What is the difference between a Circle and a Coven?
In our context a Circle is open to all visitors and includes teaching. A Coven is closed to members (or invitation) only and may or may not include teaching. The difference is purpose and goal. Circles often serve as a starting place for the new Wiccan. It’s an excellent place to meet new people and learn new things. One downside to a Circle can be that with a constant influx of new people it is hard to get past an intermediate level. Another is that the size of a Circle is usually in flux, so it is hard to plan rituals in which everyone can take part. A Coven is often a short or long term commitment to a specific group of covenors. The benefits to a coven is that since you work with the same people all the time you can learn to trust and know each other very well. You can also try new things without worrying that people won’t be able to follow along. The downsides can be that without new blood from time to time you can stagnate. Also, politics can become more of an issue since people
