'Tis the Old Law, and the most important of all Laws, that no one may do anything which will endanger the Craft, or bring us into contact with the law of the land or any of our persecutors.
*Be it ardane that noneshall use the Art (magick)in any way to do ll to any. 8 words the Wiccan Rede fulfil: An it harm none, do what ye will.
* Respect the privacy of other Coveners. You may reveal the involvement of no person save yourself. In case of trouble, the Coven will be disbanded. Should this happen, all Coveners are to avoid one another for the safety and well-being of all. Should this happen, refer to the Old Laws.
*Never accept moneyfor the useof the Art, formoney ever smears the taker (and clouds ethical judgement). For all things magickal, pay the full price asked without haggling. If it is unaffordable, it is probably inappropriate in some hidden way.
* In case of dispute, the High Priestess is the final arbiter. Within the Craft, no law save Craft Law may be invoked. Any who will not agree, or who will not work under this HPs, may and shall remove themselves from the Coven. Any of the third (L.T. Initiates OK) may form a new Coven.
* The traditional way to hear complaints is this: Before the High Priestess and any other Elders shall come first one, then the other, then both together to be heard. The decision may be rendered immedia- tely, one lunar month later, or whenever the time of waiting is filled.
* The year-and-a-day rules pertains to: The minimum time between Progressions; The final time of all Leavings; The closings of all cycles.
* In order of precedence, you areaccountable to: The Gods, your Self, your High Priestess, your Teacher. Initiates are also account- able to the Craft as a whole.
* "Pagan Standard Time" gives you 15 minutes leeway for an an- nounced class or ritual. If you'll be any later or won't make it, CALL!
* Questions are expected, desired, and anticipated.. The only "dumb question" is the one the student doesn't ask.
* Commoncourtesy in all things. Whenin doubt, it is preferable to err on the side of caution and silence.
* Ultimately, you are responsible for your own development. Independent thought and research are strongly encouraged.
* Always rememberthat all mankind and all creatures are equally children of the Goddess; therefore never boast or threaten, or do anything that might disgrace Her or your brothers and sisters in the Craft.
To blather thoughtlessly about the Craft, especially to persons who have no business knowing about your coven's affairs, not only drains your own energy and that of your coven, but also is a form of boasting, of using the Craft for self-aggrandizement, that will get you into the bad headspace law #3 warns about. More obviously, threat- ening to "hex" someone, even though you THINK you have no intention of doing so, violates the intent of laws 1 through 4, because you are playing games with the Lady, who just might decide to act on the threat, and because you are using the Craft (especially if you are known to be a Witch) to influence another against his will and to get your own way; furthermore, making such a threat reinforces the false impression most people have of the Craft, and so disgraces the God- dess. Again, since anyone could learn to do anything you can do, being a Witch doesn't make you any better than anyone else; put on airs, and the Lady will deflate you.
Perhaps a good rule of thumb about discus-
sing the Craft with outsiders is this: once you are convinced that
someone's interest is sincere, then answer questions, fully and
freely; but don't just volunteer information that has in no way been
asked for, else you risk burdening that person with more information
than he or she is able to cope with.
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