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| 2nd and 3rd Degrees |
| Second degree Marks the beginning of a deeper path within the Craft, and acknowledges the commitment, work and effort that the 2nd degree candidate has made following their first degree initiation. Many people never move beyond 1st degree- which is fine, but some who do want to deepen their knowledge and extend their Craft skills into such areas as craft-work, herbalism, incense making, practical magick, ritual and ceremony, and who want to be much more actively involved in rituals, the running of the Coven and its circles, training and helping new initiates and candidates, and other more challenging areas; do aspire to 2nd degree. It must be stressed before we go any further that 2nd and 3rd degrees bring responsibility- there is a saying that "Rank brings its privileges", but in the Craft that shifts to "Rank brings responsibilities". '2nd degrees within most Covens are usually involved in mustering up the 1st degrees to get organised, and in the delegation of necessary tasks such as cleaning and setting up the temple, laying out food and similar tasks, but that's never an excuse for anyone 'throwing their weight around'. Third degree Is granted to those of sufficient experience and knowledge who are either in a working partnership together and are going to leave their parent Coven to form a new one, or for a small number of individuals who do not have a working Craft partner to form a new Coven with, and who have been Initiates for sufficiently long that they are becoming Elders of the Craft and of their Coven. This degree is mostly for those couples who are going to leave their parent coven so as to form a new one. This process is known as 'hiving-off'. It is also sometimes granted to those of long Craft experience, but who do not have a working partner of equal experience, and whom are therefore going to stay with their Coven as Elders. In order to receive this degree, candidates must be 2nd degrees of good experience, and with the necessary people, organisational, social, magickal and ritual skills to be able to run a working Coven in a good way that benefits, empowers and nourishes all members thereof. Within that a broad criteria is that it is generally granted to couples of sufficient actual age to have gained plenty of life experience so that they can work with new people in a good way- there is nothing more potentially disruptive of a Coven than having immature people leading it. I have to say that parenthood that has included being the parent of teens is about the best training that any HPs or HP can have. Couple that with good magickal and energy awareness skills so that the HPs can feel what Coveners are doing with the energy they raise, and so that they can 'carry' and encourage those who may be lacking, and we have the basis for a very well grounded and powerful Coven. These aren't skills that are exclusive to those with long parenting experience, and it also has to be said that a new HPs, with the support of her HP can develop the balance needed by sheer dint of hard work and 'making people have it' till it all does come together well. This can be wearing on all involved, but there is a Craft saying of being prepared to "Suffer to learn", that if we hold to will help us to learn. For those who are not going to found covens themselves and who are developing into Craft Elders, the criteria are much the same: Craft Elders need to be fully able to step into the shoes of the HPs or HP on those occasions when they are needed, and must be able to do so without indulging in petty 'power-play' or other ego games. They must also be able to shoulder some of the counseling, advisory and teaching work that would otherwise fall entirely onto the HPs or HP. |