{"id":1400,"date":"2009-10-01T15:39:01","date_gmt":"2009-10-01T19:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=1400"},"modified":"2009-10-01T15:39:01","modified_gmt":"2009-10-01T19:39:01","slug":"the-wiccan-rede-project-deborah-blake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=1400","title":{"rendered":"The Wiccan Rede Project: Deborah Blake"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wiccan Rede is arguably one of the most important tenets at the basis of modern Witchcraft practice. This is not to say that all Witches follow it, of course, although many of those I know do\u2014even those who don\u2019t call themselves Wiccans, per se. And there are many different versions, so saying you follow the Wiccan Rede is a little like a Christian saying they live by the word of the bible: one then has to ask, \u201cWhich bible?\u201d<\/p>\n

Just to be clear, I tend to use the shorter, simpler (and less ornate) version of the Rede:<\/p>\n

Bide the Wiccan law ye must
\nIn perfect love and perfect trust
\nThese eight words the Rede fulfill
\nAn it harm none, do as ye will
\nLest in thy self defense it be
\nEver mind the law of three
\nFollow this with mind and heart
\nAnd merrie ye meet and merrie ye part<\/p>\n

To me, there are three simple but crucial pieces of spiritual \u201claw\u201d in this short poem: harm none, the law of three, and perfect love & perfect trust. Taken together, they pretty much sum up my take on Witchcraft. (Leaving aside, for a moment, the issue of connection with deity and nature, which is also at the core of my practice.) As you can probably tell, I am a lot less concerned with niceties like \u201ckissing your hand times three\u201d than I am with general attitude and behavior towards others and self.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn it harm none, do as ye will.\u201d On the surface, this is a rule that gives you permission to do pretty much anything you want, as long as whatever action you take does nothing to harm anyone else. Whoo hoo! Except, of course, that nothing is that simple. To begin with, it implies\u2014and rightly so\u2014that Witchcraft is a spiritual path based on personal responsibility. You are responsible for your actions towards others (this will be important for the next bit as well)\u2014no blaming the devil, or even human nature. It is up to you to judge whether or not your actions will harm another, and act accordingly. This means constantly considering the consequences of everything you do. Suddenly seems a lot tougher, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

And then there is the often-ignored fact that \u201charm none\u201d includes yourself<\/em>. This means, in theory, that none of us should ever do anything that would have a negative effect on our health and well-being. (Thank goodness they decided that chocolate is health food!)<\/p>\n

Can any of us truly live our lives every day without doing anything, no matter how small, that harms either ourselves or another? I doubt it. Even Gandhi couldn\u2019t pull that one off, and he really tried. But what we can do is strive our best to attain that goal, and when we fall short, we can take responsibility for our actions and\u2014if possible\u2014undo whatever harm we might have done.<\/p>\n

Say, for example, that you inadvertently hurt someone\u2019s feelings by sayng something mean. First, you acknowledge that what you said was wrong, then you try to make that person feel better again. But then<\/em>\u2014and this is the important bit\u2014you try not to do it again. It isn\u2019t enough to say you\u2019re sorry. Following the Wiccan Rede means doing your best to learn and grow, so you don\u2019t make the same mistakes again.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver mind the law of three.\u201d Some Witches argue about whether or not there is really a threefold rule of returns, but most of them would agree that what you put out into the universe comes back to you, one way or the other. Call it the Law of Three, or Karma, but either way, it means that\u2014at least in part\u2014you are responsible for what you draw into your own life. This doesn\u2019t mean that crappy things won\u2019t happen to you, even if you are a nice person every minute of every day. But it does mean that a positive attitude is much more likely to result in a happy, prosperous, and fruitful life. And that a negative attitude will almost certainly circle back and bite you on the hind end.<\/p>\n

It also means that if you purposely harm others (as you are forbidden to do), that harm will likely show back up on your doorstep one day. You will note that the Rede makes allowances for self-defense, however. You aren\u2019t expected to sit back and let someone beat the crap out of you\u2026but you\u2019d better be sure you weren\u2019t the one who started the fight!<\/p>\n

Possibly the most important \u201claw\u201d in the Wiccan Rede, as far as I am concerned, is probably the most difficult one to follow. \u201cPerfect love and perfect trust\u201d is a concept that Wiccans talk about a lot\u2014but what does it really mean? <\/p>\n

For me (and I can only speak for myself in any of this), perfect love and perfect trust means that we accept each other as we are\u2014imperfections, flaws and all\u2014and love each other anyway. When we do so, we are channeling the love of the goddess and the god, and doing their work here on earth.<\/p>\n

But it can be pretty hard to love some folks some of the time, and all folks all of the time, in an unconditional and nonjudgmental manner. Let\u2019s face it\u2014people can be difficult! (Not us, of course, but everyone else.) And this rule doesn\u2019t mean you should just love other Witches, or people who follow your same belief system. Nope, sorry. It means everybody. Just like the \u201charm none\u201d rule, there is no way we are going to be able to pull this one off, at least not all of the time. <\/p>\n

But the point of walking a spiritual path\u2014and the point of the Wiccan Rede\u2014is to give us something to guide us as we live our lives. The gods don\u2019t expect us to be perfect. I believe, however, that they expect us to work to be our best, and following the Rede to the best of our abilities is one way to try and do just that.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ About the Author:<\/strong>
\nDeborah Blake is the author of Circle, Coven and Grove: A Year of Magickal Practice <\/strong>(Llewellyn 2007), Everyday Witch A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft<\/strong> (Llewellyn 2008), The Goddess is in the Details: Wisdom for the Everyday Witch <\/strong>(Llewellyn2009), and the forthcoming Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook<\/strong> (2010). She has published numerous articles in Pagan publications.<\/p>\n

Her award-winning short story, \u201cDead and (Mostly) Gone\u201d is included in the Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction: 13 Prize Winning Tales <\/strong>(Llewellyn, 2008). Deborah is currently working on her third novel and hopes to find both an agent and a publisher for her fiction soon. Deborah\u2019s first novel, Witch Ever Way You Can<\/strong>, has been the winner or finalist in many RWA (Romance Writers of America) contests and received the EMILY \u201cBest of the Best\u201d Award. Her fiction is primarily Paranormal Romance, although she also writes Fantasy, Mystery and Young Adult.<\/p>\n

Deborah had been interviewed on television, radio and podcast, and can be found online at Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, My Space<\/a>, and at her own website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When not writing, Deborah runs The Artisans\u2019 Guild, a cooperative shop she founded with a friend in 1999, and also works as a jewelry maker. She lives in a 100 year old farmhouse in rural upstate New York with five cats who supervise all her activities, both magickal and mundane.<\/p>\n

This month Deborah will be presenting “The Real Witch: Witchcraft Basics for the Paranormal Author” on line. Click here<\/a> to learn more.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"