The S.S. Tree of Life- ~6/25~ |Guild Info & Links|

[Jameta]

Lyke, O mi godzorz, zis iz under dey constant constructorz.

UPDATES

6/25/06: Just a general announcement for you, the users- we have over 79,000 gold in funds. Thank you so much for your support! heart

5/21/06: Added the Guild's stance on the Traditional vs. Progressive Wicca Debate, as well as a link to the Gaian resources.

2/5/06: If you haven't noticed, I've been rearranging, sorting, deleting, etc. I'm doing this to help things appear smoother/less cluttered (as given by WindowOpener in his Best Practices GUIDE in the Captains Forum). So, this space will be used for genral updates (like this); more important updates will be in actual announcemnt threads all their own.

Oh, and ever wonder where your donations go? Subforums cost 2,500g. Right now, we have abou 55,000g in donations. mrgreen Thanks, everyone! heart

About the Guild

The guild was created on August 25th, 2004, and we, the Crew, couldn't be happier with the progress. We are always looking for individuals who are adamant about their religion or beliefs and love love sharing their experiences with others. With new and different faces and perspectives, the community learns and grows as a whole.

Of course, with learning comes change. Thus, the Crew is always tinkering away in various forms to improve the guild. We seek to create a safe haven of learning and interaction for all, so that no knowledge or idea is wasted, and none feel disdained.  

[Jameta]

Important Information
Guild Rules, Regulations, and Legal Disclaimer

With participation within the Sacred Sources Guild, members are assumed to know the following-

General Guild Rules:
1.) Obey the Terms of Service set down by the Gaian Administrators.
2.) Obey the Gaian Guild Network (GGN) Rules set down by the GGN Moderators. (Rules may be found at Gaia Guild Network FAQ & Rules v2.0.)
3.) Do not discriminate.
4.) Do not lie, nor fabricate events, beings, or 'abnormal' objects.
5.) Have an open mind.

Guild Regulations:
1.) The Sacred Sources Captian and Crew (SSCC) maintain the right to invite, accept, reject, and ban Gaia members as they see fit.
2.) The SSCC maintain the right to create and delete threads and posts as they see fit.
3.) If a member of the guild has a concern, he/she will address it to an actively participating guild moderator. The moderator may or may not convene with others on the issue; however, he/she or the group will work to resolve the matter as best possible and as soon as possible.
4.) All members maintain the right of privacy, and are not subjected to answering all inquires or responding to topics.
5.) The SSCC maintain the right to Private Message members about guild activity, be it actions or lack of participation. In such cases, the SSCC will keep the matter private as much as possible.

Guild Legal Disclaimer
The Guild Legal Disclaimer is intended to clarify the General Guild Rules, the Guild Regulations, and further responsibilities of guild users.

1.) All guild users (Captain, Crew, and members) must obey the Terms of Serivce (ToS). The ToS was written by the Gaian Administrators, the highest working authority of GAIA Online, and hence should be recognized and understood by all those that join and participate in any Gaian activites. As stated in the ToS, "We expect you to abide by these rules. Failure to comply may result in the deletion of the User's account and/or termination of Service." A link is provided in the Guild General Rules if one wishes to review the ToS.
2.) All guild users (Captain, Crew, and members) must obey the Rules provided in the Gaia Guild Network FAQ & Rules v2.0. As a part of GAIA Online, the guild itself is subject to the ToS.
3.) Discrimination will not be tolerated. Making hateful direct or indirect comments or gestures is against the ToS, as well as this Guild's fondation of having an open, comfortable environment for Gaian members that share an interest in this subject. Constructive critisim is allowed; however the SSCC encourage members to monitor their level of sarcasm and the language used.
4.) Being dishonest with guild users and/or fabricating events, beings, or 'abnormal' objects will not be tolerated. The nature of Sacred Sources holds truth in high esteem, as religion and faith are sensitive, personal matters, and as such, each member is entrusted to be hoenst about their feelings and experiences. To lie about about a matter not only inhabits understanding of one another, it discomforts members and obstructs their pursuits, as many are learning and wanting to hear from those more experienced. The same applies to fabricating events, beings, or 'abnormal' objects. The term 'abnormal' implies objects that might be valuble based on material worth, rarity, or religious/belief implications. In the matter of constructing one's own belief system, one should have valid reasons and/or evidence for placing an event, being, or object as valued and/or used within the system.
5.) Guild users are strongly encouraged to have an 'open mind'. By the term 'open mind', the SSCC implies being open to the possibility of differing opinions on events, ideas, beings, and objects. This does not mean that all users must agree with one another on subjects; it is written so that users will not blatantly object to another's statement. A user may rebuff another with evidence and acceptable sarcasm (the level of such will be explained in the following clause).
6.) Guild users are strongly encouraged to have a sense of humor. Being able to laugh at one's self as well as others without feeling distraught is part of keeping a comfortable environment. The SSCC do not want the guild to feel strict and monotonous; however, guild members should be aware of the line between humor and harassment. If a user is unsure whether his/her statement is offensive, he/she should either not post it or designate the line(s) somehow (example being [sarcasm]_sarcastic statement inserted here_[/sarcasm]). If a user is offended by a statement that is not designated, he/she may PM the user that made the comment to clarify the line(s), or, if uncomfortable PMing the user, contact a Crew member.
7.) The SSCC maintain the right to invite, accept, reject, and ban Gaia members as they see fit. To maintain a comfortable environment, the SSCC wishes to have members that will interact positively with others; those that may have valid points on the subject but are agressive in displaying them may not be accepted into the guild. Likewise, one who refuses to learn and only have one focus (also known as the 'fluffy bunny') may not be accepted. The SSCC may or may not PM a Gaian user about their acceptance or rejection; if so, however, they will use the account, Councils_Voice. Please do not PM the SSCC directly.
8.) The SSCC maintain the right to create and delete threads and posts as they see fit. If threads or posts violate the regulations, they will most likely be deleted. Threads or posts that pose subjects in the wrong areas will be deleted, possibly with the creator notified of the mistake.
9.) All users maintain the right of privacy, and are not subjected to answering all inquires or responding to topics. Including the SSCC, members of the guild do not have to participate in all topics if an individual does not wish to. Likewise, a member may respond to part of a topic, and may not have to respond to the remainder. If a member indicates that he/she does not want to answer or give an opinon to a matter, please respect his/her wishes. Berating someone is harassment, and will be delt with as such.
10.) The Sacred Sources Captain and Crew reserve the right to act on violations of the mentioned regulations. The SSCC are chosen on character and experience, and as such attempt to develop a strong, trusting bond between themselves and the SS Guild community. Therefore, the SSCC will act upon violations according to what they see fit. If a member has an issue with proceedings, he/she is advised to contact the Guild Captain. The Captain may or may not change the ruling.  

[Jameta]

Guild Stance on the Traditional vs. Progressive Wicca Debate

Wicca was designed as an initiatory mystery religion by Gerald Gardner. However, Gardner himself pulled elements of his faith from other religions and organizations. So we have before us two issues: originality versus creativity. (Naturally, this can be phrased in multiple ways to make better sense, but I feel you are all intelligent enough to know what I'm getting at.) On one hand, there is the need to follow Gardner and his law; on the other, the need to act as Gardner and create law. A delicate balancing act comes into play, and how it balances varies with each individual.

With that bared in mind, both true Traditionalists and Progressives can agree that it is important to one's path to understand their faith's origins, and that dedicated study is a must. One might even go so far as to say that debate is healthy, for it pushes followers to re-evaluate themselves and refine their perspectives. There is only so much information one can gain as an individual, and only so much information one can gain as a member. If you know, consider the arguments presented by Walker Percy, particularly in his The Loss of the Creature, on perspective and ownership of experience.

Ultimately, the Guild stands that both sides are right in their essence, and that both are respected. It asks both to try to understand and contemplate the elements (not necessarily the 'fine details') of the other in order to better understand themselves.

Phoenixfire Lune Soleil, an accredited Gaian witch who frequents to ED threads on the subject,

WICCA UPDATE 8/10/06:

This just in to clarify: some Wiccans in authority (ie. third degree, lineaged Wiccans) believe that anyone can be Wiccan if they wish, even without lineaged initiation... since they are an authority, their opinion is valid.

SO

Some lineaged Wiccans think non-initiated can't be Wiccan, others think they can...

AND SO

There is no objective truth on the matter because both opinions are held by Wiccans with the authority to decide.

Thus anyone can be Wiccan if they want, because it is a valid opinion due to some lineaged Wiccans agreeing with them. 3nodding Other Wiccans may not like it or agree with it, but they can't do anything about it or say they're wrong.

 

[Jameta]

Resources and Services Outside of the Guild

The Witchcraft Thread - A thread in General Discussion based around the Craft. Many regulars are available to answer simple questions or complicated queries on the practice and other related subjects.
The Wiccan FAQ - A thread in Extended Discussion focused on answering queiries on the faith. Generally has a Traditional view.
Wicca: pretending to be an ancient religion since 1953 Thread - A General Discussion thread focused on discussing the Wiccan religion and educating the general public. REgulars from the GD's Witchcraft Thread frequent here, as well.  

[Jameta]

Resources and Services Outside of the Gaia

The Alliance of Pagans, Wiccans, and Druids - An online group for people of various faiths to connect, gain information, and work to promote an accurate depiction of followers over the globe.

"What Kind of Pagan are You?" Quiz - A 60 question, fairly accurate quiz. Probably shouldn't be taken seriously, but the results are interesting.