As a training coven, we regularly get approached by prospective seekers in search of the magic of initiatory Witchcraft and the touch of the Goddess. Discovering that there is a coven in your area is an exciting prospect, albeit comparatively rare- one usually will need to travel and sometimes great distances.  That being said, we welcome all sincere seekers that feel they have vocation for the Priesthood of Alexandrian Witchcraft to make contact.

It seems necessary to perhaps give some guidance into what is looked for in that early stages of contact and what some of the possible and appropriate ways are to approach a coven when seeking initiation into the Craft.

Initiation into Witchcraft and the subsequent training is a life altering experience. It is a culmination of seeking, thorough research and that inner true vocation on the part of the seeker, which is the fire that stokes the very core of the seeking itself.

If you are to approach a coven, make sure you know what they are about. For instance, are they are eclectic or traditional? What tradition are they practicing? Are they a training coven open to taking on new initiates? It is up to you to find out and research what these things mean. An email that reads ‘Tell me more about your coven’ , will probably not be getting you the response you are looking for. Chances are that we will rather be asking you as a seeker what YOU know about the Craft and our tradition, and why you wish to be initiated into Witchcraft. To ask in your first email  for the physical address of the  covenstead (I am not talking about the general area) because you ‘are thinking about joining’ is perhaps also not the best way to go about it either. We adhere to the old Craft laws and we do not reveal where the physical covenstead is to anyone but the witches who are part of it. . Neither is it public knowledge who the witches are in our coven. Covens are closed groups and membership is usually anonymous to the public, unless it is the explicit wish of the initiate that their membership be known.

There is ample information on our pages About the Alexandrian Tradition of Witchcraft, The Derby Coven in Johannesburg .There is also a thorough reading list on the page Recommended Reading for Seekers and Priesthood. Then there is also the myriad of seekers groups on Facebook and websites. This material is enough to give you a basic understanding of what we are about and an idea of whether initiation into our Craft is truly what you are looking for. If you still feel that this may be for you, by all means make contact.

In our coven there are three qualities we look at when approached by a seeker. They are vocation, dedication and appreciation and consciousness of beauty. We therefore always appreciate a well structured and formal communication, which clearly states who you are, and why you are interested in our coven and the Alexandrian Tradition. In this way, we can enter into a discussion, and you will be also be better informed about pursuing a path that will change your life forever.

Blessings

~RF

**For those who may not know, the covenstead is the working place and Temple of the coven.