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Speak no untruth, Do none Harm Treat all with respect. Beyond these do according to your will 
These simple rules are a part of most traditions in the craft. Sometimes the words are different but the meaning is always the same. Be honest, be careful not to cause hurt, be polite. Only when all these have been done may you think about exercising your own will. To speak no untruth does not mean that one must tell everybody every thing, but it does mean that what you do say must be the truth. The prohibition here is against the intent to deceive, if someone already has an opinion that is incorrect we may choose to tell them the truth, but we may do nothing to lead someone to an incorrect perception. To do none harm includes a prohibition against harming oneself. It also precludes harm by omission, we need not go out of our way to prevent all harm in the world occurring, that is impossible, but we are obliged to do what is reasonable to do to ensure that those around us do not come to harm. We must consider the consequences of all we do. Treat all with respect is far more important than many think. We must not allow thoughtless or reckless acts to cause distress or offence, it means that we must think about what we do and say. It also means that we are responsible for our own acts. The last part, "Beyond these do according to your will" is the most important of all. Magic is an act of will, the exercise of our will is an obligation at times but it is also something that must be done in care. This part means that we may only exercise our own will when all the proceeding points have been addressed, but it also means that we may only exercise magic when all mundane means have been exhausted. The Law, as written here is in the words used by the Path of Light but all traditions have their code of ethics and almost all of them mean exactly the same. The Law is the first lesson we teach people coming to the craft and it is taught first because without limits and without ethics, we cannot progress and grow and learn. We are creatures of the shadows and imperfect, without rules to live by we cease to progress towards the Light and fall back into darkness, there is nothing wrong with chaos, but there is also no growth in chaos. Walk in the Light Badger A special thanks to the Badger for allowing me to post this page and to Awakening in the Light where this page was first published. If you would like to learn more please go to http://groups.msn.com/AwakeninginLight The pictures are provided by badger the and sole rights remain his any copying and displaying without permission will be subject to prosecution.
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