THE ABBREVIATED LAWS 
           
               'Tis the Old Law, and the most important of all Laws, that no one
          may do  anything which  will  endanger the  Craft,  or bring  us  into
          contact with the law of the land or any of our persecutors. 
           
                  *Be it ardane that noneshall use the Art (magick)in any way to
          do ll  to any.  8  words the Wiccan Rede  fulfil: An it  harm none, do
          what ye will. 
           
                  *  Respect the privacy of  other Coveners. You  may reveal the
          involvement of no person save yourself. In  case of trouble, the Coven
          will  be disbanded. Should this happen,  all Coveners are to avoid one
          another  for the safety  and well-being of  all.  Should  this happen,
          refer to the Old Laws. 
           
                  *Never accept moneyfor the useof the Art, formoney ever smears
          the taker (and clouds ethical judgement). For all things magickal, pay
          the full price asked without haggling. If it is unaffordable, it is 
          probably inappropriate in some hidden way. 
           
                  * In case of dispute, the High Priestess is the final arbiter.
          Within the Craft,  no law save Craft Law may be  invoked. Any who will
          not agree, or who will not work under this HPs, may and shall remove 
          themselves from the Coven. Any of the third (L.T. Initiates OK) may 
          form a new Coven. 
           
              * The traditional way to hear complaints is this: Before the High 
          Priestess and any other Elders shall come first one, then the other, 
          then both together to be heard. The decision may be  rendered immedia-
          tely,  one lunar  month  later, or  whenever  the time  of  waiting is
          filled. 
           
              * The year-and-a-day rules pertains to: The minimum time between 
          Progressions; The final time of all Leavings; The closings of all 
          cycles. 
           
           
              THE TEMPLE LAWS 
           
                  * Inorder of precedence, you areaccountable to: The Gods, your
          Self, your High Priestess,  your Teacher. Initiates are  also account-
          able to the Craft as a whole. 
           
                  * "Pagan Standard Time" gives you 15 minutes leeway for an an-
          nounced class or  ritual.  If  you'll be any  later or won't make  it,
          CALL! 
           
                  * Questions are expected,  desired, and anticipated.. The only
          "dumb question" is the one the student doesn't ask. 
           
                  * Commoncourtesy in all things. Whenin doubt, it is preferable
          to err on the side of caution and silence. 
           
                  * Ultimately,  you are  responsible for your  own development.
          Independent thought and research are strongly encouraged. 
           



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                             Comments on The Abbreviated Laws 
                                 by J. Random Folksinger 
           
               The Wiccan Rede, while it has been taught widely, is not a 
          part of the Laws, although it may be considered derivative of them. 
          There is nothing in the Laws that says that "in case of trouble, the 
          Coven will be disbanded". There are, in fact, quite a few possible 
          solutions to specific instances, not just for "trouble". 
              
               There  is nothing  in  the Laws  about unaffordability  equalling
          inappropriateness in the purchase  of a magickal tool.  What  the heck
          are "L.T. Initiates"? Long Term? Why is is OK for them to form a Coven
          when it is plain that you have to be of the Third Degree? 

               The traditional way to hear complaints, at least in my set of the
          Old   Laws, is  for the High  Priest or High Priestess  to convene the
          Elders.  It says  nothing about whether the HP or HPs  are included in
          this group,  but it  is assumed that  BOTH, not just  the HPs,  are so
          included.  There is  also nothing  in the  Old Laws  about a  "time of
          waiting" for a decision. 
              
               In  the Old Laws, the only thing the year-and-a-day rule pertains
          to is the leaving of a High Priestess. 
           
               Everything in the "Temple Laws" falls in the good-to-very-good 
          category of advice; NONE of it is in the Old Laws. And I have known a 
          good many pagans to take PST to mean anytime during the calendar DAY. 
          There are a number  of teachers in my experience to whom you NEVER ask
          a  question, at  penalty of being  kicked out  of the  class; still, a
          teacher who can accept this rule is probably a good teacher. 
           
               In general, this sheet appears to be a worksheet handed to new 
          students and gone over with them for a quick rundown of the Craft in 
          order to go on to other things; in my opinion, giving them this sheet 
          and NOT reviewing the entire set of the Old Laws (in whatever form) is
          doing the students a disservice; having this sheet around for later 
          reference, on the other hand, is probably a Good Thing. 



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