Get together with any group of local Elders of British Traditional Wicca, and you'll probably hear competing stories about how difficult it was to travel and seek Wicca. Forget about the classic stories of walking miles in the snow, uphill both ways. You'll probably hear tales of couch surfing, airplane trips and protracted seeking due to life circumstances.
In Washington state, Wiccan covens, like most other community resources, may be clustered around population centers. That means that seekers in Eastern Washington, the Okanagan and south central Washington might have to travel many miles in a given year. If a person doesn't have a car, a bus commute complicates things. If a person has a physical disability travel may be hard.
It may be frustrating that local Wiccan covens are not more accommodating. Why, a seeker might wonder, doesn't the coven travel to a disabled or impoverished seeker's home? The reason is ethical. Wiccans do not proselytize and we do not pursue our members. If a coven were to be overly accommodating, it might lock a seeker into a feeling of obligation that could cause them to continue seeking Wicca even if that is no longer a calling. Also, the process of seeking is a learning journey. It helps the coven see the way a seeker handles adversity, and it helps the seeker find out whether Wicca is worth it.
All in all, a long commute is a signal for a seeker to consider his or her feelings. If the commute is a problem and causes strife, it may be a red flag that this is not your time to seek Wicca. If, however, a long commute doesn't phase you and feels just like an opportunity to listen to the radio and relax, you might just be following your bliss.
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