I finally found the pagan group here locally in the town I work in (next town over). They even have a forum like this one and meet in the coffee shop across from where I work every Tuesday night.

I am happy! They are having a big gathering at Samhain, so they need help with that. That will give me something to get involved with.

I have never been in a coven or anything like that. What are some people's experiences with that? Did/do people get along well? My partner was a part of the Imperial Court system of the drag queen world, and that was major fireworks, but somehow they all stayed together and the Court is a major contributor to charity, so it works on some level - BUT, if they could work black magick, no one would be left alive... {cackles}

Pagan groups are pretty varied, just like other groups, although to make things more confusing in the Pagan community we have diversity built in where other groups tend to be more uniform. In the Pagan community we have Druids, Wiccans of all sorts, non-Wiccan Witches, those who are reconstructing ancient religions -- and not all these groups agree on things of course!

A lot of the success of a particular group depends on how willing the members are to work together despite differences. If you're lucky you'll have a group that is accepting and encourages people to respect the differences. If you're unlucky you'll have a group where an individual or small group tries to control everyone else, who dictates to everyone else, and who tries to eliminate differences of opinion.

I always encourage people to familiarize themselves with Isaac Bonewits' excellent Cult Danger checklist, which is on his website at http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html

If a group you are considering has a number of the items on the checklist then you might want to steer clear of them. Being solitary is always better than being caught up in the wrong group! Finding a good group though is definitely worth pursuing.

This is more of a group of pagan friends at this point from what I gather, and I think my instructor for the astrology class is a member (though not sure about that - just looking from the bad pic that is online. If so, then it is probably a good group - not a coven yet but growing in that direction.

I have done the cult thing - spent 25 years in a bonafide Christian cult. I had to go through all the counseling associated with getting outta that, so I know what to look for in groups and when they are unhealthy.

On the other hand, there is also the individual responsibility. There would be no cults if it were not for people looking for something they feel they need. My being in said cult above was actually my own dysfunction playing itself out. Once I understood that and how it influenced me, then I got a little wiser about how to function with groups - and it also gave me permission to go back to square #1 and reassess the whole volume of my beliefs. That lead me to the pagan path (which is a much healthier set of beliefs for me).

I wish you luck with your group endeavor. Like Ben says, just be careful and make sure what it really is before you commit to deeply to it.