A coven.
A coven is a collection of wiccans and witches gather to practice their religion together.
Overview[]
Some covens participate in religious ceremonies such as drawing down the moon and drums, visualization, chanting, singing, dancing and meditation in order to induce a higher state of mind and have a stronger connection with supernatural entities lurking.
In Wicca this may also occur when a newly made High Priest or High Priestess, also called 3rd Degree ordination, leaves to start their own coven. Wiccan covens are usually jointly led by a High Priestess and a High Priest, though some are led by only one or the other. In more recent forms of neopagan witchcraft, covens are sometimes run as democracies with a rotating leadership.
Description[]
The most common number of witches and wiccans in a coven is usually thirteen, but the number varies with different covens. Covens also serve another important purpose, has been that when a spell is cast by a coven or by more than one person that expands to act faster and be more potent than it would have been if cast by an single witch.
Although fourteen is considered ideal (probably in deference to Murray's theories), any group of at least three can be a coven. A group of two is usually called a "working couple" (regardless of their sexes). Within the community, many believe that a coven larger than fourteen is unwieldy, citing unwieldy group dynamics and an unfair burden on the leadership. When a coven has grown too large to be manageable, it may split, or "hive".