Witch Ethics

I've had a recent "incident" that made me stop and think about ethics among witches, and what we should and should not tolerate among ourselves. I'm the first to admit that I make mistakes, and would never deign to pretend otherwise. But mistakes are far different from repeated behaviors, and out-and-out lies and hypocrisy. How someone chooses to live their life is none of my business even if I don't particularly respect it. However, standing in circle with people whom I don't respect really flies in the face of "in perfect love and perfect trust."

Let's say a group of witches makes an agreement in person among themselves to do something. It is presumed that they are all of the same mind, and that this is something that they are all in favor of, and there is really no reason to check up on each other to confirm that said "thing" has been done. When one of them discovers that another has not followed through, what do you think should happen? I got pissed off. Especially because the person in question had attacked ME for something involving this same "thing," yet she had not done what she had agreed to do in the first place. When I confronted her, she told me she would do it when she felt damn good and ready to, and that I had no right to question her. Weelllll. Maybe she didn't think I had any right, but I have every confidence that her patron goddess will have a thing or two to tell her about hypocrisy.

The same person has quite a criminal record, and cannot seem to learn from her "mistakes." She has been evicted from residences, been held in contempt of court for not following through on court orders, been convicted of theft and put on probation, and told me in person that she was supposed to community service, but just didn't "feel like it." Now, it's one thing to make mistakes. It's quite another to, as this person seems to be doing, deliberately thumb your nose at the law and suffer the consequences. Is she trying to be some sort of martyr for laws she sees as too restrictive on her as a "witch"? Or is it just plain, blind stubborness and laziness, taking things that don't belong to you, living somewhere without bothering to pay rent, and not showing up for court-ordered obligations? I really don't get it. I've never been arrested but I know that anyone can make a mistake. But to repeatedly do things like this, almost as if the law doesn't apply to you . . . I have to question one's grip on reality, not to mention one's fitness to serve in any capacity as pagan clergy. Or, as far as I'm concerned, be taken seriously among pagans. There is a screw loose somewhere, and there is concern as to this person's truthfulness and trustworthiness. Or there should be.

For me, these things were all dealbreakers. I believe that pagans must have a standard of ethics. Not living up to your obligations, taking things that don't belong to you, and lying about what you say you're going to do are traits of sociopaths. Anyone who pretends to be on a 'sacred path' will understand that these behaviors are the antithesis of what we are. You don't violate the personal space and belongings of others, and you don't lie on purpose. This person has a long way to go to have any credibility as a pagan, and I hope that anyone who works with her will recognize her instability. She has emotional issues as well as being incredibly scattered. She needs to get a grip on herself and her behavior before she should ever be considered for any position of authority.

Ethics matter, and they should. We owe it to each other to be honest and honorable. We must be people who do what we say we will do, and fulfill our commitments. If we ever hope to be respected among ourselves or other groups, this is vital.