The Wiccan Rede A Historical Journey
Jeanie
The Wiccan Rede
A Historical Journey
(Last revised February 2, 2002)
Part 1: Introduction
Today's Wiccan ethics largely center on the Wiccan Rede: If it harms
none, do what you will. Longer versions are in circulation adding
poetry or personal views (or both), but these eight words are the basis
of these variants and best sum up the nature of Wiccan ethics: to harm
none.
The history of the Wiccan Rede proved more complicated to research than
expected. Although by the 1980's the Rede was a standard inclusion in
books on Wicca, there were very few references to it prior to the
mid-1970's[1]. This may have partly been due to the fact that Wicca was
primarily a secretive religion to non-initiates prior to the end of the
1960's, but also because ethics were not a topic of focus in the early
years of Wicca when more emphasis was placed on history and defining
witchcraft practices. By the early 1970's both the Gardnerian and
Alexandrian traditions had gained momentum, having become established
in the United States where they quickly spread. As Wicca received more
public attention, and solitary practice began to explode, many public
Wiccans felt the need to emphasize Wiccan morality. In the 1980's
authors such as Raymond Buckland and Scott Cunningham had introduced
simplified handbooks that catered to solitary practitioners.
Another problem in researching the Rede is that books were not the only
means through which information was shared. Newsletters (many with
short life spans), gatherings, and by the 1980's computer bulletin
board systems and the Internet, all provided a means to disseminate
information. Often this information lacked references and proper
credit, making any attempt at accurate research daunting at best.
Oral tradition can also not be forgotten. Just as many popular chants
today were introduced at pagan gatherings and passed on through other
gatherings before making its way into print, many early aspects of the
Craft were not necessarily formally incorporated into a book of shadows
or publication right away. That which is passed on orally can easily
slip into obscurity, loosing any association with the one who
originated it.
This essay will rely primarily on written resources although some
first-hand accounts have helped to tie the fragments together. I
welcome feedback and encourage you to share your own insights and
research to help fill in the gaps.
Part 2: The Early Years
In researching the origins of the Rede, I started with the works of
Gerald Gardner (1884-1964). Whether or not Garner revived a dying
religion or created one from scratch was not at issue. Debates aside,
Gardner was instrumental in bringing the Craft to the public and his
work, along with that of Doreen Valiente (1922-1999), became much of
the foundation of what has become modern Wicca.
Keep in mind that Gardner's version of witchcraft was not the only form
available. Among these variations were hereditary witches and other
traditionalists, many of which did not care for the Gardnerian variety.
Many of these forms of witchcraft were less religious in form, and
often more intellectual in emphasis than the Gardnerian/Alexandrian
varieties, which were more emotional in emphasis and made more use of
chants and dancing. Sadly many of these forms were not as visible and
some who claimed to be hereditary were not in actuality, although it
was a useful way to justify their personal practice or views. Modern
Wicca has become such a melting pot of beliefs and the increasing sense
of freedom has encouraged the sharing of ideas to such an extent that
it is often quite difficult to discover their origins.
In researching Gardner's work I sought only to find mention of the
Wiccan Rede, be it in context or verbatim, and if possible find earlier
references. Prior to his third book The Meaning of Witchcraft,
published in 1959, Gardner did not discuss ethics. Even in this the
Rede was not yet formalized as it is now, but rather it only touched
upon its essence of the Wiccan ethos as "harm none".
[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.[1]
Although the above quote has been sited many times in previous essays
on the origin of the Rede, there was no indication of who this "Good
King Pausol" was. It turns out that King Pausole (not "Pausol") was a
literary character in the story The Adventures of King Pausole (1901)
by Pierre Louÿs (1870-1925), a French novelist.[2]
The specific quote Gerald was referring to was:
I. Do no wrong to thy neighbor.
II. Observing this, do as thou pleasest.[3]
Already this has the feel of the Rede, but it had not yet been
articulated in the form popular today.
The Gardnerian Craft Laws, which were introduced around 1957 although
finalized around 1961, make further reference to the idea of the Rede,
although again only in context: "And for long we have obeyed this law,
'Harm none'"[4].
When associating the Rede with Gardner, most scholars suggest the Rede
is actually based on the older Law of Thelema created by Aleister
Crowley (1875-1947) in his work Liber AL vel Legis (1904), more
commonly known as The Book of the Law.
Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong, if he look but close into
the word. For there are therein Three Grades, the Hermit, and the
Lover, and the man of Earth. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of
the Law.[5]
Even among the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), an outer Thelemic order,
there is some debate on the interpretation of this phrase, but those
who connect it with the Rede tend to feel that "harm none" is implied
from the context of the believed source of Crowley's inspiration;
Francois Rabelais' novel Gargantua published in 1534.
DO AS THOU WILT because men that are free, of gentle birth, well
bred and at home in civilized company possess a natural instinct that
inclines them to virtue and saves them from vice. This instinct they
name their honor.[6]
To be more precise, the text that would later become the Book of the
Law was said to have been dictated to Crowley from a being called
Aiwass, an angel of the highest order. However, in 1920 when Crowley
set up his establishment in Sicily, he called it the Abbey of Thelema,
which is also taken from Rabelais, and in his book Magick in Theory and
Practice, the works of Francois Rabelais were recommended for its
invaluable wisdom. So Crowley was indeed familiar with the work of
Rabelais.
Although the extent of influence on the Rede is debatable, Crowley's
influence cannot be easily dismissed. Gardner was initiated into the
O.T.O. by Crowley in 1946 and was rumored to have met with Crowley as
far back as 1936. After Crowley's death in 1947, many regarded Gerald
as an obvious successor as leader of the order, especially since he had
been granted (purchased) a charter by Crowley empowering Gardner to
start a local encampment of the order. Therefore, Gardner was more than
just slightly involved with the O.T.O. and its teachings. Being that
other writings of Gardner, such as the Charge of the Goddess, were
reworked by Doreen Valiente since, as she put it, "people are just not
going to accept this and take it seriously so long as they think you're
an offshoot of Crowley's O.T.O."[7], it is quite possible that she also
encouraged Gardner to keep the Rede away from sounding like a work of
Crowley. Valiente, an early initiate and High Priestess of Gardner
considered by many to be the "mother of Wicca" for her significant
influence in Gardner's work, was entrusted with editing Gardner's notes
into a more formal book of shadows.
As will be discussed in the next section, Doreen Valiente was no
stranger to the writings of Crowley. In relating Crowley's work with
Wiccan ethics, Valiente also reminds us that the concept of following
one's will is nothing new:
The teachings of Crowley's, embodied in the dictum quoted above,
'Do what thou wilt', is by no means new, and was not invented by him.
Long ago, Saint Augustine said, 'Love and do what you will'. The
initiate of ancient Egypt declared: 'There is no part of me that is not
of the gods'. The pagan Greeks originated the saying: 'To the pure all
things are pure'. The implication is that when one has reached a high
state of spiritual development and evolution one has passed beyond the
comparatively petty rules of religion and society at some particular
time and place, and may indeed do what one wills, because one's true
will is then knowable, and must of its own nature be right. The
Upanishads or sacred scriptures of ancient India tell us that the
knower of Brahma is beyond both good and evil.[8]
Part 3: Eight Words...
The first recorded mention of the Wiccan Rede in the eight-word form
popular today, at least that I have been able to discover thus far, was
in a speech by Doreen Valiente on October 3, 1964 at what may have been
the first witches' dinner organized in modern history. The event was
sponsored by Pentagram, a quarterly newsletter and "witchcraft review"
started and published by Gerard Noel in 1964.
Demanding tolerance between covens as well as toward the outside
world, Doreen spoke the Anglo-Saxon witch formula called the Wiccan
Rede or wise teaching: "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil, An' it harm
none, do what ye will."[1]
The above quote is from Hanz Holzer's book The Truth About Witchcraft
first published in 1969 and again in 1971. This was one of the first
books to present witchcraft from an outsider's view looking in,
observing some of the practices of the various forms of witchcraft in
both the U.S. and U.K. around at the time.
Valiente's "Eight Words" quote was also published in volume one (1964)
of the Pentagram, the UK newsletter that hosted the event and as will
be discussed later was subsequently published beween circa 1965 and
1966 in the United States in The Waxing Moon newsletter. In 1965 the
Rede was again quoted without references in Justine Glass' book
Witchcraft, The Sixth Sense:
The other, only slightly less important belief of the witches is in
hurtlessness; an article of faith also of the ancient Huna religion,
which is thought to have originated in Africa and traveled across the
world, by way of Egypt and India to Hawaii. The kahunas taught that the
only sin was to hurt - either oneself or someone else. The Wiccan
Rede (i.e. Counsel or advice of the Wise Ones) is: 'An ye harm no one,
do what ye will.' [2]
Sadly no reference is given but since Glass had quoted from Pentagram
earlier in that chapter it is quite possible that her above mention of
the Rede derived from something inspired by Valiente's speech in 1964.
The wording is a bit different from that speech, but this may have been
due to the usual changes that occur when information is passed via word
of mouth or as the author recalled the quote from memory. Since Glass
had an advertisement calling for help in her research which was printed
in the same issue of Pentagram (and on the very same page) as
Valiente's "Eight Words" quote, this is a likely source.
Glass' book also goes on to discuss how one of the coven's duties is
to keep its members in check when emotions are strong. This ethical
support mentality was also mentioned by Gardner in The Meaning of
Witchcraft as well as other authors in the 1970's. As I will discuss in
my paper on the Three-Fold Law, as traditional covens gave way to
solitary practice (for the majority), something was needed to fill in
for the coven's grounding element to provide "moral restraint". This
replacement was the emphasis on the Wiccan Rede and the Three-Fold Law.
As Glass insinuated, ethics was not a significant focus in the Craft at
the time (around 1965), although the idea of harming none was generally
accepted.
Another interesting variation is mentioned by Dr. Leo Louis Martello in
his book Witchcraft: The Old Religion (first published in 1973): "Witch
credo 'And ye harm none do what thou wilt'"[3]. According to Dr.
Martello, the quote was part of an article dated March 15, 1972 in The
Villanovan, the newspaper of the Students Union of the Catholic
Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA. Again no sources were given.
Circa 1970/1971, Alex Sanders composed a series of lectures written by
himself and others which were privately distributed as a course for
novices in Alexandrian Wicca, a tradition Sanders founded. In the essay
entitled The Book of Shadows, it is mentioned that during first degree
initiation,
The Book [of Shadows] is closed in front of him [the one being
initiated] and he is shown the cover, on which is often written the
motto of Wicca: "An it harm none - do what ye will." [4]
These lectures were published in the book The Alex Sanders Lectures in
1984 but were in private circulation since the 1970's. This is the only
reference to the wording of the Rede in Sander's published material,
although he had made reference to Crowley's "Do what thou wilt" phrase
in Stewart Farrar's What Witches Do (1971).
Now when it comes to the origin of the Alexandrian tradition of Wicca,
there is much controversy. Alex claimed to have been initiated into the
Craft by his grandmother at the age of seven, which was later
determined to be a hoax. There is also much debate as to how he was
able to obtain a copy of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows which he had
passed off as his own while incorporating additional elements of ritual
magic into it. The point to be made here is simply that Sander's
teachings were heavily influenced by Gardner's work among others and
that this reference to a witches' motto may have derived from
Valiente's Rede assuming the wording in the lecture was not altered at
a later date prior to its compilation and publishing in 1984 - long
after the Rede's widespread dissemination.
There is, however, another important source for the Wiccan Rede, which
is often attributed as the source of its origins. In the Ostara 1975
(Vol. III. No. 69) issue of Green Egg magazine, in an article called
"Wiccan-Pagan Potpourri", was a long (but most will find very familiar)
poem called the Rede Of The Wiccae:
Rede Of The Wiccae
Being known as the counsel of the Wise Ones:
1. Bide the Wiccan Laws ye must In Perfect Love and Perfect
Trust.
2. Live an' let live - Fairly take an' fairly give.
3. Cast the Circle thrice about To keep all evil spirits out.
4. To bind the spell every time - Let the spell be spake in
rhyme.
5. Soft of eye an' light of touch - Speak little, listen much.
6. Deosil go by the waxing Moon - Sing and dance the Wiccan
rune.
7. Widdershins go when the Moon doth wane, An' the Werewolf
howls by the dread Wolfsbane.
8. When the Lady's Moon is new, Kiss thy hand to Her times
two.
9. When the Moon rides at Her peak Then your heart's desire
seek.
10. Heed the Northwind's mighty gale - Lock the door and drop
the sail.
11. When the wind comes from the South, Love will kiss thee on
the mouth.
12. When the wind blows from the East, Expect the new and set the
feast.
13. When the West wind blows o'er thee, Departed spirits
restless be.
14. Nine woods in the Cauldron go - Burn them quick an' burn
them slow.
15. Elder be ye Lady's tree - Burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
16. When the Wheel begins to turn - Let the Beltane fires burn.
17. When the Wheel has turned a Yule, Light the Log an' let Pan
rule.
18. Heed ye flower bush an' tree - By the Lady Blessèd Be.
19. Where the rippling waters go Cast a stone an' truth ye'll
know.
20. When ye have need, Hearken not to others greed.
21. With the fool no season spend Or be counted as his friend.
22. Merry meet an' merry part - Bright the cheeks an' warm
the heart.
23. Mind the Threefold Law ye should - Three times bad an'
three times good.
24. When misfortune is enow, Wear the Blue Star on thy brow.
25. True in love ever be Unless thy lover's false to thee.
26. Eight words ye Wiccan Rede fulfill - An' it harm none, Do
what ye will. [5]
Lady Gwen Thomson[6] (1928-1986), a hereditary witch from New Haven,
Connecticut (USA), attributed this text to Adriana Porter, her paternal
grandmother, who, as she stated "was well into her 90's when she
crossed over into the Summerlands in 1946."[7] Thomson was the primary
teacher of The New England Coven of the Traditionalist Witches
(N.E.C.T.W.), which she founded in 1972, although her teachings were
brought to the public in the late 1960's. This tradition was a
combination of her family's tradition blended with popular occultism.
This was the first time the Rede was publicly referred to as a "rede"
(guideline) since Valiente's 1964 speech and subsequent mention in the
Pentagram and The Waxing Moon, and although the line numbers never
quite took hold, the text itself did, especially the last line. This is
also the first time the Rede was introduced in such a visible and
easily distributed manner and at a time when the Craft was blossoming
in creativity and public interest.
Joseph B. Wilson [8], publisher of the first witchcraft newsletter in
the US (The Waxing Moon)and who for many years acted as a central
networking hub for correspondence, contacts, etc., shared with me that
Lady Gwen was one of his early correspondents. Although Wilson could
not remember much about her, he recalled that he shared a good bit of
his own information from his mentors with her -- which by some accounts
has since ended up as part of her adapted hereditary lineage. Mr.
Wilson was also able to confirm two other important links to Valiente's
Rede influence on the Porter/Thomson Rede:
1) Wilson clearly remembers reprinting Valiente's words in The Waxing
Moon. Since his archive was lost several years ago, he could not give
an exact date, but it would have been circa 1965-1966.
2) Gwen Thompson was a subscriber to The Waxing Moon.
Although this offers some links to a possible influence of Valiente's
Rede in the development of Lady Gwen's rede, it is not conclusive and
so we are left with three likely scenarios:
1) Lady Gwen's stated history of her version of the Rede is accurate
and was written by her grandmother. This will raise the question: If
the passing of Adriana Porter came before the publishing of Gardner's
first book containing elements of witchcraft ritual (High Magic's Aid,
1949) and after Gardner is said to have been initiated by "Old Dorothy
Clutterbuck" in 1939, then could they share a common source? Or could
one have perhaps inspired the Rede from the other? I could find no
evidence to support or deny this.
2) Lady Gwen adapted a poem written by her grandmother, adding more
Wiccan-like elements. Since the tradition Lady Gwen taught is freely
described as an adaptation of her hereditary tradition it is quite
possible that Valiente's Rede influenced some of the rewording of
Adriana Porter's poem, perhaps even unconsciously doing so.
3) The entire history of Lady Gwen's Rede was made up to add a sense of
lineage and credibility to her established tradition. The questionable
claims of family-based initiations pre-dating Gardner were not
un-common and readily abused, so the accuracy of Thomson's claim will
always remain somewhat debatable without documentation.
By 1978 in her book Witchcraft for Tomorrow, Doreen Valiente had also
mentioned the Wiccan Rede.
This idea has been put into a rhymed couplet called the Wiccan
Rede:
Eight Words the Wiccan Rede fulfil:
An it harm none, do what ye will.
This can be expressed in more modern English as follows:
Eight words the Witches' Creed fulfil:
If it harms none, do what you will. [9]
Later in the same book, a longer poetic version of the Rede that
Valiente called the Witches' Creed was introduced.
The Witches' 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 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 magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and witches are seen
At Lammas, and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day-time and night-time are equal,
When the sun is at greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the coven's array.
Thirteen times as Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a 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 magical circle,
By sword or athame or power,
Its compass between the two worlds lie,
In Land of the Shades for that hour.
This world has no right then to know it,
And world beyond will tell naught,
The oldest of Gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand to at the gate of the shrine,
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 a 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 Woodlands,
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 lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the mind,
Immortal and ever-renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Til Elphame's fair land shall receive us,
In peace at the end of our days.
An 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.[10]
Often the "eight words" couplet is tacked on to this when quoted by
others, but in Witchcraft for Tomorrow, where the Witches' Creed was
introduced as part of the Sabbat Rite, only the above text was read
after forming the circle. The "eight words" couplet was used separately
in the same ritual, following the reading of the longer Creed text.
Then take up the pentacle, and pass deosil with it round the
circle, holding it up at the four quarters, east, south, west and
north, and repeating each time:
Eight words the Witches' Creed fulfil:
If it harms none, do what you will.[11]
So technically the "Eight words" couplet poetically refers to the Crede
and is not part of the long version of Creed itself, since that already
includes a similar couplet:
An Do What You Will be the challenge,
So be it in Love that harms none
This is a minor point, and the long Creed can of course be used either
way, but for the sake of accuracy I wanted to make the clarification.
Valiente's earlier book, An ABC of Witchcraft Past & Present, which was
first published in 1973, had no specific entry for the Rede, despite
introducing it in her 1964 speech. Chances are it had not yet "taken
hold" in the early Wiccan "community" that was still largely segregated
and coven-centric by 1973, and thus was not yet something established
enough to be included in an encyclopedia of witchcraft. However in the
entry on Basic Beliefs of Witches, the a variation of the Rede was
mentioned as part of the discourse on the Witches' ethics:
Witches do not believe that true morality consists of observing a
list of thou-shalt-nots. Their morality can be summed up in one
sentence, "Do what you will, so long as it harms none." This does not
mean, however, that witches are pacifists. They say that to allow wrong
to flourish unchecked is not 'harming none'. On the contrary, it is
harming everybody. [12]
This is a perfect example of the perception of Wiccan ethics prior to
the 1980's. Witches were not the epitome of "light and love" but rather
real people who dealt with real situations, not afraid to get their
"hands dirty" when necessary. Witches had a respect for life that was
balanced with both its nurturing aspects and the harsh reality of the
fight for survival. The rede was a summary or point of reference, but
not a complete ethical system in itself.
If the Rede (or at least a version of it) was written by Valiente then
the Crowley influence needs to be accepted as possibility. While
Gardner does not associate Crowley with Wiccan ethics despite drawing
from Crowley's work in other areas, Doreen Valiente, a poet at heart,
would have been much more open to using Crowley's Law.
And mind you, Aleister Crowley, in my opinion, was a marvelous poet
and he has always been undervalued in English literature simply because
of the notoriety which he made for himself and reveled in. He loved
being called the wickedest man in the world and all that sort of
nonsense. The thing is --- as his latest biographer, John Symonds, says
--- he couldn't have it both ways. If he wanted to get himself that
lurid reputation, which he worked very hard at for many years, then he
wasn't, at the same time, going to get a good reputation in English
literature, in spite of the fact that a couple of his poems are in The
Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. I think it's a pity that he's
not had the recognition that he deserves, really, and perhaps later
years will remedy that. [13]
Many of Doreen's books mentioned Crowley and recognized his indirect
influence in Wiccan beliefs and practices. Even in the long text of
Valiente's Creed listed above, there is a line that is very reminiscent
of Crowley's dictum "Love is the Law, Love under Will" that
traditionally followed the greeting "Do what thou wilt shall be the
whole of the Law". Even the spelling of "magick" with a K in the last
line of Valiente's Creed is also very characteristic of Thelema.
An 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.
By the 1980's most books made reference to the Rede, sometimes
modernizing it and other times making it more archaic sounding. By the
1990's many were clueless of the Rede's history and several new
variations of the Rede, often anonymous or lacking references, were
scattered throughout newsletters and of course over the Internet. More
variants seem to use the Porter/Thompson version of the Rede, including
catch phrases such as "in perfect love and perfect trust"[14] and
"merry ye meet, and merry ye part" which are specific to it. It should
be noted however that the phrase "in perfect love and perfect trust" is
also found in the (publicly known) first-degree Gardnerian initiation
rituals. [15]
Part 4: Rede Timeline
Below is a quick timeline for various sources, inspirations, or
appearances of the Rede or related events. Although I have a rather
extensive library, I am sure I am missing some early books and
newsletters that may help fill in the gaps. I consider this paper a
"work in progress" and encourage you to contact me at jcoughlin (at)
waningmoon.com if you have any information to share. Please keep in
mind, however, that I need to be able to confirm the sources to ensure
accuracy although I also welcome first hand experiences, if only to
lead me to new material.
Note: First Publication dates given for all books unless otherwise
noted.
Date Source Quote/Notes
1534 Francois Rabelais' novel Gargantua "DO AS THOU WILT because men
that are free, of gentle birth, well bred and at home in civilized
company possess a natural instinct that inclines them to virtue and
saves them from vice. This instinct they name their honor."
(Crowley's Inspiration)
1901 Pierre Louÿs's The Adventures of King Pausole (English version
in 1919) I. Do no wrong to thy neighbor.
II. Observing this, do as thou pleasest.
(Gardner's Inspiration)
1904 Crowley's The Book of the Law "Do what thou wilt shall be the
whole of the Law."
(Possible influence on Gardner and others familiar with O.T.O. or
Crowley)
1946 (various sources) Adriana Porter, who is said to have written
the version of the Rede printed in 1975 in Green Egg, dies.
1952-1953 Doreen Valiente's The Rebirth of Witchcraft Doreen Valiente
meets (1952) and is initiated (1953) by Gardner. (If Valiente did not
write Rede, any sources could possibly predate this time.)
1956 Gerald Gardner's The Meaning of Witchcraft "[Witches] are
inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, "Do what
you like so long as you harm no one".
(This is the first book on "modern" witchcraft to site the ethics of
witchcraft.)
1957-1961 The Old Laws, Gerald Gardner's Gardnerian (public) Book of
Shadows: (Section D.1 ) "And for long we have obeyed this law, 'Harm
none'"
(Reflect general consensus that Witches did not tend to have a desire
to cause harm.)
1964 (various sources) Gerald Gardner dies.
1964 Doreen Valiente Speech "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil, An'
it harm none, do what ye will."
(First time Rede as we know it today mentioned publicly?)
1964 Pentagram newsletter published by Gerard Noel in UK "Eight words
the Wiccan Rede fulfil,
An' it harm none, do what ye will."
1965 Justine Glass' Witchcraft, The Sixth Sense "The Wiccan Rede
(i.e. Counsel or advice of the Wise Ones) is: 'An ye harm no one, do
what ye will.'"
Note wording is different.
(First book I have found to mention the Rede)
circa 1965-66 The Waxing Moon newsletter published by Joseph B. Wilson
in USA Joseph Wilson clearly remembers reprinting Valiente's words in
The Waxing Moon but he could not give an exact date as sadly his
archive had been lost several years ago.
1969 and 1971 Hanz Holzer's The Truth About Witchcraft Mentioned
Doreen Valiente's 1964 Speech and quotes the Rede.
"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil, An' it harm none, do what ye
will."
(Although this book is now out of print and lost popularity as Wicca
became more publicly known, this was the first book to give insight
into the various types of modern witches at a time when this
information was not widely available, and peaked much interest in the
public.)
Circa 1970/71 Alex Sander's lecture on the Book of Shadows "the motto
of Wicca: 'An it harm none - do what ye will."(This could have
influenced early Alexandrians and possibly others)
1971 Stewart Farrar's What Witches Do The last chapter of the book
(excluding the appendices) ends as follows:
"So I end as the Book of Shadows begins:
Eight words the Wiccan rede fulfill:
An it harm none, do what you will."
1973 Doreen Valiente's An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present
"[Witches'] morality can be summed up in one sentence, 'Do what you
will, so long as it harms none.'"
1973 Dr. Leo Louis Martello, Witchcraft: The Old Religion "Witch
credo 'And ye harm none do what thou wilt'"
(Mentions the "credo" was published in a student newspaper, The
Villanovan, in 1972)
1975 Lady Gwen Thompson, Green Egg magazine, Vol. III. No. 69 (Ostara
1975) Last line of her Rede Of The Wiccae:
"26. Eight words ye Wiccan Rede fulfill - An' it harm none, Do what ye
will."
(This was the most visible appearance of the Rede to date.)
1978 Doreen Valiente's Witchcraft for Tomorrow "Eight Words the
Wiccan Rede fulfil: An it harm none, do what ye will. This can be
expressed in more modern English as follows: Eight words the Witches'
Creed fulfil: If it harms none, do what you will."
Longer poem, the Witches' Creed also introduced.
(First book by a well established Witch to print the Rede?)
Part 5: Conclusion
I must admit I had hoped to find a simple and clean historical path for
the Rede when I first began my research. Chances are Doreen Valiente,
who had edited much of Gardner's work, came up with the Rede using
Gardner's material. I am doubtful, however, that Gardner actually wrote
the Rede himself. Although "harm none" is mentioned several times in
the Craft Laws released by Gardner around 1961, the only reason given
is that any harm could be blamed on witches and thus encourage further
witch hunts.[1]
But when one of our oppressors die, or even be sick, ever is the
cry, "This be Witches Malice," and the hunt is up again. And though
they slay ten of their people to one of ours, still they care not; they
have many thousands, while we are few indeed. So it is Aredan that none
shall use the Art in any way to do ill to any, however much they have
injured us. And for long we have obeyed this law, "Harm none" and now
times many believe we exist not. So it be Aredan that this law shall
still continue to help us in our plight. No one, however great an
injury or injustice they receive, may use the Art in any to do ill or
harm any.[2]
Not once do the laws say to harm no one because it is wrong! Likewise
if there had been a standard ethical stance in the Craft why were there
no specifics in the public contents of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows?
I doubt it was withheld due to secrecy given that an entire section is
dedicated to the importance of working skyclad, a much more risqué
topic to make public than a simple ethical statement.
However, the version of the Rede by Adriana Porter - if Thomson's claim
is true - would have had to have been written before Porter's death in
1946. Although I could find no mention of it prior to its 1975 debut in
Green Egg, that does not discount the possibility that it was in
private circulation much earlier and that such a copy had inspired
Valiente's 1964 speech.
Sadly, Gardner, Valiente, Porter and Thomson have all passed on leaving
these questions largely unanswerable. Despite the fuzzy history of the
Wiccan Rede, one thing is certain; as Wicca became more readily
available, the Rede took a prominent - and needed - place in Wiccan
literature. As more and more solitaries and non-traditionalists began
to practice the Craft without formal initiations, the Rede ensured that
the essence of Wiccan ethics was fostered and a core belief in a very
open and flexible religion was established.
Today much emphasis is placed on the Rede, Karma and the Three-fold
law, sometimes to the point of fundamentalism. Perhaps coming from
predominantly Christian backgrounds we needed the comforting structure
of the moral rules we were used (conditioned?) to, or perhaps our
constant battle with the public to reclaim the term "witch" from its
negative stereotype forced us to begin to over emphasize our morality
in hopes of placating those who would subdue us. Going back to the King
Pausole reference in The Meaning of Witchcraft, Gardner stated that
witches were inclined to a morality of harm none, not that they were
bound to it. Today the Rede is often elevated to the status of law.
I am not going to attempt to analyze the meaning of the Rede itself in
this paper. I have always considered ethics to be a personal matter,
not one to be tainted with a social, political or religious agenda.
This is why I like the use of the word "rede"; it infers a guideline,
not a strict law, thus allowing each of us to seek our own meaning
based on our own experiences, and learned by our own mistakes.
As I mentioned earlier, despite all the research, I consider this a
work in progress and invite you to contact me at jcoughlin (at)
waningmoon.com if you feel you have any reference material or firsthand
experience to add. I know, for instance, that Hanz Holzer had published
an article on Witchcraft prior to 1969 that was published in over 150
newspapers throughout the US. I do not know if the Rede or ethics was
mentioned in that article. Likewise, there were many small newsletters
and journals than came and went in both the US and UK during the 1960's
and 1970's which may have disseminated the Rede, not to mention
articles by early prominent authors and teachers that may have appeared
in local newspapers.
I have added a section to include related commentary so that you may
view both feedback/criticism of this site as well as further insights
from visitors. I have also created a link page to list other related
sites as well as on-line source material.
Part 6: Bibliography
Footnotes
[1] The laws were said to be "of old" and so reflected the mentality of
witches during the time of the witch persecutions. The validity of
these origins, however, is debatable. (I hope to explore the craft laws
in more detail at some point in a separate essay.)
[2] Kelly, Aidan, Public contents of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows
(webpage), section D.1 The Old Laws (1961), starting at [L:40] or
Kelly, Aidan, Crafting the Art of Magic: Book 1, 1991, page 156
Part 6: Bibliography
Below are some of the major sources. I still need to complete the list
as time permits.
Publications referenced in this essay:
* Baker, J. (ed.), The Alex Sanders Lectures, (Magickal Childe, New
York, USA, 1984)
* Crow, W.B., Witchcraft, Magic & Occultism, (Wilshire Book
Company, California, USA, 1968)
* Crowley, Aleister, Magick in Theory and Practice, (Dover, New
York, USA, 1976)
* Gardner, Gerald, Meaning of Witchcraft (Magickal Childe, New
York, USA, 1982)
* Glass, Justine, Witchcraft, The Sixth Sense, (Wilshire Book Co.,
London, UK, 1965)
* Holzer, Hans, The Truth About Witchcraft, (Pocket Book, New York,
USA, 1971)
* Humenaeus Beta Xº (ed.), The Equinox Volume III, Number 10,
(Samuel Weiser, Maine USA, 1986)
* Hutton, Ronald, The Triumph of the Moon, (Oxford University
Press, New York, USA, 1999)
* Kelly, Aidan, Crafting the Art of Magic: Book 1, (Llewellyn
Publications, Minnesota, USA, 1991)
* Louÿs, Pierre, Collected Works of Pierre Louÿs, (Liveright
Publishing, New York, USA, 1932)
* Martello, Leo Louis (Dr.), Witchcraft: The Old Religion, (Citadel
Books, New Jersey, USA 1975)
* Noel, Gerard (ed.), Pentagram, (Number 2, November 1964)
* Rabelais, Francois, Gargantua and Pantagruel,
* Valiente, Doreen, An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present, (St.
Martin's Press, New York, 1973)
* Valiente, Doreen, The Rebirth of Witchcraft, (Phoenix Publishing,
Washington USA, 1989)
* Valiente, Doreen, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, (Phoenix Publishing,
Washington USA, 1978)
* Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon (ed.), Green Egg, (Vol. III. No. 69,
Ostara 1975)
(List to be continued!)
Online Documents referenced in this essay:
* Public Contents of the Gardnerian Book of Shadows (Compiled from
Kelly, Aidan, Crafting the Art of Magic: Book 1),
http://www.neopagan.com/library/gardenarianbos.htm
* Doreen Valiente 1991 Interview with FireHeart,
http://www.earthspirit.com/fireheart/fhdv1.html
* Doreen Valiente 1997 speech at National Conference of the Pagan
Federation, http://users.drak.net/Lilitu/valiente.htm
* New England Coven of Traditionalist Witches,
http://www.nectw.org/
Private Correspondences:
* Theitic (NECTW), August 2001
* Tori McElroy/Joseph B. Wilson, December 1, 2001
* Tori McElroy/Joseph B. Wilson, December 3, 2001
Books prior to 1980 researched that did not contain mention of the rede
(Author, Title, Date of first printing - date order)
(Need time to type!!)
Books prior to 1980 researched that did contain mention of the rede
(Author, Title, Date of first printing - date order of first
publication)
Noel, Gerard (ed.), Pentagram, Number 2, November 1964
Wilson, Joseph (ed.), The Waxing Moon, circa 1965-1966
Glass, Justine, Witchcraft, The Sixth Sense, 1965
Holzer, Hans, The Truth About Witchcraft, 1969
Doreen Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, 1973
Martello, Leo Louis (Dr.), Witchcraft: The Old Religion, 1973
Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon (ed.), Green Egg, 1975
Doreen Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow, 1978
(List to be continued!)
Part 7: Commentary
Please send all feedback, comments, insights, etc. to jcoughlin (at)
waningmoon.com. I will only be listing related commentary and insight
on this page, or perhaps useful feedback that will assist in research
for others.
# Letter from newsgroup about Thelema and Crowley (Worked into essay)
# Letter from Moondancer, a Georgian Tradition and NECTW Elder about
pre-1975 Porter/Thompson Rede publications
Additional Commentaries:
This is part of a letter from author Cheri Scotch dated January 13,
2002. I'll have to look into the dates and see if there was any
influence from Francois Rabelais' novel Gargantua published in 1534.
I read your very interesting web page and have some information you
might want. In St. Augustine's tract "On the Gospel of St. John,"
Augustine writes: "Love, and do what you will." Later churchmen edited
it to "Love god, and do what you will."
The Evolution of Wiccan Ethics
About the Author
John J. Coughlin is editor of the NYC Pagan Resource Guide as well as
creator/webmaster of the many other free services on waningmoon.com. He
is also author of the new book Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of
Dark Paganism and Magick which seeks to regain a balance in Paganism,
which often shuns anything related to "darkness" in fear of being
associated with "evil".
More information about the author can be found on his webpage, the
JohnCoughlin.com.
You can contact the author by clicking here
© 2001-2002, John J. Coughlin. This text may be disseminated freely
for educational purposes provided it includes proper credit containing
a link back to waningmoon.com.
