The Not-Coven

Wicca does not cost money; the way we repay our teachers for the knowledge they’ve passed on, for the effort they put into teaching us, is by putting in that same effort and passing that knowledge to our own students in time.

In the first days of my seeking Wicca, I thought I would have to be a solitary forever because there were absolutely no Traditional Wiccan covens in West Michigan. (Spoiler: There were. I just didn’t find them.) I moved to the East Coast, where I connected with Blue Star groves and teachers and began learning and practicing Blue Star Wicca. If I ever moved back home, I thought, I would start a coven of my own, because I had felt such a deep loss that there were no covens near me then. I felt called to that Work.

The Wheel turns, life goes on, and before I really did move back, I discovered that there have been covens and individual Wiccans here in Michigan for a long time — if I’d known where to look or who to talk to. And in the decade-ish since I’ve come back, new covens and groups from several traditions have sprung up, reopened, or become more public and easier to find, including MoonFire, the Chthonioi-Alexandrian coven into which I was eventually initiated. Problem solved, right?

Not quite. My calling remained: Start the coven. Here, where it’s needed.

Because of that calling, I have carried this not-coven with me for years, waiting for the right moment, the right people, and the right training (on my part). With my recent elevation to the third degree, one piece of the puzzle is in place. Now I can look for the rest. Here’s what I know about the not-coven as it forms:

It will be formed to serve the Lord and Lady of Wicca and to meet the spiritual needs of witches in rural West Michigan by offering regular rituals, community, and training in Traditional Wicca.

It will be a lineaged Chthonioi-Alexandrian coven, and it will be inclusive, welcoming members of any race, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, physical ability, income level, or education level. Diverse covens are stronger for their diversity.

It will focus on providing experiential, hands-on learning. I’m definitely a book person, but there’s a difference between reading a ritual and experiencing it. Coveners will have the knowledge and confidence to lead rituals and just try stuff. Why not?

Now, as pandemic restrictions ease and meetups and gatherings become less risky, it’s time to meet and gather. Maybe this is the right moment to find the right people.

If you’ve arrived at this page because you were hoping against hope that there was a Traditional Wiccan coven near you in West Michigan, you might be right. Please reach out.

Updated June 2021