Laws

This page has the following information:


13 Goals of a Witch
13 Principles of Belief
The Wiccan Credo or Rede of the Wiccae
The Witches Creed
The Witches' Pyramid
The Witches' Rune
The Tenets

Pagans Lounge on MySpace.com View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Main Page Calls and Charges Gods and Goddess 161 Laws Laws More on Laws Tools Circle Information People Sabbats Esbats Spells Divination Rituals Chants Invocations Book of Shadows Elements Stories Stones Herbs Oils Magick Laughter Corner Satanism Church of Set Glossary Grab Bag-Other Alchemy Animals Arts and Crafts covens Days of the Week Incense Stars Quotes Trees Links About Ethereal Projections Events and Gatherings Advertisements Copyright Submit Info Contact Us

13 Goals of a Witch by Scott Cunningham, Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988 1. Know yourself 2. Know your Craft 3. Learn 4. Apply knowledge with wisdom 5. Achieve balance 6. Keep your words in good order 7. Keep your thoughts in good order 8. Celebrate life 9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth 10. Breathe and eat correctly 11. Exercise the body 12. Meditate 13. Honor the Goddess and God 13 Principles of Belief by The Council of American Witches The following was drawn up in 1974 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As we have no central authority, this "Council" does not speak for all Wiccans. Its thirteen principals have, however, been adopted by a great many Wiccans since 1974 as representative of their beliefs. 1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters. 2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept. 3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all. 4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship. 5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds - sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. - and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment. 6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership. 7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it - a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way. 8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch - but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature. 9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it. 10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to supress other ways of religious practices and belief. 11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future. 12. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil" nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another. 13. We work within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being. The Wiccan Credo or Rede of the Wiccae By Lady Gwen Thompson / Adriana Porter Despite the insistance of some that the Rede is taken from this longer Credo, the Credo appears to have not been published until the 1970s by one Lady Gwen Thompson. Thompson claims it was taught to her by her grandmother, Adriana Porter. Doreen Valiente is sometimes mistakenly credited with authoring the Credo. Valiente published The Witches Creed in 1978 in her book "Witchcraft for Tomorrow", which is a completely separate document. The Bunnies will swear by this piece as solid Wiccan scholarship, an instruction manual for the innitiated. But the Credo really doesn't say anything. "Nine woods in the cauldron go, Burn them fast and burn them slow." That doesn't tell us a thing. One cuplet, "When the Wheel begins to turn, Let the Beltane fires burn" doesn't even make sense: the Wiccan year begins at Samhain, not Beltane. ------------------------------------------------------- Bide the Wiccan Laws we must In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. Live and let live, Fairly take and fairly give. Cast the Circle thrice about To keep the evil spirits out. To bind the spell every time Let the spell be spake in rhyme. Soft of eye and light of touch, Speak but little, listen much. Deosil go by waxing moon, Chanting out the Witches' Rune. Widdershins go by waning moon, Chanting out the baneful rune. When the Lady's moon is new, Kiss thy hand to Her, times two. When the moon rides at her peak, Then your heart's desire seek. Heed the North wind's mighty gale, Lock the door and drop the sail. When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss thee on the mouth. When the wind blows from the West, Departed souls will have no rest. When the wind blows from the East, Expect the new and set the feast. Nine woods in the cauldron go, Burn them fast and burn them slow. Elder be the Lady's tree, Burn it not or cursed you'll be. When the Wheel begins to turn, Let the Beltane fires burn. When the Wheel has turned to Yule, Light the log, the Horned One rules. Heed ye Flower, Bush and Tree, By the Lady, Blessed Be. Where the rippling waters go, Cast a stone and truth you'll know. When ye have a true need, Hearken not to others' greed. With a fool no season spend, Lest ye be counted as his friend. Merry Meet and Merry Part, Bright the cheeks and warm the heart. Mind the Threefold Law you should, Three times bad and three times good. When misfortune is enow, Wear the blue star on thy brow. True in Love ever be, Lest thy lover's false to thee. Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: As Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will The Witches' Creed By Doreen Valiente, 1978 "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" This can be confused with the Wiccan or Witches' Credo. The two are separate documents, although they both have similar intentions. I find the Creed to be much more effective, and certainly more poetic. ------------------------------------------------------- Hear now the words of the witches, The secrets we hid in the night, When dark was our destiny’s pathway, That now we bring forth into the light. Mysterious water and fire, The earth and the wide-ranging air. By hidden quintessence we know them, And will and keep silent and dare. The birth and rebirth of all nature, The passing of winter and spring, We share with the life universal, Rejoice in the magickal ring. Four times in the year the Great Sabbat Returns, And the witches are seen, At Lammas and Candlemass dancing, On May Even and old Hallowe’en. When day-time and night-time are equal, When sun is at greatest and least, The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned, Again witches gather in feast. Thirteen silver moons in a year are, Thirteen is the coven’s array, Thirteen times at esbat make merry, For each golden year and a day. The power was passed down the ages, Each time between woman and man, Each century unto the other, Ere time and the ages began. When drawn is the magickal circle, By sword or athame or power, It’s compass between the two worlds lies, In Land of the Shades for that hour. This world has no right then to know it, And world of beyond will tell naught, The oldest of Gods are invoked there, The Great Work of magick is wrought. For two are the mystical pillars, That stand at the gate of the shrine, And two are the powers of nature, The forms and the forces divine. The dark and the light in succession, The opposites each unto each, Shown forth as a God and a Goddess: Of this did our ancestors teach. By night he’s the wild wind’s rider, The Horn’d One, the Lord of the Shades. By day he’s the King of the Woodland, The dweller in green forest glades. She is youthful and old as she pleases, She sails the torn clouds in her barque, The bright silver Lady of midnight, The crone who weaves spells in the dark. The master and mistress of magick, They dwell in the deeps of the mind, Immortal and ever-renewing, With power to free or to bind. So drink the good wine to the old Gods, And dance and make love in their praise, Till Elphame’s fair land shall receive us, In peace at the end of our days. And Do What You Will be the challenge, So be it in love that harms none, For this is the only commandment. By magick of old be it done! The Witches' Pyramid also known as the 4 Powers of the Magus To know, to dare, to will, to be silent. I don't know for a fact, but I strongly suspect this phrase to be another hand-me-down of ceremonial magic due both to its content and its alternate title - a magus was a magician or astrologer in ancient times, a practitioner of high, not low, magic. The term originates from Persia, where it once referred to members of the hereditary Zoroastrian and pre-Zoroastrian class of priests. The Pyramid refers mostly to the practicing of magic. To know - Ceremonial magic, especially that which survived through the Christian era, requires extensive knowledge of numerology, astrology, mathematics and more. While such studies have little place in Wicca, we still value knowledge. Everything we learn contributes another piece of the overall picture. It's why so many complain today of Bunnies who "read one book and think themselves expert." Wicca also requires knowledge and understanding of the gods - not book learning, but personal experience. To dare - One must be willing to take risks, to approach their tasks boldly and face the mysteries we investigate and experience. Wicca is not all goodness and light. One must be willing and able to face down the bad as well as the good, embracing the whole. However, this does not mean we should enter into things brashly or without thought, for that would negate the first phrase, "to know". To will - If you do not believe you can succeed, you will not succeed. This is more than a simple acknowledgment - it must be a deep and heartfelt belief. You cannot fake your way past the gods. And yet, you should not shy away from those things that might contradict your belief, as that would negate the first two phrases, "to know" and "to dare". Crowley's Thelema centers solidly around the concept of power of will. To be silent - There are several meanings attributed to this phrase. The one I find most appropriate in this day and age is that one should not brag or threaten others concerning their talents with magic. Magic is a divine gift, not some big, shiny stick to wave in crowds for attention. Some say that magic loses its potency when it is openly discussed, or discussed at all. Others attribute the phrase to the Burning Times, and that it was a command of self-preservation - advertising otherworldly powers won one a quick trip to the stake. The Witches' Rune by Doreen Valiente and Gerald Gardner This is almost identical to another piece attributed to the same authors, known as The Ancient Call. According to Leaf McGowan, Azarak and Zomilarak are brother and sister angels representing fire and water. Cernunnos is a Celtic horned god here representing earth and Aradia represents the air and moon. "Eko" translates as something like "Hail!" or "Hail and come forth". Ronald Hutton, however, describes the Azarak and Zomilarak lines as mysterious or meaningless. They appear to have come from a 1926 article by J.F.C. Fuller which described them as "a sorceror's cry in the Middle Ages." No source was cited nor has one ever been found. ------------------------------------------------------- Darksome night and shining moon Hearken to the Witches Rune. East then South , West then North Hear! Come! I call thee forth! By all the powers of land and sea Be obedient unto me. Wand, pentacle, and the sword Hearken ye unto my word. Cords and censor, scourge and knife Waken all ye into life. Powers of the witches blade Come ye as the charge is made. Queen of heaven, queen of hell Send your aid into the spell. Horned Hunter of the night Work my will by magick right. By the powers of land and sea As I do say, "So mote it be!" By all the might of moon and sun As I do will, it shall be done! Eko Eko, Azarak Eko Eko, Zomilarak Eko Eko, Cernunnos Eko Eko, Aradia. The Tenets Reincarnation Learning Balance Harmony Love Trust Humility Tolerance