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Traditional Coven Roles

Though solitary work is possible, the base structure of Wicca is centered around a coven of 13- including a High Priest and High Priestess- and assumes that group work is both ideal and standard. Aside from a greater sense of intimacy, traditional covens are different from other kinds of Pagan and Wiccan groups in that they tend to be organized according to specific roles. These roles are usually hierarchical, assigned according to individual experience or through passed down authority. Sometimes, these roles are partially determined by gender, though this may vary from coven to coven, especially as new generations of Witches explore nonbinary models. You’ll find, too, that some of these roles overlap or exist in some covens and not others.

These three coven roles have a greater variety in usage across Wiccan traditions and in individual covens. It’s not uncommon for these terms to be used interchangeably. According to mundane definitions, their meanings are very similar:

⤞ Neophyte

A Neophyte is someone in the process of becoming something. The term is usually used to refer to someone preparing for initiation. In some traditions, like Blue Star Wicca, Neophyte is a ritually acknowledged stage in a series of rites of passage. These are individuals who have formally asked for initiation, and whom the coven leaders have decided are ready to begin formally working toward it.

⤞ Dedicant

Usually, a Dedicant is an acknowledged student of a coven. Often, this position is marked with a formal dedication ritual. In most cases, [they have] taken no oaths and is not formally a member of the coven. This is a discovery period, when a seeker may learn about a tradition firsthand, before bearing the weight of responsibility that comes with initiation.

⤞ Student

Sometimes this is a formal position where a student is someone (like a Neophyte) who is formally working toward initiation. A Student may be someone who’s been formally accepted into an outer court. Really [though], we never stop being students. Even a High Priestess may continue to defer to her own High Priestess years after the fact.

Initiates

Initiates are those individuals who have been formally, ritually accepted as full members of a tradition. They are no longer seekers or trial members but recognized participants in the coven. Depending on the tradition, initiates are usually ranked, often according to a degree system. In many Wiccan traditions, this is the point at which someone officially earns the title “Witch” and also becomes a priestess or priest. Barring extreme circumstances, once one is an initiate, one is always an initiate, regardless of subsequent positions bestowed or even the decision to leave the tradition.

⤞ First Degree

This is the first level of initiation. First degrees are usually the newest, least experienced initiates, though in some traditions the decision to keep an initiate at first degree may have more to do with nuances in degree obligations. In some covens, for example, second degree initiates are expected to teach their own students. A first degree may choose to stay at first because she does not aspire to teach or to lead a coven, or she may simply be unable to at the time. Sometimes, an initiate’s personal life requires additional time spent at first degree, in which case he may be surpassed by more freshly initiated peers, even though he is the more experienced.

⤞ Second Degree

In some traditions, second degree Witches earn the right to the title of high priest or high priestess. They take on additional responsibilities in the coven and have access to additional magical knowledge and more advanced techniques. They may be allowed to take on their own students, even running their own outer courts. In some traditions, they are allowed to initiate others into the Craft. In other traditions, this is still only the beginning. First degree may serve as a sort of trial phase, with much of the real work saved for second.

⤞ Third Degree

A third degree initiate is a high priestess or high priest of their tradition and has demonstrated mastery within that tradition. A third degree has earned total autonomy and may leave to start her own coven through a process called hiving. Some restrictions may apply, according to the specific tradition, as there is still an obligation to the legacy of the mother coven. Not all third degrees will hive, but they possess the power should they choose to do so. In some traditions, third degree women are entitled to the honorific “Lady.” Less frequently, men may take on the title of “Lord,” though many traditions eschew this entirely […] In either case, such titles are usually reserved for circle, and are not bandied about in public spaces for the sake of ego. Many covens choose not to use such titles at all, viewing them as pretentious and unnecessary.

The roles of Maiden and Summoner are common in some traditions and totally absent from others. Sometimes, they are not permanent positions, but individual coven members may rotate these duties. Very small covens may have no need for them at all.

⤞ Summoner

The summoner is usually a male, and it is his responsibility to organize the coven for ritual, providing practical direction, especially for newcomers. The idea behind the name was that he would “summon” Witches to the sabbat once the coven leaders had finalized their intentions. In some situations, he would also stand outside the circle, armed and guarding the coven against intruders, whether physical or magical. I have seen this use of a Summoner at open rituals and at outdoor events on public land, but it’s less common for smaller groups and groups that meet on private property. I’ve also seen the position of Summoner filled by a woman (and have filled it myself). It’s also possible to see a Summoner serving as assistant to the High Priest, as the maiden is to the High Priestess.

⤞ Maiden / Handmaiden

The maiden of the coven is the female who directly assists the High Priestess in circle. Often, she is in training to become High Priestess in her own right. She may sometimes serve as High Priestess, or give direction and instruction in the High Priestess’s absence.

High Priestess

The high priestess is the female leader of the coven. In many traditions, she is the supreme leader, and this is the highest rank that may be achieved. Often, she is the founder of the coven. Even if there are other third degree priestesses (or second degree priestesses), usually only one serves as the high priestess. Final decisions may rest with her, as well as the responsibility of training students. When you approach a coven to inquire about training, more often than not it is her you must persuade.

High Priest

The role of the high priest depends heavily on the tradition. There are covens in which the high priest functions much like the high priestess, described above. If he is the founder and leader, then he will bear the responsibilities of vetting and training students, organizing coven meetings, and so on. In a coven with both a high priestess and a high priest, all of these duties may be shared equally. But in many Wiccan traditions, the high priestess still holds supremacy. The high priest is her consort and support, her helper and guardian. He is the coven’s high priest because she has granted him that power in her coven. He will help train students, but final decisions rest with the high priestess.

The relationship between a high priestess and high priest is a complex one. In some cases (and this was the ideal in Wicca’s early days), they’re a married couple or otherwise romantically committed to each other. In other cases, it’s more like a sibling relationship, especially if both were trained in the same parent coven and hived together. No matter the specifics, the high priest and high priestess are a team. Each working pair will be different, so these positions may be a bit more fluid than the descriptions I’ve provided.

Queen

Not all Wiccan traditions have queens. Usually, she is a high priestess whose own initiates have gone on to form their own covens and have initiates of their own. In this sense, she’s sort of like a Witch grandmother. In some cases, she must have a certain number of covens descended from her before she is considered a queen (usually three). In others, she must be ritually made a queen in a coronation ritual […] How much she participates in these covens will vary. She may continue to train students and run her own coven, or she may “retire” from teaching and continue to provide advice and wisdom as an elder.

Magus

As you may have guessed, the magus is the male equivalent of the queen. The magus may have all the responsibilities of a queen in his own right, depending on the tradition, or he may be the consort of a queen. As with queens, magi do not exist in all (or even most) Wiccan traditions. Very, very rarely will you hear a man referred to as a Witch King (and, often, only in reference to Alex Sanders and only as a curious piece of history).

Elder

Elders are those coven members who have the most experience within the group. Usually, these are the Third degrees, whether they are serving as High Priests and High Priestesses or Queens and Magi. Elder is a relative term, though. A Second degree is [still] Elder to a First degree, but not to a Third, for example. Within the entirety of a tradition, Elders are those who have long operated covens and trained students and also those who have made significant contributions in other ways. What’s important to understand is that being an Elder isn’t inherently tied to age. People may come to the Craft at any point in their lives, so physical age is not a fair judge of a Witch’s experience. A High Priestess in her thirties is still Elder to her fifty-year-old First degree. One does not become a Queen simply by virtue of aging. Elderhood is about experience in the Craft, not the age of your body.

Elders have a lot of responsibility in the coven, no matter their other roles, because they are always expected to serve as models and guides to newer members of the tradition. Sometimes, they may function directly as mentors to new initiates or they may be asked to run the coven’s outer court, a student study group, or other coven-sanctioned learning community.

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