Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ah! And I just found...
http://theshadowslight.webs.com/Dogfennau/Cylch/Coven Rules.pdf

So that'll definitely help us out.

Why this one?

I just came up with a long rough draft of what I think covers pretty much everything. I'll post it in my next post. (wall of text) Allergies are covered and we're going to have a section set aside in our "food" section part of our website that lists any allergies members might have. Also, people will be required to bring a card that lists all ingredients when they bring food, just to be on the safe side.

I'm not going to list what we -don't- do. Since we're going to be doing screening, I don't think that's necessary.

Only accepted members will be allowed to practice with the Circle, unless explicitely stated otherwise.

Mobile phones are to be turned off during ritual and must be kept on silent mode afterwards and only used if neccesary. If you are an emergany contact or are expecting an important call, a phone may be kept on, in silent mode, during ritual but we must be made aware of this beforehand.

Any absence must be notified to [insert name here]/one of the founding members/ritual leader. (whatever we decide on) This must be done at least one week before any scheduled ritual and at least four days before any other kind of meeting. Lateness must also be reported to one of the founding members.

(our decision on attendence, such as how many meetings it is ok to miss, will go here)

Circle meetings are for Pagan, witchcraft and occult related discussions and practices. Idle chat should be saved for after ritual, once Circle matters are completed.

(any rules we might decide on for fees will go here)

All members must come prepared. This means make sure to bring notebooks, pens, ritual sheets, items or anything that will, or might, be needed.

Each member should actively pursue their own spirituality outside of Circle. Being able to bring new ideas and information to the group is something we want!

All members should try and keep a magickal journal, which can include a telling of dreams, feelings, psychic experiences, etc etc.

Any problems that may arise within the Circle should be brought to the attention of the founding members and not brought up before doing so. This is to allow anonymity to anyone who wants it as well allowing the founders to determine the best method of bringing it up for discussion, if it's something that will be discussed with everyone.

Members must make sure that they wear the appropriate attire to any and all rituals and Circle occasions. Members will be made aware of expected attire well in advance. (we can eleborate on this in regards to robes, footwear, jewelery etc etc once we make those decisions) Anything that goes beyond casual wear should not be worn to the Circle, but instead should be changed into once at the location.

Members should refrain from wearing cologne, perfume or any kind of scent. It can irritate peoples senses, allergies and even cause problems within ritual, especailly if we are working with incense, oil or scents in general.

Members will not be allowed to smoke tobacco around other members. A persons choices are their own but they should never be allowed to affect other members.

It is unacceptable to show up at a meeting intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. Again, a persons personal choices should never affect the circle! As such, illegal substances will not be used within in Circle.

Meeting events will be ordered as follows, unless explicitely stated otherwise: Activity/workshop, ritual preperation/setup, ritual, potluck and discussion.

Those in charge of the activity and/or workshop must come prepared! Activity time is the time to discuss the specific topic at hand, not for idle chit chat. The potluck is the time for catching up with other members about our every day lives and happenings.

While we encourage getting to know one another, this usually leads to people sharing the negative things happening in their life. While this is not discouraged, we ask that those negative energies be left at the door until after ritual. (If we do a small cleansing before each ritual, this should not be a problem. Maybe even a small cleansing after ritual to banish any negative energy.)

When bringing food to the potluck, please make sure that it does not contain any foods or substance that a fellow member is allergic to. Also, please bring a notecard with a list of all ingredients and instructions. Sometimes people want the recipes for themselves!

Please make sure that at the end of the evening everyone helps to clean up, wash dishes and put things back the way they were.

While we want to be able to have fun, a certain level of maturity is expected. We feel this speaks for itself, but if problems arise, action will be taken.

Sabbat rituals will be discussed one month before the actual Sabbat while Ritual and Sabbat details will be discussed, written and finalized online. This is to save time at the meetings.

The Circle, when looking for/accepting new members will give any person who is interested a standard in-person interview and meet up. This interview should be conducted by two or three members, one of which must be a founder. Interested persons should also be directed to the open facebook group, where they can ask questions and find out more information that is avaialbe to non-members.

When accepting new members, all members must agree to welcome the newcomer. If someone is opposed to someone, they should speak openly about it with the Circle when discussing the acceptance of that person. (at such a time, when deciding to accept someone or not, that person will not be present, of course)

In order to leave the Circle, a member must inform a founder of their intentions. If they are leaving because they feel it is simply not the right group for them, we will respect that choice. If they are moving away or will be unable to attend for an extended period of time, for whatever personal reasons, we will understand and accept that. If they wish to rejoin us in the future, they will need to go through a reintroduction process similar to the screening process.


Regarding Rule Breaking
While the Circle works majorily as a democracy and rules are subject to change, deletion or addition, the founders will always hold the final say. This is to ensure that the group is not turned into something it was not meant to be as well as to ensure that the rules are properly enforced. If a member feels that a rule has been broken, or has an issue with another member or anything else, it should be brough to the founders who will decide the best course of action. Of course, everything will be determined on a case by case basis and there may be certain instance where a person may find themselves immedeatly expelled from the Circle for their actions.
The procedure for rule-breaking is as follows:
1. The concerned member will recieve a verbal warning.
2. The concerned member will recieve a written warning.
3. The concerned member will need to have a sit down with the founders in order to discuss their actions/behavior.
4. A member will be expelled from the Circle and asked not to return at the founders discretion.

If a founder is found to be in violation of these rules, the same procedure will occur. No one will be above these rules. All members must agree and "sign" an online list, stating that they have read and accept the rules. If the rules ever change, another such form will be created and everyone will be required to re-sign.

I would like to add that most of that list of "rules" that I posted are just my ideas and a rough draft. While some subjects have been discussed with the others, not all of them have and this is in no way a final copy.

There's many reasons why we're holding the meetings here that far outweigh the reasons not to or to hold it somewhere else. I suppose covering up would work, but again, we have more than just privacy in mind.

I'm not acting defensively at all, I'm sorry if you think that. Seeing as the entire group has agreed on this, I just don't see how we're not considering the group dynamic. If it's what we all believe and agree on, what exactly is the issue?

It was a general idea that was discussed and agreed on. We were discussing our personal beliefs and we came to the conclusion that we held the same beliefs when it came to accumulated energy. The one woman who has had extensive experience with a coven mentioned that her coven did the same thing and we agreed it would be best for us as well. We all already practice the same thing on our own, in our personal practices. I don't expect this group or our "rules" to work for everyone. We're looking for people who want the same things as us and there are groups out there with far more strict rules when it comes to such things that have had no problems.

The ritual garb that I'm speaking of is specifically used for the Sabbats. We don't want people using their ritual garb in death spellwork and then wearing it to a Sabbat where we are celebrating life. (most simple example I can think of) It's not about what is "holier", it's about our common belief in energy. If people aren't comfortable changing in a locked bathroom, they're probably not going to be comfortable with the kind of work we're going to be doing at all. I don't expect you to agree with our decisions or beliefs, that's not what I'm asking for here. You've stated your view on the matter, but in the end, it's up to us how we want to practice. I'm not here to ask people how we should practice or what we should believe. I'm here to make sure I'm not missing any angles or aspects.