|
The Wiccan Rede as it is called seems to be the one predominantly common rule of thumb that most all the various paths and denominations of the Wiccan religion agree on and include in their bylaws. It is a simple and elegant statement that no action or thought is taboo so long as it does no harm. It has become so popular that even the majority of Witchcraft practitioners have also adopted it to their belief system. Yet this simple statement needs to be investigated to see if it really is the best philosophy to follow.
'If it harms none, do what you will' is a relative newcomer to the Craft. It was not an ancient witch secret. The first appearance of the phrase occurred in the publication 'Green Egg' in a 1975 article by Gwen Thompson. It seems to be modified from the only slightly older 'Great Law' of Aliester Crowley's which states 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, Love is the Law, Love under Will.'
Crowley's law unfortunately is often abridged to 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law' by those seeking justification for ignoring responsibility for their actions. By not ignoring the second part of that statement, 'Love is the Law, Love under Will', the magic worker finds that he is required only to strive for works of a positive nature. It implies that Love and its control by the strong will of a human can create a progenitive echo in the magical realm that prevents the darkness from overwhelming one's spirit.
Within the framework of the universal duality of nature, every cause will have an equal and opposite effect. This works in both the magical sciences and the material world sciences. As a universal constant, there is no way any action toward the good can possibly be performed without there being an equally negative effect created somewhere. Maintaining the balance by its very nature involves works that have both positive and negative outcomes.
Now you must wonder just what this means to the magical practitioner or the Wiccan. Does it negate the urge to do good works and start trading off to do bad works every other spell? No. The Rede in its best understanding is but an injunction that a person be constantly and consciously aware of the repercussions of their actions. It is a firm goal to live one's life as positively as possible and minimize any negative impact their existence has on the universe around them. To work magic, whether as a religious function or for entirely secular reasons is to consciously attempt to change reality. Just as with Crowley's statement to live by the Law of Love, the practitioner should never perform a conscious act that is intended to harm.
In a finite human mind there is not enough omnipotence to see the full results of our actions. Using a magical spell to heal someone of a seemingly terminal ailment may seem on the surface to be adhering to this law of harmlessness. However, can we know for sure that this act of kindness is not setting up an even worse and more harmful situation for the future? Can we know whether this person had already fulfilled their life-mission and that this was just the way they were heading back 'Home' after its completion. What if our interference brings them back to suffer for years in some other way?
There is the problem faced by developing a protective defense around you. If a negative action performed at you by someone else is supposed to fly back to him or her, does this willing knowledge that your protection charm will cause them hurt prevent you from defending yourself?
There do develop some rather complex ethical dilemmas from this simple phrase. Rather than writing it in stone as a 'one-way' to view your actions, it should be rather accepted as reinforcement to always strive to do your best and minimize the hurt in the world. That there are negative implications to the best of intentions should not freeze you into inaction which in itself can be harmful. The universal spirit has the concept of karma to help your spirit balance out the results of your actions.
As a pointer for helping modify your actions toward the greatest good, the Rede is an effective and efficient philosophy. As an ironbound rule to control your life, it will ultimately set you up to perform acts of accidental harm whether conscious of them or not. Striving to do only 'good' because you are told to will plant the seeds of negativity in your soul. Until you enlighten yourself to the point of godhood and understand it all, the best we mortal humans can strive for is to merely try and be kind in all our actions because we know it is the right thing to do.
As well as writing and researching on the paranormal and occult phenomena that intersect our reality, Douglas Mefford can also be found helping spread literature to the world at Bell, Book & Candle Publications or hanging out at his bungalow in Greenwoods Village.
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
