Do What Thou Wilt, An It Harm None

There are many versions of the Wiccan Rede, and yet most boil down to approximately the wording that I have used in the above statement. Unsurprisingly, there has been quite a bit of controversy lately over the Wiccan Rede. In fact, if you do searches around the Pagan web, you will find all of these wonderful essays by folks who talk about how terrible the Wiccan Rede is - how it is a useless hangover from Christianity. The writers will tell you that by following the Wiccan Rede we are reducing our own power all for the sake of getting along with some Christians and others. And (*gasp*) perhaps we've just taken on Christian morals unthinkingly and unknowingly! We do it, so naysayers would claim, to be more accepted by mainstream religions, and therefore, are reducing Wicca/Witchcraft/Paganism to nothing more than white-light, fluffy, foo-foo-ness.

I don't agree.

Another complaint is that the Rede is often used as a black and white measure against which everything must be held. Their argument, is that there are shades of gray more often than not. And with that, I would agree.

I think that the primary complaint can be easily boiled down to this:

It is not possible to "harm none."

The very act of living -- of eating and breathing - causes harm. We eat other living beings - animals and plants. When we walk on the earth, perhaps we step on insects and inadvertently kill them. What about that fly you swatted or that hornet's nest you sprayed? What about the weeds that you pulled in the garden? You just took a life - or perhaps many lives.

So, we "harm" all of the time. Does this mean that the Rede is utterly useless and should be discarded?

Of course not.

The Rede is a great touchstone for checking your actions. If I truly use the Rede and think about all of the possible consequences, I can then do what should be done. How about this?

Do what thou wilt, an ye harm the least.

Some folks will still have problems with this, because they are basically saying that we (as witches) should not put any restraints on our power. They seem to think that the majority of people who quote the Rede are mindless chowderheads spouting Pagan dogma. But I want to ask, what is wrong with having an ethical and moral outlook on life that proposes doing the least harm? It doesn't stop me from taking a stand, righting wrongs, fighting injustice. But do I need to go around and publicly hex people? No. Does it mean that I give up my right to safety and self-defense? NO!

Look, if you believe that thought has power, then why would you want to manifest negative thought? If strong actions are called for, than manifesting positive magick that works for good can't be bad. Acting out of anger and hate are often the easiest, most thought-LESS acts that we do. Taking time out and contemplating our actions strengthens us spiritually -- it makes each of us a better person. Ultimately, that is what spirituality is about -- making connections in order for us to live a more meaningful existence in harmony with those around us. I often think that the Rede is a reminder of how we are all interconnected and it prompts us to take our connectivity into account before taking action.

If everybody was that thoughtful in their actions, wouldn't the world be a much nicer place?

And what's wrong with that?