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                                 LANDMARKS OF THE CRAFT
      by "Eli". Copyright 2000 The Drudic Craft of the Wise (www.thedcw.org).
 
      A  landmark is  a prominent  feature used  to mark  the boundaries  of real
      estate.  Therefore, these landmarks  of the Craft ar prominent  features of
      the  American Rite, or Druidic  Craft of the Wise.   Just as departing from
      the landmarks  in real  estate signifies  that one  has departed  from that
      piece of  land, so does departure  from the landmarks of  our Craft signify
      such a  person or organization has departed from the correct defines of the
      Craft.  Other branches of the Craft sometimes call this their "Law".
 
                                     THE LANDMARKS 
 
      The landmarks were given to man by The Great God, Pan,
           In the dim, dark ages of the past
                For the rule and regulation of the wise,
                     To advise and help them in their troubles
                          And relations, one with the other,
                               That all might work and love together.
 
      They are the Bill of Rights of each member,
           And the code of operation of the Coven.
                And are to be honored by all
                     Or else they become meaningless and of little use,
                          And departure therefrom by any person or Coven
                               Shall be a departure from the rest of the Covens
                                    Which constitute the American Rite.
 
      And they shall be disfellowshipped, they from the rest of us,
           And no further communication shall be established
                Concerning things of the Craft
                     With either He or They until
                          They shall return to the fold of the Craft
                               In love and cooperation.
 
      For the Gods love the Wise, the Brethren of the Way,
           And so should we return that love.
                But this can only be done and made manifest by love expressed
                     In deeds for the Brethren of the Craft,
                          Not in pride, but in cooperation and sincerity.
 
                               THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT 
 
      Any person, be male or female, who is of good mind
           And free to decide for himself in good faith,
                Who shall learn of the Craft and its Tenets,
                     And shall desire to follow the Way,
                          Shall be permitted to do so, 
                               And none may say him "Nay".
 
      And the Gods will love him and look after him,
           And they shall bless him on all things,
                And his needs shall always be satisfied,
                     As he shall show forth love and affection
                          For all the brethren and sisters of the Craft,
                               And he shall obey the Admonishments
                                  Of the Craft as to secrecy and correct living.
 
                                                                              492
 
                          THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
 
      And when he shall desire to join the Craft,
           And to follow the Way to Perfection,
                He shall make his desires known to any member
                     Of the Priesthood.
                          And they shall observe his readiness and sincerity,
                               And shall then administer the rites of
                                    Secrecy, which is sacredness and brotherhood.
 
      But a Priest shall accept the Sister,
           And a Priestess the Brother,
                As an eternal reminder of
                     The duality of the Universe.
                          And a new name and secret mark
                               Shall be given each new fellow.
 
      By this name, and under this mark,
           Shall they be known among the members
                Of the Craft, in love and harmony,
                     And their old name and identity shall not be known
                          Even among the members of their own Coven,
                               And none shall inquire for his name or his house
                                    And he shall inquire these of none.
 
      But the Gods have decreed, that in joining the Rite,
           Free Will and independence shall not be in jeopardy.
                And he shall have the right to follow the Way.
                     Walking alone if he will it that way,
                          Or with a Coven of living brethren
                               If he so shall choose;
 
      And he shall have the right
           To withdraw from any coven at any time
                Without the need to say why,
                     If he shall so choose.
 
      And this either for the purpose of joining another
           Or to become solitary for his own reasons,
                And there will be none to censure;
 
      And he shall have the right to remain
           In a certain Coven, and none shall say him "Nay",
                Or to attempt to force him to leave and depart;
                     Except that should he lose harmony with them
                          Then they may so decide
                               And he shall depart.
 
      But no man shall have the right
           To speak for the Craft,
                And leaving one Coven does not mean
                     Leaving the Craft, or
                          Leaving the Way
                               And each is free, then, or at any time later,
                                    To remain solitary
                                         Or to seek admission to another Coven.
 
                                                                              493
 
                          THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
 
      But let him and each other fellow of the Craft
           Keep a book, and this shall be of the colors of the Craft,
                That it may be readily recognized,
                     And here he shall keep all the Laws and Landmarks,
                          And the tenets of the Craft,
                               That he might not forget,
                                    And  if he do forget,  that his mind might be
      Renewed.
 
      And in this book, all things shall be the mark
           Of his own hand, and in ink,
                That it shall be long lived.
 
      Let each of the brothers and sisters
           Copy what they will from the book,
                Providing that they are of sufficient worthiness,
                     To receive it, and are of sufficient rank,
                          Or that the writings are of sufficient nature 
                               As pertain to their own rank.
 
      Never suffer this book out of hand or possession,
           And never borrow the writings of another
                To keep, but merely to copy.
                     And each shall guard and keep these writings,
                          As his most sacred possession
                               And destroy them when danger threatens.
 
      However, should one be of sufficient power,
           To remember his past as a wise man,
                This book and other Craft artifacts,
                     May be buried in a stone box
                          Prepared for them from time to time,
                               And this in view of immediate death,
                                  And the desire to save them for a future life.
 
      Otherwise, on notice of impending death,
           This book should be destroyed by fire, 
                As well as other things of the Craft,
                     Which one may posses.
 
      But the wise man will have nothing around
           Which has only a Craft use or meaning,
                But only things which can be used in daily affairs.
 
      If there is no reason to own a sword,
           Then do not own one;
                The white wand is just as powerful,
                     And less distinctive in the minds of the infidels.
 
      If a white wand is too distinctive,
           Then any old wand will do for the purpose
                Of the ceremonies.
 
                                                                              494
 
                          THE FELLOWS OF THE CRAFT (continued)
 
      Have no names written and signs drawn
           On anything permanently,
                When necessary these can be written
                     In charcoal or chalk
                          And erased immediately without the telling of tales.
 
      Let the knife have the shape of,
           And be stored with the kitchen knives;
                Let the cord be seen around the house,
                     And be used for a vulgar purpose,
                          In order to fool the infidels.
 
      Never boast, never threaten, never brag
           Of your powers; not even to the Craft,
                Above all, never harbor ill thoughts toward another
                     For the power may make it happen for harm;
                          And never wish ill to anyone.
                               As it will Occur.
 
      If anyone speaks of the Craft, to down it,
           Remember:  the Craft needs no defense,
                For it has the Father and
                     All things will be as He wishes
                          In the end.
 
                                       THE COVEN 
 
      And it shall be that any Fellow of the Craft,
           Finding himself in a place where he knows of no Coven,
                Or other Fellow of the Craft
                     Shall have the right, nay, even the duty,
                          To seek out such a Coven,
                               Or other Fellow of the Craft
                                    Without censure.
 
      Provided that he shall not reveal secrets to jeopardize
           His former Coven or the members of it,
                Or the Craft itself.
 
      And two or three Fellows shall have the right
           To meet and discuss subjects of Craft interest,
                And to help each other along
                     On the Way to Perfection,
                          Except that Craft ceremonies
                               Must be done by the Priesthood.
      Any five fellows who shall desire
           To form a Coven may do so,
                And they shall apply for a charter
                     To any High Priest or Priestess,
                          And they shall then select and choose
                               A man and a woman to lead them.
 
      And their elected leaders shall be ordained by their High Priest,
           And they shall choose two more,
                A woman to be the deputy; to learn to be a priestess,
                     And a Scribe for their Coven.
 
                                  THE COVEN (continued)
 
                                                                              495
 
      But these shall not be ordained to the Priesthood,
           Unless also qualified for another reason.
 
      And this Coven shall belong to the High Priest,
           And shall be answerable to him in all their doings,
                Because they did owe their Priesthood to him,
                     And he shall act at all times in their interest
                          As their Spiritual Father in the Craft
                               So that he may lead them as they walk
                                    The way to perfection.
 
      But the newly appointed Priesthood,
           Should it be lacking in the knowledge and wisdom needed,
                For the positions to which they have been set apart
                     Then it shall be his responsibility as their High Priest,
                          To lead and instruct them,
                               Or cause it to be done by another.
 
      But should the new Coven refuse to follow
           The teachings and instructions of their Spiritual Father,
                Then he may, at his discretion and Judgement,
                     Recall their charter, and their right to work as a Coven.
                          For that which one can give he may also retrieve,
                               And they shall not again meet,
                                    Unless they can find another High Priest,
                                       Who will assume responsibility over them.
 
      It is the bounden duty of the High Priest to preside,
           For all things must be presided over by the High Priesthood;
 
      And should any Coven desire to change,
           Their allegiance from one High Priest to another,
                For any reason, even the loss of harmony,
                     Or if, in their considered opinion, their Spiritual Father
                          Is no longer spiritual, or serving the Father
                               Then they shall be reordained in the Priesthood
                                    By the New High Priest, and this shall then
                                       Have superceded the original ordinations,
                                           And there shall be for them
                                              A new Spiritual Father.
 
      And if any Priest or Priestess, or other member of the Priesthood,
           Find themselves in a place wherein there is no Coven for them to lead,
                Then it is their bounden duly to try to the extent of their Power
                     To find Fellows of the Craft
                          And organize them into a Coven.
 
      And should they find that there are no other Fellows of the Craft,
           In that place, but there are some of the same good bend of mind,
                It is then their duty to teach them by word and deed,
                     Until there be sufficient to form a Coven,
                          And this shall be done under the supervision,
                               And with the knowledge of their High Priest,
                                    Through which they received their ordination
                                         And their Powers.
 
                                  THE COVEN (continued)
 
      And they shall obligate, teach and initiate all the members of their Coven,
           And they shall be theirs and they shall be to them
 
                                                                              496
 
                As elder brothers and sisters,
                     And shall care for them in all their affairs, 
                          And not just at meetings,
                               For it is in this that the Craft differs
                                    From all man-made institutions.
 
      Should any member be absent, and love of the Priestess is such
           That she shall continue to contact them in any manner
                And by any method possible,
                     To tender them her loving care
                          At all times of sickness or stress.
 
      And should any member move to a far city
           The Priestess will continue to care for them
                In love, by whatever method is available,
                     Until such time as they shall,
                          Of their own free will,
                               Obligate themselves to another Priestess.
 
      And the Priestess shall at all times remember
           That she is the direct representative of the Goddess to her Coven,
                And the Priest is the direct representative of
                     The unknown God, the Father,
                          And both must act as such at all times.
 
      Yet the Priestess shall have whomever she shall choose
           As her Priest, be he of that rank, or qualified to be,
                Or else another Fellow, who shall be called
                     her Magister.
 
      And she must remember at all times that the man provides the power,
           For the woman to direct, and so it is,
                That the Priest resigns all his power over to her,
                     Yet it is not his power, nor hers to keep,
                          It is the power of God to use in the performance
                               Of the Work.
                                    The Power of God is only lent to be used,
                                         Wisely and Justly.
 
      Both the members of the Priesthood shall remember their Spiritual Father,
         At all times with gratitude, love, veneration and cooperation,
            keeping constantly in contact, and acting with him in utmost harmony,
              For they must always remember that the power
                And wisdom which they use,
                  Comes to them through him.
 
      In the days of old, ere the coming of Christendom,
           The Craft was free and open in its ceremonies,
                And entire states and nations worshipped the Gods
                     Freely and without restraint;
 
                                                                              497
 
 
                                  THE COVEN (continued)
 
      But in these unhappy days, we must remain secret,
           And hold our rites and ceremonies in secret,
                And there are those who will talk, even without torture,
                     Which loosens any tongue.
 
      Then let it be ordained, heeded and supported by all
           That no Coven shall know wherein
                The next Coven shall abide, or who its members be,
                     Except only the Priestess, Magister and Deputy,
                          And even they shall not remember
                               Except for good and sufficient reason.
 
      But, and if only, it should be safe, may the covens meet
           In some safe place for festivals, and while there,
              None may say whence they came, nor give their true names,
                 Or tell of where or when their meetings are, and
                    No secret things shall be spoken of
                       At these festivals for fear of Cowans and Eavesdroppers.
 
      Let each Priestess govern her own Coven in justice and love,
           Ever heeding the advice and instructions of her High Priest.
                She will ever heed the complaints of the brethren
                     And strive to settle all differences between them with love.
 
      But there are those who, in pride, will ever strive
           To force their will upon others
                But these are not necessarily evil
                     And will think that they do rightly.
                          Oft they have good ideas and such ideas
                             Should be discussed in council with their brethren.
 
      But if they will not agree with their brethren,
           Or if they say "I will not work under this Priestess",
                Then they shall have the right to withdraw from that Coven,
                     And work Solitary.
                          Or if five or more of them shall withdraw,
                               They shall have the right
                                    To   form   another   Coven   under   another
      Priestess.
 
      Even as it shall be the right of any five or more persons of a Coven
           To withdraw, and form a new Coven, for any reason whatever,
              But they shall then utterly avoid the old Coven
                 In all things, as it shall then have ceased to exist for them.
 
                                                                              498
 
                                  THE BOOK OF SHADOWS 
 
      Let every Coven of whatever rank
           Keep a record in a book of black and silver,
                And it shall contain, first, the Landmarks and Tenets,
                     Then a collection of Wisdom of the Craft,
                          The Rites and Ceremonies of the Coven
                               As well as the History of the Coven,
                                    And its charter empowering it to work.
 
      And a record of every meeting shall be written therein,
           Together with a record of the doings of any member thereof
                With the other side, or the Father, or
                     Any other thing which is for the teaching of all,
                          Even unto the listing of herbs and medicines
                               Spells and incantations and Rites
                                    Which contain power for the use of man.
 
      This book shall be kept by the Scribe,
           And it shall be kept and approved by the Priesthood
                And also the High Priesthood, when it shall come,
                     But no names or Craft secrets shall be written therein
                          That he Craft should not be betrayed
                               Should the book be taken by force,
                                    Or slyness, by the infidels.
 
      And when the coven shall disband,
           It shall be the duty of the High Priesthood
                To secure this book and make suitable disposition
                     That it might not endanger the Craft
                          Or any brother within it
                               As if the Coven were a person or Fellow
                                    And the book were his book,
                                         So let it be burned.
 
                                                                              499
 
                                     THE PRIESTHOOD 
 
      The Mother, The seven Elder Children, and all the worlds,
           Draw their power from the Father.
 
      But the children of the Father are like the sands of the sea,
           And He has ordained and set apart certain of his older children,
                To help and assist Him in caring for the younger children,
                     And has given them the Power and the Wisdom to do so,
                          And these children constitute the Priesthood.
 
      The Father will bestow  this power upon whom he will, and  none may say him
      "Nay"
           Yet also may the Priesthood choose workers and helpers
                And shall share their power with them,
                     And this is called ordination.
 
      The Power of the Priesthood is that of the Father
           And it is love unfeigned and sincere,
                Compassion and gentleness and meekness,
                     Persuasion and long-suffering and kindness,
                          And there is no authority over the free will of men
                               Inherent in the Priesthood,
                                    Nor to be assumed by the members of it.
 
      And the Power of the Priesthood is the Power of God,
        And the Power of God can never be wielded by an ungodly man,
          Nor an evil man; nor the love of God by an unloving man;
           And when the man becomes evil, the Power of God is withdrawn from him.
 
      Nor can a member of the Priesthood be inactive,
           For inactivity without cause is lack of love for the Father,
                And this man's priesthood shall depart from him
                     At the end of a year and a day,
                          For it is truth eternal,
                               That the thing which is unused will be taken away.
 
      So if any Fellow of the Craft shall desire the Priesthood,
           First let him learn to be a leader of men,
                For a Priest with no following is no Priest,
                     And his Priesthood is in vain.
 
      So therefore let the Fellow who would be a Priest
        First learn the knowledge and wisdom he will need in the new appointment,
          Then let him learn to lead men, and
            When he shall either have been selected
              As leader for his Coven,
                Or when he shall have gathered up a Coven of his own,
                  Then let him apply for ordination.
 
      And he shall apply to a High Priest, for it is written
           That only the higher can ordain the lesser,
                That there shall be an unbroken line
                     Of power and authority extending
                          Back through the line of ordination,
                               To the Father Himself.
 
                                                                              500
 
      And no man can ordain his peers,
           For the Lord's House is not a house of confusion,
                So let not the line be broken
                     For it is the cable tow by which
                          Men are drawn from the lower
                               Up to the greater;--
                                    An impossibility without it.
 
      And each must work within their line of ordination
           In perfect love and perfect trust,
                With perfect harmony in all things,
                     But should they find that they fall out of harmony
                          With their line of ordination,
                               Then let him seek another, to be ordained of him
                                    To be their new spiritual Father.
 
      Let the Priesthood be a leadership of fact; not of fancy,
           For those who have no following to lead,
                Why are they in the Priesthood?
 
                                                                              501
 
 
                               THE PRIESTHOOD (continued)
 
      And so it is that they who lose or give away their following,
        Or they who through inactivity have lost their power,
           Or they who are not in harmony and love with their Spiritual Father;
                Shall be retired from a rank to which entitled
                     Other than by leadership of men.
 
      But this can only be done by he who ordained them,
           For only those who give can take away,
                Yet each High Priest is responsible that this is done.
 
      Should any Fellow fain the Priesthood, and use it wisely and well,
           The Gods have decreed that those who serve them
                Shall prosper and grow in this life,
                     And shall gain eternal perfection
                          To be freed from the Wheel of Life,
                               And to become like unto the angels
                                    In that they should be perfect.
 
      For perfection is to be gained by love,
           And there is no greater love than to
                Lay down one's life for his brethren
                     In their service and for their sake,
                          And the Father will reward them for
                               Their labor of love, because
                                    He is not unjust.
 
 
                                         FINIS 
 
                                                                              502
 


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