Gardner's 161 Ardanes and Their Applicablity to Today

In yet another of the varied classes I have taken over the years, one lesson asked to read over Gardner's 161 Ardanes or Laws, and determine which you agreed with and which you didn't.

Many people think that Wicca's laws ARE these 161 Ardanes...however many of these "laws" really aren't applicable to today's society (not to mention the fact that many "Wiccans" have never heard of these laws to begin with, even though they were written by Wicca's creator").

Here are some examples of what don't really apply to today and modern ways of Wicca:


   *4. "As a man loveth a woman by mastering her" 

--Firstly, I know of no woman who feels loved by her "man" when he "masters" her. Most women feel degraded and belittled when their husband's/significant other's believe themselves to be "masters". I also believe that no man should master a woman, just as no woman should master a man. Each should live by equality, not by dominence, so that neither side is denied anything nor attaining anything in excess.

   *24. "So be it orgained that none but the Wicca may see our mysteries, for our enemies are many and torture loosens the tongue of man".

--I think that...Today...this doesn't apply. For the most part we have freedom of religion and belief (at least here in North America), and that we should bring the Wicca (and other Pagan practices) out of the shadows and freely practice. Yes, it may not be so simple, but necessary acts aren't always so pleasant in order for true freedom to be attained.

   *35. "And if any break these laws, even under torture, THE CURSE OF THE GODDESS SHALL BE UPON THEM, so they may never be reborn on earth and may remain where they belong, in the hell of the Christians".

--I think that to resort to the low form of Christian threat is a negative thing, particularly with a religion that prides itself upon tolerance. I realize that this was written in the early times of Wicca's beginnings, however, today, I don't feel this applies, as no Wiccan believes in the Christian hell.

   *51. "If  you would keep a book, let it be in your own hand of write. Let brothers and sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another." 

--What I DISAGREE with in this, is where it states: "Let brothers and sisters copy what they will". I believe that it should be at the discretion of the book's owner. If the owner of the book does not wish to allow another to copy contents within the book, the owner has the right to deny access to it.

--I also want to note a contradiction to this law: "...and never keep the writings of another". To allow a brother or sister to copy what they will of your book, as stated in the beginning of the second sentence of this law, and regardless of if the writing is in your own handwriting, it still belongs to the owner of the book from whom you copied, thus you are keeping the writing of another. You would be violating this law by following it. A contradiction.

   *61. "Keep all thoughts of the craft from your mind".

--This being written in times when the last of the Witchcraft laws were JUST being repealed, I don't think this can apply to our society or community anymore, as again, we have the freedom of belief, and today, we can freely think all we like about our craft, we can even talk openly about it.

On the flip side though, here are some examples of "Laws" that could remain valuable to the Wiccan community today

   *36. "Let each High Priestess govern her Coven with justice and love, with the help and advice of the High Priest and the Elders, always heeding the advice of the Messenger of the Gods if he cometh".

--I feel that in a coven setting, the High Priest and Priestess should be the leadership role in which the coveners look up to for help and advice, and when a problem arises, they are to resolve it. They are the representatives of the God and Goddess, thus shall take on such a role.

   *51. "If  you would keep a book, let it be in your own hand of write. Let brothers and sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another."

--I agree with the first part of this law, that the book should be of your own handwriting, as this infuses it with your energeis, your time, your essence. This (as with any tool) makes this item truly YOURS

   *54. "Learn as much as you may by heart and, when danger is past, rewrite your book, an it be safe".

--I agree with the first part of this law, that you should learn as much as you may by heart, because I think ritual and spell work should be memorized, that way we're not confined to a book, and when conducting in nature, one does not need to carry their large book with them, merely to conduct ritual.

   *79. "Never boast, never threaten, never say you would wish ill of anyone".

--I agree with this merely because I was brought up to never think ill of another, lest something happen actually happen to that person. I was raised to believe that even thoughts can have actions and outcomes, so to be careful of what we think. The first two in this sentence just go with common sense. Boasting never leads to anything positive, nor does threateneing anyone.

   *76. "Let the colors of the hilts tell which is which."

--No one likes to be confused on their tools :)

I think it's important that if one is to go over the Ardanes, that they should take them with a grain of salt, and realize that they WERE written in a time when it was still quite dangerous to be open about your occult practices. Because today things are a little more calm, many of these Ardanes are no longer applicable, and should maybe be seen as a historical reference as to how things were at the beginnings of Wicca.

Ma’iingan