Hedgewitch or Group? Which is the right one?

Please note that a slightly different version of this essay may be found on the page "Solitary Practice"

The simple answer to this question is that the type of witch that you are depends on you. Whilst trying to find an answer to this question, I trawled the internet quite extensively.

It appeared to me that, generally, those who espoused the coven approach as the right approach were quite emphatic that to take a 'solitary' path meant that one chose not to advance and not to develop. It appeared that in order to develop, one had to aspire to First Degree Initiation, and thence Second and Third, eventually reaching a point when one might set up one's own group, hived off from the original. If one chose to work on one's own, it was because one did not have whatever it was that was necessary to develop or that one had 'shadows' that prevented further development. There was no hint amongst those sites that the path of a solitary could be contemplated other than from the perspective of 'failing' as a member of a group.

I have been a member of a Coven and Teaching Circle, and I have worked as a solitary. At the moment, my choice is to follow the path of a Solitary Witch.

One of the key tenets of paganism is that Divinity is immanent, it is around us and within us. It exists in everything: rocks and trees as well as people. Whilst it is good to learn from those with more experience, on the principle of 'why reinvent the wheel?', there are also benefits in learning for oneself, making one's own decisions and mistakes. Gautama Buddha said approximately 2600 years ago, "Do not believe merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.". It seems to me that no one person can claim to be a source of all knowledge, because that would place their level of knowledge beyond that of Deity. Even so, there have been plenty of people who have tried.

Also, it is worth considering that whilst a group ritual raises one type of energy, the energy raised in a solitary ritual is no less valid, or less powerful. Just because other people do not participate in and witness one's solitary ritual does not make that ritual invalid.

Consider if you will other religions, and their practices: a Moslem or a Christian who prays at home is not demonstrating a lesser degree of devotion than those who pray in public at a mosque or church. It could be argued that if the definition of one's devotion and development along a path requires that others see you practicing your religion, then one may be lacking confidence in one's own practice.

People change. A group that one joins may not be the same group two years later. It is not a sign that one has failed, or that the other members of the group are at fault. As a species we continue to evolve, even as we continue to evolve through each incarnation. Is it too strange to contemplate that the same evolution may be necessary in the way that we practice our relationship with Deity?

"After observation and analysis, when it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it, and live up to it."

Gautama Buddha

© Cendriya 2004. All rights reserved.