To Initiate a New Member into an Existing Coven or Hive

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.

A Ritual to Initiate a New Member into an Existing Coven or Hive

Perform this ritual at a place of power appropriate for your practice. If indoors, use any cleared space with room for all to gather. The ritual area should be prepared with: a vessel filled with wine or some other symbolic blood for anointing; a blade, needle or nail for symbolic marking (optional); a mask or blindfold for the initiate; a candle for each member and a candle or lantern to be given to the initiate; and an offering for the spirits. The group stands in a circle with their candles held before them (lit); leave a space left empty for the initiate. The initiate is blindfolded and led to the edge of the circle. The leader or a chosen speaker challenges them, saying:

Who comes to walk the crooked path?
Who knocks upon the hidden door?

The initiate responds with their name (given or chosen). The leader presses a hand to their forehead and asks:

Do you come in silence, in secrecy, in strength?

The initiate replies: “I do." The leader places a hand over the initiate’s heart, asking:

Do you come with will unbroken, with spirit unbound, with fate unwritten?

The initiate replies: “I do." The coven hums or whispers in low voices, surrounding the initiate with sound as they are guided into the circle. The blindfold is removed. The initiate kneels. The leader dips a finger in the anointing vessel and marks the initiate’s forehead, saying:

As those before, as those to come,
By root and thorn, by oath and tongue,
By spirit’s mark and witch’s sight,
You are bound to craft and night.

*Optionally, an initiate may choose to take a symbolic mark as part of their dedication. If you do not wish to include this this part of ritual, skip to the part marked **. If the initiate does wish to take a mark as part of their ritual[1], the leader presents the blade, nail, or needle to the initiate and says:

The witches of lore bore marks unseen,
Sealed by shadow, by oath, by power.
Will you bear the sign of your own will,
A token bound in flesh and fate?

If the initiate accepts, they take the blade or needle and make a small mark (a prick of blood, a shallow scratch, or a chosen symbol) upon the shoulder, hand, or chest. The leader dips a finger in the anointing vessel and presses it to the mark, sealing it with these words:

By thorn and fang, by oath and dust,
By pact and path, by flame and rust,
You bear the mark, unseen yet known,
A witch now sealed in blood and bone.

The initiate acknowledges their choice with “In blood and bone.” The coven exhales breathes in unison to acknowledge the act. The initiate may smear a bit of the blood upon the altar or stone as an offering.

**The initiate is offered a drink from the vessel and takes a sip. The leader passes the cup around the rest of the group who sip from it as the leader says:

Bound not by chains, nor god, nor king,
But by will, by craft, by kin.

The coven members hold one hand in the air, whispering blessings or humming. The leader takes the blindfold in hand and returns it to the initiate, saying:

No longer blind, no longer lost,
A witch you stand, no matter the cost.

               All members, included the initiate repeat: “No matter the cost.” The leader picks up the offering for the spirits and places it in the initiates hands, inviting them to give the offering as a member of the group. The initiate places the offering at the edge of the ritual space, saying:

For those who walk where few dare tread,
For those who whisper with the dead,
For those who see, for those who guide…

All members finish: “A new one walks the path beside.”  The leader hands the initiate the lantern or candle, saying:

This light you keep, though darkness calls,
Through storm and night, though kingdoms fall.
So long as you hold the spark inside,
A witch you stand, your fate untied.

The initiate chooses a group member and asks them to light the lantern or candle. When the flame is lit, the initiate holds it aloft. The group together speaks:

So it is spoken. So it is done.
Side by side. One by one.

The rite is ended. All members leave the space, allowing the initiate to be the last to leave the ritual area.

[1] This should be consented to before the ritual is performed. All tools for marking should be sterilized.