Explanation of the Wiccan Rede

I recieved a letter from a girl by the name of WaterWolf not to long ago explaining her views on the Rede, I loved this explanation so much I wrote and asked permission to use it, she complied and so, in it's entirety, the letter I found to hold so much meaning. Please don't take this view as it is all not of my own, and I cannot give permission to use it.

The Rede says "an' Ye Harm NONE, do what thou will." None is not limited to humans. None includes the enviroment, the earth itself, and everything that is connected to or on the Earth. It means the blade of grass and the ant as much as it means the oceans, mountains, and humans. While it is impossible to not harm anything including yourself (how do you eat if not harming a plant or animal?) it is possible for you to judge each act as to rather the good that comes from it is more or less than the harm that is caused by it. It also allows you to decide if you are willing to take the responsibility for the action and its consequences.

Take a rather well known story that is in the news lately. The Wolves being hunted to near extinction and the results of that hunting. Yes, wolves do kill livestock. Yes, wolves are natural predators. So you say to yourself: "I will protect my livestock by killing the wolf." Seems innocent enough, but look beyond the immediate and see what happens. The wolves not only eat livestock, they also eat many of the forest animals such as deer. You have killed the wolf to protect your livestock, thus he can not kill the deer as is nature's way, thus the deer become overpopulated, thus they outgrow their food supply, thus they die of starvation and sickness.

The way I understand the Rede, you must look beyond the immediate and be prepared to take responsibility for your actions and the results of those actions. I would say that in the above situation you're just as responsible for killing the deer as you were the wolf. Now you must decide rather the wolf and deer dieing because of you would be less "wrong" than letting a few head of livestock (which are generally the old or injured ones anyway) be killed by the wolf.

That brings us to another point. Inaction when you could have acted is just as bad as action. If I were to write the Rede into a form that would say what it means, it would be something along these lines:

"An you harm no living or nonliving animal, plant, nor any water or mineral that is part of the Earth through your action or failure to act, do what you will, just be prepared to take responsibility for and to face the results of your actions."

Now I do not claim to be the expert on this subject. You may disagree with me on some of these points. If you think about what I have said, and form your own opinion after soul searching, then we have both won.

May the Bleesings of the Lord and Lady shine upon you all the days of your life.

Love is The Law and Love is the Bond
WaterWolf
jaydeaf@hotmail.com