Membership Information

Those who are interested in becoming a member of the Covenant of the Goddess through the Orange County Local Council may find answers to many of their questions here or though the main website.

An Overview of the Covenant of the Goddess

The Covenant of the Goddess is one of the largest and oldest Wiccan religious organizations. Wicca, or Witchcraft is the most popular expression of the religious movement known as Neo-Paganism.  Wicca or Witchcraft is the fastest growing religion in the United States according to the Institute for the Study of American Religion. It’s practitioners are reviving ancient Pagan practices and beliefs of pre-Christian Europe and adapting them to contemporary life. The result is a religion that is both old and new, both traditional and creative.

Background and Formation

In the 1970s there was a marked rise of interest in Witchcraft not only in the United States, but throughout the world, reflecting a growing feminist awareness and global concern for the environment. In the Spring of 1975, a number of Wiccan elders from diverse traditions, all sharing the idea of forming a religious organization for all practitioners of Witchcraft, gathered to draft a covenant among themselves. These representatives also drafted bylaws to administer this new organization now known as the Covenant of the Goddess. At the 1975 Summer Solstice, the bylaws were ratified by thirteen member congregations (or covens). The Covenant of the Goddess was incorporated as a nonprofit religious organization on October 31, 1975.

Organization and Activities

The Covenant is an umbrella organization of cooperating autonomous Witchcraft congregations and individual practitioners with the power to confer credentials on its qualified clergy. It fosters cooperation and mutual support among Witches and secures for them the legal protections enjoyed by members of other religions. The Covenant is non-hierarchical and governed by consensus. Two-thirds of its clergy are women.

The Covenant is coordinated by a national board of directors. Many of its activities are conducted at the regional level by local councils. The Covenant holds an annual national conference open to the Wiccan community, as well as regional conferences, and publishes a newsletter. In recent years, the Covenant has taken part in spiritual and educational conferences, interfaith outreach, large public rituals, environmental activism, community projects and social action, as well as efforts to correct negative stereotypes and promote accurate media portrayals. Its clergy perform legal marriages (handfastings), preside at funerals and other rituals of life-transition, and provide counseling to Witches including those in the military and in prisons. The Covenant also provides youth awards, sponsorship of college and university student groups, and legal assistance in instances of discrimination.

How do we apply for Membership?

Any Goddess-supporting coven or solitary can be eligible for membership in the Covenant of the Goddess, if certain criteria and requirements are met. All inquiries into membership should be sent to the National Membership Officer. If the coven or solitary is in an area near a Local Council (Orange County Local Council: oclc4cog@gmail.com), the National Officer will forward the inquiry to the local Membership Officer, who will respond.

Membership Application.

What is the General Criteria for Coven Membership?

• Generally focus theology and ritual, etc., around the worship of the Goddess and the Old Gods (or the Goddess alone).
• Believe in and follow a code of ethics compatible with that of the Covenant.
• Have been meeting monthly or oftener for at least six months.
• Have three or more members who have been formally accepted into the clergy.
• Be a cohesive, self-perpetuating group

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Code of Ethics

An ye harm none, do as ye will.

Since our religion and the arts and practices peculiar to it are the gift of the Goddess, membership and training in a local coven or tradition are bestowed free, as gifts, and only on those persons who are deemed worthy to receive them. However, a coven may expect each of its members to bear a fair share of its ordinary operating expenses.

All persons have the right to charge reasonable fees for the services by which they earn a living, so long as our religion is not thereby exploited.

Every person associated with this Covenant shall respect the autonomy and sovereignty of each coven, as well as the right of each coven to oversee the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical development of its members and students in its own way, and shall exercise reasonable caution against infringing upon that right in any way.

All persons associated with this Covenant shall respect the traditional secrecy of our religion.

Members of this Covenant should ever keep in mind the underlying unity of our religion as well as the diversity of its manifestations.

These ethics shall be understood and interpreted in light of one another, and especially in light of the traditional laws of our religion.

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What are Requirements for Membership?

Full Membership: The applicant must be recommended without reservation by members of two different covens or solitaries that are known to the Covenant.

Provisional Membership: The applicant may receive one letter of recommendation, and then has a year and a day to obtain the required second recommendation to achieve Full Membership status.

The appropriate Membership Officer (National or Local) shall verify information regarding the criteria and requirements.

Please see the CoG Information for further information on membership requirements.

If you want to send something to us, please use:

Orange County Local Council

c/o Covenant of the Goddess
PO Box 12193
San Bernardino, CA 92423-2193 USA