When is a coven ready to go public?

( X ) This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately.  Partly because I am currently coven-less, partly because I once tried to start my own and failed, partly because a serious coven politics related question was posed to me for my opinion not long ago, etc.  So here are my personal opinions on it and a couple notes, for those interested, of what things are absolute requirements for me to join a coven.

To decide if a coven is ready to go public first you have to see if you've truly achieved, or gotten to the level (membership wise) of what you truly believe a coven to be.  So This is something you will have to have solidly decided on ahead of time.  For many that is a group of 13 practitioners of the same pagan path (So Wiccan, Druid, Heathen, Eclectic, Celtic, etc) who gather at regular intervals for rituals and so forth.  For others it need not be 13 members.  For some perhaps it's having a large enough membership that you need to hive off (or separate) into two or more groups.  For others perhaps it's a membership number as well as a dedicated place of worship.  Every group will have their own unique needs.

Equally, if not more important, you must decide if there will be membership requirements.  Age requirements, experience, must they be a part of the same tradition (meaning druid, celtic, heathen, wiccan, etc) or will you allow someone of different beliefs in?  Will you have minimum ritual attendance requirements?

But what requirements are needed beyond membership and/or location?  Funds is going to be one.
 No matter how you look at it, money is needed for things such as ritual tools and items, food for gatherings, perhaps space rental if you want to do an outdoor ritual and a yard or public parks aren't available.  So you must absolutely decide how you will handle this; will you have monthly dues?  Will you have a yearly tithe of some kind?  Will it be all donation based?  And, you must also decide if the High Priest/ess(es) will get a portion of that money for their time and efforts into writing the rituals and organizing everything.  Additional to this you must absolutely have decided how you will handle the inevitable question:  "I thought Pagans were against tithing!?"  Now, in this case, my own personal requirement:  The coven must absolutely be 100% transparent in their handling of the money. There must be at least a bi-annual if not quarterly communique freely available to all members of both inner and outer circles for where the money goes and to whom as well as all sources (so donations, yard sale, bake sale, etc.).

What else?  Well, of course you must have the organizational scheme already planned out.  Do you want to do an Inner and Outer circle?  If so what are the purposes of both?  Can only members of the Inner circle to go closed rituals? If so what are those rituals going to be? So them members of the Outer circle can go to open rituals?  Well can also the public?  Can members of either circle bring guests?  Will there be teaching groups?  What qualifications do the teachers need to have? Will you have a rank or level system?  If so what is it, and how does one move up the ranks?  Will you offer classes?  If so will they be public or only for the inner and/or outer circle? Who will lead them?  Where will they be held?

You must also decide if you will allow children to the circle.  My personal advice?  No one under 21 because they do not have the emotional maturity to handle themselves.  If you want someone under whatever age limit you choose, how will you handle that?  Will they have a mentor?  Will there be an application process?  Et cetera.

Something else you must have decided is your leadership structure.  When you have several people together in an official capacity (and while official isn't the best term, I can't find another one right now; it's just that a coven is more than a few people getting together for drinks) there must be structure.  When people are together, repeatedly and especially with something as personal and emotional as religion, there *will* be drama, thus there *must* be politics ready to deal with it.  If someone gets out of hand who handles it?  If someone feels they were slighted who do they go to?  If someone has a problem with the High Priest/ess who do they talk to about it?

( X )There *absolutely must* be rules in place for everyone; inner circle, outer circle and the priests and priestesses as well.  These must be agreed to by everyone involved or they cannot be involved and they must be available for anyone to see whenever they want; so a printed version in the covenstead as well as a digital version online.  This way, anyone interested in the coven can read that (all version!) and know "Ah, so those not in the inner circle still have rules!" and/or "Oh, so if the High Priestess says lewd things to me I can go to xyz member and she will be taken to task" *as well as* "Should I decide I want to join the inner circle these things will be expected of me" and then know "Gosh, I don't think I can commit to that right now..." These things, these transparent rules is another personal requirement I have of any coven I may join in the future.  If you go to this page you will see a beautiful example of these transparent guidelines.  For both members as well as the Priestesses.

OTHER THINGS

• Website?  If so who will maintain it and do they have the necessary knowledge?
• Storage?  Where will you store coven items such as the may pole?
• Schedule?  When will you gather and is the schedule made in advance? If so how far in advance?
• Ritual garb?  Will you have required ritual garb, if so what is it?  Will there be a dress code for public rituals as well?
• Disabled accessible?  Are you accessible for persons of other physical abilities?  Can someone who needs crutches or a wheelchair get to you?  Do you have chair(s) available for those who can't stand for long periods?  

In the end, personally, I don't think I'm ready to join another coven.  While I desperately yearn for that connection, I think right now I would rather just have a small handful of people to be witchy with.  But we will see.  Loki is my fulltrui.  Only He and maybe Hel know what's going to happen.  IF They know.