Traditional Witchcraft is a term that was
introduced to refer to the aboriginal spiritual traditions of Europe.
There really is no collective historical term that could be used to
refer to these traditions, so the use of the term Traditional
Witchcraft fit quite nicely. Those who follow these traditional ways
are often referred to as Traditionalists.
Unfortunately, in an
effort for Traditionalists to define their cultural beliefs and
traditions which varied dramatically from those proposed within the
Neo-Pagan movement, somehow the term Traditional Witchcraft was also
adopted by those who became disenchanted with Neo-Paganism and its
Wiccan counterpart. Still others adopted simultaneously the term Traditional
Witchcraft as a rebellious movement against the fluffy bunny goodness
and light that seemed to be manifesting itself within Paganism. Of
course, this deviated so incredibly from the definition of Traditional
Witchcraft and from those who actually are Traditionalists.
These
forums will focus on Traditional Witchcraft as it refers to the old
traditions of the Ancestors and will embrace family traditions,
reconstructionalists, and others who seek to follow the ways of the
ancestors and honor the land in accordance with tradition. If you
personally hold to a different definition, then that is for you and is
not relevant to how it is defined and discussed within these forums.
Forum Guidelines
All community areas are usually governed by set of rules and this place is no different - although we try to keep it simple.
- First,
solicitations for student-teacher relationships are prohibited.
Traditionalists by their nature will not teach online and so
solicitations serve to show either a person's ignorance or a scam
artist at work - either way it's bad news. Such solicitations will be
deleted and the poster risks being removed and banned.
- Next,
these forums are commercial and business free. Those who attempt to
promote a business in any way will be dealt with harshly - no excuses.
Advertising is also prohibited. If you want to let people know about a
website then add it to the links area or to your personal profile.
- The
forums are for the discussion of traditional Witchcraft and related
topics. Discussions should be based on information and facts. Petty
behavior and personal conflicts need to be left outside. The forums do
not endorse or support any particular group or person and it is
expected that those who come here do so as individuals and not in
support of any group or person either offline or online. Simply put,
you need to leave your politics at the door.
- The
last is more of a word of caution. Traditionalists by their nature love
to argue. Don't take it personally! Disagreements are a wonderful thing
and a great tool for learning. With this in mind, please remember that
the information contained within these forums is presented solely from
the perspective of each individual poster and should be evaluated based
on prior experiences and studies.
- This forum is about discussing Traditinal Witchcraft and related
topics. We do not engage in public displays of claiming who is and is
not really a witch. Such displays are unproductive and has no real
benefit other then pettiness between individuals and claims of
superiority. Quite frankly, it childish and petty. Witches recognize
each other and there is no need for public displays.
- The forums are comprised of people from all walks of life,
geographic locations, gender, and age. Although, we do strongly
encourage that members be at least 16 years of age.
Code of Behavior
Forum members are expected to maintain a civilized demeanor when
engaging in discussions with other forum members. There are times when
we all get moody and this is expected from time to time. However,
direct insults to a person's character will not be tolerated and
depending on the perceived severity of the infraction an offending
member will be warned or deactivated.
At the same time, sarcastic wit is welcomed and somewhat commonplace.
There is a line between insulting someone and being quick of tongue. If
you cannot see the difference, then you might feel uncomfortable with
participating within these forums.
New Members
New members are now required to post an introduction before they are
granted access to post within the majority of the areas within the
forums. It
is suggested that new members first read the article entitled,
"Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft" as it provides an overview of
the forums and our approaches to discussions.
The introduction should explain the member's interest in Traditional
Witchcraft, their view or definition of Traditional Witchcraft, what
they are looking for in these forums, their thoughts on the
forementioned article, and perhaps some information about themselves
and their interests.
Website members are able to post within the "Ask a Question" area of
the forums without posting such an introduction. This process was
enacted to help make sure that new members understand the topics
discussed here, have a general working knowledge of the topics
discussed, and have the patience and mental stability to engage in
conversations with the other members of this website. It is realized
that not everyone will be a "good fit" for this community.
It is also suggested that people be themselves and not try to orient
their introduction to try to fit in. It does not work that way and
often new members are consequently become unhappy as it really is not
what they were looking for. If a new member is not sure - take the time
to start the discussions or ask the questions that you want within the
"Ask a Question" board as this is what the forum board was created for.
Also keep in mind that you can always read the forum messages in the
other areas and send private messages without becoming an approved
"active member." You cna even post an introduction and state that you
do not wish to be considered for active membership at this time. It is
all up to you, as the new user, what you want to do and what you want
from these forums.
Website Links
Links to other websites are discouraged within the main forum posting
areas. If you have a link that you would like for other members to see,
you can either put it in your profile or submit it to the web link
diretory. With that said, it is also understood that not all of the
links (in fact most) are not related to Traditional Witchcraft.
Business and commercial links are discouraged except within an
individual's profile.
Editing of Posts
Occasionally, a post will need to be edited by the administrator ot one
of the moderators. In these cases, if a portion of the content needs to
be removed, the administrator or moderator will send a private message
notifying the respective member of the change and requesting that they
review the change to make sure that no context was lost. Or, such as in
the case of a website link, the post will be edited to remove the link
and a small message will be placed where the link was removed. In these
instances, the links are usually added within the web link directory.
During the administration of the forums, posts will be moved to other
more appropriate categories. In some instances, threads might also be
split to allow for a clearer discussion. Off topic threads will have
their subject line modified to indicate the nature of the thread and
then that thread will be moved to an off topic board. In some
instances, a thread might be temporrarily or permanently removed for
further review but this is rare.
Sometimes a post might be made which has a questionable word. In this
instance, there is an autofilter that automatically will add *'s to the
word. A post might also be edited to remove questionable words to
prevent the forums from coming up in search engines under terms that
could cause problems with unsavory visitors many of which are not even
live humans.
Moderators
The moderators are hard working individuals who have dedicated their
time to helping administer these forums. These individuals engage in
topic suggestions, member issues, new member activations, and keeping
the peace. The moderators have different backgrounds and experiences and
are comprised of people from various global locations, gender, and age.
Violations
If there is a violation in the code of behavior established herein,
then it is up to the administrator or moderators to determine an
appropriate course of action which could include a warning or
deactivation. Civil behavior is required and tantrums are dealt with
upon discovering and usually result in immediate deactivation.
Closing Comments
This article was written by the website administrator and will continue
to be updated as needed. Periodically, information will be added or
removed as necessary to reflect a changing environment. If you ever
have any questions, please contact the website administrator for
assistance.
