Ask Wynnie: A weekly witchy Q&A

​     First and foremost, I apologize for the delay in posting. Existential circumstance took hold of my day and prevented me from working on this week's post. Rest assured I will make sure to get things in on time this coming Sunday!
     For our new readers, these weekly Q&A discussions will be posted on Sunday evenings, and will feature questions submitted the previous week, with a submission cutoff of 11:59pm on Saturday! To submit your questions, please email us at CovenantofTheRose@gmail.com, or Wynnie@covenantoftherose.org!
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Craft Questions 

Q: My children are at an age where they are aware of and want to take part in the craft with my partner and I; how does one begin introducing children to the practice?
A: That is always a fun time for families! I recommend beginning with worksheets or colouring pages for different tools or symbols to show the children what they are before introducing the items themselves. This was they'll have a basic understanding of the tools and symbols prior to seeing them. Alternative;y, you could use some fabric and a hot glue gun to make a baby safe version of an altar set! I use felt to make the tool toys, and stuff them for the 3D effect.  

Q: I have written a couple of spells but none of them have worked? Is there something I can do to make them work?
A: Your spells may be failing as a result of unfocused intent. In my experience, the main reason spells fail is that the caster isn't 100% on their intent, and as a result the spell doesn't have enough personal power behind them. For example, you cast a spell to get a job that, while it isn't your passion, is good enough; but you don't get it. This is likely because as your heart isn't truly in it, the energy isn't strong enough. 

Q: I really want to do a ritual invocation to Hekate, but I can't find one I like and am not sure I would be any good at writing one. Is there a happy medium?
A: First and foremost, do not call what you cannot banish! Before you choose to invoke, make sure you'll be able to release that invocation. If you feel you can do so, perhaps look at some of the invocations you find online, and use them as a guideline. What I mean by this is, if you like one line from invocation A, two from B, and two from C, look at what you like about them, and then use those callings to create your own invocation that works for you. 

Q: I have a metal water bottle that I frequently take into circle, but it just occurred to me that the energies of the metal might interfere with spellwork. Should I stop bringing it?
A: You know, that is actually a really good question and I don't think I have ever thought about that before. I'd imagine that there is a real possibility of that, but if the bottle is cleansed and blessed it'd be alright. Ya know, I really need to think on this so I will touch on this next Sunday!

Q: I keep hearing the term "tarot spell", but I don't totally understand what that means. Is it a spell to do tarot? Or a spell that uses tarot? 
A: Tarot spell is a pretty broad term, but it is typically a spell that uses tarot either as a divinitory tool, or to use the cards themselves as points of power. For example, you could use the Lovers, the six of Cups, and the World to evoke those energies in a long last marriage spell. But overall, the term varies depending on the spell. 

Q: I am really thinking about starting a witchy blog but I can't decide which platform to use. How did you choose?
A: We chose our host after experimenting with different companies. We won't name names, but a company will call LeaveFather really screwed us over, and that caused us to look elsewhere. We liked webs' platform, but the layouts were lackluster, Tumblr is anti-SW and as a result we have stopped using our blogs (but left information there as a record in case they change their stance back), and finally, we tried Weebly and absolutely love it! The layouts are awesome, the fees are extremely reasonable, and the customization process is actually pretty easy! 
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Coven Questions

Q: I currently live in Oregon but am looking to move to Washington after the pandemic settles down. Could I be added to an email list or something so I could guest later on?
A: We currently do not have an email list as I cannot figure out how to make one/ keep it working. I tried in the past, but found a lot of issues and people fell through the cracks. However, if you send us an email closer to your arrival, we will see what we can do!

​Q: At the recommendation of a friend, I guested with a coven back before the pandemic, and I was honestly kind of horrified by the experience. The woman in charge was very pushy and predatory, borderline strong arming us to "join", but at the same time she seemed really insincere. What I mean is, she kept talking about the goddess and stuff, but it honestly felt like a performance, like a "look how spiritual I am", while still subscribing to traditional Christian dogma. Also, all of her "students" seemed to worship her, like, they all seemed to have drank this Kool-aid and saw her as a god. The whole thing seemed really cult-y and predatory, and It honestly soured my view on covens. Are all covens like this? Like, is that behavior normal? I am honestly at a loss. 
A: Wowza, that's.... wow. Okay so I am going to tackle this one thing at a time. Okay so first and foremost, that is not at all normal; no one should ever strong arm you to do anything but especially join a coven. Joining a coven should always be a mutual agreement between coven and seeker for the benefit of all involved. If the person in charge of that group made you uncomfortable, definitely don't go back, and don't feel bad about distancing yourself from them. As far as her insincerity, if you don't feel safe and secure both with the group  and their leaders, definitely don't join or seek religious counsel from them. And lastly, covens should not feel like a cult, it should feel more like a spiritual gathering of like minded persons. Please do not let this experience with this group sour your view on covens; most covens  are loving and inviting groups who are happy to discuss memberships, but will not try to force it. I highly recommend using this time in quarantine to take some time to heal from this unfortunate experience.