99 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
99 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
JOAN on the Witch Laws 8/22/81
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Note: These are the comments of one of the early members of Proteus
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Coven on what we gave her to read about ethics and laws. All the
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material she had is still here, although a good deal has been added
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since then, so I thought her comments would also be interesting.
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Judy
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Reaction to "Traditional" - i.e. essentially Gardnerian - format
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In many respects, as constricting as Catholocism without the
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administrative experience, intellectual prowess, or verbal expertise of
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Catholicism. If current researchers are correct, what we have is one
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man't fantasy (with jumbled and skewed sources) made everyone's
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obligation.
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May be dealt with most effectively - especially as regards the
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reality of current practice and expectation - by juxtaposition with
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Lady Ikandkhop's masterful irony.
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Reaction to Aporrheton 5 - [generally very good thinking, but still
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more traditional than my preference]
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Paragraph Two: Good thinking on nature of Goddess - or any divinity. My
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agreement is reserved, uncertain, withheld.
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Paragraph Three: Claims to have arrived at FIRMLY ("no bending")
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UNDISPROVEN hypotheses. This arouses natural suspicion in me. I
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disagree with some of his perceptions of FACTS.
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I disagree violently with Laws 5 + 6. Heterosexuality is a strength,
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but not an essential. POLARITY OPERATES OUTSIDE [or INSIDE] BOUNDARIES
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OF ANATOMICAL EQUIPMENT AND HORMONES.
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AND THE CHARACTER - THE SACRED CHARACTER - OF THE WITCH IS WITHIN
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THE AT ONCE TRANSCENDANT AND DISCIPLINED SELF.
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Law #7 is unnecessary. A silly bow to a misunderstood "Trad" law.
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Law #8 is largely true, but makes no allowance for valid, honest (fair
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to all), and necessary transitional states many must pass through. Also
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sticks on "authority" peg, which has some necessity/validity but can
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easily get out of hand. I find HONESTY + COURTESY better yardsticks.
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Law #9. True. But much of interpersonal tension (inevitable) can be
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worked out of God/dess' love and coven support-with-discipline prevail.
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Law #10. The Great Mysteries must be lived out. And, without using
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Craft parlance, if another needs to hear them, they MUST BE VERBALIZED.
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TO DO LESS IS HARM.
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i.e., it is to allow another to drown when you're on shore and have
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a rope.
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But no missionary zeal!
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No proseletyzing!!!
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That for which others are unready is foolishness for them and
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foolishness for the Witch. (It may also be subconscious power tripping.
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See agreement in Law #13.)
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Law #11 - I agree with paragraphs one and two.
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Paragraph 3: saying that only the HPs incarnates the Goddess is
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inappropriate and - in my firm opinion - NOT FACTUAL. (note from Judy -
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as I interpret what he says there, it's that only WOMEN incarnate the
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Goddess. I also disagree with that, but it's less bad than Joan's
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reading that he limits it to the HPs only.) The Goddess is not bound by
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ceremonial elevations. She incarnates where and when She Damn Well
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Pleases!
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Re: "all initiations ..." - etc. - Ritual is crystallization of
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preexistent, potential, incipient reality and this actualization is not
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trivial.
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Law #12 - Good caution on limits (ill defined where emotion runs high)
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or self-defense. But assumption rules out solo magic (his previous
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premise is that it isn't Wiccan) by corollary of group responsibility /
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group danger to all action.
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"Return to sender" is generally agreed as rule-of-thumb for
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defense. Practice has not disproven. This is a difficult area to
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define. Probably group consensus on this would help.
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Does "impossibility factor" negate danger? How about the verbal
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escape clause sometimes used?
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Obviously, I'm less sure of boundaries on this one than on any
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other.
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Law #13 - Good idea. Rather an ideal than a norm.
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OMISSION: APORRHETON does not mention Balance or Polarity concept
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except in male/female context. But these are valuable and central
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concepts.
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I got the feeling this person is still ruled by fragments of
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left-over fear.
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Starhawk is GREAT. But many people will need more codification than she
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offers.
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