What it's All About:
Did you move to a new town or city? Are you finding it hard to search for a coven in your area? And you're the only option is to do that Sabbats on either Zoom or Facebook Live? Why not create your own!! I have experienced something like that. And there are some good and bad things about starting your coven that you might have to consider. I will be talking about this on the show.
Songs Featured:
Links Mentioned:
Spirit Guide of the Week:
Rabbit
Dream Symbol: (There are three)
Work
Mask
Maypole Dance
Transcript:
(04:12)
Welcome to another episode of the Music From the Goddess' Vault. I am your host, Midnight Starr. At the top of the show, you heard a classic from Coven named Coven in Charing Cross. The topic of today's show is all about creating your own coven. But first, if you can, please share this podcast via Twitter, Facebook, goddess vault one dot Wix site dot com forward slash home, or wherever you can talk to everyone you know. And don't forget to check out the blog. Now for the topic: creating your own coven. I might have covered this in a previous show. It's why I need your input to suggest future show topics. Don't be afraid if you mention a topic that I already talked about. I would show it to you. But I do need fresh new ideas. Anyway, I have this experience that I know some of you can relate to. When I first started, I had no problems finding a coven to join. But then I moved to a small city where there weren't any at first. Then there was someone looking to start a coven, which we did and did some rituals. But we had to disband in the end because of low participation. Then I moved back to the big city and now find myself looking for a new coven once again. But, unfortunately, I still haven't found one after a year. I almost did join one, but the organizer had a hard time due to the pandemic. However, he also did post an article about how hard it is to create a coven. As it turns out, more people want to be a solitary witch than be in a group. But doing it alone ain't for everyone. I want to start a group myself, but I am stalling due to anxiety and past experiences of doing that. Plus, that article made me think of what other ways do we keep people in covens other than the eight Sabbats? Should we pagans do fun stuff together? What does this have to do with you? Well, there is more to creating and keeping people in a coven than meets the eye. I will speak about covens, how to create one, and what else you need to sustain your group of pagans. I am going to continue with the show with Together Again by Thoth Ganesh.
(10:26)
I am first going to talk about the definition of a coven. The word itself came from three sources: Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Latin. And the word coven was never used until 1921. I’ve come across this name a few times in past research for this show. An archaeologist named Margaret Murray (She’s also an Egyptologist, Anthropologist, Historian, and Folklorist) wrote a book called The Witch Cults in Western Europe in 1921. In that book, Murray describes a coven consisting of 13 witches and a leader dressed as the devil. She wrote that witchcraft was an organized, universal pre-Christian religion. Margaret Murray wrote more books about witch cults in Medieval Europe. As you can see, she had a significant influence on Wicca and Paganism as we know it today. I want to talk about what to consider when you want to start your coven. There are lots of things to think about with organizing this or any group. Here’s Witch of the Wood by Three Weird Sisters.
(16:11)
It's time for another spirit guide of the week. I am going back to the animal world to talk about the rabbit. Rabbit as a totem animal represents creativity, abundance, Fertility, and cleverness. If the rabbit is your power animal, you are a quiet and shy person suffering from anxiety. So naturally, it would be best if you overcome fear so that you can blossom in your life. But, unfortunately, you still might have to look out for something that might be threatening to your life. Spirit animal rabbit is telling you not to forget about your artistic side. Instead, you quickly need to take advantage of some creative opportunity that is coming your way. You also can solve problems because of your cleverness, skills, and intellect. If you have troubles conceiving, call on Totem animal rabbit to help you have a child. But, mind you, there will still be some obstacles along the way. Power animal bunny is advising you to become a vegetarian. See how you feel after cutting out meat from your diet. And if the rabbit is your spirit animal, you are artistic, sensitive, and articulate. You see the world through an Optimistic lens. That is it for now. Stay tuned for another spirit guide of the week.
(20:39)
That was Rabbit's Song by S. J. Tucker. So you are living in a small town or a city and are having trouble finding a coven. What comes to your mind next is, why don't I create one. Hold on there for a second; there are few things to consider before creating your own coven. Do you know what path you want your coven to run? Are you going to accept people from other paths? Do you want adults-only, or do you want families to come? How is the coven going to be structured? Do you want a high priest or priestess? Who is going to be the Secretary or Treasurer, as well as other roles? Are you going to have an Annual General Assembly with members in the higher court or these roles? How are you going to initiate new members? How are you going to initiate teenagers into the craft? Do they need parental permission? What are the coven's bylaws going to be? These next set of questions will be tricky because everyone is going to have their own schedule, but when are you going to meet? How often do you meet? Are you only going to have rituals eight times a year, or are you incorporating Esbats into your coven as well? Where are you going to do these rituals? Now that we're in a pandemic, and I do see this has popped up, but for those who cannot make it to a ritual, are you going to have a video to put onto the coven's private Facebook page for them? And finally, a question that is on my mind lately is how you will get members in your coven to keep coming back? Remember that there are people interested in Wicca, then come to one or two rituals, and they never return anymore. So are you going to have some different events, like a Moot, coffee, family night, or even a Pagan Book of the Month Club, for example? The last set of questions was because I have noticed a dip in membership in all the covens I have been to—only one of those remains. As you can see, creating a coven is much more complicated than just gathering a few people for a ritual. I have some links on the show notes to help you think of all these questions and learn how to create your coven. It's something to think about as you listen to Ritual by Jana Runnalls.
(27:12)
Here's another dream symbol to interpret. Again there are three in this week’s dream symbol. They are work, masks, and Maypole Dance. If you had a dream where you were at work, that means that you have anxieties about a task or a project. To dream that you were late for work indicates you are feeling stressed at your job. If someone else replaces you at your job in your dreams, it’s telling you about your feelings towards your own job security. If you dream of the previous job that you worked at, you need to learn an old lesson for the current situation in your life. To dream of wearing a mask indicates that you are someone that you are not. If you have problems taking your mask off in your dreams, it represents your true lost self. If you see somebody else wearing a mask in your dreams, it means that there is someone in your life who is being false, deceitful, and jealous of you. If someone in your dreams takes off their masks, it suggests that you or someone that you know is having trouble gaining respect and admiration for someone else. And to dream that you are dancing the maypole represents a celebration of you breaking away from the old way and opening up to something new. If you want a dream symbol to interpret and maybe have a dream symbol featured; the contact information will be mentioned at the end of this show.
(31:32)
It's time for another myth. Here’s another tale from Folktext. This one is Ridden by a Witch, from Germany.
(38:42)
That was Trobar de Morte with Witch’s Joy Reaps Your Soul. Before that, you heard Moonstruck with Maypole Dance. That is it for this show. Again, I am your host, Midnight Starr. I am still waiting on suggestions for a show topic, spirit guide, or dream symbol. But I don’t mind if you like, share, or comment either. And you can do any of those through goddess vault one dot wixsite dot com forward slash home. Through the Music From the Goddess’ Vault Facebook page. And on Instagram and Twitter at Goddess Vault. I am going to leave you with another S. J. Tucker tune. This one is Song of the Witches. Blessed be.
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