Inside a Witches' Coven (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) [Paperback]

Edain McCoy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series | Publication Date: May 8, 2003

Get an insider's look at how a real Witches' coven operates, from initiation and secret vows to parting rituals. Find step-by-step guidance for joining or forming a coven, plus sage advice to help you decide which group is the right one for you. Perhaps you already belong to a coven, but your group needs ideas for organizing a teaching circle or mediating conflicts. Either way, you're sure to find Inside a Witches' Coven a practical source of wisdom.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is a perfect book for beginners as well as for experienced solitary practitioners who have given thought to joining a coven. When making a decision such as this, you ought to draw on as much experience as you can find, and Edain McCoy shares more than 15 years as a coven member to make this decision less daunting. Inside a Witches' Coven takes the guesswork out of searching for covens and deciding which one is right for you. McCoy connects with you on a personal and practical level, taking what could be a taxing and potentially hazardous task and turning it into a positive growth experience.

About the Author

Edain became a self-initiated Witch in 1981 and has been an active part of the Pagan community since her formal initiation into a large San Antonio coven in 1983.  Edain has researched alternative spiritualities since her teens, when she was first introduced to Kaballah, or Jewish mysticism.  Since that time, she has studied a variety of magickal paths including Celtic, Appalachian folk magick, and Curanderismo, a Mexican-American folk tradition.  Today, Edain is part of the Wittan Irish Pagan tradition, where she is a priestess of Brighid and an elder.  

An alumnus of the University of Texas with a BA in history, she is affiliated with several professional writer's organizations and occasionally presents workshops on magickal topics or works individually with students who wish to study Witchcraft.

This former woodwind player for the Lynchburg (VA) Symphony claims both the infamous feuding McCoy family of Kentucky and Sir Roger Williams, the seventeeth-century religious dissenter, as branches on her ethnically diverse family tree.  In her "real life," Edain works as a licensed stockbroker.

Edain is the author of fifteen books, including Bewitchments; Enchantments; and her most recent release, Ostara: Customs, Spells & Rituals for the Rites of Spring.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (May 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567186661
• ISBN-13: 978-1567186666
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,953,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on covens I've seen!, June 4, 2000

By 

Lil S. (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside a Witches' Coven (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Paperback)

Just the sections on the warning signs of people or groups who might not have your best interests at heart are worth the price of this book! The rest of the book is just as well-written and informative, and should prove an invaluable resource for not only any solitary looking to join (or start) a coven, but also for covens to focus and improve their own practices. The author has a great way of informing, advising, and encouraging in her writing without any condescension or intolerance. Whether or not you ever plan to work with a group magickally, this book is worth having!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense discussion of joining a Coven, November 18, 1999

By 

Richard Ballard "rjballard" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inside a Witches' Coven (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Paperback)

I recommend "Inside A Witches Coven" by Ms. Edain McCoy. This book is a very common sense discussion of how to find and/or form a meeting group and/or coven. (Ms. McCoy defines a meeting group as a group of Witches/Pagans that meet to exchange ideas and socialize without the vows and commitments that a coven requires.) Ms. McCoy does not go deeply into Craftlore, but does tell one what s/he can expect from initiations and healing spells.

A caveat: one must know the jargon. Several items (delay until 1995 [one know no delete -- i.e., forever], nine (nein) years -> (i.e., forever), a year and a day (366 -> open hex sex -> sexual abstinence for the duration) handfasting period, casting the circle counterclockwise (reverse the clock -> undo a spell or vow).

Ms. McCoy is to be commended because she *does* recount people problems that she has had during her career, and cautions the importance of finding a coven compatible with one's philosophy. Too many dictatorial leaders spoil what should be a happy and rewarding Craft experience.

Despite the problems decoding the jargon, I like this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside a Witches' Coven, April 3, 2003

By 

"mabontitania" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inside a Witches' Coven (Llewellyn's Modern Witchcraft Series) (Paperback)

Any Solitary who ever wondered about the logistics of coven entry should read this book. Edain McCoy writes from the heart in an easy-to-read language which tells it like it is. She relates both the upside & downside of working within a coven & gives common-sense guidelines to creating your own. The importance of ettiquette in group settings is stressed & personal experiences are shared with the reader relating to this & other areas of coven-based practices.

A good book for anyone who may be worried about finding the right coven for themselves (or wondering if the coven setting is right for them!), or those interested in finding out about that side of the Craft which is shared with like-minded others.