The following personal manifesto was presented by Paul V. Beyerl to the 1987 Harvest Moon Celebration in Woodland Hills, California. It was in no way written to represent a set of laws to govern the behavior of others, but only as an open discussion of personal ethics to provoke thought and communication. A WITCH'S PERSONAL MANIFESTO I demand these things as a Witch: - I must pursue my Highest Ideals - I must strive to elevate my ethics - I must be as good as my word - I must demand integrity of myself - I must be willing to suffer for my religion - I must willingly embrace discipline - I must develop financial responsibility and independence - I must be able to pay my bills - I must pay attention to my diet & intake of food - I must LIVE the Hermetic Principle - I must respect the astral - I must approach ritual with great care - I must see ritual work as a disciplined art form - I must consider seriously the ramifications of reincarnation - I must conserve fuels - I must recycle whenever possible - I must not litter, not even a cigarette butt - I must avoid negative energy, even within my own thoughts - I must avoid placing blame for any of the events in my life - I must take responsibility for my ill health - I must take myself seriously - I must have humor - I must live with my eyes open and my feet grounded I demand these things of myself as a member of the Wiccan Community: - I must support the work of making Wicca a respected religion - I must expect financial accountability from those groups to which I donate monies - I must stop the mockery of other religions (including anti-Christian sentiment sometimes found in modern Paganism) - I must not support religious plagiarism (such as the teaching of shamanism by those who have never experienced the wilderness nor studied from a real shaman). - I must be respectful of all other's ritual forms - I must separate myths and reality in our history and in our future - I must work to contribute towards a reputable public image of Wicca - I must protest against pagans who use shock tactics in dealing with the public - I must upgrade standards of Wiccan education - I must support serious research of our religious heritage - I must demand quality in pagan literature, newsletters and books - I must support the assembling of libraries - I must not be a religious isolationist and I must work to remove pagan ghetto mentalities from our communities - I must demand provocative, challenging workshops over entertainment - I must share my knowledge and skills - I must make Initiations increasingly difficult, challenging and rewarding - I must consider the amount of education other religions expect of their clergy when planning Wiccan training - I must be willing to network - I must remain in contact with pagans in other places I demand these things of myself as a Priest/ess: - I must prepare for the deaths and burials of our peoples - I must provide for the future of my consecrated tools beyond my physical death - I must work towards the establishment of legal ministries - I must provide for children and their education - I must provide for the survival of my Tradition I demand these things of myself as a Wiccan citizen: - I must promote community service, being of help to all peoples regardless of their beliefs - I must be willing to be political - I must be a knowledgeable, active voter - I must respect and utilize the system - I must find value in the political system in which I live or work actively to promote change - I must be aware of the world perspective - I must extend myself to world poverty and hunger