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then. After that, we thank the four corners of the universe after our program, and resume the humming.
Never read in the circle. Memorize the lines if necessary. Improvise. Trust yourself.
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Who is the High Priestess then? The woman who can raise the group's energy. Somebody with a bit of theatrical
background, as well as Goddess background. The High Priestess is often the one who started the group.
Next, we have the Maidens, the Nymphs and the Crones. Traditionally, the Maidens do everything the HP does, like
assistant directors and players as well, since they do invocations. Maidens help with the altar, carrying the sacra up and
down the mountains, making sure everyone is heard, and protecting the circle from disruptions.
One of the most outstanding Maidens I ever worked with was Helen Beardwoman, who could easily replace me when
I was out of town. I was certain the Susan B. Anthony Coven No. 1 would continue just as I had built it from the start.
Nymphs have a cultural role. Being the youngest in the group, they are depended upon to make sure the Coven has
fun. Yes, fun! They collect appropriate songs, sing nicely, dance well, and laugh easily.
The Crones of the coven are the eldest women. Crones are not called on to work unless they want to. They can choose
what they want to do. They can sit down if they get tired, or just sit in the middle and be revered as the Goddess in
Her wisdom aspect. Crones are often prophets. Oracular sayings might pass their lips or they might be impish or more
rambunctious than the Nymphs. However, you never interfere with your Crones.
A coven is recognized if it has celebrated the holy days of the Earth for at least one year and a day. A coven has more
than three people in it. In olden days, thirteen was a workable number for a coven. It still is, but it shouldn't be a rigid
rule. Don't close a coven's ranks just because the membership has reached thirteen. Let the coven breathe. Closed
covens don't last very long in my experience. They become like ingrown toenails; they hurt at the end.
Today, the purpose of spirituality is not to imitate what went before, but to facilitate the future by bonding as souls.
The Laws of the Craft
Many people are disappointed to find that we have no Ten Commandments, but only one Golden Rule:
DO AS THOU WILT AND HARM NONE.
How easy this sounds! However, it is a much harder rule to follow than a set of rules and regulations, and it requires
much wisdom and your complete consideration of all those with whom you share your planet. All living beings must
be considered in the "harm none" clause. It is impossible to go through our lives without hurting others, willingly or
unwillingly. We know that. We all have disappointments and wounds, and we deal out our own fair share.
The law does not refer to normal living, the usual ups and downs. It refers to the magical spells we weave. Those are
what we truly have to examine, to make sure we do not attack the innocent.
Besides this major law, there are some minor ones. For example, the law of the tenfold karma. If you are good, it will
come back to you. If you help others prosper, others will help you'prosper. The same applies for harming others; that
too shall return. So there is no wisdom in manic hexing, for example.
There are also expectations and requirements of behavior in the Craft. I will try to sum them up.
1. Honor the High Priestess. One of the most despised "sins" is "stealing a coven." This means that if a High Priestess
has welded a group together, nobody should usurp her and take over the coven. Before a new High Priestess is chosen,
a High Priestess must be absent a year and a day from the activities of her coven. This "rule" comes from ancient
times, when the coven leaders often had to hide from the Inquisitors, and plenty of time was therefore allowed for the
High Priestess or Priest to return.
2. Honor the succession of teachers. This means that if you were lucky enough to have a spiritual advisor who first
opened your eyes to the Goddess and Her religion, this teacher counts as a ' 'mother'' to your soul, and deserves the
same attention and gratitude you give your natural mother. It is not noble behavior to take without giving. If you take
knowledge without putting something back in energy and services, you will earn the same fate; someday you too will
teach somebody who will not give anything back to you.
3. Relate back to the mother coven on Midsummer when all the tribes are gathering. It is custom to return, process and
have some fun with the original coven from which you were hived. If your path was a lucky one, you were educated
and then "hived" with your new coven with the blessings of the mother coven. We honor this connection once a year
by returning to celebrate Litha.
4. If there is dissent in the coven, make a new coven. This is one of the oldest rules, which aided the Craft, instead of
disrupting it. Not everyone gets along with everyone we are witches, not saints. So when trouble comes, just see if it's
not a sign to make a new group. Then part amicably and try to maintain respect between the two groups.
5. A coven's loyalty is the coven's luck. Do not hex anybody within your group, or mess with her psychically, but
rather go to the High Priestess or Priest and use regular methods of problem solving. Avoid irrational anger! Then
follow the coven's advice. If that doesn't work, leave the group.
6. Hexing is generally avoidable. If you attack the innocent, the ban returns tenfold. This is an old rule, so witches take
care to come up with imaginative solutions and to be sure the person with whom they are angry is really the culprit. On
the other hand, rapists are fair game to hex; witches have to practice this somewhere.
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When you have absolutely resolved to create a hex, leave the name out, saying, for example, "He who broke into my
apartment" or "He who raped me." The Goddess knows whom you are referring to, and while you may miss the mark,
She won't.
When the hex goes out to general purposes, such as "enemies of women," the Goddess makes historical changes,
which you may read in the news. There is no retribution for standing up for yourself; you need not fear hurting
somebody unnecessarily. For example, Christians pray against gays, yet more and more gays come out of their closets.
Obviously, the Goddess has veto power.
7. You are as secure as your own psyche allows. If you imagine that some witch can really harm you, you give a lot of
power to that person. But if you don't, you can just fly above it all and let the vibes fall back where they came from.
Men often try to make women "lose'' their heads, so they can ' 'have'' them. It may work on a non-initiate, but once a
woman is her own possession, she is secure against self-serving kitchen witches with lust on their minds. Male witches [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]