Wiccan Rede (also known as the Advice of the Wise)
Bide the Witches’ Law ye must,
In perfect Love and perfect Trust
Live and let all else live,
Fairly take and fairly give.
First tread the Circle thrice about
To keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time,
Let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Light of eye and soft of touch,
Speak ye little, listen much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
Let love and light be our guides again.
Deosil go by the waxing moon,
Sing and Dance the joyful rune.
Widdershins by the waning moon,
Chanting out the baneful rune.
When the Lady’s moon is new,
Kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak
Then your heart’s desire seek.
Heed the North winds’ mighty gale,
Lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind blows from the East,
Expect the new and set the feast.
When the wind comes from the South,
Love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the West,
Departed souls will have no rest.
Nine woods in the Cauldron go,
Burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes
To represent what the Lady knows.
Oak in the forest towers with might
In the fire it brings the God’s insight.
Rowan is a tree of power
Causing life and magick to flower.
Willows at the waterside stand
Ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify
And to draw faerie to your eye.
Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning-
Adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree
That brings us fruits of fertility.
Grapes grow upon the vine
Giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen
To represent immortality seen
Elder is the Lady’s tree
Burn it not or cursed you’ll be.
Four times the Major Sabbots mark
In the light and in the dark.
As the old year starts to wane
The new beings, it’s now Samhain.
When the time for Imbolg shows
Watch for flowers through the snows.
When the wheel begins to turn
Soon the Beltaine fires will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lammas night
Power is brought to magick rite.
Four times the Minor Sabbats fall
Use the Sun to mark them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule
Light the log the Horned One rules.
In the spring, when night equals day
Time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached its height
Time for Oak and Holly to fight.
Harvesting comes to one and all
When the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed the flower, bush, and tree
By the Lady blesses you’ll be.
Where the rippling waters go
Cast a stone, the truth you’ll know.
When you have and hold a need,
Harken not to others greed.
With a fool no season spend
Nor be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part
Bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind the Three-Fold Law you should
Three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow
Wear the star upon your brow.
In love you must be ever true
Unless your love is false to you.
Eight words the Rede fulfill
“And it harm none, do what ye will.”
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The Wiccan Law
The Wiccan Law:
Bide the Wiccan Law ye must,
In perfect Love, In perfect Trust,
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
And ye harm none, do as ye will.
And ever mind the Rule of Three:
What ye send out, comes back to thee
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part.
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Witch’s Creed
Hear now the words of the witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny’s pathway,
That now we bring forth into the light.
Mysterious water and fire,
The earth and the wide-ranging air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will and keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magickal ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat,
Returns, and the witches are seen,
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe’en.
When the day-time and night-time are equal,
When the sun is at greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again the witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the coven’s array.
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and day.
The power was passed down the ages,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magickal circle,
By sword or athame or power,
Its compass between the two worlds lies,
In Land of the Shaes for that hour.
The world has no right then to know it,
And world of beyond will tell naught,
The oldest of Gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of magick is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and Goddess:
Of this did our ancestors teach.
By night he’s the wild wind’s rider,
The Horn’d One, the Lord of the Shades,
By day he’s the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver and lad of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magick,
They dwell in the deeps of the mind,
Immortal and ever0renewing,
With power to free and to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and love in their praise,
Till Elphame’s fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
And Do What You Will be the challenge,
So be it in Love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment,
By Magick of old, be it done!
Eight words the Wiches’ Creed fulfill:
If it harms none, do what you will.
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Principles of the Wiccan Belief
1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge the depth of power far greater than that is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called “supernatural,” but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity-as masculine and feminine-and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
5. We recognize both outer and inner, or psychological, worlds—sometimes known as the Spiritual World, Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc.—and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7. We see religion, magick and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it—a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft, the Wiccan Way.
8. Calling oneself a “witch” does not make a Witch—but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and our personal role within it.
10. Our only animosity towards Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be “the only way,” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.
11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the origins of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.
12. We do not accept the concept of evil, nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil,” as defined by Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
13. We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
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A Pagan Pledge:
I am a Pagan and I dedicate myself to channeling the Spiritual energy of my inner self to help and to heal others and myself.
I know that I am part of the Whole of nature. May I grow in understanding of the Unity of all Nature. May I always walk in balance.
May I always be mindful of the diversity of Nature as well as its Unity. May I always be tolerant of those whose race, appearance, culture and ways differ from my own.
May I use my psychic powers wisely and never use it for aggression or for malevolent purposes.
May I never use it to curtail the free will of others.
May I always remember that I create my own reality and that I have power within me to create positivity in my life.
May I always take responsibility for my actions be they conscious or unconscious.
May I always act in honorable ways, being honest with myself and others, keeping my word whenever I have given it, fulfilling all responsibilities and commitments I have undertaken to the best of my abilities.
May I always remember that whatever is sent out returns magnified to the sender. The forces of Karma will move swiftly to remind me of my spiritual commitments when I have begun to falter from them. May I used this Karmic feed back to remain strong and committed to my Spiritual ideals in the face of adversity or negativity. May the force of my inner Spirit eliminate all malevolence directed my way and transform it into positive light. May my inner light shine so strongly that malevolence cannot even enter my realm of existence.
May I continually grow in wisdom and understanding. May I see every problem that I face, as an opportunity to learn and grow and to develop spiritually.
May I act out of love for other beings on this planet—to other human, plants, animals, mineral, elementals, spirits or other entities.
May I ever be mindful that the Goddess and God in all their forms dwell within me and that this divinity is reflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit.
May I always channel love and light through my being. May my inner Spirit, rather than my Ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings and actions.
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Wiccan Beliefs Include:
Wiccan Deities: Beliefs differ:
-Most Wiccans believe that a creative force exists in the universe, which is sometimes called “The One” or “The All.” Little can be known of this force.
-Most regard the Goddess and the God as representing the female and male aspects of the All. These deities are not “out there somewhere;” they are immanent in the world.
-Many regard various pagan Gods and Goddesses (Pan, Athena, Diana, Brigit, Zeus, Odin, etc.) as representing various aspects of the God and Goddess. The term “Wicca” normally implies that the person’s religion is based upon the Celtic spiritual concepts, deities, and seasonal days of celebration. Some Wiccans include beliefs, practices and symbols fro ancient Pagan religions (e.g. Egyptian, Greek, various mystery religions, Roman, Sumerian) or upon Aboriginal religions (Native American Spirituality, Shamanism).
-Some Wiccans are actually agnostics, who take no position on the existence of a supreme being or beings. They look upon the Goddess and the God as archetypes, based on myth.
-It cannot be stressed enough that Wiccans have no supernatural being in their pantheon of deities who resembles the Christian-Muslim Satan.
Respect for Nature: Wicca is a natural religion, grounded in the earth. All living things (including stars, planets, humans, animals, plants, rocks) are regarded as having a spirit. Many Wiccan rituals deal with brining harmony and healing to nature. Wiccans tend to share a great concern for the environment.
Gender Equality: Wiccans celebrate the sexual polarity of nature. For example, the fertilizing rain is one manifestation of the male principle; the nurturing earth symbolizes the female. Females are respected as equal (and sometimes at a slightly higher rank) to males. A priestess is often the most senior person among coven—a local group of Wiccans. They aim for a female-male balance in most of their covens (local groups), although men are typically in the minority.
Human sexuality: Sexuality is valued, and regarded as a gift of the Goddess and God, to be engaged in with joy and responsibility, and without manipulation. Wiccans generally accept the findings of human sexuality researchers that there are three normal, natural, and unchosen sexual orientations: heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. Some Wiccans celebrate “the Great Rite” which involves ritual sexual intercourse. However, it is consensually performed by a committed couple in private.
Afterlife: Wiccans have a wide range of beliefs.
-Some believe in ancient legends of a Summerland where souls go after death. Here, they meet with others who have gone before, review and integrate their previous lives on earth, and are eventually reincarnated into perhaps some as female and others as male; some lives with a high standard of living and others in poverty; some in positions of powers and others suffering oppression—that the individual accumulates sufficient experience to go one to another level of existence about which we know nothing.
-Some see an individual’s personality, memory, abilities, talents, etc. as functions of the human brain, which degrades and disintegrates at death. The do not anticipate any form of continuity after death.
-Other Wiccans anticipate continuity after death in some very narrow senses:
-That the molecules that go to make up our bodies may in turn be incorporated in other living entities;
-That our influences on children, friends, and society in general will continue to have influences on the next generations.
Three-fold Law (a.k.a. the Law of Return) The law states that:
“All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold.”
This belief strongly motivates each Wiccan to avoid attempting to dominate, manipulate, control, or harm another person.
Spells:
Spells are one of the many ritual activities that many Wiccans engage in. Not all Wiccans cast spells; they are a matter of personal preference.
Spells can be designed to attempt to either harm or help others. Thus, there are both evil spells and healing spells. The same magickal processes are used for both.
Wiccans are prohibited by their belief system from engaging in spells or other activities which harm others. This is a logical result of Wiccans’ belief their prime rule of behavior:
Three-fold Law: “All good that a person does to another returns three-fold in this life; harm is also returned three-fold.”
The Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what thou wilt.” (In modern English: “Do whatever you wish as long as it harms no one.”)
The Rede obviously prevents a Witch/Wiccan from doing harm to themselves or to others, or attempting to manipulate others, taking harmful drugs, etc. Thus, many activities that have been traditionally attributed to Wiccans—from the laying of curses to conducting love spells—are strictly forbidden to them.
“Evil Witches,” according to the early Christian church, never existed. But by the 15th century, the church had changed its mind. They taught that Witches did exist, that they sold their souls to Satan, flew through the air on broomsticks, were capable of shifting their shapes to resemble animals, and that they dedicated their entire life to harming and killing their victims. This fictional belief was used as justification for the church’s subsequent burning at the stake of hundreds of thousands of religious heretics of all types. In reality, few if any Witches existed in the 15th century; they do not exist today either, in any significant numbers. Some individuals portray themselves as Witches for monetary gain and offer to cast evil or healing spells at a price. But they are rare and should not be confused with Wiccans. Such “witches” are not bounded by the Wiccan Rede or Threefold Law, so they feel quite free to cast evil, manipulate spells and curses.
Christians sometimes pray to their God with the intent of obtaining God’s help to change their life or to heal friends and family. Some light a prayer candle in their home or church. Some rituals have many parallels with Wiccan spells. What some Christians call prayers, Wiccans may call magickal spells.
Followers of other religions also cast spells. “Not all witches cast spells, and not all spells are cast by witches. There are many magical religions out there, Wicca being one of them.” Most Satanists, for example, cast spells. Their rules of behavior are different from the Wiccan Rede, since Satanism is a separate religion from Wicca. Satanists are not prohibited from casting evil spells on their enemies.
Allowable Spells:
Wiccans are prohibited from doing harm to others. This is generally interpreted as forbidding any spell that seeks to dominate, manipulate, or control another person without their expressed wishes. Consider a love spell as one example:
-A Wiccan could design a spell to make a specific person fall in love with her/him. That would be a negative spell, because its intent, goal and effect would be manipulative—to control the other person for the benefit of the spell caster. A Wiccan cannot ethically perform such a spell.
-A Wiccan could design a general spell to make a specific person more open to love in their life. That again is excessively manipulative. The target person could be trying to avoid romantic relationships at this stage in their life, for whatever reason. However, this type of spell might be allowable, if the Wiccan first obtained the permission of the target of the spell.
-A Wiccan who is desirous of starting a romantic relationship could cast a spell to make themselves more open to love in their life. That would not manipulate anyone else; it would not harm others; it would not harm the spell caster. It would be acceptable under the Wiccan Rede.
Before performing a spell, Wiccans carefully think through all the possible repercussions of a spell to make certain that it does not have a manipulative component. Wiccans believe that spells alter the course of the universe and are not to be entered lightly without thoroughly considering all of its possible effects.
There are probably as many types and designs of Wiccan spells as there are Wiccans:
-Some spells are very simple, consisting of only a few phrases and actions.
-The spell may be complex and may involve a full Wiccan ritual, including casting a circle, invocation of deities, statement of purpose, working of the spell, meditation, thanking the deities, and closing the circle.
-Silver RavenWolf recommends a sequence of tasks, including 4 main steps:
-to know (yourself, what is to be accomplished…)
-to will (belief in yourself, Divinity, your skills, practicing)
-to dare (to change circumstances, to change your environment…)
-to be silent (before the spell, and afterwards…)
Many Wiccans believe that it is not important that you follow a spell precisely. Spells may work better if you modify them to match your personality, thoughts, and the specific situation.
**SpiritWeb maintains a list of Websites that publish spells**
