Home > Wiccan Rede

(Rede is an archaic word meaning, among other things, "saying" and "advice." It is cognate with German Rede.)

There are a number of variations of this saying, the above being the most popular. Other versions include:

And it harm none, do as thou wilt

Do what you will, so long as it harms none

An it harm none, do what thou will

That it harm none, do as thou wilt

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, / An it harm none do what ye will.

The combination of Wicca with no harm to others and do what thou wilt made its first known appearance in The Old Laws by Gerald Gardner, 1953. A similar phrase, Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law, appears in Aleister Crowley's works by at least 1909, in The Book of the Law.

The Rede is seen by both Wiccans and outside observers as very similar to the Golden Rule, a belief that is found in nearly every religion. It should be noted that, while the Golden Rule forbids harm subjectively, the Wiccan Rede forbids harm absolutely. The concept of ethical reciprocity is not explicity stated, but most Wiccans interpret the Rede to imply the Golden Rule in the belief that the spirit of the Rede is not just to do no harm, but to actively do good for one's fellow humans as well as oneself. Different sects of Wiccans read "none" differently: some include the self, others include animals or plants, and so forth.

It is also noted by some as similar to the Harm principle

In addition to the concept of ethical reciprocity expressed by most versions of the Golden Rule, however, the Rede also expressly rejects the concept of sin outside of harm to oneself or to another.

The rejection of specific exhortations and prohibitions of conduct such as those given in the Ten Commandments in Christianity makes its character somewhat different. The Rede is only a guideline which the individual must interpret to fit each particular situation.

Interestingly, the ethics espoused in the Rede have gained quite a bit of modern currency among anarchists and some libertarians, and have become widely used in debates over, e.g., drug legalization and euthanasia.

Compare with: ThelemaThelema is the English spelling of the Greek word Theta;ελημ&alpha which means 'will' or 'intention. Aleister Crowley's Thelema Thelema is the name of a philosophical/religious system established in 1904 by Aleister Crowley with the

1 See also

• Rule of ThreeThe rule of three (or threefold law is an important tenet in Wicca. It states that both the good and the evil that one creates in the world will be returned threefold (in joy or suffering). It is therefore seen as a pragmatic reason for ethical behaviour

2 External links

• The Wiccan Rede: A Historical Journey
• Exegesis on the Wiccan Rede
• The Wiccan Rede
• The Wiccan Rede Project