our practice

The Beacon Hill Coven practices Gardnerian Wicca: an initatory, oathbound, orthopraxic, mystery tradition that traces its roots to and through Gerald Gardner and 20th century England.  We work with and honor a specific Goddess and God, and celebrate Esbats and Sabbats that reflect the cycles of the natural world. Gardnerian Craft emphasizes the value of polarity and its ability to create and affect change via dynamic tension, but the Beacon Hill Coven does not limit our understanding of polarity to the sex of members of the priesthood. We are a queer- and trans-friendly coven, and we welcome inquiries from all seekers.

Gardnerian Wiccans are witches, and we know that there are many ways to practice and engage with the Craft. We ask that our students focus their full attention on Gardnerian practice as they work through their training, but there are plenty of initiates who maintain multiple mystical and magical practices as a complement to (or entirely separate from) their role as Gardnerian initiates.

It is important to note that Gardnerian covens never practice sexual initiation. The Beacon Hill Coven recognizes that the power dynamic between student and teacher is one that does not allow for full consent, and our tradition does not require ritual sex - ever. Further, we do not charge for training as it is our choice to serve as teachers and initiators.

our process

Different covens use a variety of frameworks for getting to know students, preparing them for initiation, and judging whether they are appropriate candidates both for the coven and for Gardnerian Craft in general.  Working and studying with any coven (Beacon Hill included) is never a guarantee of initiation.

We follow a system that is a bit of a departure from the common North American model of running “outer court” rituals with trainees. We instead offer an Occult 101 curriculum designed to provide an appropriate foundation for understanding Gardnerian practice if a student becomes an initiate, but also to be of educational value to all students regardless of where their path takes them. We do not practice ritual with our students.

Folks interested in becoming students of Beacon Hill Coven need to have the self-discipline to prioritize monthly lessons and at-home reading, research, and practical assignments. Our goal is for our curriculum to be challenging but not daunting, to prepare students for the commitment required of and from initiates.

next steps

Please note that we are at a stage in our coven’s life where we are not considering new students. The following paragraph is for reference, but please wait until at least early 2026 to reach out and even then you should temper your expectations. Covens have seasons of teaching and seasons of working with existing initiates, and the Beacon Hill Coven expects to be in the latter season for quite a while.

If you’d like to start a conversation with us about training, we’re happy to hear from you.  You can introduce yourself via an email to aria.beaconhillcoven@gmail.com and dylan.bhcoven@gmail.com and though we may take a few weeks, if your initial message makes us think you’d be a potential good fit, we will get back to you with a questionnaire to get your thoughts on some relevant topics.  Upon reviewing your responses, we may invite you to meet with a small group of our coven elders to discuss things further. Please note that depending on the number of our current students we may not always be able to begin the aforementioned process immediately and there are even periods of time during which we do not consider students at all.