Is The Wiccan Rede Enough?

Author: Mr Araújo

I think that (almost) everyone found out about the Craft while in a quest for power, but we all discovered that Wicca isn’t about power or revenge at all. I myself was quite surprised when I read that this Path had only one law: “An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will”. “Easy!” I naively thought, but as I studied more about philosophy the more I understood that it wouldn’t be like so.

You have to ponder every future deed, consider any possible outcome and, basically, avoid getting in karma’s “To Do List” in terms of negativity. But is the Rede enough? Certainly it must have been for those whom accepted it after Doreen Valiente publicized it, but nowadays, there are so many possibilities and choices that I guess it can become harder for neophytes – and even those who have been acquainted to Wicca for several years – to know what do in every situation, it some times is for me.

There are so many new ways of interacting (namely, instant messaging) , new devices and distractions that it’s easy to get lost in them and forget the almost overwhelming power of our capability of choice. This is why I am going to show you what I see as the most important things to consider.

First, comes Justice. We all have to learn (if we already haven’t) to see everything that surrounds us in an unbiased way. This means that we must think as if we were another person when judging something, obviously because our personalities get in the way. I think that for those with a particularly “colorful” religious past (have followed more than one religion or, at some point, none) this is easy; I, for instance, can see the world through three different viewpoints: a Pagan one, an atheist one a Satanic one (I studied and practiced Satanism for some time) .

This allows me to be quite fairer when it comes to deciding how to treat others. If you can’t judge wisely, someone is bound to get hurt, even yourself.

Truth is the following point to bear in mind. I think that everybody has lied at least once in his or her life. Deceiving is a natural thing and we humans are quite good at it. I am not going to condemn lying – not at all! I’m all for lying, when there is a good reason for it. I only lie when I need to and, sometimes, when it’s the easiest way out of trouble. But I know that truth is important and I avoid lying to those closest to me, the Gods included, because every relationship is based on trust and honesty. If you can’t be honest to those you like the most, then you might as well not be with them, because you will always have something to hide.

A lie that cannot be “seen” doesn’t hurt, but once it is revealed the one who will receive most of the damage will be the liar. So, only lie when you really must, otherwise you’ll become Peter from “Peter and the Wolf”.

Next comes Honour, which is trickiest part. We all have been hurt by others, by various reasons, either sexuality, religion, personality, skin colour etc, and we all felt like it was time for some payback, but, most likely, we didn’t do anything and waited for karma to do its thing.
Personally, I believe that honour is essential and we have to defend it (I can almost hear the cries of rioters) . There are non-aggressive ways of defending yourself.

For example: imagine an old foe of yours becomes a work colleague. You obviously fear what he/she might attempt to do, so you decide to “rally the troops” (the colleagues you trust the most) and tell them about the person so they know why you dislike the person, but let them do as they wish.

If you practise Magic, then you are most likely to try to prevent any harm from being done to you by using it and a simple spell to “dissolve” the other person’s negative thoughts. That way, neither of you is harmed. See? There is such as thing as a peaceful defence.
Also bear in mind that the honour of those closest to you and of the institutions you are allied to should also be protected, ideally.

Hospitality is the final thing to remember. When I say “hospitality”, I refer mainly to the way you treat other people, mostly, new acquaintances. I think that Pagans are more welcoming and accepting of others than other people, mainly because we all know that there is no universal pathway that fits everyone. Each and every one of us has a different way of perceiving the world around us and that is a wonderful thing. We are a diversified community and must of us know how it feels to be an outcast, so we tend not to let others become outcasts themselves.

I try to accept everyone, and wait until they reveal more about themselves to make an evaluation: is the person worth to be kept around or is he/she a nefarious influence? This is, no doubt, hard at times, because our minds are built to almost instantly recognise what is similar and what is different from us, which leads to social segregation. Therefore, be welcoming and don’t be like those that may have once did you wrong.

Concluding, following the Wiccan Rede is, by no means, easy. You may find yourself searching for some guidelines, like I have, to make the job simpler, but there will always be that dilemma: you have to think twice (or many more times) before you act and often, the amount of time just isn’t enough. All we can hope is that we don’t offend anything or anyone, Ancestors and Gods included.

No matter what your choice is, remember that the Rede exists to help, not to condemn or prohibit – but it will surely restrain you from making grave mistakes.

I also would like to add that this essay was influenced by the Nine Noble Virtues of the Heathen Paths. The above interpretations and conclusions, however, are my own.

Merry meet and merry part, until we happily meet again!
Blessed be!