7.6. Summary of Group Regulations

1. No group may depend or rely on any form of contribution or donation by external organizations of any kind, governmental or otherwise.

2. It is not permitted for the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole, nor any individual group of the Hermetic Synaxis, nor any association of its groups, nor any member or members outside of one or more of its groups acting on behalf of the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole or a group of the Hermetic Synaxis to voluntarily incorporate as a legal entity under any government at any level or any time, nor to become involved in any political or governmental affair or operation, nor to engage in any activity on behalf of the political will of any government except insofar as is legally required.

3. No group or association of groups may speak or act in a governmentally-recognized manner or for a governmentally-recognized purpose on behalf of the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole, any other group, or any association of groups, nor may any member or members outside of one or more of its groups may speak or act on behalf of the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole, any group, or any association of groups.

4. Only qualified people are permitted to join or form groups.

5. Outside of seniority, there is no hierarchy within a group.

6. Groups may only have the offices of secretary, treasurer, and representative, with the offices of secretary and treasurer being mandatory for all groups.

7. Officers of a group must faithfully execute the responsibilities of their office.

8. Elections for offices must be held within two weeks of the March equinox or whenever there is a sudden vacancy of an office.

9. Votes must pass either by 2/3rds majority or unanimously, depending on the matter being voted upon.

10. Votes must generally rely on the whole group; if only some members are present, the vote should be postponed or only a temporary action should be made pending a vote by the whole group at the earliest opportunity.

11. No decision to be voted on may directly contradict or override any existing policy or practice of the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole unless such a decision is being made as part of a proposed change by an intergroup conference of the Hermetic Synaxis.

12. No decision may directly contradict or override any existing decision previously voted on by the group, without that group first explicitly discussing the earlier decision, its options, its discussion, and its vote result.

13. All groups must consist of at least four members.

14. A mentor may not take on their own existing partner as a mentee.

15. A mentor may not begin a relationship with their mentee; however, if the mentee chooses to leave their existing mentor (and, if in their first year of mentoring, pick a new mentor), the ex-mentee and their ex-mentor may enter into a relationship if they so wish.

16. A mentor may not take on multiple mentees who are themselves already involved in a relationship together.

17. If multiple mentors are themselves in a relationship together, they may not each take on mentees who are also in a relationship together of their own.

18. No member may give or accept any honorific title outside of general egalitarian terms, references to their current office if any, or references to their per-event role.

19. No group may take on a name in active or historical use by any other group, and if one was accidentally taken, they must change it.

20. No group may override an automatic expulsion.

21. No group may admit a prior member of a group who was expelled unless they follow the appropriate procedure of appealing and reconsideration.

22. Groups may not require dues or membership fees of any kind, whether monetary or otherwise, from their members at any time.

23. Groups may not prevent any member from participating in their events or processes due to lack of contribution of resources to the group.

24. Donations are not to be accepted from any non-member of the Hermetic Synaxis nor from any organization outside the Hermetic Synaxis.

25. Groups may not accept or hold precious goods which have an excessive financial value and which are not suitable for use in any ritual, crafting, or educational context of the Hermetic Synaxis as resources.

26. Money is not to be held in any sort of account managed by a third party.

27. If any monetary donation is made digitally or by check, it must be converted to physical cash as soon as possible by the treasurer before depositing with other funds.

28. No money shall be accepted by the group as the result of a loan or borrowing, nor shall any material resource of the group be sold, nor shall any ceremony done by the group be done in exchange for any sort of fee.

29. Unlike other material resources, no group is to ask for money nor provide money to any other group under any circumstances, even as a donation.

30. Groups must not hold any money in excess of their calculated limit from one quarter-term to the next.

31. No group of the Hermetic Synaxis, whether incorporated or otherwise considered as a single entity apart from its members, may hold real estate as a matter of permanent property or to purchase real estate with group resources.

32. Only the Synodos requires a quorum of at least four people as a ceremonial event. Outside of the Synodos, no other ceremonial event should require a quorum, and may be held on one’s own or with as few as two people.

33. The Katharsis must be held as a group event whenever an induction needs to take place.

34. Leaders of an event must faithfully execute the responsibilities of their leadership for that event.

35. The Synodos, when held by a group, is the only event where people who are not members of any group are explicitly barred from participating in all cases.

36. Every group must participate in the Ekklēsia and Ekklēsias Teleutē, their arrangements, and their executions, whether directly or by proxy.

37. Every group must abide by and faithfully execute the decisions made at the Ekklēsia and Ekklēsias Teleutē.

38. Groups and any members of any group may not protest or impede the holding of any Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē, nor abandon any Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē once started, nor go against the will of any Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē, nor hold a parallel or alternative Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē, nor prevent or obscure the decisions and proceedings of an Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē, nor use or share a version of the Stoiba that is not the accepted standard by the Hermetic Synaxis as a whole that was agreed upon at an Ekklēsia or Ekklēsias Teleutē, nor encourage any other groups or members of groups to do any of the above.