Finding My Place in the Circle
I recently joined a coven.
For many hedge witches and hedge Druids, joining a coven can seem a little contradictory. Both paths often emphasize personal experience, independence, and solitary practice. For most of my spiritual journey, I have walked my path largely on my own as both a Sophian (hedge) Druid and hedge witch. Yet I found myself drawn to this coven not because I wanted someone else to tell me how to practice, but because I was seeking sisterhood, community, and relationship.
What makes this coven such a good fit is that it is highly eclectic and does not impose rigid rules or expectations about how members must practice. I am free to continue following my own path while also sharing space with others who are exploring theirs. In many ways, I remain very much a solitary practitioner. The coven serves more as a learning space, a place to exchange ideas, gain new perspectives, and build meaningful relationships. As a Druid, relationship is central to my path, and this community gives me an opportunity to cultivate that without sacrificing the independence that is so important to me.
Like many people entering a new spiritual community, I found myself wondering where I fit. Not whether I belonged—I already felt welcomed—but what my role might be within the group. Was I meant to simply learn? To teach? To lead? To support? To serve?
Rather than overthinking it, I decided to ask the cards.
I pulled a seven-card spread focused on my place within the coven and was pleasantly surprised by what emerged. The cards did not describe a title or position. They described a function.
The first card (six of stars) revealed my core gift: helping energy flow where it is needed. Supporting, protecting, organizing, healing, teaching, encouraging. The cards suggested that I naturally strengthen a community by helping create balance and reciprocity within it.
The second card (eight of cups) showed how others may experience me: as a seeker. Someone who is not satisfied with surface-level spirituality and is always searching for a deeper connection to mystery, nature, wisdom, and spirit. That felt very familiar. My path has never been one of accepting things simply because they are handed to me. I need to understand them, experience them, and find the deeper truth within them.
The third card (king if crystals) showed what I teach. Interestingly, it was not lofty spiritual theory or esoteric knowledge. Instead, it pointed toward grounded wisdom and practical application. The ability to take spiritual concepts and weave them into everyday life. To remain rooted while exploring mystery. To build a practice that is sustainable rather than merely inspiring.
Then came the lesson I am meant to learn from the coven.
This was perhaps the most unexpected part of the reading. (the sun)
The message seemed clear. I am not here primarily to learn more techniques, gather more knowledge, or discover some hidden secret. I am here to trust myself more fully. To step out of the shadows. To stop second-guessing myself. To allow myself to be seen.
That lesson hit harder than I expected.
My true role (page of stars) in the circle appeared as a lifelong learner and wisdom seeker. Someone who journeys into new territory, gathers insight, grounds it through experience, and returns with gifts to share. Not the person with all the answers, but the person who remains curious enough to keep finding new ones.
The cards that followed reinforced this theme. (the star) What supports me is authenticity, intuition, wonder, and the courage to walk my own path. (teo of crystals) What blocks me is trying to carry too much responsibility, worrying about finding the “right” role, and spending so much energy supporting others that I neglect my own growth.
When I stepped back and looked at the reading as a whole, one message became impossible to ignore:
I am a bridge between wisdom and practice.
I seek deeper truths, integrate them into lived experience, and return with gifts that help the community grow. My role is not to stand above the circle, but to strengthen it through service, insight, and example.
I am a seeker who teaches.
A student who guides.
A wanderer who returns with wisdom to share.
The most surprising realization was that the cards did not suggest I needed to prove that I belonged. In fact, they seemed to imply the opposite. The lesson was not belonging. The lesson was trusting my gifts enough to let them be seen.
After reflecting on the reading, I pulled one final card.
I asked whether I was meant to have a role in leadership. (the hermit)
The answer pointed toward the archetype of the wise seeker who withdraws to gain insight and returns to share it with others.
At first, some people might see this image as solitary, but I have never fully viewed it that way. The seeker steps back to find wisdom, but not for themselves alone. They carry a light.
They learn, then return with illumination.
The reading suggested that my role within the coven may be that of a mentor, guide, teacher, or future wisdom keeper rather than a formal leader. My authority does not come from titles, rank, or responsibility. It comes from the path I have walked and the wisdom I have gained through experience.
Like that archetypal seeker, I pursue wisdom deeply, but not for myself alone. My purpose is to carry a light rather than wear a crown. To offer perspective, encouragement, and insight. To help illuminate the path without needing to direct where others walk.
So I do not think I am meant to be a front-line leader with authority and responsibility for the group.
I think I am meant to be a guide.
Someone who continues learning.
Someone who continues growing.
Someone who gathers wisdom and carries that light forward for others to see.
