"There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair," Albert Einstein, The World As I See It
"For why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience," St. Paul in I Corinthians 10:29
Most people are shocked to learn that Witches have values and morals. But it is indeed true. The Wizard's morals are not recorded in a book of thou shalt nots, but upon a principle known as THE WICCAN REDE.
The rede has a very long and ancient history. AntiWitches have claimed that the rede was invented by Gardener to make Witchcraft more acceptable. But Rabelais (c.1535) used "an it harm none" in writings about Thelema, an Avalon-like city. Chaucer (c.1387) used a rede-like term "dooth noon harm" in his Canterbury Tales. The Celts in Ephesus (c. 59) were about to riot and kill the Apostle Paul. When the city's clerk invokes the rede in Acts 19:40 to stop the riot. The Apostle Paul was not harmed! The Apostle Paul writing to the Gauls and Colossians (Celts) quote their versions of the rede, Galations 6:7 "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Paul was speaking of human behavior, not agriculture. "But he that doeth a wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done." Colossians 3:25.
The Celts' rede in Colosse and Galata was not identical to the British Celts' rede. You see western European Celts had a thing for triads or threes and this was incorporated into our version of the rede, "the rule of three." Our rede has survived from traditional covens by word of mouth to present date.
Confucius about 551-479 B.C. advocated a rede-like ethic. On the other side of Asia, Moses about 1490 B.C. said, don't harm your neighbor in Leviticus 19:16. The Jewish Prophet Jeremiah 10:5 (c. 500 B.C.) speaking of the Celts (Wiccans) says, "do not fear them for they can't do evil, neither is it in them to do good (take advantage).
The rede-like ethic "harm none" is certainly prehistoric in origin.
The rede is accepted by all the Wiccans I have ever known and I know a lot of Witches across the world. Many Wiccans consider the rede to be the one and only great guiding principle of Witchcraft. It is very similar in meaning to Christ's (or more accurately a Jewish Rabbi's) golden rule. Many Wiccans (myself included) also feel if a person refuses to abide by the rede, they are not true Witches! The Wiccan Rede applies to our behavior, including the casting of magick spells; "Never harm, nor spell, nor charm."6
The Wiccan Rede: Abide the Wiccan Rede ye must, in perfect love, in perfect trust. Eight words the Rede fulfill "An it harm none do what ye will" lest in thy self-defense it be, ever mindful of the rule of three.,p> First the rede is not a law. Laws are inflexible rules that can't adapt to changing circumstances and are rapidly outdated called social lag. The rede is a principle that is applied by the person, to the circumstances that are faced. The rede is our general guideline of morality.
"Abide the Wiccan Rede you must." Witches must use the rede as their moral guideline. This is also the only "must" I know of in Witchcraft.
"In perfect love and perfect trust." When applying the principle it should be done in love and trust. What is the best for everyone? Are you doing anything out of hate or revenge? Doing something against someone's will doesn't promote trust. Therefore violating the will of another is prohibited. Remember, love is the law. AntiWitches claim that Alester Crowley invented the phrase "love is the law," but it appears in their bible.3 Following the principle should not violate the trust of others in you or you in others. You should keep your word and promises. Failing to do so doesn't build trust!
We us the words "perfect love and perfect trust." We do not mean that we have a perfect plan or that we are perfect in anyway. For there no such thing as true perfection. Perfection is what we strive for in all our doings.
"An it harm none, do what thou will." You have an "unalienable right" to do anything you want, no matter what it is, just you can't hurt anyone. The "none" includes yourself too. I can't dogmitize on suicide! I can't say if it is right or wrong for a sailor to give his life to save his ship or that solider who falls on a grenade to save his friends. The "harm" includes the physical, magickal, psychological, and emotional.
AntiWitches during the burning times excluded people from Christ's Golden Rule. That is they selectively applied the golden rule to some people, but not to others. The rede doesn't say that we can selectively apply it. You can't exclude anyone from the principle - it applies to everyone regardless of their color, race, sex, religion, age, education, impairments, or how much money they have.
Many bigots in the new religions think they are superior to others. We shouldn't judge them for their bible says that they are a "chosen generation," "a royal priesthood," "holy nation," and "a peculiar people" in 1 Peter 2:9. No wonder they think they are better than others. But the new religions aren't the only ones that think that. Many experiments in human psychology1 and history proves that if one people are superior to another; the inferior people will be dehumanized and suffer. Here we have the root to the burning times, the Jewish Holocaust, the extermination of the Native American, slavery, and general human nastiness.
Some bigots justify their bigotry because they're saved, the child of God, and filled with the Holy Spirit. So they think they may treat their "hell-bound"5 lessors with contempt. But their bible says, God is the "God of the spirits of all flesh," Numbers 16:22. So everyone is God's child! God says, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh," Joel 2:28-29. So everyone has the spirit of God too. Furthermore, "all flesh shall see the salvation of God," Luke 3:6. So all are saved. You bigots have run out of reasons again.
Many of the new religions can't escape bigotry, prejudice, sexism, and discrimination because it's built into their belief system. Wicca doesn't have this disadvantage.
Viewing others as inferior doesn't encourage love or trust. People are not inferior, for within their bodies dwells a soul that is of great antiquity and is equal in every way to our own. Therefore, Wiccans don't think of themselves as superior to anyone. Many covens demonstrate this by having rituals where a High Priest/ess will kneel at the feet of a newly converted Wiccan.
"Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites," Thomas Jefferson.
Speaking of Jefferson, "an it harm none" had a great influence on the U.S. Constitution. Many times I've been asked, "How could you have fought in war, be a patriotic American, love the Constitution and still be a Wiccan?" Answer, liberty is not a Christian concept. "In every age and country, the priest has been hostile to liberty," Thomas Jefferson. Where in the bible has the bible's God given us "unalienable rights?" The bible has no rights for Christians (or anyone) only responsibilities ... to obey. Where does the bible establish voting, a senate, a house, trial by jury, executive branch and other elements of the Constitution? The answer is no where. "The US Government is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion," President George Washington. Our government is not biblical; just ask your preacher.
So where did "unalienable rights" come from? Unalienable rights is defined as the right to do anything you want without harming others and is identical to the rede. One of the earliest examples of "unalienable rights" is from the ancient Celts (Wiccans). Since the Gods gave the "Rede" humans can't revoke it - it is unalienable! Jefferson wrote "that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights" and "which the laws of nature (not the bible) and of nature's God entitle them." We should wonder what God and creator Jefferson is referring too, since the bible and the bible's God is completely devoid of things Constitutional? It must be a Pagan God that Jefferson speaks of, my God in fact. Nature's God is the Horned God of Wicca.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Constitution after studying The Republic by the Pagan Plato (who was influenced by Celts), Pagan American Indian governments, and others. These Pagan governments had a basis of "an it harm none." The Constitution is a Pagan document and I am a Pagan. This is why I love the Constitution!
"Lest in thy self defense it be." Everyone has the right of self defense. This is one principle that many of the other religions forgot. In fact, Christ's golden rule does not permit self defense no matter how badly you are treated. The rede authorizes you to protect yourself when someone tries to harm you. Protecting your loved ones, property, and others is considered self defense. Preventing crime at large and serving in the military could be considered self defense. When applying the self defense principle you should not violate the law.
Wicca was once an illegal religion! As Americans we know there exceptions to obeying all laws blindly. No government has the right to outlaw any religion. If you are strong enough, fight against that law. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manicure," Thomas Jefferson. If you don't have the strength to fight then do as we have done in the past, you may be a Wiccan, in secret, in violation of the law, but be prepared to die if caught.
Laws that violate the rede are immoral. Oppose them!
"Ever mindful of the rule of three." "Multiplication is vexation, division is as bad; The Rule of Three doth puzzle me, and practice drives me mad." From A Mother Goose Rhyme. The Jewish prophet Jeremiah said of the Wiccan Celts they can't do good by taking advantage. Why can't Wiccans take advantage of others by magick? Because of the rule of three.
This rule (as the Mother Goose Rhyme mentions above) causes some confusion even among Wiccans. Some Wiccans think if you make a mistake you will receive the consequences back times three. This is partly true. To be subject to the rule of three you must knowingly harm another. Just making a mistake doesn't subject you to the rule. If you make a mistake all you will suffer is the consequences of the act, not the rule of three.
If you do something to deliberately harm another person either by omission or commission; then whatever harm is accomplished, you will suffer the same times three.
I call sufferings from the rule of three, karma. The AntiWitches mock the concept of karma;2 they have forgotten the Apostle Paul taught about karma too.4
"...it shall surely be- that you shall hereafter receive gifts three times as splendid..." The Illiad by Homer, book I. On the other hand if you use magick to or benefit another such as healing the rule of three applies and you will receive the good three times back. So it is to your advantage to perform beneficial spells.
1. Understanding Human Behavior, 4th edition, McConnell, James, 1983, CBS College Publishing (Zimbardo's Jail) pp. 609-612
2. Wicca, Satan's Little White Lie, Schnoebelen, William, Chick Publications, P.O. Box 662, Chino, CA 91708-0662, 1990. pp. 144-147
3. Romans 13:10
4. Galations 6:7
5. Wiccans don't believe in a hell.
6. A Midsummer Night's Dream, act 2, scene 2, lines 16-17.
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