The following are some of the question that in the past one or more of the coven members have been asked. In order to present a unified answer we have posted the following.
Q. How do/can I become a member of the coven? (a) First of all you can’t just join us; you can come along to our open Moots at Trimley and Kirton and you can attend our open ‘Sabbat’ celebrations at Martlesham Creek. After a period of time when we get to know you we may invite you to join us as a ‘Neophyte’ (apprentice member) and you will be invited to join us at the ‘Covenstead’. After a year and a day or earlier (a year & a day starts when we first meet you) we may invite you to become a member of the Coven if that’s what you want; if you turn out to be a disruptive influence on the coven or for some other reason you don’t fit in we will tell you to leave. Q. Do I have to know all about the ‘Craft’? (a) You don’t have to be an expert to join us as we don’t claim to be experts either, you just need a commitment to paganism in general and a need to find out more in a ‘hands on’ approach. We don’t preach to you, we don’t teach you, we try and help you to teach yourself. In the Coven we all learn from each other. Q. In what way do you help us to learn about the Craft? (a) We all learn by taking part and if you have any questions such as ‘why do you do that’ we will try to answer you. Apart from that if we can we will point you in the direction you wish to go, by suggesting books for you to read or people to talk to, or we will refer you to a suitable teaching group within the area. After a period of time and once we get to know you, we will invite you to take a more active part in our group, or again tell you to leave. Q. How do you celebrate the Sabbats? (a) We celebrate in an ‘Eclectic’ way; that is to say we are free to take influences from many non-Christian or pagan religions as long as they ‘fit’ in with our ethos which is mainly of a Celtic or Northern influence. Q. What Gods/Goddesses do you honour? (a) Again as we are an ‘Eclectic’ Coven we honour aspects of Gods/Goddesses and take them and their names from many diverse pagan religious pantheons so long as they ‘fit’ in with the mainly Celtic/Northern ethos of our group. We don’t mix pantheons! Q. Do I have to attend every meeting? (a) We don’t insist or even ask that you attend every event; we are wise enough to know that this is not always possible due to things such as booked holidays, illness, and a clash of dates and transport problems etc. However we do ask that you commit your self to as many as is possible especially if you are invited to or wish to take an active role in the celebration. If you have been asked to play a roll in the ritual and you find that you can’t make it, we ask that you give us as much notice as possible. Q. What do I have to do or bring when attending a Sabbat? (a) At every Sabbat, whether outside or at the Covenstead, we always hold a feast in order to ground ourselves after the celebration/Sabbat. We ask that all people who attend these celebrations contribute to this feast, whether it be food, drink or both, but in what ever quantity you feel able to afford, the feast is our time to socialise after the ritual. You would find us to be a friendly and diverse group. Q. What do I have to wear? (a) We prefer you to wear robes/ritual garb of some kind at Sabbats (i.e. preferably not jeans and t-shirt), but we don’t insist on it, again most do, some don’t. We don’t expect you to be robed on the first one or two times you join us, nor do we expect you to be robed at Moots etc. Q. Do I have to take my clothes off (go Skyclad)? (a) That’s entirely up to you. We don’t insist or even suggest that you go ‘Sky clad’ at Sabbats or Esbats, neither do we object if you wish to take your clothes off; some do, some don’t, the choice is yours; all we ask is that you act in a responsible ‘adult’ way if another coven member decides to go sky clad, and either except it or leave. For most people this is not an issue, certainly not when you take into account the British weather in the evenings? Q. What is a Sabbat? (a) A Sabbat is what we call it when we celebrate one of the eight major festivals held by the various pagan/Wiccan religions. They consist of Samhain or Hallow-een, Yule or the Winter Solstice, Imbolg, Eóstra or Ostara, Beltaine or May Day, Litha or the Summer Solstice, Lughnasadh or Lammas and Mabon or Modron. Q. What is an Esbat? (a) An Esbat is where members of the ‘Scarlet Dusk Hedgewitch Triangle’ (SDHT) [the inner circle] and invited Coven members meet to perform workings or explore various aspects of ritual magic and or learn from more knowledgeable members of the Coven; these are held at the ‘Covenstead’ or at various locations throughout Suffolk. Q. Do I have to be ‘initiated’ to join the coven proper? (a) At this moment in time we do not initiate members into our Coven. Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, know when we are ready for this and a form of self initiation/dedication takes place, after all if you can’t be true to yourself, what hope is there that you will be true to the Coven? This is unlikely to change in the future. Q. Apart from the Coven Sabbats and Esbats, what else do you run or provide? (a) We also produce a ‘Free’ quarterly news letter for members of the Coven and some friends of the Coven, although it’s free you won’t embarrassed us if you offer a donation, however large or small in order to offset the cost involved in producing the news letter. There are two ‘Moots’ run by the Coven both of which are free to attend and open to all; the only cost to you is travelling to and from the moot and of course what ever drinks you purchase over the bar; from time to time a draw is held as well. We also support a Chant evening, again this is free to attend and open to all, the costs to this is the same as the moots, you will find us an extremely friendly group…. and of course we run this website. Carlford Coven
Q. What part does sex play in the practices and rites of Witches?
(a) Sex is a fundamental part of nature and creation and thus is sacred to the God and Goddess. As is the case with most well balanced and rational people we think sex is great in the right place. The ‘Great Rite’ performed at Beltaine is a ‘symbolic’ union between the Goddess and the God, the earth and the sky, which symbolises the re-fertilisation of the earth and the continuation of the ‘All’. Not many if any traditions use sex as a part of any rites except in a symbolic way. There are no group ‘orgies’ during rituals. Many couples who are pagan/Wiccan, do practise ‘Sex Magic’ but only in the privacy of their own homes or at ‘very’ secluded locations.
Q. Do witches worship the devil?
(a) The simple answer is an emphatic No; the devil or
Q. Do Witches have a Bible?
(a) There is ‘A Witches Bible’ by Janet & Stewart Farrar, a classic, recommended read, BUT the short answer is no; at least not in the context of a book that lays down the exact way in which to worship or what to believe. Our religion is not set in stone; it is a living religion ever growing, ever evolving. We do however have a ‘Book of Shadows’.
Q. What is a ‘Book of Shadows’?
(a) A ‘Book of Shadows’ is many things to many different people. To most it’s a personal diary in which they jot down anything magical they do or learn; to some it’s a detailed account of what they have done magically or spiritually plus thoughts about how it worked and how and if it can be improved. To the Coven it’s a record of events, people, Sabbats and Esbats etc that the Coven have participated in or held. All of these ‘BoS’ can contain observations and details of the magical workings, how and if they can be improved or made more effective, photographs, drawings, items cut out from other books/magazines etc, written accounts by the High Priest and Priestess and others, articles taken from the www; all of which relate to the Coven in a spiritual and/or magical way. Most people say that this should be hand written, but if you are like me (I have arthritis in my hands and can’t grip a pen for long) its ok to keep your ‘Book of Shadows’ on your computer, just make sure you back it up often in case you suffer with the curse of the crash?
Q. Do Witches have to wear black?
(a) The simple answer is no. Most witches wear all sorts of colours usually quite bright colours; although some do wear black; as black is the sum of all colours of the spectrum and the vibrational rates of light.
Q. What’s a sacred space?
(a) Sacred space is where a pagan celebrates throughout the year and where any and all workings should take place. Sacred space is a place set aside that is neither of this or the ‘Other’ world; it’s constructed to be a place between the mundane and the spirit/spiritual world. It’s also a place that if constructed correctly will contain the power raised within it through ritual actions so that it can be directed to where the witch/witches or magicians desire. Each Coven will construct their sacred space according to their own design or tradition, yet most follow a similar pattern. Some believe it’s purely constructed for protection against unwanted energies, spirits or powers etc and also a barrier against negativity but this is only a small part of why a circle or sacred space is constructed. Sacred space can be constructed for one person or many. Sacred space can also exist at ancient sites in the landscape.
If you have a question about us or our views that does not appear here please email us. (See Links for addresses) and we will either post the question and answer, provided that the answer can be posted with out causing Harm? Or email you back personally. The web master has the right to post or not!
Rainbird )O(