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School
Regulations and Wicca |
Candles: While we all love candles and they are an important part of ritual, you need to find out if they are allowed. Some schools don't allow them in the dorms and strong consequences can be imposed if you are caught with them. You also need to find out where the fire alarms in your hall are located as well as where the smoke detectors are in your room. You want to keep your candles far enough away to avoid setting off the smoke detectors, but also close enough in case of emergency.
Incense: Believe it or not, incense is often banned. This is because people who smoke marijuana in their rooms often light a stick of incense to cover up the smell so they don't get caught. I'm not trying to give anyone ideas, here, but the last thing you want to happen is to be skyclad and performing a ritual when your RA bursts in your room, ready to bust you for pot! Incense may also set off smoke detectors and fire alarms (Heck, shower steam has been notorious for setting off alarms) so try to keep the amount of incense you use at a time down to a minimum.
Ritual Blades: As stated in the tools section, Ritual blades such as athames, swords, and bolines (working knives) may be considered weapons, no matter how dull you try to keep them. If a maintenance worker is fixing your air conditioner and spots your knife, they may have the right to confiscate it. Make sure all blades are put away EVERY time you are done using them.
Pentacles/Pentagrams: While these are generally harmless, some schools may have a policy against such symbols. We all know how hysterical people get when they see a pentacle...assume that they will react the same way if they see you sporting one in your room or around your neck. That's not to say that you can't put one up on your wall, but be aware that in public grade schools, kids have been suspended for wearing pentagrams. Dress and design your room for the image you wish to portray.
Rituals: I would love to hold rituals outside, and I'm sure it crosses the mind of many college Pagans. We think it's the time when everyone on campus is open-minded and accepting of everything. Well, there are a few aspects of rituals that won't go over very well in college, private or open. First of all, your religion is not an excuse to go streaking across campus. Mind how everyone else would feel about going skyclad. Perhaps one of the more important rules that can be broken is during the "Cakes and Ale" portion of the ritual. If you're underage or have a dry campus, you can just bet that your school officials won't be too happy if you proudly brandish a full mead horn, drinking cup, or other chalice! Substitute with grape juice or cider. In time, I will post recipes for non-alcoholic wine and mead, however, these may be too time consuming for the college Wiccan. In the mean time, stick with what you have access to, but make sure it's nothing that will allow Campus Police to bust you!
If you think you may run into any problems with the rules of your school, try to avoid them by talking to your Residential Advisor before an emergency arises. For example, talk to them about using incense and candles...explain to them that they are a part of your religion and drugs are not. You may have to talk to Campus Police about having ritual knives if you plan to use them. Be friendly and open-minded. If they tell you that they're sorry, it's absolutely against school policy to have some of those items, you may have to simply deal with it. Always remember, though, Wicca is a religion. It's not theatre, and you don't always need the props for the God and the Goddess to know what you are trying to portray.
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WICCA INFORMATION
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Obeying school rules really just takes some common sense. (Finding loopholes helps, too). Learn how to obey the rules, plus get ideas for practicing with these books:
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