This set of Craft Laws was written by a council of Elders at a festival in 1979 as an
updated and more reasonable version of the Gardnerian Craft Laws. The originals can
be found in Lady Sheba's Book of Shadows, amongst other places.
As no ship can have two captains, so must it be that no coven or grove or other
gathering of those of the Craft shall have two or more most powerful leaders. Thus the
leadership of any such group shall devolve upon a High Priestess or High Priest,
whoever seems most fit to serve and will accept the charge of duty.
In the circle, the words, commands, and every wish of this leader are law.
In the best of circles, the High Priestess and High Priest act as one, and their union
gives each of them the strength and wisdom of the other. And, as such, in the circle,
the words, commands, and wishes of either are law.
The High Priestess is the earthly, living representative of the Goddess. She is to be
obeyed and respected in all things and given whatever signs of respect are due her
office within her tradition or coven.
The High Priest is the earthly, living representative of the God. He must be obeyed and
respected in all things and given whatever signs of respect are due his office within his
tradition or coven.
The laws of the Craft are old, and they command respect because they have withstood
the test of time. But as they fail that test, they may be revised, added to, or deleted, as
the times require.
The Law was made for those of the Craft, both the Wicca and their students and
followers, to advise and help them in times of trouble. The Law was not made to bind
or constrain, or hinder the free exercise of wisdom.
Those of the Craft shall give due worship to the Gods and obey Their will. To this end
they shall hold themselves aware of Nature and all the world about them, that they
might read therefrom the signs and portents of the will of the Gods. So also shall they
strive within their hearts and minds to interpret thee signs and portents. But if they
should find themselves lacking the wisdom to do this, they should seek further to
discover the Divine will by taking their questions to their High Priestess or Hi gh
Priest.
The High Priesthood shall always be available, upon reasonable notice, to assist those
of the Craft to encounter and to understand the Gods.
It is essential that the circle, which is the temple of the Gods, shall be duly cast and
purified, that it may be a fitting place for the Gods to enter.
The High Priestess, who is representative of the Goddess, rules her students and
followers by authority of the Goddess that is backed up by the strength of the High
Priest and the God.
Thus also does the High Priest, who is the ambassador of the Horned One, govern by
the authority of his closeness with the High Priestess and the Goddess.
Even a High Priestess can grow old an lose touch with the needs, desires, and thoughts
of contemporary people. Therefore shall she hold herself ready to retire in favour of a
younger woman, should she or her followers decide that another has the wisdom to
better carry out the duties of the position.
So also shall a high Priest be prepared to retire in favour of a stronger, more dynamic,
young man, should he or his followers in the Craft perceive such a need.
The times of persecution by violence and torture have been and gone, but the time of
full acceptance of the Craft us not yet upon us, and so, while the old laws of
furtiveness and secrecy are no longer necessary, they must be replaced by equally firm
laws or privacy.
So must it be that none of the Craft shall bring or allow the presence of an outsider at
any worship or any class or any gathering of those of the Craft without first obtaining
permission to do so from the High Priestess and High Priest., teacher, or othe r leader
who speaks for the group.
None of the Craft shall reveal to anyone outside of his own coven, grove, circle, or
student group the names of any of his brothers or sisters, nor their places of residence
or of employment nor any other information, without first obtaining the express p
ermission of both the person involved and the High Priesthood, teacher or other leader
who speaks for the welfare of the entire group.
None of the Craft shall reveal or permit the discovery of the location of the coven
stead or study or meeting place of any group.
As communication and travel have become easier, so must it be recognised that none
of the Craft may any longer attend any of the great festivals or gatherings of the Craft
without fear or being recognised. Any must abstain from these gatherings if such r
ecognition might cause a serious invasion of privacy of any other or others of the
Craft.
If there be any quarrels or disputes among members of a coven or grove, the High
Priesthood shall convene the Elders, if any, and inquire into the matter, and they shall
hear both sides, first alone, then together.
And they shall decide, justly, not favouring one side or the other.
As travel has become quicker and easier, and as those of the Craft live in larger and
more densely populated cities, the idea of the covendom becomes meaningless. The
covendom is traditionally the geographical area within convenient travelling distance o
f the coven stead, but in some large cities today there may be as many as five or six
covensteads within an hour's travel from the center of the town. Even in the
countryside, serious students might be prepared to travel to seek out the finest group
of C raft friends with whom to worship and work, and this right should not be denied
them.
The elders are those who because of long study and experience have acquired the
respect of a coven and are considered, by the High Priesthood, to be valued and
trusted counselors. They may or may not be active in the daily functioning of the
coven.
Within a coven all strive toward the ultimate goal of perfect love and perfect trust,
each one for each of the rest.
Sisters and brothers of the Craft are, however, people and not Gods. They are
imperfect, and their imperfections may cause irresolvable conflict. Those of the Craft
may not work together when such a conflict exists between them, for such conflict is
con trary to the cooperation needed to hold the circle. Such irresolvable conflict must
be removed, and to this end, any of the Craft who posses sufficient wit, wisdom, and
understanding, may leave the coven, grove, or study group to found another.
If the founder of a new group of the Craft wishes to teach, then only those who
acknowledge him as a superior teacher will follow him. If he wishes to learn, he must
find a superior teacher to the old, or his move is pointless. If he wishes to lead in t he
worship of the Gods, then he must truly be wise in Their ways, or none will follow, for
wisdom cannot be counterfeited.
Members of a coven who leave to found or join a new one are forever bound to silence
concerning the affairs of the old one.
The positions of High Priesthood carry responsibility, both to the followers of Wicca
and to the Gods, and this responsibility may not be lightly abandoned. So if a High
Priestess or High Priest should neither be seen, nor heard from for a full lunar cyc le
comprised of three full or new moon celebrations, then on the third such celebration
shall the one acting in their stead call for the formal appointment of themselves or
another to replace the departed. Should the departed Priesthood return within the
subsequent six moons (3 months) and wish to carry on in their former office, they shall
present, to the entire coven, excellent reasons for their absence and
non-communication, and they shall accept the verdict of the coven as to their
re-appointment. S hould the departed Priesthood be gone and incommunicado for
more than nine full and new moon celebrations they may return only as a common
covener, or be appointed as an elder. Remember the Laws of the Craft are made to
guide firmly, but not to bind.
Leaders of the Craft, High Priesthood and teachers should ever remember that the arts
of the Wicca are powerful and can be dangerous. Therefore shall they not teach of
poisons, curses, or any manner of destructive arts to any without first spending time in
meditation on the student's preparedness for such knowledge. Only after consciously
accepting the karmic responsibility for the students use of such knowledge may the
teacher teach.
Never accept payment for teaching and guiding people to an understanding and
worship of the Gods, for the food of the Gods is love and Their drink is joy, and these
cannot be bought with money.
If, however, the Gods have endowed you with a gift for music or carpentry,
clairvoyance or the ability to heal or any of the like, They would not deny you the use
of that gift to support yourself, so you may ask payment for the use of that gift to
support yourself, so you may ask payment for the use of your gift of the Gods in good
and honest work. yet, ask not too much, for the gifts of the Gods are to be used, not
abused. If anyone needs you and cannot afford to pay, deny them not, for who are you
to withhold a gift from the Gods?
If a coven or grove has any money, let it be kept safe and spent only as asked by the
full group, or by the representative appointed by the full group in concert.
Should you wish to buy a tool or temple, or any other thing with which to practice the
Craft, decide what it is worth, what its value to you is, and offer not a penny less for it,
for to do so would cheapen it and its use for the Craft.
Keep your tools and those of the coven clean and safe.
When you make a tool do so with care and love, paying particular attention to using
the proper materials and working on the proper days, and the proper times. Hold the
Gods in your mind as you work, and They will help to guide your hands.
When you search for a tool, keep your senses open and one will cry out to you. Touch
it, and let it speak to y ou with love, then will you know you have found your tool.
Keep your book regularly, both so that you do not forget the wisdom that the Gods
show you each day, and as an exercise in the discipline that the Craft demands of those
who would excel.
Today it is more essential than ever before that none use the Art to do ill to any, for
today we have some measure of acceptance by those who are not of the Craft, and to
lose this would be a grievous blow indeed, and there is no surer way to lose that ac
ceptance than to violate our birthright, which is the gift of the Gods to the Wicca.
Do what thou wilt shall Not be the whole of the law! The law shall be: An it harm
none, do what thou wilt. The Gods of the Wicca are not makers of morality. It is up to
those of the Craft to think and act only in ways that bring harm to none.
Remember karma.
Do nothing that will harm another unless you are willing to suffer like or greater harm.
Do not bind any free being unless you are willing to be likewise bound.
Do not use your arts for pride or vain glory. Using magic to show off usually results in
unwanted mental distraction in the operation, which brings an undesirable backlash.
Never threaten what you will not do.
Do not set a price on magickal work. If you need money before you will consider
doing a spell, then you are not prepared to accept the consequences of doing it.
Use no symbol, spell, or incantation whose meaning you do not understand clearly and
completely, as to its mechanics, content, and intent. A lack in any of these areas could
be dangerous to you and others.
Never do a spell without first using meditation and/or divination to determine whether
you should do it and exactly what needs to be done.
Whatever is done to the environment or to other beings in the environment, for
whatever reasons, brings a similar effect on the person who does it, be that person
trained or not.
A person who is using magic must be more aware of karma than anyone else, the
reason being that his acts, being consciously and willfully directed, are consequently
more powerful than the acts of an untrained person.
A person using magic judges the goodness of badness of her output, be it conscious or
subconscious, on the basis of the universal laws, defined as the laws of nature. Social
values are not trustworthy guides. Too many of them lead to acts contrary to th e laws
of nature.
The effects of karma may not be immediately apparent -- they often take years or even
several lifetimes to manifest fully. If your luck is consistently bad, you are probably
acting contrary to the laws of nature, regardless of your intent.