second, and third degrees of initiation. Occasionally the leaders of a coven are only second-degree initiates, in which case they come under the rule of the parent coven. Initiation and training of new priesthood is most often performed within a coven environment, but this is not a necessity, and a few initiated Wiccans are unaffiliated with any coven.{{sfn|Buckland|1986|pp=17, 18, 53}} Most covens would not admit members under the age of 18.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=142}} They often do not advertise their existence, and when they do, do so through pagan magazines.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=138}} Some organise courses and workshops through which prospective members can come along and be assessed.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=139}} [[File:Pagan Witchcraft Altar.jpg|thumb|upright|right|A modern pagan witchcraft altar]] A commonly quoted Wiccan tradition holds that the ideal number of members for a coven is [[13 (number)|thirteen]], though this is not held as a hard-and-fast rule.{{sfn|Buckland|1986|pp=17, 18, 53}} Indeed, many U.S. covens are far smaller, though the membership may be augmented by unaffiliated Wiccans at "open" rituals.<ref>{{cite book |title=Covencraft: Witchcraft for Three or More |publisher=Llewellyn |first=Amber |last=K. |page=228 |date=1998 |isbn=1-56718-018-3}}</ref> Pearson noted that covens typically contained between five and ten initiates.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} They generally avoid mass recruitment due to the feasibility of finding spaces large enough to bring together greater numbers for rituals and because larger numbers inhibit the sense of intimacy and trust that covens utilise.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} Some covens are short-lived, but others have survived for many years.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} Covens in the Reclaiming tradition are often single-sex and non-hierarchical in structure.{{sfn|Salomonsen|1998|p=143}} Coven members who leave their original group to form another, separate coven are described as having "hived off" in Wicca.{{sfn|Pearson|2002b|p=136}} Initiation into a coven is traditionally preceded by an apprenticeship period of a year and a day.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guiley |first1=Rosemary Ellen |author-link1=Rosemary Ellen Guiley |title=The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft |edition=2nd |year=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |location=New York |isbn=0-8160-3849-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwi00guil/page/169 169] |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwi00guil/page/169 }}</ref> A course of study may be set during this period. In some covens a "dedication" ceremony may be performed during this period, some time before the initiation proper, allowing the person to attend certain rituals on a probationary basis. Some solitary Wiccans also choose to study for a year and a day before their self-dedication to the religion.<ref>{{cite book |title=Wicca: A Year and a Day |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=Saint Paul, Minnesota |first=Timothy |last=Roderick |date=2005 |edition=1st |isbn=0-7387-0621-3 |oclc=57010157}}</ref> Various high priestesses and high priests have reported being "put on a pedestal" by new initiates, only to have those students later "kick away" the pedestal as they develop their own knowledge and experience of Wicca.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=51}} Within a coven, different members may be respected for having particular knowledge of specific areas, such as the Qabalah, astrology, or the [[Tarot]].{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=52}} Based on her experience among British Traditional Wiccans in the UK, Pearson stated that the length of time between becoming a first-degree initiate and a second was "typically two to five years".{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=54}} Some practitioners nevertheless chose to remain as first-degree initiates rather than proceed to the higher degrees.{{sfn|Pearson|1998|p=54}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page