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Whither Warlock?
Mar. 8th, 2003 10:13 amWarlock.
It's a term that is used a lot in the pagan community. It is commonly used to describe an oathbreaker.
As I said, it is used a lot. And this is sad, because it indicates that there are a lot of oaths getting broken.
Warlock is a noun. It describes someone who has been labeled an oathbreaker by someone. In traditional usage, it is used to refer to someone who has been cast out of a formal group after breaking an oath to that group. It is considered by many to be the strongest stricture possible.
Warlock is a verb. It describes the act of naming someone as an oathbreaker. In traditional usage it is one of the darkest and heaviest acts a pagan leader can take. It severs the person from the group permanently.
I have named someone a warlock only once. It still weighs VERY heavily on my mind, nearly a decade later. This is the way it should be.
As I said, the term warlock is used a lot in the pagan community, and it's sad. This is because there are a lot of oaths apparently being broken. This indicates two problems.
First off, there are too many oaths being taken. People are swearing about things they should never swear about. This sets up a situation where the issue becomes something about their core as a person, and not many things need that level of pledge. A secondary problem is that many times bad oaths are being made. People are swearing oaths that are either not realistic or are not clearly defined. (Such a "fuzzy" oath almost cost me a friendship a couple of years ago because we interpreted the oath quite differently. I'm much more careful about what I swear to these days.)
The other problem is that people are crying "Warlock" in any context. It should be used only in formal settings regarding formal oaths.
I would like to add a suggestion here too. Warlocking is a VERY strong action. I personally feel that it should only be done in a case where the oath was broken with malice. There are other lesser punishments for oaths broken due to ignorance or the person not thinking about their actions. The one person I warlocked was the former maiden of the group who used her relationship with the High Priestess to steal away the High Priest. Her actions were premeditated and harmful by design and intent. And in a coven situation, Perfect Love and Perfect Trust is a criterion. (I feel that that is just about the only situation where Perfect Love and Perfect Trust is appropriate. Using it elsewhere, especially in open rituals and large community organizations, cheapens the concept, as it is difficult if not impossible to achieve in such a casual interaction.) Would I work with her in something else? Probably not, though I would weigh the situation very heavily. It's a balance. If she were involved in an organization that would help the community a great deal, I'd have to weigh the betrayal against the good that could be done by the organization. Part of my oath (the one I hold most dear) when I was first initiated was to help others in the craft. (Our loyalty was invoked to others on the path, not specifically to the tradition. I like this a lot. It shows big picture thinking.)
The biggest problem here is that there are enough people warlocked by different groups that there can never be a true community effort that builds unity. And since there is no Warlock registry, the potential for accidentally stepping on a political land mine is very great. In many cases people don't even know they've been warlocked. I see this as an obstacle to achieving the kind of community that will garner respect from the populace outside our path.
We also face another dilemma. Warlocking is an extreme action. If time changes the perceptions of the situation, can it be undone? Is it permanent, or is there some way to "de-warlock" someone?
Now, I'm not judging anyone who has warlocked someone. I'm sure that everyone has valid reasons for the people on their personal "W list". I'm just asking, was the oath more important than the community? What problems and obstacles will warlocking the vile scum that broke the oath cause in the future for the community, coven, and "warlocker"? And most importantly, let's hope that the act of warlocking involved a lot of long thought and was not done in the heat of passion or in a moment of Artemisian crusade.
It's a term that is used a lot in the pagan community. It is commonly used to describe an oathbreaker.
As I said, it is used a lot. And this is sad, because it indicates that there are a lot of oaths getting broken.
Warlock is a noun. It describes someone who has been labeled an oathbreaker by someone. In traditional usage, it is used to refer to someone who has been cast out of a formal group after breaking an oath to that group. It is considered by many to be the strongest stricture possible.
Warlock is a verb. It describes the act of naming someone as an oathbreaker. In traditional usage it is one of the darkest and heaviest acts a pagan leader can take. It severs the person from the group permanently.
I have named someone a warlock only once. It still weighs VERY heavily on my mind, nearly a decade later. This is the way it should be.
As I said, the term warlock is used a lot in the pagan community, and it's sad. This is because there are a lot of oaths apparently being broken. This indicates two problems.
First off, there are too many oaths being taken. People are swearing about things they should never swear about. This sets up a situation where the issue becomes something about their core as a person, and not many things need that level of pledge. A secondary problem is that many times bad oaths are being made. People are swearing oaths that are either not realistic or are not clearly defined. (Such a "fuzzy" oath almost cost me a friendship a couple of years ago because we interpreted the oath quite differently. I'm much more careful about what I swear to these days.)
The other problem is that people are crying "Warlock" in any context. It should be used only in formal settings regarding formal oaths.
I would like to add a suggestion here too. Warlocking is a VERY strong action. I personally feel that it should only be done in a case where the oath was broken with malice. There are other lesser punishments for oaths broken due to ignorance or the person not thinking about their actions. The one person I warlocked was the former maiden of the group who used her relationship with the High Priestess to steal away the High Priest. Her actions were premeditated and harmful by design and intent. And in a coven situation, Perfect Love and Perfect Trust is a criterion. (I feel that that is just about the only situation where Perfect Love and Perfect Trust is appropriate. Using it elsewhere, especially in open rituals and large community organizations, cheapens the concept, as it is difficult if not impossible to achieve in such a casual interaction.) Would I work with her in something else? Probably not, though I would weigh the situation very heavily. It's a balance. If she were involved in an organization that would help the community a great deal, I'd have to weigh the betrayal against the good that could be done by the organization. Part of my oath (the one I hold most dear) when I was first initiated was to help others in the craft. (Our loyalty was invoked to others on the path, not specifically to the tradition. I like this a lot. It shows big picture thinking.)
The biggest problem here is that there are enough people warlocked by different groups that there can never be a true community effort that builds unity. And since there is no Warlock registry, the potential for accidentally stepping on a political land mine is very great. In many cases people don't even know they've been warlocked. I see this as an obstacle to achieving the kind of community that will garner respect from the populace outside our path.
We also face another dilemma. Warlocking is an extreme action. If time changes the perceptions of the situation, can it be undone? Is it permanent, or is there some way to "de-warlock" someone?
Now, I'm not judging anyone who has warlocked someone. I'm sure that everyone has valid reasons for the people on their personal "W list". I'm just asking, was the oath more important than the community? What problems and obstacles will warlocking the vile scum that broke the oath cause in the future for the community, coven, and "warlocker"? And most importantly, let's hope that the act of warlocking involved a lot of long thought and was not done in the heat of passion or in a moment of Artemisian crusade.
