Do you need to have four people, one for each of the compass directions, like they had in the movie The Craft?
Wiccan Rituals can be performed by any number. Not all witches call the four cardinal points. Some do so as the Lords of the Watchtowers while some invoke the corresponding elemental force. This is usually done by one person anyway. In our Coven, as in many others, it is the duty of the High Priestess to summon the Four Quarters. If a solitary performs this portion of a ceremony, they must do it alone. It comes down to what feels right to you and anyone with whom you may be working. Please see our Suggested Reading List for books that will help you with your rituals. Trust these authors and not what you see in movies. The ceremonies I remember seeing in The Craft, though they may have been based in some fact, were not real. Please, do yourself a favor and don't use them as a model.
I really need to know how can a group of witches make a coven. Is there a certain ritual? Does the Priestess have to do something special?
If you have not read our sections on How Do I Become a Witch? and How Do I Find a Coven?, please do so. There is information in both that can help you. If you are already witches, then becoming a coven is more of a decision than anything else. As a group you will have to decide what form will your rituals take. Will you do the same rite at every Full Moon, or will it vary? If it is the same, what will it be? These are all things that must be agreed upon. Other issues need to be addressed, such as criteria for membership, a coven name, will there be a degree system, etc. Provided that you can come to an agreement on these things, then you can consider yourself a coven.
As far as anything special that the High Priestess has to do, she runs the coven. She officiates at meetings and Circles. She leads most of the rituals. She is usually elected to this position. Traditionally, her word is final. If you are having some difference of opinion in some areas, maybe you can agree on a High Priestess. She can then settle any disputed facet of the new coven's worship, make up, or whatever. As far as any special ceremony to form a coven, some traditions use a ceremony called "Birthing a Coven", but this is not necessary. In fact it is usually used when the coven becomes large and a group is going to splinter off to form a new coven. Some covens when they are just starting up, agree on an initiation rite. They then put all the new coveners through it, even though they may already be initiated. This kind of formalizes the bond between them, but is not required.
If you are not already witches, you need to decide on an initiation rite and go from there. There is really a lot of considerations you need to address in either case. Read as much as you can. See our Suggested Reading List. A good book for you would be Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. After you have consulted these sources, if you need more advice or help, please e-mail us. Good Luck.
How can I join your coven?
I know that cyber covens are starting to pop up on the Internet, but we are not one of those. We are a traditional coven and very private. We are very careful about who we make contact with, since some of our members want their identities protected. Before someone can be considered for membership, we need to get to know them. Our coven is a very tight knit family and a new member must have energies that work well with our group. To learn more about covens and joining one, see our page on How Do I Find a Coven?.