There used to be an american witch council, however there is no more. There are laws in the magic world, search up the rede, or threefold rule depending on your religion, if not search up the rules of Wicca there's 110 of them
There are zero laws in magick unless you set them up yourself. If you believe in the Law of the Three Fold, then only you and those who believe in it are bound by it.
It feel's Good to Know that there are Laws.
How come the American Witch Council collasped?
Are the three folded laws
1. Magick works from the Inside and out (not the Other Way Around)
2. If you take controll of what goes on the inside of your head is to practice?
There is no magical Council that decides how one should practice or assigns any sort of rules governing magic.
The American Council of Witches was formed in 1974 in order to accomplish a specific goal. It disbanded within a year once the goal was achieved. The major accomplishment of the Council were the 13 Principles of Witchcraft. However, most Witches and Wiccans I know consider these to be only the opinion of the Council and not binding in any way.
Wicca has the Rede which is merely advice on how to make ethical decisions. In addition, Wiccans speak of the Three-Fold Law which basically says that our actions have consequences that come back to effect us three-fold...physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In Gardnerian Wicca one also speaks of the Ardanes which are 162 rules that apply only to Wiccans. Most Wiccans I know consider the Ardanes as merely a historical curiousity and not laws to be followed.
There are laws in magic, but they should not be thought of as rules which limit what the magic user does. Rather they are laws that describe aspects of magic. Think of them as being like the Law of Gravity. You can find an excellent article explaining these laws at http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/l/laws_of_magic.html
@ Lark I remember reading about the council a long time ago, I'm going to look them up later when I'm at a computer but the 13 principals, is that similar [or the same thing] as the 13 goals of a witch most credit Scott Cunningham with? [I'll look it up myself later, so don't worry about answering, just wanted to ask for the sake of mentioning the goals in case they are different] second, never heard if these Ardanes, guess I have something else to read lol.
There isn't a council of witches who govern over all witches everywhere. As mentioned above, there was a council of high ranking witches from many different paths who met and tried to define the community a bit better because one path might say curses are wrong, another says they are very important. There are councils within covens, but that's simple wise practitioners appointed to help guide the coven. [Like teaching, spells, mediate little arguments] they are revered by the coven, not every witch everywhere.
Laws of magick... Not really laws... More a small list of things it cannot do. If you understand magick, you understand its limitations, after those, there really isn't a high ranking witch officer who will appear and arrest you for casting a certain spell. Magick is an energy found in nature, it effect energy to bring change. It cannot go against nature nor create physical change. Other than the limitations of nature, you can cast anything, no one can stop you, it is just hoped you can come up with your own rules based on your morals. There are some grey areas in magick people argue yes or no to, but you should figure it out yourself based on your experiences.
Nekoshema, no, it isn't the same. You can find the 13 Principles of Belief at http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccanpaganhistory/a/American-Council-Of-Witches-And-The-13-Principles-Of-Wiccan-Belief.htm
