All Gardnerian and Alexandrian covens will offer training before considering you to belong to their covens. Training differs between covens but the one common goal that they will tend to have is to see whether you will fit into the coven’s egregore.
All possible seekers of the path will come with different knowledge and it is down to the training to sense what is it that you know, what is missing that you need to know and teach what you need to know. And this knowledge that I speak of is not one you can find on books, but one that we guide you to know about yourself.
At the same time, as coven leaders, we will start knowing the seekers and we give the chance to all coven members to get to know the seekers. This is important to us, because when we circle and do rituals together we all look for people who we can trust and that will fit with our personalities and aims for the coven.
How long does it take?
As long as it takes. Different covens have different approaches, for us, we take 9 months at least and it could be over a year. Again, depends on the person. There is no size fits all approach.
We usually meet once a month at least, sometimes twice a month, around the Sabbaths and if the Full Moon falls near a weekend.
Will there be homework?
Yes, there is homework. However, not all homework is in the academic sense, it is more about insight, observation and what else you can bring to the training.
How much does it cost?
No Gardnerian, nor Alexandrian coven will ever charge for training into the craft. We do this for free, we give our time, our knowledge and our insight to the seekers. In exchange we ask for you to respect the effort we put in. As well as, we expect you to complete your homework and arrive on time and never miss a lesson.
Can I train with your coven?
Yes, you can. If you live in Norfolk, north Suffolk, north Cambridgeshire or south Lincolnshire, you will be able to drive to the covenstead (place where we meet). We do welcome people from further afar, however, you will have to be prepared to commit to every meeting. Take a look at the Cuervo Coven website and answer the questions it asks.
Where can I find other covens?
There are two groups on Facebook that can help you. A Gardnerian Wicca Seekers and an Alexandrian Wicca Seekers group. Find them, join and read the posts.
Taking the step to train is not an easy one and it is not for everyone. Paganism offers such a great variety of paths that is usual for people to dwell into many different paths before settling into one or the other.
One book that I will always recommend for people to read is ‘Traditional Wicca’ by Thorn Mooney. She offers a great insight on what to look out for in a coven, how to find a coven and explains all the basics that you need to know before seeking for training. In fact, I ask all my seekers to read this before the training starts.
Whatever path you choose, I wish you good luck!
