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Organization of the Covens

Initiated witches of the First Degree who choose to participate in Coven life (Coveners), are permitted to attend Coven and Tradition rituals and events. In order to maintain his Covener status, however, a witch must attend any and all Coven Council meetings.

 

When a Covener becomes a Practicus, he is required to attend all Sabbats, Esbats, and Coven Council meetings. The Practicus may also teach Seekers and Dedicants the ways of Wicca, but only under a proper High Priest within a Coven. (Long distance training is the responsibility of the Tradition, not the individual Covendoms or the Covens within them. This is one of the ways that new Covendoms are developed within Gala.)

The High Priesthood of the Coven

Within the individual Covens, the High Priesthood officiates at all Sabbat and Esbat Circles.

This degree confers the power to form new Covens with the guidance and support of the Elders of that 
Covendom. 


Though the ultimate goal is to help every High Priest balance the magnetic and electric polarities within himself, Gala Covens are generally run by two High Priests working together as Anam 
Caras. The High Priest who can best bring the electric current, productive energy, or the God 
Force in their particular pairing is called the Archon. 

The High Priest who is the more seductive of the two and is more suited to bring the magnetic current or the Goddess Energy within the Anam Cara pairing is called the Palatine. These roles are not fixed for the life of the High Priest. Rather, they are based on a spectrum that is directly tied to the relationship between the two High 
Priests within the Coven. 


Both Archon and Palatine are subject to the decisions of the Council of Elders of the Covendom where their Coven resides, and they both have the right to be heard on that Council. 

Additionally, they are both subject to the collective will of the Coven Council, which makes 
decisions regarding the terrestrial affairs of the Coven when the Overarching Tradition or the Elder Council of their Covendom are silent on a matter.

The Palatine must at all times strive to be a compassionate, welcoming, loving presence. He is due respect for this grace and dignity, as the embodiment of this magnetic principle of Nature. He must be knowledgeable in most aspects of Craft Lore, interpret and conduct Coven worship, and act as a Spiritual Advisor to all Coveners while serving as an equal partner to the Archon. In this capacity, the Palatine may interpret the Will of the Gods as he functions in his capacity as High Priest within the Circle, but he cannot in any way speak for the Gods either within or outside of the Circle. “The Craft recognizes no so-called ‘Kings and Queens of all Witches’ and no authority below the Elders.” The Palatine shall remain ever watchful for other Coveners who bring forth this same magnetism in order to train them up and eventually elevate them to higher degrees if they are willing. He also supervises the conducting of classes for those among the Coven membership who wish to attain higher initiations.

The Archon augments and implements the traditions of the Craft along with the Palatine. He serves as teacher and spiritual guide to all members of the Coven. He seeks to be a worthy representative of the God at all times, the living embodiment of this masculine, electric energy within Nature, and, as such, he is due respect for his contributions to the Coven. Just as the Palatine is looking for magnetic witches capable of holding the Palantine energies, the Archon is looking for other witches among the Coven who can “bring the thunder” on the masculine force in order that they may one day become Archons themselves. He has the duty and obligation to provide a sense of security, serve as an appropriate role model, embody discipline over motivation, teach and see that classes are conducted to lead Coveners to the higher Initiations. He must also ensure that valid Initiations are given only when they align with the will of the Elders of the Covendom.

Their Joint Duties:

There are some responsibilities to the Coven that both the Palatine and the Archon share together. Among those duties are …

In Gala, the Pact is signed when an Initiate obtains the Grade of Practicus, because, though it is not the norm and we prefer that witches obtain the Grade of High Priest before initiating others into the Craft, it is possible that a Second Degree with proper training and Elder approval would be able to initiate other witches into the Tradition. At the Initiation of a witch to the Grade of Practicus, the Elders of the Covendom present him with a document for his signature. The document will state that the individual being elevated accepts his duties and responsibilities and that he will perform them in alignment with the Elder Council. The Elders will keep the original document and the Initiate will keep a copy for his own records. Thus may the Elders endorse each High Priest as a valid and true Practitioners of the Craft and (ideally) avoid or (if need be) settle disputes concerning legitimacy.

It was the custom previously that the High Priesthood were allowed to be absent from Coven duties for a period of a year and a day before it they could be replaced. However, our world has sped up quite a bit in recent years, and an absence of that length today might put unnecessary pressure on a Coven. While temporary absences for short periods of time may be unavoidable, an absence of one full Season of the Wheel of the Year may be allowed. In this case, a properly trained Practicus may assume the office of High Priesthood temporarily. Should the High Priesthood need to step away from the Coven for longer than that, he should call a Coven Council and formally resign. Whereupon the Coven Council will invest the next witch in line with the duties of the vacant office. Should no Practicus be ready to step into the office, an Elder of the Covendom may step in as Officiant until a suitable new High Priest can be trained. The Coven Council should work with the Elders of the Covendom to ensure that the continuity of this office is maintained.

At least once every ten years, the High Priesthood serving a Coven Circle should, to the best of their ability, endeavor to elevate qualified members to Hive Off and form new Covens. High Priests who do not perpetuate the Craft thus do not become eligible to become Druids and may not seek higher Initiations from the Elders.

Those of the High Priesthood should endeavor to maintain a loving and harmonious atmosphere within the Coven. Only through this harmony and accord may a Coven’s work at Esbat be fruitful and its worship at Sabbat be elevating. A disharmonious Coven may be called to account by the Elders of the Covendom. During this meeting, the Elders may advise that the Coven be voided and the High Priesthood renew their studies within the Craft before forming a new Coven. “Voting with your feet” has always been an option for members of a Coven who struggled to find harmony with either the group or a particular High Priest. In many cases this meant that a witch also left the tradition or branch of the Craft that the Coven functioned under. That does not have to be (and should not be) the case in Gala. It is just a fact of nature that some individuals are incompatible. There is no need for judgment about that fact, and just because an initiated witch doesn’t get along with a particular High Priest or even a particular group of witches within a Coven does not mean that he has to leave Gala as a whole. While he still has the right to “vote with his feet” and leave that particular Coven at any time, he can always choose to go into solitary practice as a hedge witch within the Covendom. Alternatively, if the situation is not “that bad,” a witch within a Coven may seek the necessary training to allow a valid Hive Off to occur. If this path is possible, the High Priesthood of the Coven should assist him in accomplishing this goal to the best of their ability. In this way, harmony may be maintained between all groups within the Covendom and within the Tradition. The High Priesthood will issue Credentials of Introduction for all Coveners who must move to other areas leaving their own home Coven. The Credentials will state that the bearer has been properly initiated into his rank or Grade according to Tradition in order that the Initiate may join another Gala Coven in the new city or area. The Credentials will be signed by the High Priesthood of the Coven, and they will be notarized. If the move is such that it takes the witch to a new Covendom, the Elders of the home Covendom will issue Credentials to the same effect. Most other legal matters pertaining to the Coven from the preceding year will be reported to the Elder Council of the Covendom at the yearly Elder council meeting of the Covendom. If the issue is severe enough or it excedes a particular Elder Council’s capacity to address it effectively, a Grand Council may be called, and one Elder (usually the Summoner) from each Gala Covendom will be summoned, along with the Chief Elder, to help provide guidance.

The Coven Council

All Initiated witches (Covener, Practicus, and High Priest) compose the Coven Council.

 

A Gala Coven may only have twelve Initiated witches. On the Coven Council, each witch, regardless of Grade or office, gets one vote on the Coven Council. The Coven Council will meet formally at least once every six months, and more often as needed to discuss any important Coven activities, such as how to handled Coven funds, planning the Coven Calendar of Events, whether or not to Dedicate new Seekers or to cease teaching new Seekers altogether for a time, etc.

 

The Coven Council elects the Officers to serve as a Board of Directors, a Scribe, a Treasurer, and a Summoner, who serve a term of one year. They may be re-elected or changed as the Coven sees fit. Covens are advised to choose witches with the highest degree of integrity to serve as their Scribe and Treasurer.

The Scribe acts as secretary for the Coven Council. He keeps all minutes up to date and handles records of Coven property. He is the presiding Officer at the Coven Council meetings and handles all matters pertaining to votes and voting procedures for the group.

The Summoner acts as sergeant -at-arms and communications liaison officer for the Coven Council. During the Dark Ages, when the Witchcraft persecutions terrorized our people, the Summoner was the “Secret Link” between the High Priesthood and all witches within the territory or region. With the relative freedom Covens have to worship today, the old strategies for maintaining secrecy have fallen by the wayside, which is fine when times are good, but we in Gala follow Sacred Pentagraph’s wisdom in believing that this vital Office should not be allowed to be forgotten completely. Today, the Summoner is responsible for notifying all witches of Coven Council Meetings, Sabbat Ceremonies, or Esbat workings. He may also be the witch in charge of managing all the Coven’s social media.

The Treasurer keeps all financial records up to date to be presented at Coven Council meetings. He assists the Scribe in the operation and logistics of the Coven.

These types of democratic systems with their structures and organizational transparency provide legitimacy to the Craft, which can only help Wicca’s reputation in the eyes of the general public.

 

This legitimacy is our safest means of ensuring that the Burning Times do not happen again. The Burning Times were a dark period in Europe’s history where people accused of witchcraft were tortured and executed, often by being burned alive at the stake. So, in the interests of transparency, where this Covenant is silent on a particular matter, our Tradition appeals first to Tarostar’s book The Sacred Pentagraph: A Craft Work In Five Volumes, and where he is silent on the matter, we strongly advise Coven Councils to appeal to Roberts Rules of Order.

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