Each coven is autonomous. Most are headed by a High Priestess, oftenwith the assistance of a High Priest. Some are headed by a High Priestess orHigh Priest without a partner, and some regard themselves as a gathering ofequals. Covens can be of mixed gender, or all female or male, depending onthe preferences of the members. Every initiate is considered to be apriestess or priest.
Most covens are small.
Thirteen is the traditionalmaximum number of members, although not an absolute limit. At that sizecovens form a close bond, so Wiccans in the military are likely to maintaina strong affiliation with their covens back home. A typical difference would be that moretraditional groups would tend to follow a set liturgy, whereas eclecticgroups would emphasize immediate inspiration in worship. These distinctionsare not particularly important to the military chaplain, since it isunlikely that enough members of any one Tradition would be at the same base. Therefore,the lack of strict adherence to the patterns of any one Tradition is not anindicator of invalidity.