Wiccan Ethics and Values

 

The most famous and quoted (and misquoted) expression of Wiccan ethics is the Wiccan Rede, which goes:

“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil,

An it harm none, do what ye will.”

The word “rede” means advice or counsel, and the word “an” is an archaic form of “if”. Translating this into more contemporary (and less poetic) English, it could be rewritten as, “The Witches’ advice is fulfilled in eight words, if it harms none, do what you will”.  Contrary to popular belief, the Wiccan Rede is an advice or counsel (the literal meaning of the word “rede”), not a law.  It is also not constrictive, but rather permissive. The rede simply states that all harmless acts are permissible.  It does not, strictly speaking, forbid harm, but one could argue that by stating “an (if) it harm none”, it makes harming none (including oneself) an ideal to always strive for.

The Wiccan Rede, in this present form, was first publicly stated by Doreen Valiente in 1964 at a Witches’ dinner sponsored by the “Pentagram” magazine, and may have been written by her (the  longer poem called the “Wiccan Rede” or “Rede of the Wiccae”, which incorporated Valiente’s couplet at the end, was written much later, and published in the Green Egg in 1975 by Gwen Thompson).  The ideas expressed in the Wiccan Rede, however, pre-date Doreen’s poetic couplet. 

In his book, Witchcraft Today, Gerald Gardner wrote that witches << are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, “Do what you like so long as you harm no one”. But they believe a certain law to be important, “You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in a way which will abate the harm.”>>

The “King Pausol” that Gardner is referring to is a character created by Pierre Louÿs for his novel, Les aventures du roi Pausole.

The Wiccan Rede is often compared to Aleister Crowley’s law of Thelema, which states, “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, lover under will.”  According to Crowley, one’s Will is not only one’s desires and wants, but one’s true path in life, and it is the magician’s goal to discover his true Will.  Some Thelema inclined Wiccans also interpret the Wiccan Rede in this light.

Another source of Wiccan values can also be gleaned from a piece of liturgy re-written by Doreen Valiente, called the Charge of the Goddess.  In this work, we are told that there should be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within us.  These are sometimes referred to as the eight virtues, and are presented as four complementary pairs.

Beauty refers not necessarily to physical beauty, but inner beauty, the beauty of one’s soul.  I also think that it refers to one’s ability to perceive beauty in the world, and to appreciate beauty, such that it become part of ourselves.  Strength is the strength of character one needs, especially when facing the ugliness in the world. It is the strength to endure. It can also be the strength to see beauty where it is hard to find. 

Power is the inner power to control one’s fate.  The power to forge one’s path in the world, but it must be tempered by compassion towards others.  Power without compassion is tyranny. Compassion without power is ineffective at best, and at worse, compassion without the power to set limits can turn one into a victim.

Honour is about acting honourably, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and taking pride in oneself, but without humility, it can become hubris.  In life, you will alway find people better than yourself, and people who are not as fortunate as yourself, so one should alway remain humble.

Wicca is a religion of joy, so mirth is one of its virtues, but we also recognize that there are times for seriousness, and reverence.  In ritual, and in life, there are times for mirth and times for reverence, and both must be honoured.

The Charge of the Goddess also calls upon us to keep pure our highest ideal, and to strive ever toward it.  This can be a daunting task, and is not dissimilar to Crowley’s concept of finding one’s true will.  It may also be compared to the alchemist’s Great Work.  Each of us must discover for ourselves what our highest ideal is, and this can be the task of a lifetime.

Wiccans tend to perceive the Earth as the embodiment of the Goddess, and for this reason, we are often referred to as a “nature religion”, even if many of us do our rituals in the comfort (and privacy) of our own homes.  Consequently, many Wiccans feel that reducing the harm that we cause to the environment is a sacred duty.  How one approaches this is a personal choice based on one’s conscience and situation.  Some may be inclined to take political action, such as going to protests and writing to their government representatives.  Others may give donations for animal protection, while others simply participate by doing their bit and recycling whenever possible. 

Wicca also has a history of supporting women’s rights, and feminist ideals.  In the 1940’s and 1950’s, when the general attitude was that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, Wicca was promoting women in positions of leadership as High Priestesses. At a time when the world was strongly patriarchal, and gender equality was non-existent, Wicca had strong matriarchal tendencies, and today, Wiccans continue to be strong proponents of gender equality.

Sadly, there is a darker stain on the history of Wicca when it comes to Gay rights.  Because so much emphasis is placed in Wicca on the concept of polarity, and that we worship a God and a Goddess, who are usually represented in ritual by a High Priest and a High Priestess, many (although not all) initiates in the early days of Wicca did not believe that gay people could fit in.  As time went on, many gay people were initiated into the Craft, and rose to levels of responsibility, proving the old prejudices wrong.  By the late 1980’s most covens were open to gay people, and today the question is moot.  In fact, as practitioners have tended to come to a more nuanced and mature understanding of the concept of polarity, the vast majority of Wiccans have also become strong supporters of the LGTBQ+ community.