Everything on earth has a time, a season and, as the saying goes, a time to be born and a time to die. After six and a half years it began to feel as though Blackthorn’s time was coming to an end. It was getting more and more difficult to motivate everyone, negativity was slowly creeping in and killing the magic and the group energies. It was becoming hard work. So it was time to let go.
In the inner world the Blackthorn name had become tired, unhealthy and was slowly decaying. This was felt by all the group even though they resisted the tide and were unwilling to admit it to themselves and to each other. So, it was down to the elders to make the final, difficult, decision to disband Blackthorn as it once was.
It was the time of year to sweep away the old, to create new beginnings and the powerful seasonal energies along with the keen east wind that blew us along for a week or so allowed us to feel that this was the time, the right time, to change and to move on.
So it was with huge regret and sadness that we disbanded the coven and let everyone retreat into themselves, lick their psychic wounds and decide what to do next.
After a few weeks the elders recovered, refreshed and reconvened. Some of us have been practising together for over ten years so it felt very strange to celebrate the Spring Equinox as solitaries. We needed to meet up and discuss the future.
Others in the disbanded group met up to celebrate Ostara and they too are looking to the future and where they want to go. Hopefully a totally new group will re-emerge for them.
The elders have decided to reform and practise in a different way. Everyone will contribute and everyone is totally committed and positive.
We didn’t want to lose the Blackthorn name completely as it has lots of history and a tradition attached to it so it will be kept as a teaching group, open to new members in February 2017.
We have long fought against hierarchy in the group but now see that in order to run a successful magical group there has to be some degree of separation between those with little or no experience and those with years of practice behind them. Mixing the two, for us, just hasn’t worked. So the elders have created a new, small, close knit, working group.
The new name is Witches of Elderthorn. A closed, private group.
Blackthorn Coven remains as a teaching/training coven run by the elders.
We send love and thanks and hugs to everyone who had been involved in Blackthorn over the years and wish them well with whatever that decide to do.
The Elderthorn Coven 