91 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
91 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
THE ABBREVIATED LAWS
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'Tis the Old Law, and the most important of all Laws, that no one may
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do anything which will endanger the Craft, or bring us into contact
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with the law of the land or any of our persecutors.
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* Be it ardane that none shall use the Art (magick) in any way to do
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ill to any.
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8 words the Wiccan Rede fulfil: An it harm none, do what ye will.
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* Respect the privacy of other Coveners. You may reveal the involvement
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of no person save yourself.
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In case of trouble, the Coven will be disbanded. Should this
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happen, all Coveners are to avoid one another for the safety and
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well-being of all. Should this happen, refer to the Old Laws.
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* Never accept money for the use of the Art, for money ever smears the
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taker (and clouds ethical judgement). For all things magickal, pay
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the full price asked without haggling. If it is unaffordable, it is
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probably inappropriate in some hidden way.
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* In case of dispute, the High Priestess is the final arbiter. Within
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the Craft, no law save Craft Law may be invoked. Any who will not
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agree, or who will not work under this HPs, may and shall remove
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themselves from the Coven. Any of the third (L.T. Initiates OK) may
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form a new Coven.
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* The traditional way to hear complaints is this: Before the High
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Priestess and any other Elders shall come first one, then the other,
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then both together to be heard. The decision may be rendered
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immediately, one lunar month later, or whenever the time of waiting
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is filled.
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* The year-and-a-day rules pertains to: The minimum time between
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Progressions; The final time of all Leavings; The closings of all
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cycles.
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THE TEMPLE LAWS
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* In order of precedence, you are accountable to: The Gods, your Self,
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your High Priestess, your Teacher. Initiates are also accountable to
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the Craft as a whole.
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* "Pagan Standard Time" gives you 15 minutes leeway for an announced
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class or ritual. If you'll be any later or won't make it, CALL!
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* Questions are expected, desired, and anticipated.. The only "dumb
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question" is the one the student doesn't ask.
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* Common courtesy in all things. When in doubt, it is preferable to err
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on the side of caution and silence.
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* Ultimately, you are responsible for your own development. Independent
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thought and research are strongly encouraged.
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Comments on The Abbreviated Laws
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by J. Random Folksinger
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The Wiccan Rede, while it has been taught widely, is not a
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part of the Laws, although it may be considered derivative of them.
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There is nothing in the Laws that says that "in case of trouble, the
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Coven will be disbanded". There are, in fact, quite a few possible
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solutions to specific instances, not just for "trouble".
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There is nothing in the Laws about unaffordability equalling inappro-
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priateness in the purchase of a magickal tool.
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What the heck are "L.T. Initiates"? Long Term? Why is is OK for them
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to form a Coven when it is plain that you have to be of the Third
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Degree?
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The traditional way to hear complaints, at least in my set of the Old
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Laws, is for the High Priest or High Priestess to convene the Elders.
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It says nothing about whether the HP or HPs are included in this group,
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but it is assumed that BOTH, not just the HPs, are so included. There
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is also nothing in the Old Laws about a "time of waiting"for a decision.
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In the Old Laws, the only thing the year-and-a-day rule pertains to
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is the leaving of a High Priestess.
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Everything in the "Temple Laws" falls in the good-to-very-good
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category of advice; NONE of it is in the Old Laws. And I have known a
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good many pagans to take PST to mean anytime during the calendar DAY.
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There are a number of teachers in my experience to whom you NEVER ask a
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question, at penalty of being kicked out of the class; still, a teacher
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who can accept this rule is probably a good teacher.
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In general, this sheet appears to be a worksheet handed to new
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students and gone over with them for a quick rundown of the Craft in
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order to go on to other things; in my opinion, giving them this sheet
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and NOT reviewing the entire set of the Old Laws (in whatever form) is
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doing the students a disservice; having this sheet around for later
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reference, on the other hand, is probably a Good Thing.
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