Stage One: The Decision
Should I start such a coven or not? What pros and cons are there?
Do I have access to a group of people who want to study Wicca?
Do I want to help teach them?
Do I have enough knowledge to act as a leader?
Conversely, do I know when to defer questions to another authority when I don’t know?
Is this coven a good way to help people study Wicca?
Do I have the time for this?
Do I have the willingness to prepare study materials and to help people between meetings?
Am I doing this out of a love of my faith or do I have ulterior motives I need to deal with?

Stage Two: Get Together
Who should I invite and how the heck do I gather these would be pagans???
Invite beginners you know, people you’ve talked about Wicca with in the past.
Invite people you in places where Pagans congregate.
Create a website, post a notice, or add your group forming to the list at The Witches’ Voice.
Make arrangements for those who need rides, or research public transportation.
Consider childcare arrangements, and handicapped accessibility, as needed.
Lastly. REMIND people. Emails, Phone calls, etc, are GREAT!!!

Stage Three: What are we going to Study and How?
Choose a set of topics to begin with. Will you be doing rituals or just study?
State the meeting has a particular length and try not to go over it.
OR, do all the “important” things early in the meeting then break into casual discussion.
Keep the location relaxed: home, a room in a sympathetic church or community center.
Keep the study down to earth. Focus on basic life questions in plain English.
Use parable and anecdote to flavor the discussion.
Break topics into 4-6 week “sections” like history or deities, go longer if people want to.
Try adding craft projects if people seem interested.
DO not do ritual if you have not advertised it, do not neglect ritual if you’ve promised it.

Stage Four: Know Thy Topic.
How can I teach if I don’t know what I’m talking about?
Choose a resource: A book, website, etc, and divide off a chunk small enough to discuss.
Study it personally. What are your feelings about it? How can this help your group? You?
Discuss the topic.
What lesson is learned from it?
How can I apply this to myself? (Microcosm) To the world? (Macrocosm)
Summarize the topic into three or four sentences, a sort of “moral”
Discuss similarities and differences between this and other beliefs of other people.
(DON'T LET the ex-Christian members of your group turn this into a tirade!!!!)

Stage Five: Prepare Handouts.
In creating the discussion, an outline of the discussion is helpful. Hand it out to your members. Ask several thought provoking questions carefully thought out. Discuss them at this meeting, or send them home as food for thought.
What is a good discussion question?
Does it require thought? Not a yes/no question, but a really juicy one?
Does it relate to the members?
Discuss the situational ethics of the topic… when is it Not true? How is it limited?
Can the group members relate to the question?
Does it encourage discussion without being manipulative?

Stage Six: Be a Leader!!!
Teaching covens are often egalitarian, but if you are teaching, you must be a leader!
Keep the study on TRACK!
Remind everyone of the purpose of the study at the beginning of each meeting.
Discuss important tangential questions, but leave less important ones for later.
EVEN if you have to gloss over some fine points, cover the WHOLE stated topic.
When people get too off track, gently lead them back.
Keep it FUN! If they wanted a Bible study that’s where they’d BE!
Stay relaxed, even if they all disagree with you.
Don’t let it dissolve into whining! Be a leader and tell them to stop.
If it falls into silence, don’t sweat it. A little silence is good.
Use the vernacular, but don’t dumb yourself down. Paraphrase.
Add something fun. YUP, games. Think of your selves as a TEAM.
Be THERE, now.
Create a rapport with your members- know them, their family, their problems.
Spend some time with these people OUTSIDE the meetings, be a friend FIRST.
When they need help, Help them! or send them to someone who can.
Be patient with people who annoy you. OFTEN, the worst covener becomes the BEST.
Be willing to request that those that detract too much from the group goals leave.
Be ready to change your procedures as your group grows.
BE A FRIEND.
Keep your political views to yourself.
Don’t act as psychotherapist unless you are one- and you still shouldn’t.
If someone’s faith changes, or they leave for other reasons, LET THEM.

© 2000, CUEW
This document may be freely published on websites that are positive in their discussion of Wicca and Paganism, and is not to be used on websites that defame, speak hatefully of or in any way violates the emotional well-being of Wiccans. If you wish to reprint, you are required to maintain this notice and give the URL of CUEW: http://www.cuew.org/ Version 3.5 replaces all earlier versions including “Covens: A blueprint” by Jayne Tomas and Grayarrow’s Teaching Covens: A Blueprint, as well as earlier revisions by K.MacMorgan.
Best viewed at 600 X 800. Created with Word. yuck. (Fixed by Dreamweaver)

Back To Handbook Index