Last amended June 11, 1989

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373
THE LAWS OF HOSPITALITY FOR MYCENEAENS
--------------------------------------1) A Guest always has the right to leave a Host's
home, lands,
not possible
done when the

celebration or gathering when they wish (this is

always in the middle of a ritual and can only be
officiary of the ritual grants it magically

etc), without

harm or threat of harm, with all that they

brought with them
into the locale.
2) A Host always has the right to ask a Guest to
leave their home,
lands, celebration, gathering or ritual without
conflict of
a physical or verbal nature, and to take with
them all they
brought with them into the locale.
3) A Host has the right to request an armed guest
to peace-bond,
remove from the locale or to take a weapon of
any obvious
nature, unless necessary for a ritual taking
place, until it
the guest is ready to leave without argument or
conflict.
4) A Host has the right to request a guest not
utilize or even
bring into their home, lands, celebration,
gathering or ritual
any substance or device that may be legally
questionable or
outlawed or physically harmful to the Hosts
health or that of
other guests or members of the Damos. (this may
be anything
from drugs, alcohol, poisons, cigarettes,
flamethrowers etc.
all by the Host's discretion).
5) A Host may ask the following of a personal rule
of hygiene or
social concept be followed by a guest while
within the home,

celebration, ritual, lands etc (EX: the removal

of shoes before

entering the house, the washing of hands,

maintaining a low
level of noise due to someone else sleeping,
sharing in the
breaking of bread, etc by the host's
discretion).
6) Both Host and Guest are bound by a rule of trust

- none shall

nature against

carry out violence of a physical or psychic

those present or they shall be in violation of

the rules of

Hospitality and nullify all such rules at that

point.

7) Neither Host nor guest shall steal from the

other - either
doing such shall be in violation of the rules of
Hospitality
and they shall be annulled at that point.

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374
8) The Host may ask one service of the guest if
they are to
other words
cannot require

share meal, sleep within the hosts area, or in

impose on the host in any manner. This service

the leaving of the hosts area, nor be of an

illegal, personally
distasteful or harmful way, but will most
probably be of a
simple manner (and not the tasks set out
historically in legend)

such as assisting with the setting of the table,

chopping of

wood for the fire, etc. This is not mandatory,

simply suggested
in conceptual context of the original Mycenaean
Society.
9) The Host and guest, if of different religions,
will not seek to
force their beliefs upon the other - discussion
is allowed, but
not obvious attempts to convert or proselytize.
10) The Host and guest (and members of the Hosts
Damos) will not
seek to force their affections on each other
sexually - this
does not rule out flirtation, involvement or
seduction, but
does rule out harassment, forced sex and rape.
If a person
says they are not interested then their word is
final and any
further consideration should be personally
curbed. Violation of
this rule invalidates the rules of hospitality
in the
situation.
11) The Host may request of a Guest reimbursement
for any supplies
that have been used in the feeding or
entertainment of the guest
that are considered excessive. Additionally a
guest is expected
to repay any bills of an excessive nature (such
as those of
long distance telephone calls) that they are
responsible for.
12) A Guest at Ritual is expected to accept the
Authority of the
officiaries within the ritual area as absolute,
and shall not
question their authority or actions while within
the ritual area.
Nor shall a Guest seek to disrupt a ritual from
within or from
outside of it while it is being carried out.
13) A Guest is expected to provide a gift for a
host or the hosts
Damos when visiting for ritual (A food dish or
libation is the
common practice) or celebration. This is waved
if not more than
one days notice has been given or if the Guest
claims a truly
impoverish condition in their own life.

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The above may seem simplistic, obvious or
unnecessary, but I feel
it is important that we have a set of rules for
those who cannot
see the obvious and to protect all involved.
Further, I'd like to
request that any member of the Laos who has had the
Rules violated
by a Host or Guest (especially those rules dealing
with violence,
Forced affection, theft etc) to report them by name
to me, anyone
who has been found in such violation with witnesses
by members of
any three Damosi will be reported as such and
publicized by us
internally to be avoided as Guest or Host (and of
course, if a
legal violation occurs any Host is welcome to
report them as such
to the authorities).
Remember that a Guest or host cannot be
considered held by the
rules of Hospitality if they have not seen them and
agreed to them
beforehand. Feel free to suggest that other Neopagan groups
accept these rules themselves - this does not have
to be just a
Myceneaen only concept.
ETHICS & CONCEPTS OF CONDUCT
---------------------------You take, by using this work and collection of
beliefs and the

title of Myceneaen Priest or Priestess, the

responsibility for
your own life and actions in it. Every time you
make a decision
in life you are exercising your freedom and are
responsible for
your actions. With knowledge and power come great
responsibility,
to yourself, your Damos, your Waxan, the Laos, your
homeland,
your birth family, the human race and that of the
entire planet.
There are no 'evil' forces manipulating you or your
actions, no
devils or demons exist save in the minds of others
(and if any do
exist in your own mind then you must cast them
out). No amount of
alcohol, drugs or influence shall change the fact
that you are
still responsible for what you choose to do and not
to do.
Yes, we recognize that there are forces beyond
our ability to
fully conceive in this reality, that at times the
gods and the
goddesses might interfere with our lives, remember
that there is
something to be learned from each success and every
failure, that
they do not wish you to suffer - they simply wish
you to learn
and advance to one day rise above the need for the
state of being
what you are at present - bound within a limiting
fleshly body
for this cycle and for each you have and will have
given to you
until you have learned all this existence can teach
and advance
to a level where you may enjoin with the gods and
see beyond our
present.

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{file "Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams)" "bos096.htm"}

OPEN CIRCLE ETHICS

by Brandy Williams
Event organizers and open-circle coordinators
I think,
a responsibility to participants to provide a safe
and comfortable environment.
The Pagan community here in
the Pacific
Northwest seems to be evolving an ethical
standard governing
organizers.
Althea Whitebirch calls it choicecentered, and I
offer my perception of it here as a model and a
basis for discussion.
have,

HISTORY: A few years ago, the Seattle/

Vancouver/ Portland
area had no ongoing festivals. As I write, August
'86, organizers are planning next year's schedule -the
second annual
Spring Equinox Mysteries festival, the first
Summer Solstice
Gathering,
the third annual Solitary Convention,
the fourth
annual Fall Equinox Festival.
Many of the attendees
are new -either to Paganism or to the northwest,
and the
events draw
people from a wide geographical area, including
British Columbia,
Montana, Idaho, Oregon, California, and all of
Washington state.
We're growing.
We're growing very rapidly, and
dealing with
a disproportionate influx of people
inexperienced in group
rituals.
As a result we're starting from scratch in
developing
organizer ground rules, and developing solutions
to problems
being discussed in the Pagan net nation-wide.
In the Pacific northwest, the circle of
organizers is very
small, almost familial, and we're working from a
basis of friend-

ship and trust.

We're concerned about each other
and pay attention to caring for one another.
I think the
combination of a
small group handling a lot of newcomers has allowed
us to generate a uniquely compassionate set of attitudes and
guidelines.
This outline is my own.
I'm going to phrase
this is strong,
definitive terms, with this qualifier: I call it
Northwest Ethics
because it has evolved out of discussions with other
organizers.
However, it isn't offered as a group consensus and
any given organizer might disagree with some of these points or
the language.
This is intended as a starting point for
discussion and not a
presentation of a set-in-concrete consensus.
My own experience:
I've staffed a number of
and
out of the community.
My most recent experience was
heading the
SolCon '86 staff, so I'm using it as my most frequent
example.
events in

RITUAL CHOICES:
Althea Whitebirch and I
facilitated a discussion at the '85 Fall Equinox Festival that has
borne substantial results in the local community.
We argued
that closed
circles can do what they like, but those of us in
charge of open
circles should lay down some ground rules to ensure
everyone's
comfort and safety.
Explain The Ritual.
I'm personally finding it
necessary to
make some very basic announcements,
like circle
boundaries
shouldn't be indiscriminately crossed, and people
should only
walk clockwise within them.
Again, we're dealing
with a lot of
newcomers.
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No Pressure To Physically Touch.

I've never
seen anyone object to holding hands, but a lot of people have
commented that
they cringe at kisses. No kissing spirals in open
circles.
Why?
Newcomers tend to go along with group
activities, even
ones they're uncertain about.
Maybe they should be
assertive,
but more often they're not, and organizers are
their voice.
Choice: every event in this area includes space for
people to put
together their own circles, some of which can be
more touchingoriented -- and are identified as such.
Or we
might experiment
with providing an Intimate Circle, which would
include a lot of
hugs and kisses.
The rule is:
you don't have to touch anyone
you don't want
to, anytime. That should be clear to newcomers.
Choice In Participation.
In open circles, if
dancing
gets too rapid or wild, participants can step back.
Just bring
your neighbors' hands together and move out of the
way.
I've
also seen some ritualists allow people to cut
themselves out of
the circle -- the procedure was clearly explained in
advance.
the

Effective ritual evokes response.

Novices are
different
tolerance and skill levels than experienced
ritualists, and some
rituals can be overwhelming.
Also, the 'boogie
till you puke'
crowd exhausts the older folks and the kids in the
group.
at

Experiment note:
I recently separated a
circle into two
groups, the 'keep on dancing' people, and the 'sit
down and rest'
folks.
Some rhythm is traded off for comfort.
I've also seen
two rituals staged consecutively, one quiet and one
'dance all
night.' Suggestion: we can try a novice ritual, and a
more powerful one for skilled people.
Also note:
with these sug-

one northwest organizer disagreed

gested choices, feeling those who participate in a

circle should
be committed for the duration of the experience.
It's a point.
In that case, I think a clear understanding of
what's to come
would be essential.
STIMULANTS
In PANEGYRIA Vol. 3 No. 4, Althea Whitebirch
for
informed choice in using stimulants.
If alcohol is
used in a
communal cup everyone should know, and a fruit
juice or other
substitute should also be available.
argued

Drugs: NOT AT EVENTS I COORDINATE!

At least,
my
knowledge or approval. Private drug use hasn't been
a problem so
far.
My concern is that if anyone is caught, it's
not private
any more.
I'm the one who gets to deal with the
police and the
press, and the whole community's image suffers.
not with

banning
a right

If problems arise in the future, I'd consider

drugs
altogether.
Organizing is tough enough -- I have
to
limit my risks. Call a closed circle and do it at

home.
MINORS: Young children supervised by Pagan
parents are a real
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378
joy.
Teenagers with absent, non-Pagan parents or
guardians are
becoming a problem, even with signed in advance
waivers. Some of
us are leaning toward a 'no minor without
attending parent'
policy.
How do you keep them away from the wine?
Think of the
issues surrounding sexuality with under-age kids.
The 'what-ifs'
are frightening to contemplate.
I
how

important

haven't made a firm decision because I know

the contacts and support can be to our younger

On the
other hand, they do grow up.
In two years, a 16
year old can
sign her own waiver. Maybe we could set up a gentle,
first contact network to provide them with 'one on one'
support, starting
slowly.
friends.

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379
SOLOMONIC DECISIONS
I was asked to kick out two people who wanted to
the
last SolCon, and I burned one request for a
registration.
attend

I know, I know. The word 'blacklist' leaps

immediately to
mind.
This is a tough issue.
The request I
burned was from a
person who was suspected of having responded
violently to a criticism. The other two revolved around sexual ethics:
men accused
of coercing women into intimacy.
Help.
The problem, as always, is that none of the cases
were clearcut. How do I substantiate an accusation? Do I kick
someone out
on a suspicion?
I don't want violence or sexual
coercion at an
event that has my name on it.
I also don't want
to mediate
personal conflicts; that's not my job.
At the moment, one well-placed person can
another's
reputation.
I've seen three people kicked from the
community on
ONE person's request.
I've also seen people with a
lot of contacts survive a number of complaints.
Neither
situation seems
fair.
ruin

We have a lot of options.

This is an essay
pick
one and list the pros and cons.
1. Anyone at all can attend any event.
2. Each organizer must individually choose who to
deny attendance
to. (In practice, we do pass names to each other.)
3..Any person who has been accused by one person of
one of the
following things should get flagged. That is, every
event organizer should be notified:
-Theft or destruction of another's property.
-Violence against people -- assault.
-Sexual coercion or abuse.
This seems to me to be most workable:
question:

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380
4..In one case I had three complaints a man had made
weird sexual
phone calls to women.
I called him and offered him
probation:
find someone to sponsor you, to be willing to act as
liaison between you and the community.
As with minors, the
sponsor should
be with you at each event you attend.
Then I would
put the word
out that you are one probation, and the sponsor
should be
contacted if you contact anyone on your own and
misbehave.
The
probation would last for a year.
Any repetition
of the undesirable behavior would get you kicked from my events
permanently,
and I would notify other organizers.
Failure to
accept the
probation means getting kicked immediately.
I haven't had a chance to use this procedure
because the person decided the effort wasn't worth it (a statement
in itself).
I notified other organizers.
I'm aware this issue is extremely hot.
Personally, I'm introducing a lot of people to the community,
AND
vice-versa.
There are a lot of weirdos out there. I don't want
to let a mass

murderer loose among us (as it were).

I also
want to
blacklist someone because of a personality conflict.

don't

Bottom
seems to be
in order.

line:

some novice assertiveness training

CARETAKING
Some of us have had good experience with
or
ombudsmen.
(Ombudspeople?) It's a staff position,
the sole responsibility of which is to be available for
participants'
support,
to solve problems, hold hands, and be a
liaison with
staff.
'greeters'

I didn't have greeters at SolCon '86 and

regretted it. Even
with 30 people, the event coordinator (me) didn't
have time to
personally check in with everyone.
I like very much that northwest events
coordinators show
visible concern and caring for everyone. A friend
of mine said,
"I love these events because I always feel so
cherished."
I'd
like to see that become a community standard.
ORGANIZER'S MAGIC
SolCon '86
has a staff conceptualizer who
the
position.
An organizer is the focus, he said, of
the energies
coming into, and generated by the event.
renamed

A festival isn't just about magic.

It IS
and the
focus has the pleasure of shepherding what another
friend of mine
calls the magical child through its inception, and
allowing participants to share in its direction. (Rearing?)
magic,

This outline is a suggestion, a template,

focusing event
magic. These are the major focus points:

for

-Conception.
When the event is scheduled/sited. I
saw a staff
group hold a circle at the actual site several months
before the
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381
event, asking for: safety, to have enough
registrants, what the
event was designed to accomplish for the attendees,
the staff,
and the community.
-Presentation. I don't know about anyone else, but
for me, putting a flyer together is casting a spell.
-Orientation. Somewhere in the first few hours of
the event, ask
the participants to help focus on the event's
parameters -safety, joy, solvency ...
-Major or parting ritual.
Of necessity the ritual
coordinators
will set the structure, and almost always the
nature of the
working as well, but eve here the attendees can
have some space
to give feedback.
-Post-event focus:

a thank-you circle.

FEEDBACK
It might be suggested that an organizer has a
do
whatever works, and event participants must fend for
themselves.
I argue that event sponsors represent the community
-- create the
experience of the Pagan community for many who have
no other contacts,
and as such, they are accountable to their
participants
and to other event organizers and community elders.
right

to

Aside from the issues already discussed, there

are financial
ones.
This year I distributed a financial
accounting to SolCon
'86 attendees. That was scary -- laying out the
bottom line of
the decisions and mistakes I made! The thing is, a
lot of people
asked for that kind of accounting, and I've wondered
myself when
I attended events.

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The other issue is proceeds or profits.
SolCon
didn't
make any.
I had, however, planned to pay my staff
some salary,
thinking we should be compensated for our work. Some
people disagreed,
feeling event funds should be channelled
into projects
the community benefits from.
Since teeny SolCon is
becoming a
formal organization (for legal purposes) and I'm
putting myself
on the Board, I won't personally be in a position
to take any
money out.
However, I'd still like to pay the
staff -- even a
small amount -- because they sacrifice some of their
own fun and
do a lot of work to make the thing possible.
'86

Finally:
responsibility and a
lot of work.
hugs.

organizing is a pretty heavy

I think we have a right to ask for

I hope to see lots of discussion on these

Because
our value is maximum tolerance for diversity,
doesn't have to
mean that anything goes.
I think it's possible for
us to reach
issues.

consensus about some ground rules, to safeguard our

community and
everyone in it.
We ask for perfect love and perfect
trust.
I
think we need to provide a safety net to ensure it.
As always, I welcome feedback.
Brandy Williams

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Page

{file "Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas)" "bos097.htm"}

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS--LIFEWAY

SHAMANIC FELLOWSHIP
By Usen's grace, Ho-dah....

1.) PURPOSES:

Thisis aneraofdecision.Dowe

allowourselvestocutthe
throatoftheMotherWhohasnourishedus asaspeciessince
we "came down from the trees"? Or do we
work to walk in
Beauty and Harmony with Her, and cherish
Her, and work to
see Her healed? The resurgence of
Shamanism, the primal
Earth Religion of practically all of the
Earth's
pre-Agrarian cultures, is an important
thing, foretold by
the Paiute prophet Wovoka and in the Hopi
Prophecies. It
was said that both the Red Man would return
to the Ways of
the Old Ones and that the non-Native would
also embrace the
Lifeway.
Therearenon-Nativeswho
respectfullyhavechosen
these Ways, and are carrying them on in a
reverent way. If
the Lifeway was only given for the Native
peoples, it would
die out within our lifetime. There are
simply not enough
traditional Elders left.
Ithasbeenshown tosomeofus
thatOurMotherThe Earthis
not willing to die quietly. She has
demonstrated this by
the increase in natural disasters of the
past decade, which
continue day by day. The Hopi prophecies
state that, when
the "bowl full of ashes" (most interpret
this as the
Thermonuclear Bomb) is overturned, that Our
Mother shall
rise up in Her righteous anger and destroy
humanity. This
prophecy is coming true, although it may
yet be reversible.
Perhaps it is we who reverence the Ways and
walk in harmony
with Our Mother that may stay Her hand.
The Lifeway Fellowship is here for those
who wish to honor
and to honor The
in the Universe.

Our Mother and Our Father, Earth and Sky,

Giver Of Life, from whence all things flow

Our world-view is primarily allied with

that of the

Navajo/Dineh, Apache/Teneh, and Hopi

peoples. However we do
not represent ourselves as the keepers of
those ways. The
secrets of those Nations are for them
alone, unless Usen'
wishes to reveal them to us. Our mission
is to help heal
OurMother,TheEarth,andtohelpeachotherwalk incloser

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384
harmony with Her.
a way for urban

We also exist to provide

andsub-

urbanpeopletolearnandpractice
therootShamanic
Vision and True

techniques that aid us in finding our True

Way of Power, and following that Vision and

that Way.
New World

We identify ourselves as Pagan (Webster's

Dictionary"1.b)...apersonwhoisnota
Christian,Moslem,
orJew
(byfaith);heathen.Paganspecificallyreferstoone
of the ancient polytheistic (or pantheistic)
peoples.") and
as unashamed Pantheists and Polytheists.
The Lifeway

is trulyareligious commitment.
No-onecan makea

commitmenttothe Lifewayandtothe

worshipofLifeGiver,

TheEarth Motherand TheSky Father

andremain aworshiper
of other Paradigms of the Deity,much as one
cannot be a
Christian and worship the Greco-Roman pantheon.
However
this does not imply the condemnation of other
Paradigms, nor
impel a duty to "convert" others.
WestandbyotherPaganswhodonotshareour paradigms,IE.
Wiccans,Asatruans, Hellenists,and
otherShamanic
traditions, (African and neo-African(Santeria &
Voudoun),
Australian, Siberian, Traditional Native American,
and
Polynesian, to name a few) and even though we may
disagree
with some or all of their practices and beliefs,
they are
Brothers, Sisters and Cousins, and in times of
persecution
as well as times of goodwill we must defend them.
We may
even share in their open rituals and allow them to
share in
our open ceremonials. But that which is ours must
remain
ours, just as that which is theirs must remain
theirs.
2.) THE(A)OLOGY:
AsourFellowshipisinherentlyreligious,
wemustdeclarea
to the fact that

The(a)ology. (The strange spelling refers

we acknowledge a Goddess as well as a God)
This is summed up very easily. There are

three main powers

Mother, and The
of the First, as
emanations from

we worship, Usen' the Life Giver, The Earth

Sky Father.

The latter Two are emanations

all, including the God and the Goddess, are

Usen', which is the primeval First Cause.

Last amended June 11, 1989

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385

Usen':OnecannotlookuponTheLifeGiveras eitherMaleor
Female, for The Life Giver is beyond those
distinctions.
Usen', and The Life Giver, are names for
this First Cause,
this Force that pervades all and caused all
to come into
being. From Usen', the God, Sky Father, and
the Goddess,
Earth Mother, emanate, as the lesser
Deities emanate from
Them.
The Earth Mother: We live and walk and are
sustained from

The Earth Mother, which is our Earth.

is alive, and we

all exist within Her as part of Her

structure. Science,

through the Gala Hypothesis, has finally

acknowledged Her

existence, and some even have learnt the

lesson that our

Her.

She

duty in this life is to care for and honor

This is a

lesson that all must learn, for as long as

we despoil Her,

we risk Her wrath.

She is expressed

through the faces of

White Painted Woman, Who is The Woman

Warrior, through Corn
Mother, Who is The Nourishing Mother, and
through Spider
Woman,WhoisTheWiseWoman,TheAncientOne,TheCustodian
of Wisdom. Women are acknowledged as being
human representatives of The Earth Mother.

there is both Man

without Sky Father.

The Sky Father: Just as among we Humans,

and Woman, so there is no Earth Mother
Sky Father is the air we breathe, the flame

that gives us

warmth and cooks our food, and brings forth

the rain that

provide us with

fertilizes Our Mother and allows Her to

the crops and animals that sustain us.

Father is also
First Shaman, and

Sky

expressed as The Hunter, The Warrior, and

is also expressed in Killer Of Enemies and

The Child Of
as being present

Water. He is also present and acknowledged

in every Man.
There are other spirits that exist in the

Universe, some
important is Usen',

beneficent, some maleficent.

But most

EarthMother,andSkyFather.Bywalkinginharmonywiththe
God(esse)s, one can tell the Good from the
Evil, welcoming
in Good, and protecting each other from
Evil.

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3.)ETHICS:

--

Page

We have our code of Ethics.

lengthy nor
ancient taboos in
or the taboo
nowadays.

If you

Mother-In-Law for
But it is not a

overly restrictive.

It is neither

We do not include

this list, such as Mother-In-Law avoidance

against Fish, because they may not apply
wish to not eat fish or to avoid your
religious reasons, it is your prerogative.
requirement.

other people or

1.) If the action does not harm yourself,

intelligentbeings,orOurMotherTheEarth,youarefreeto
do as you wish.
2.)Tochargeforhealings,sweatsorceremonials
istotally
charge excessively
modest fee

wrong and extremely offensive.

Also, to

for teaching is equally offensive, but a

over expenses is allowable. Your

conscience is the best
guide, that and the Will of the Deities.
3.) Magick should be limited only to
protection of Self and
Loved Ones, and to healing and helping
those in need,
provided that permission is given by the
patient and that
help other than healing does not interfere
with the Will of
others. Magick that is used in a coercive
(IE. Love spells)
or destructive (harming or killing magick)
way is patently
wrong and is considered Black Magick.
than Shamanic

4.) Contact of spirits by any means other

journeyingor

theVisionQuestisveryrisky,andPossession
is a real possibility. The practice of
mediumship, or
"channeling" has no place in the Lifeway,
and exposes not
only Self but others to danger.
5.)Permissionmustalwaysbeaskedofthespiritsofplants

and/or animals before taking them for either

sustenance or

for medicine.
6.) One's visions and one's personal

ceremonies are one's

own.

of, but shared

Personal visions should not be spoken

visions are for all of the group.

Last amended June 11, 1989

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7.) It is wrong to criticize another within

the group or

outside the group. Racism, sexism,

xenophobia or general
disrespect of others has no place in the
Fellowship.
Individual decisions about lifestyle and
other ethical
issues not covered here are an individual's
own affair.
4.):GROUP STRUCTURE AND INITIATION PRACTICES
There is only one Initiation, which is the
Initiation that

makes one Kin within the group and in the

sight of The

Deities.Itisgivenafterone
hastakentheirfirstVision
Quest, has found their Power Animal(s) and
has met the
Shaman Within. It can only be denied to
those who have met
theserequirements,isyoungerthanthe

legalAgeOfConsent

(in most places, 18 years) is not of sound

mind, and/or is

under suspicion of being a Law Enforcement

Officer or other

person antipathetic to Pagan and/or

Shamanic belief

who requests initiation for fraudulent

purposes (usually to

infiltrate to either sabotage or publicly

discredit the

Fellowship) Initiation must not be denied

on account of

physical disabilities, blindness, deafness,

or sterility,

nor on account of sex, race, nationality,

political belief,

or sexual preference.

There are no set offices within the

Ideally,
leadership should be by consensus, with
true leaders being
temporaryandpurpose-oriented.
Fellowship.

Facilitation
ofrituals
may
ANYONE WHO

be done by any Initiate of the Fellowship.

REPRESENTS THEMSELVES AS A HIGH PRIEST/ESS

OF THE LIFEWAY

SHAMANIC FELLOWSHIP IS A FRAUD, AND IS

DOING SO CONTRARY TO

THIS STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS.

Support of the Fellowship is done on a

purely voluntary and

assessed unless
initiates and

mutual basis. No tithe or dues should be

they have been agreed upon by all members,
non-initiates alike.

Membership is extended to all. But

initiation is reserved
for those who meet the criteria mentioned
above.
Non-initiates can participate in open
ceremonials and in
basic workshops, but may be denied
participation in certain
ceremonials and advanced workshops.

Last amended June 11, 1989

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5.) THE QUESTION OF RECOGNIZING SHAMANS
In traditional societies, the title Shaman
was not just an

honorific, or recognition of talents.

was it the
society.

Nor

highest initiatory level in a Shamanic

The Shaman

was,inmostcases,abovetheChiefin

decision-makingpower
and was judge, doctor, father-confessor, and
intercessor
withtheDeitiesforthetribe.SomeShamanicsocietiesare
now providing their membership with "Shaman
training
seminars" and "Shaman apprenticeships" that
can be had for
an exorbitant price. This implies that the
cost of being a
Shaman can be paid in money and in a set
amount of time.
This is not the case. Many tribes believe
that the office
of Shaman is not one that is earned, but
one that one is
borninto.Certainly,theskillsareneversomethingoneis
born with, and this is not merely
hereditary. Rather, when
achildisborn,thecurrentShamanwouldrecognizethatthe
child had the POTENTIAL of being the next
one, and the
child'straining
wouldbeginwhenthey
wereconsideredready
betested. Ifthey

by theShaman.At adulthood,theywould

passedthetest, theywould
becomethenext Shaman.If they
failed, usuallythe testwas suchthatthey
wouldeither die
outright, or they would go insane. Many
"heroic quest"
tales,andmostnotablytheArthurianlegendshave
echoesof
traditions of

this practice within the ancient Shamanic

Europe.
But the point that is being made here is

that we should not

goback tothatsortofwayof
doingthings,becauseinthis
society it is nigh on impossible. The stand
I am offering
here is that recognition as a Shaman can be
conferred only
through shared vision, and signs from the
Deities. It is
not my place to say what the signs are...it
will be obvious
to the Fellowship. I am not Shaman myself,
and will not
brook anyone calling me that. This is
something I place in
the lap of the Deities to decide. I cannot
do anything
more. It is a mockery of those people that
can truly be
called Shamans, who are respected, powerful
people of
traditional tribes, to do anything less.
In any event, to
claim such a title is definitely not
enough, and is
punishableby
withdrawingFellowshipfromthe
onewhoclaims
to be Shaman falsely.