To Bless/Dedicate a New Coven or Hive

Come together at a place of power appropriate for your practice—for example a crossroads, forest clearing, abandoned place, or a liminal space such as a threshold or graveyard edge. If indoors, any cleared space, preferably barefoot. Bring to your space a shared vessel (bowl, cauldron, or drinking horn); a drink to share, such as wine, mead, or some kind of symbolic juice; a natural cord long enough to be held by each participant, a candle for each member as well as a candle to place in the center of the circle, an offering for spirits (bread, honey, milk, etc.). Ideally, you should have each member bring at least one item.

Light the candle at the center of the ritual space. Have all group members stand in a circle, one hand upon the black cord that links them together while they hold their unlit candle in the other hand. The leader or an appointed speaker says:

By hedge and hollow, by scale and wing,
We gather here to bless our Ring.
Not by church, nor book, nor priest,
But by the spirits, stars, and beasts.

Each member lights their candle using the flame of the center candle and holds it before them.

Each person in turn speaks their name (given, magical, or chosen) and their reason for joining this circle. The leader takes the shared vessel and fills it with the drink, saying:

Bound are we—not by blood, nor law,
But by our will, by craft, by claw.
A circle formed, a path now laid,
A Witch’s work shall never fade.

Each member takes a sip and passes the vessel, sealing their place in the circle. Together, raise the cord and hold it aloft, taking care to keep it out of the candle flames. The leader/speaker says:

Thread upon thread, yet woven as one,
Our voices rise, our work begun.
No king nor clergy calls us here,
We speak with spirits, without fear.
Shall we be bound in craft and kin?

 All members reply together: “We shall.”

The cord is then knotted or braided, symbolizing the binding of the group. It may be kept on the altar, buried at a sacred site, or burned at a future rite to release the group. Place the cord to the side. A chosen member the places the offering at the edge of the ritual space and calls:

For those who walked this path before,
For those who guard the hidden door,
For those who whisper, watch and guide,
We honor you, side-by-side.

The candles are raised in silence, acknowledging unseen presences. The leader says:

By night and flame, by word and deed,
This circle stands, this kin is freed.
So long as we will it, it will be,
Bound by craft, by fate, by three.

The candles are extinguished. The members depart without looking back.