The Laws of Witchcraft

These laws are by no means official laws of the Craft; however, I believe that they are a pretty good indicative of what most Witches and pagans believe in.

An ye harm none, do as ye will
There are many variations of this old saying, a more modern one is: For the free will of all, and with harm to none. This also encompasses the importance of free will. No one is forced into anything in our religion.

Ever mind the rule of three, what you send out comes back to thee
There just isn't any point in doing magick for any reasons that are unjust. It will always come back to you. Maybe not threefold, but harming others without reason just isn't the wiccan way, and the universe does not like humans dabbling with the divine.

To know, to will, to dare, to be silent.
These four principles of spellcasting make up the Witches' Pyramid. Knowing means not only to really know what you're doing so you are not tampering with anything you don't have control over. It also means you have to know yourself. To will stands for your confidence in yourself, your belief in what you are doing and the will to do it. To dare means simply to have the confidence to go through with your actions, and to own up to them. Also to stand up for what you believe in. To be silent is not about hiding your religion, more about not bragging. You might see people dressed all in black with pentacles everywhere, heavy makeup who say threatingly with a manic look in their eyes 'watch out, I'm a witch'. S/he is not. Witches don't brag about being witches.

Highlights from the Council of American Witches' Principles of Belief.

*We welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and share our learning.

*We recognise that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance.

*Calling oneself "witch" does not make a witch - but neither does heredity itself, or 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.

*We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fullfillment 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.

*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 one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom of others and suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.

We, the undersigned, as adherents of Pagan and Neo-Pagan Earth Religions, including Wicca, or Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, practise a variety of positive, life-affirming faiths that are dedicated to healing, both of ourselves and of the Earth. As such, we do not advocate or condone any acts that victimize others, including those proscribed by law. As one of our most widely accepted precepts is the Wiccan Rede's injunction to "harm none", we absolutely condemn the practises of child abuse, sexual abuse, and any other form of abuse that does harm to the bodies, minds, or spirits of individuals. We offer prayers, therapy and support for the healing of the victims of such abuses. We recognize and revere the divinity of Nature in our Mother the Earth, and we conduct our rites of worship in a manner that is ethical, compassionate and constitutionally protected. We neither acknowledge nor worship the Christian devil "satan", who is not in our Pagan pantheons. We will not tolerate slander or libel against our churches, clergy or congregations, and we are prepared to defend our civil rights with such legal action as we deem necessary and appropriate.
First written by the Church of All Worlds 1988. The much rewritten version was accepted by most of the pagan community.

The Law of Vibration
Everything moves and vibrates at its own rate, even though it might only be on a subatomic level. Even the toughest solid has electrons that move. No event is lost in the universe. The vibrations given off are eternal, even though their effect may decrease over time.

The Law of Rythm
Everything is in constant change and constant movement. Opposites move in circles; each seeking its completion. The Great Wheel of Life, although forever turning, is constantly completing a cycle. Symbolised by the Tarot-card Wheel of Fortune.

The Law of Cause and Effect
Nothing happens by chance. This is almost a variation of Newton's law of motion. For every effect there is a cause, and every cause is itself an effect of something else. No event ever "creates" another event out of nothing.

The Law of Polarity
Everything is dual; everything contains opposites. Good and evil, light and dark, life and death, male and female, north and south, hot and cold... In all things there is a receptive feminine energy and a projective masculine energy. Like the God and the Goddess. Everything has its opposites and both are as important. The middle is a strong position as it contains both poles.

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