What to do while you wait for a group.

WHAT TO DO WHILE YOU’RE
WAITING TO FIND YOUR GROUP

You’ve decided you want to be a Pagan and you’re ready to find a group or a coven to work with. What can you do while you’re searching to find others whom you can join?

First and foremost, accept that you have the capacity within yourself to find out what you need to know. Then read, research, experiment with doing things related to the ideas and path that attract you. Have confidence that your heart will guide you to do what is right. Take responsibility for making your own choices. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do.

No matter how authoritative a book or person that you meet may seem to be, don’t do things that don’t feel right to you. If your sources disagree, choose what seems best to you.

Responsible people and books will tell you there is more than one way to honor the Earth and the Old Gods. Be wary of anyone who says that you can only do things one way. They may not know as much as they think they do.

The Wiccan Rede will work for most Pagan paths: "If it harms none, do as you will." Another part which is often added is "Love is the law, love under will." Trust your own ability to do whatever you do as a Pagan with love, love for the Earth, love for others, love for yourself.

If a potential teacher spends more time telling you how much he or she knows and can teach you, but neglects to find out what knowledge and ability you already have, consider the possibility that they are more interested in proving themselves important than helping you grow.

The most important ethical idea in most Pagan paths is that you are responsible for choosing your own actions and for accepting the consequences of your choices. Different people have different ideas about what is right and wrong, or as some paths put it, "done for weal or woe," but YOU are responsible for your actions. If something feels like the right thing for you to do, do it, and accept the responsibility, no matter what anyone else says.

The purpose of all religions is to touch God/dess. The purpose of Pagan religions is to touch whatever God/dess may be through connecting to the Earth and the natural world. Begin by doing things to make that connection.

If you are attracted to Wicca, celebrate the eight great seasonal festivals and consider doing rituals or celebrations at full moons or new moons. You don’t have to have written rituals; your celebrations should come from the heart. Choose symbols, colors, candles, incense, words, whatever appeals to you and helps you connect to the "moods of the Mother" as the Earth changes during the year. Write your own or choose something in a book that seems to speak with the same heart you have.

In any Pagan path, spend as much time as you can in a natural setting and try to relate to the Earth and other living things. Hug a tree, grow a garden, sit under a full Moon and listen to the music of the living world. Find your own place in nature.

Study the lore and practices of the path you are most attracted to and put it into action, relating to its symbols and ideas as often as possible, in as many sectors of your everyday life as you can manage.

Consider what kind of group you want to find. The following are three types of groups, in the approximate order of difficulty of finding them:

A study group is a collection of people who want to study a particular subject, such as magic, Wicca, herbs, rune lore, astrology, tarot, etc. All you have to have is a place to meet, an agreement on how and what you’ll study, and enough good feelings about each other that you won’t fight when you disagree.

A ritual group is a small number of people that you get together with to do celebrations or magic. They should be people you trust and are comfortable with, who are interested in doing the same kinds of Pagan things you are. You have to be able to agree among yourselves on what you do, but you don’t necessarily have to make long-term commitments to the group as a whole.

A coven is a group of people who have made a contract, or covenant, to work together in a specific manner, according to specific rules, for specific purposes. These agreements are often characterized as a tradition and may not readily be changed by an individual. People who wish to be initiated into a coven ordinarily make a long-term (years), solemn commitment, which begins with apprenticeship and continues through a detailed, often demanding course of learning skills and lore related to the work of the tradition.

The single most important thing to do while you are waiting to find a group to work with is to pursue your own spiritual development through actions and study.

Research the path you are interested in. Apply as much of what you find as you can, and discard whatever you run across that does not feel "right" to you.

Meditate and do those things which will help you integrate mind and body, spirit and heart. Become fit in mind and body. Exercise and eat right. Get enough sleep. Learn to confront and integrate your shadow self. Learn to accept and be proud of your shining self.

Learn to be honest with yourself and to trust your own wisdom. The Seeker must learn to set aside the knowledge of others and approach the world with the innocence of the Holy Fool: trust your own heart, your own experience, and your own ability to find and recognize what you need to know.