Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
From: Invitation to the Grand Sabbat
This is a tribal gathering; as such, we operate as a tribe, under tribal thew (custom, law). If you attend, you are either a member, or a guest, of the tribe. This fact has certain implications. Everyone is expected to act responsibly at all times.
We police ourselves. If a situation arises, handle it. If you can't handle it, find someone that can.
There are many people in a tribe. Some you will like; some you may not. (Witches, of course, tend to be people with a lot of jagged edges, anyway.) It nonetheless remains everyone's responsibility to maintain the sacred moot-frith, the peace of the gathering, at all times. If you can't treat others with civility and respect, then you don't belong here.
At the heart of tribal democracy lies personal responsibility. If you don't like something that someone else is doing, it's up to you to say: Please stop. If someone asks you to stop what you're doing, please think seriously before continuing.
Note also that our people respect the power of intoxicants and regard them as sacred. If you're going to use, use in a sacred way.
If you see something that needs to be done, do it. If you can't do it, find someone that can.
Above: John Vernon Lord (b. 1939 )
Illustration from Rosemary Sutcliff's Sword at Sunset (Editio-Service edition: Geneva, 1975)
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