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Jewellery,
Tools, Etc.:
Please
ask (and wait for an answer) before touching anyone
else’s jewellery or magickal tools or Tarot Cards. It is
tempting to touch when a friend shows up with a pretty new
necklace or chalice, but remember: they may have gone to a
great deal of trouble cleansing and charging it for a
particular purpose and may have to do it all over again if
anyone (even a friend) touches it.
Shopping:
While
the only hard and past rule in Wicca is “An it harm none
– do what you will”, most pagans ascribe to the rule:
“Don’t haggle for magickal tools”. This is a natural
extension of “Harm None”. When you haggle the seller
may feel compelled, against his or her own will, to drop
the price.
Driving
& Bumper Stickers:
Bumper
Stickers are wonderful ways of letting the world know who
we are and how we feel about things. Display your, “Born
Again Pagan” and “The Goddess is Alive and Magic is
Afoot” proudly. but, please think twice about
giving rude hand gestures, or allowing others in your
vehicle to (even to deserving jerks), while you are
declaring your “paganness” to the world. Like it or
not, when you are openly pagan, you represent all of us.
Please do it with pride and decorum.
Attending
Circle:
When
invited to attend a Circle ask if you can or should bring
anything (site fee, candles, covered dish, juice, chalice,
eating utensils, etc.). Also, be sure to ask how to dress
for the event.
Do
not bring uninvited guests with you and do not reveal the
location of the Circle to anyone without permission.
Ask
what time you should be there and what time the
ritual will begin. This way, you can be there in plenty of
time to relax, center and ground before ritual. And,
conversely, if you are unexpectedly detained, you will not
walk in on the ritual already in progress which is usually
not acceptable. Ask what to do if you should arrive
late—there may be the option of waiting in a certain
area and joining everyone for refreshments or feasting
afterward.
Ask
what time the ritual is expected to end, but don’t
expect a firm answer. When we enter the Circle we are
between worlds, and beyond time and space. Rituals take as
long as they take. Two hours is probably average, but they
can be shorter or much longer. Having someone in Circle
with a time constraint can be distracting and disrupts the
energy flow, so if you aren’t sure it may be better not
to attend.
Most
covens have rules on what to bring or not bring into the
Circle. If you are not sure, ask. Watches or other
electronic devices are usually not allowed since they may
disrupt the energy flow. Also, please do not bring food,
beverages or lit cigarettes into the Circle and do not
chew gum.
If
you have a request for healing or other magickal work
please talk to the Priest or Priestess privately before
circle.
Please
visit the restroom before circle. Although you may leave
the circle in an emergency it can be distracting—and you
might miss something interesting! Ask before Circle what
the procedure is if you need to leave.
Remove
your shoes if possible – it is much easier to ground
when in touch with Mother Earth. Apply insect repellant if
needed. As you enter the Circle move only deosil
(clockwise) until you find a place.
In
“The Spiral Dance”, Starhawk said, “Those who would
practice magic must be scrupulously honest in their
personal lives. In one sense, magic works on the principle
that ‘it is so because I say it is so.’ For words to
take on such force, you must be deeply and completely
convinced that is identified with truth as you know it. To
a person who practices honesty and keeps commitments,
“As I will, so mote it be” is not just a pretty
phrase; it is a statement of fact.”
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