Is it fair to the rest of the coven that you are going to bring in all of that baggage and yucky energy into the circle? No way, sweetie!
In all my years as a witch, I find this to be the number one problem in most covens. People come in late, then have to talk about all that happened to them, all the while dumping their negative junk on the rest of the group and the circle we are about to create.
Whatever happened to the ritual bath and cleansing before the circle? Whatever happened to the inhaling or ingesting of slightly mood-altering herbs (i.e. sage, passionflower, woodrose)? Whatever happened to the chanting or drumming we used to do to alter our states before we entered, or for that matter, crate our sacred space or circle?
Have we forgotten the old ways in order to keep up with our new politically correct, efficiently casual lifestyles? Where is the sacredness of our Esbat? Full moon or Tuesday a bad night for you? Tough! On who? I don't know . . .
The craft was a calling to me and with most witches I know. Yet there are always a few who find the old traditions a bit too dogmatic. Well, let's get over ourselves and see it for what it is. SACREDNESS! For anything we see sacred we give value to and how valuable is something that is a hardship for us.
Perhaps it is my Eastern thinking, but what is Sacredness without self-discipline and for that matter, how sacred is something you don't feel the need to make time for? Sacredness is something I feel I must give to all acts I do, especially my rituals. The "must," I feel, is my self discipline. The sacredness is the amount of self discipline I can put into it. If the full moon is on Tuesday night, I make time for it. Time to fast a bit after lunch as my sacrifice, time to have a ritual cleansing bath, time to alter my state through meditation, chanting or herbs, and especially time for the esbat. They are all sacred to me and in turn I become sacred. I become my craft name. Then and only then should I enter the circle.
I'm not saying all witches have to do all these things before entering a circle. But doesn't the Goddess say you will only get out of a ritual/spell as much as you put into it?
Think about it.
Blessed Be