Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

LAW OF ASSOCIATION

"If any two or more patterns have elements in common, the patterns interact 'through' those common elements and control of one pattern facilitates control over the other(s), depending (among other factors) upon the number of common elements involved."

The Law of Association is the most commonly and frequently used law of all the Laws of Magic. This law falls with the principle of Sympathetic Magick. Simply this means things react upon each other under certain imposed or imaginary conditions.

see also: LAWS OF MAGIC

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc