ETHICS

Pagans believe in a joyful balance of all human functions. This outlook is perfectly expressed in the Charge of the Goddess, which is an integral part of most of the rituals of all Wiccans, "Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals, and therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you." This provides a model of a balanced ethic which presents eight qualities that are positive and not restrictive. Compassion means empathy, not condescension; humility means a realistic appraisal of your own stage of development; reverence means a sense of wonder.

The Pagan is always conscious that compassion must be partnered with power, humility with honor, and reverence with mirth. Love of life in all its forms, is the basic ethic of the Nature Religions. We are bound to honor and respect all living things and to serve the Life Force. It has been said that we all serve the God and Goddess, even if only as compost.

Pagans recognizes that life feeds on life. We must kill in order to survive, but life is never taken needlessly, never squandered or wasted. To ensure the survival of the species, females are not hunted as game, for they share the sacred bond of motherhood with the Goddess. Serving the Life Force also means working to preserve the diversity of natural life, preventing the poisoning of the environment and the destruction of species. The World is seen as the manifestation of the Goddess. What happens in the World is important because the Goddess is directly affected.

While the seasons of the year renew the Goddess, She needs the participation of Her creations to keep the cycle going. This is the real function of the Sabbats. They reinforce the ties between humankind and the Planet that gives us life. Unlike other gods, that allow humanity to exist at their sufferance, the Goddess needs us just as much as we need Her, and we are partners in the pageant of Life.

Justice is seen as an inner sense that each act brings about consequences that must be faced responsibly. This is based on the belief that all things are interdependent and interrelated. Therefore, we are all mutually responsible because an act that harms anyone harms us all. This is summed up in the form of a law known as Karma, which dictates that all actions bring about changes. There is a saying in the Nature Religions that illustrates the effects of Karma known as the "Threefold Law of Return, Whatever is sent out is returned three times over". It is a sort of amplified "Golden Rule".

Honor is a guiding principle of the Nature Religions. It is an inner sense of pride and self respect. Refusing to do anything which would make you ashamed of yourself strengthens your magical will and leads to the self respect that comes from setting your own course, guided by your own inner sense of right or wrong. This makes you rightfully proud of past accomplishments an encourages you to stay on course. The Goddess is honored in oneself and in others. Men and Women are respected and valued for all their human qualities. The Self, one's individuality and unique way of being, is highly valued. Like Nature, the Goddess loves diversity. Oneness is attained not through losing the Self, but through realizing the Self's potential.

Self development and the full realizations of one's unique yet many aspected potential is a moral duty for a Pagan. Life is seen as a gift from the Goddess and it is up to us to push the evolution of mankind. If suffering exists, it is not our task to reconcile ourselves to it. We must work for change in all ways at hand. That which helps this evolution to come about is seen as good and desirable, while actions that thwart it are to be avoided because each of us is a factor in the cosmic evolutionary process.

To further this, and as a reminder of our ethics and responsibilities, we have the Wiccan Rede of old and the modern A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality. One of the Pagan Oaths recognized nationally here in the U.S.

Before one can analyze the meaning behind the phrase "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust", one must first define the words. For this purpose, I will use the Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language 1982 edition.

Perfect: adj. [L. per-, through + facere, do] 1. complete in all respects; flawless 2. excellent, as in skill or quality 3. completely accurate 4. sheer; utter [a perfect fool] 5. Gram. expressing a state or action completed at the time of speaking - vt. 1. to complete 2. to make perfect or nearly perfect - n. 1. the perfect tense 2. a verb form in this tense - perfectly adv - perfectness n.

Love: n. [ Trust: n.[ON, traust] 1. a) firm belief in the honesty, reliability, etc. of another; faith b) the one trusted 2. confident expectation, hope, etc. 3. responsibility resulting from confidence placed in one. 4. Care, custody 5. something entrusted to one....

Using these definitions, we come up with Flawless strong affection and flawless faith. Is this possible? Those that follow the religion of Wicca often give excuses for this just being words. But to me...the answer is a resounding YES. This does not ask that you "like" a person. It asks that you see the divine light and love within the individual whether you like them or not. Can this be done...YES. As to the perfect trust...we can always trust a fox to be a fox. Therefore, when we are entering circle, we can honestly answer perfect trust even if it is on shaky ground. We may have faith that this person will act like any other human. Trust is a continuum with "TOTAL" and "NO" at its poles. "Perfect love and perfect trust" doesn't mean total trust, being willing to allow anything at all to happen within the circle; it means allowing the maximum closeness you are comfortable with in a given setting. In ritual there's a letting down of guards, a willingness to experience certain things. For some people, the willingness will go all the way to total trust. Others stage their trust warily, and will set up barriers at any given test point if something happens to violate their trust.

As in everything else in the world, nothing is free. There are four prices that a Wiccan must pay in return for the wisdom and power that they can gain through the Nature Religions. Paying these prices awakens our true potentials and allows us to be 'as gods', and thus help us to create a better universe.

(1) Discipline and Responsibility - To awaken the extraordinary mode of consciousness is a natural step in any Wiccan development but it requires a great deal of practice to develop and train it properly. Powers and abilities gained through this heightened awareness must also be used responsibly, for otherwise they will destroy their possessors.

(2) A Willingness to Play - We unleash a great power when we are willing to let go of our adult dignity and laugh for no particular reason, without worrying about looking foolish. For example, we can make believe that a wand has magic power, and it becomes a channel for energy. Humour and play awaken the sense of wonder that characterizes Wiccans, and is the basic attitude that the Nature Religions takes into the World.

(3) The need to maintain a balance between the different states of consciousness. The difference between magic and psychosis lies in maintaining the ability to step back, by an act of will, into the ordinary mode of perception.

(4) A willingness to face the most frightening of all beings, one's own self. The depth of our inner selves are not all sunlit. To see clearly, we must be willing to dive into the dark, inner abyss and acknowledge the creatures that we may find there as being a part of what makes us what we are.

Here are a couple of articles I found years ago that made me think about Ethics, manners and correct behavior within the Pagan community. I think they are good food for thought.

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Recently in conversation with friends in a small intimate gathering, I mentioned outer-court(witch) names and passed on gossip. Later I was told that I had "violated etiquette." Had I?

Etiquette is socially accepted forms of behavior, agreed upon by the members of a community. Ethics involves morality, the nature of right as determined by a group or an individual. I believe there is a great deal of confusion of these terms in the "Pagan Community." Going by fairly traditional rules there are the "Laws of Wicca." Among these there is a very firm one saying one should never reveal another person as a Witch without their permission. However a person who has revealed themselves publicly as a witch shouldn't complain. And is it a violation of ethics to tell of a person by their Witch name? Only insiders could know the legal name of the person, so what is the danger? Ethics can be fairly easily agreed upon in the general pagan community. Anything that puts someone else in an embarrassing or dangerous position is unethical. We all make mistakes at times, but we try to act in a manner consistent with our ethical code. Etiquette, on the other hand, is very deceiving. We assume, since we are all members of the "Neo-Pagan Community" that we have the same etiquette. But the only etiquette I have ever been explicitly told about involves greetings to be exchanged between members of a group and their high priestess or between two high priestess of different groups. What about a more common meeting? Say a friend of mine is tired of being a solitary and wishes to come to a group celebration. What etiquette should I follow to bring this person to such a circle? I could either contact the group beforehand and ask permission, or tell them I will be bringing a guest, or I could simply bring a guest - with no warning at all. In the first situation, the responsibility and decision is theirs; in the second I am responsible for my guest's behavior; in the third I am a boor and will never be invited to their circles again. No one has covered all the possible conflict situations in the Pagan Community. So there is no way I could agree to follow an "etiquette." My general code is simply to use common sense, and give the other person an easy out. For example, if you think someone else is a Witch and wish to find out, you might tell them that you are one. To receive trust you have to give it first. A secondary problem in this situation is how does one keep a secret? Should one only speak in whispers, or when no one is within 100 paces? I think that looks furtive and produces suspicion in the mind of outsiders. Or do we follow Poe's lead and put the secret out in the open and disarm the opposition? I know several people who studiously "maintain secrecy" but everyone knows that they are "witches." Worse, because of their secrecy, their colleagues don't know what a witch is except it must be nasty since they won't speak of it. I do not proclaim my religion, nor do I hide it, and I have never had any problems. I hear 3rd hand horror stories but would like to hear first hand experiences, good or bad. Please write me c/o Panegyria. *****************************************************************************

 (I personally agree with this article)

CHARMED, I'M SURE

The Ethics of Love Spells

by Mike Nichols

'Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.' -- Bertrand Russell

To gain the love of someone: On a night of the full moon, walk to a spot beneath your beloved's bedroom window, and whisper his/her name three times to the nightwind. --Ozark love spell

It seems to be an immutable law of nature. You are interviewed by a local radio or TV station, or in some local newspaper. The topic of the interview is Witchcraft or Paganism, and you spend the better part of an hour brilliantly articulating your beliefs, your devotion to Goddess and nature, the difference between Witchcraft and Satanism, and generally enlightening the public at large. The next day, you are flooded with calls. Is it people complimenting you on such a splendid interview? No. People wanting to find out more about the religion of Wicca? Huh-uh. People who are even vaguely interested in what you had to say??? Nope. Who is it? It's people asking you to do a love spell for them! This used to drive me nuts. I'd take a deep breath and patiently explain (for the thousandth time) why I won't even do love spells for myself, let alone anyone else. This generally resulted in my caller becoming either angry or defensive, but seldom more enlightened. 'But don't you DO magic?', they ask. 'Only occasionally,' I answer. 'And aren't most magic spells love spells?', they persist. That was the line I really hated, because I knew they were right! At least, if you look at the table of contents of most books on magic, you'll find more love spells than any other kind. This seems as true for the medieval grimoire as for the modern drugstore paperback.

Why? Why so many books containing so many love spells? Why such an emphasis on a kind of magic that I, personally, have always considered very negative? And to make matters even more confusing, the books that do take the trouble of dividing spells between 'positive' and 'negative' magic invariably list love spells under the first heading. After all, they would argue, love is a good thing. There can never be too much of it. Therefore, any spell that brings about love must be a GOOD spell. Never mind that the spell puts a straight jacket on another's free will, and then drops it in cement for good measure. And that is why I had always assumed love magic to be negative magic. Years ago, one of the first things I learned as a novice Witch was something called the Witch's Rede, a kind of 'golden rule' in traditional Witchcraft. It states, 'An it harm none, do what thou will.' One uses this rede as a kind of ethical litmus test for a spell. If the spell brings harm to someone -- anyone (including yourself!) -- then don't do it! Unfortunately, this rule contains a loophole big enough to fly a broom through. It's commonly expressed, 'Oh, this won't HARM them; it's really for their own good.' When you hear someone say that, take cover, because something especially nasty is about to happen. That's why I had to develop my own version of the Witch's Rede. Mine says that if a spell harms anyone, OR LIMITS THEIR FREEDOM OF THOUGHT OR ACTION IN ANY WAY, then consider it negative, and don't do it. Pretty strict, you say? Perhaps. But there's another law in Witchcraft called the Law of Threefold Return. This says that whatever power you send out, eventually comes back to you three times more powerful. So I take no chances. And love spells, of the typical make-Bobby-love-me type, definitely have an impact on another's free will. So why are they so common? It's taken me years to make peace with this, but I think I finally understand. The plain truth is that most of us NEED love. Without it, our lives are empty and miserable. After our basic survival needs have been met, we must have affection and companionship for a full life. And if it will not come of its own accord, some of us may be tempted to FORCE it to come. And nothing can be as painful as loving someone who doesn't love you back. Consequently, the most common, garden-variety spell in the world is the love spell. Is there ever a way to do a love spell and yet stay within the parameters of the Witch's Rede? Possibly. Some teachers have argued that if a spell doesn't attempt to attract a SPECIFIC person into your life, but rather attempts to attract the RIGHT person, whomever that may be, then it is not negative magic.

Even so, one should make sure that the spell finds people who are 'right' for each other -- so that neither is harmed, and both are made happy. Is there ever an excuse for the make-Bobby-love-me type of spell? Without endorsing this viewpoint, I must admit that the most cogent argument in its favor is the following: Whenever you fall in love with someone, you do everything in your power to impress them. You dress nicer, are more attentive, witty, and charming. And at the same time, you unconsciously set in motion some very powerful psychic forces. If you've ever walked into a room where someone has a crush on you, you know what I mean. You can FEEL it. Proponents of this school say that a love spell only takes the forces that are ALREADY there -- MUST be there if you're in love -- and channels them more efficiently. But the energy would be there just the same, whether or not you use a spell to focus it. I won't attempt to decide this one for you. People must arrive at their own set of ethics through their own considerations. However, I would call to your attention all the cautionary tales in folk magic about love spells gone awry.

Also, if a love spell has been employed to join two people who are not naturally compatible, then one must keep pumping energy into the spell. And when one finally tires of this (and one will, because it is hard work!) then the spell will unravel amidst an emotional and psychic hurricane that will make the stormiest divorces seem calm by comparison. Not a pretty picture. It should be noted that many spells that pass themselves off as love spells are, in reality, sex spells. Not that there's anything surprising in that, since our most basic needs usually include sex. But I think we should be clear from the outset what kind of spell it is. And the same ethical standards used for love spells can often be applied to sex spells.

Last year, the very quotable Isaac Bonewits, author of 'Real Magic', taught a sex magic class here at the Magick Lantern, and he tossed out the following rule of thumb: Decide what the mundane equivalent of your spell would be, and ask yourself if you could be arrested for it. For example, some spells are like sending a letter to your sweetheart in the mail, whereas other spells are equal to abduction. The former is perfectly legal and normal, whereas the latter is unlawful. One factor in your decisions may be the particular tradition of magic you follow. For example, I've often noticed that practitioners of Voudoun (Voodoo) and Santeria seem much more focused on the wants and needs of day-to-day living than on the complex ethical thoughts we've been examining here. That's not a value judgement -- just an observation. For example, most followers of Wicca STILL don't know how to react when a Santerian priest spills the blood of a chicken during a ritual -- other than to feel pretty queasy. The ethics of one culture is not always the same as another.

And speaking of cultural customs, another thought is how a culture views love and sex. It has often been pointed out that in our culture, love and sex are seen in very possessive terms, where the sweetheart is regarded as one's personal property. If the spell uses this approach, treating a person as an object, jealously attempting to cut off all other relationships, then the ethics are seriously in doubt. However, if the spell takes a more open approach to love and sex, not attempting to limit a person's other relationships in any way, then perhaps it is more defensible. PERHAPS. Still, it might be wise to ask, Is this the kind of spell I'd want someone to cast on me?

Love spells. Whether to do them or not. If you are a practitioner of magic, I dare say you will one day be faced with the choice. If you haven't yet, it is only a matter of time. And if the answer is yes, then which spells are ethical and which aren't? Then you, and only you, will have to decide whether 'All's fair in love and war', or whether there are other, higher, metaphysical considerations.

Ethics or Etiquette by Ellen PANEGYRIA volume 2, number 6, and was downloaded from Earthrite BBS (415-651-9496). PANEGYRIA costs $8 per year, and their address is Box 85507, Seattle, WA 98145. Enjoy! - Talespinner, Sysop WeirdBase

Charmed I'm sure - Ethics of a love spell This article was written by Mike Nichols for the Magick Lantern BBS. It may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions are met: (1) No fee is charged for its use and distribution and no commercial use is made of it; (2) It is not changed oriented in any way without the author's permission; (3) This notice is not removed. This article may be periodically updated by the author; this version is current as of 9/28/88. Contact Mike Nichols at The Magick Lantern BBS [(816)531-7265, 7pm. to 11am., 300 baud ONLY] for more recent updates, or to leave your own comments.