And it Harm None, do What Thou Wilt

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And it Harm None, do What Thou Wilt By Rev. Catweasel
January-3-2006

Bide the Wiccan laws ye must
In perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An it harm none, do what ye will.
Lest in thy self-defense it be,
Ever mind the rule of three.
Follow this in mind and heart,
And merry meet, and merry part.

It is often stated that the Wiccan Rede will return to the sender whatever they put out, only threefold.
So if you bless another person, you get three times the blessing. If you curse them, three times the curse is returned to you.
This doesn't make a lot of sense, because if you make someone lose their job, for example, it isn't like you can lose your own job three times over (at least not at one time, as might happen to the recipient).
So people assume this is wrong, because they figure that the rule of three is a simple 'amplicifation' of what a person does.
This allows people to figure that they can 'get away' with magic that hurts another person, or find a loop hole. This is of course baloney and the sender ultimately finds out to their cost.
The rule of three does not mean three times the reward or risk. Rather it means that whatever you put out, will return to you in mind, body and spirit.
So if you help someone in distress, your spirit will soar (1), you will feel better about yourself mentally (2) and you will benefit physically (3)either in the same manner, or because of the combined effect of the positive energy you have generated in Mind and Body.
Likewise, if you deliberately hurt someone, your spirit will fall, because that is not the action of an evolved being. You will feel a degree of guilt inside (either consciously or subconsciously) and you will suffer physically - again, either in the same manner (because you have created the reality and are therefore subject to it), or through the manifestation of physical ill effects brought on by the negativity generated in your mind and spirit.
It is for these reasons that most religions, including Wicca, teach that it is better to 'rise above' that which offends or disturbs you. Meditation is an incredibly useful tool in this regard, and is certainly a lot safer and more spiritually beneficial than resorting to spellcraft of questionable merit...
Catweasel is Priest of the Correllian Tradition and a Ceremonial Magician in the Golden Dawn. You may contact him at catweasel@witchschool.com.







http://www.pagannews.com/cgi-bin/articles1.pl?290

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Even an old Pagan Priestess can learn something in the wee hours. Goddess always sends me the perfect messages when my heart aches. Mind, Body Spirit.......of course its the perfect, simplistic explanation. We bring upon ourselves what we put out and we receive in kind in three.

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Bide the Wiccan laws ye must
In perfect love and perfect trust;
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill,
An it harm none, do what ye will.
Lest in thy self-defense it be,
Ever mind the rule of three.
Follow this in mind and heart,
And merry meet, and merry part.

It seems theres a misconception that a Pagan is barred from protecting or defending themselves. The Rede does not mean any such thing. It does remind us of the three fold rule and to guide our actions being mindful of the law.

the rule of three does not mean three times the reward or risk. Rather it means that whatever you put out, will return to you in mind, body and spirit.

So if you help someone in distress, your spirit will soar (1), you will feel better about yourself mentally (2) and you will benefit physically (3)either in the same manner, or because of the combined effect of the positive energy you have generated in Mind and Body.

Likewise, if you deliberately hurt someone, your spirit will fall, because that is not the action of an evolved being. You will feel a degree of guilt inside (either consciously or subconsciously) and you will suffer physically - again, either in the same manner (because you have created the reality and are therefore subject to it), or through the manifestation of physical ill effects brought on by the negativity generated in your mind and spirit.

Paganism isnt the only faith to teach these basic rules. Almost ALL faiths have these basic beliefs.

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The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief.



Written and compiled by George Knowles


It has been said many times, and I myself can be quoted saying “Wicca has no high authority, no single leader, no prophet and no bible to dictate its laws and beliefs”. Yet in America during 1973–74, an attempt was made to uniform and define the many differing beliefs across the many paths and traditions prevalent at that time. A short-lived alliance of contemporary witches was formed under the aegis of the ‘Council of American Witches’ spearheaded by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke.

Weschcke believed that a common set of principles and definitions encompassing the many paths and traditions in America, would ultimately help to dispel many of the myths about Witchcraft, and distinguish it from Satanism and other misconceptions in the eyes of the general public, and such as proliferated though the general press media.

As happened, some 73 or so representatives from the many paths and traditions convened in Minneapolis during the autumn of 1973. They formed the ‘Council of American Witches’ and Weschcke was nominated as chairman. Through his publishing company Weschcke published a newsletter called ‘Touchstone’ which the council used to collate information about their many differing beliefs.

After many difficulties and altercations, by April ’74 the council was able to unify a general set of principles loosely acceptable across the many traditions operating in America. Based on this, Weschcke then wrote and defined ‘The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief’.

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The 13 Principles of 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 toward 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 a depth of power far greater than that 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 the masculine and the 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 energy used in magical practice and religious worship.
5.We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconsciousness, the Inner Planes etc – and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical 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 ‘Witch’ does not make a Witch – but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seek to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and 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 giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.
10.Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards 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 legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.
12.We do not accept the concept of absolute 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 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.

Due to Weschcke's efforts these principles were later incorporated into the army's 'Chaplains handbook' for use in the U.S. Army. Shortly after this achievement the Council of American Witches disbanded, this due mainly to the difficulties inherent in reconciling differences among its many member traditions. The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief lived on however, and today many American Witches continue to endorse it.

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This is an interesting article on how we try to live and teach our value system.


http://www.widdershins.org/vol7iss6/05.htm

But what about when someone's Will is causing harm? What happens when a drug dealer sells drugs to curious children? What happens when someone's sex drive causes him or her to react inappropriately toward a minor? How does one deal with the harm that this causes without hurting our children or impeding another person's Will? This gets tricky, indeed, when there are no commandments that outline particular behavior.

Each lifetime has its lessons to learn, and perhaps your path has crossed the path of one of these types of people. Think about the lessons learned from a drug dealer, an oversexed acquaintance or a violent maniac. The lesson to "stay away from these types" had to be learned somewhere in life. Would you be who you are if no one had ever done you harm?

Ive said this many times over.

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http://www.pagantheology.com/Writing...Frivolous.html

Excellent site on Theology.


Frivolous as a way to marginalize
Bullying, and discrimination in its many forms, needs to marginalize the victims. You aren’t like us. You aren’t human like us. You are weird. So it’s OK to pick on you.
Frivolous implies that it’s not serious. Its funny and campy, something that the serious-minded needn’t worry about. It puts us far, far away from the high dungeon of the Catholic or Episcopalian Churches. We are religion “light,” one that does not come with the serious, solemn, and difficult commitments of other religions.

We will eventually come to our senses.
If a religion is frivolous because its a freely chosen faith, as opposed to one you are raised in, then a whole bunch of other religions that have a symbol on the headstone will need to go. Eckankar, atheism, and humanism in particular are religions I would assume most come to later in life. But they all have headstone symbols.

If a religion is frivolous because it is easy to join, and easy to leave, then most religions would qualify. And whoever said Paganism was easy to enter into? Many Pagan traditions believe that you need to be called, and found, by those who will teach you. When the time is right you will encounter a coven and enter into the craft. And then there are the initiations required in many traditions. Not many religions require studying for a year and a day before you can even be considered a member.

The only way frivolous would apply to us was if it meant, “requires hard, serious, work to enter into.”
Frivolous as a reflection of ourselves
When the bullies try to pick on us, its important, I believe, to ask if we’re doing anything to attract them.
A facile response to being called “frivolous” would say, “of course we’re frivolous” we don’t take ourselves as seriously as you do yourselves, and we have a place for joy, laughter, pranks, and naughtiness in our religion. Thanks for the compliment.

That would be one way to read this.
Another way to read the word is that we don’t fit in. We don’t fit in with the guys wearing green golf shirts, slapping each other on the back, dropping a few grand for a golf vacation to get away from the wife and three kids back at the MacMansion. We don’t get it, perhaps deliberately. We’re not participating. And for that reason Biff and Bobby and the guys at the club can single us out as someone who can be put down.

I would argue that, for some set of Pagans, this is not an entirely unfair characterization. Being different is also a way to defend oneself against the very bullys and cretins who run the country clubs and exclude those who don’t fit in. We travel in circles that, for adults, are not given the moniker of serious endeavor by the larger society. Role players, SCA’ers, filker’s, science fiction readers and (Gods help us) Science-Fiction convention-goers are not quite the mainstream. [14]
I believe that there are two strong answers to this criticism.
First, the perception that those on the margins of behavior are somehow less deserving of consideration, respect, or humanity is not supported by any reasonable argument. In fact most religions, and most ethical systems, would say that the marginal have a greater claim on society than those who are in charge and better off. It is, again, a form a bullying to pick on those who are “different” in order to justify your own position in society.

But I think there is another part to this argument. There is also not much rational support for the contention that the way the vast majority of those on top of the social heap live creates more happiness, fulfillment, or whole-life success than those who are “odd” and pursue hobbies or interests divergent from the rest of society. In other words: I think the role-players, SCA’ers, and Pagans are probably a lot happier than the other guys. Nor are those on the social margins any less self-absorbed and inconsiderate of suffering than those in the mainstream. I’d guess that they are actually less self-absorbed than the mainstream.

I would argue that those with divergent interests, while they may not command as many resources as the elite groups, do far less harm than those on top. They use fewer resources, oppress fewer people, and commit violence and destructive behavior with much less frequency. This is an even stronger argument if you throw in the organized, collective, forms of mischief supported by those on top, such as war, pollution, and economic oppression.

Just because we’re different does not mean we’re losers. We may, in fact, have a better life than many of those who are “winners.”
On the other hand those who flaunt our religion in order to give themselves a false sense of position, importance, or esteem need to be addressed. We should not be a religion that fulfills peoples need to create a place where they can imagine themselves to be powerful, important, or justified when they are not. Paganism is not a role-playing game. It should not be an escape from the world.

To use any Pagan path in that way is a false use of religion, an apostasy that I believe does occur in the modern Pagan movement. It is false because it makes the believer, and the faith, into an instrument. It makes religion into an object, a tool that will be used to fulfill the believer’s ego and need for self-fulfillment. That is not religion: it is fantasy
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Magic works best when it is not spoken of. The Gardnarians and Alexandrians have an important contribution to make: silence. Silence begets humility, and ensures that motivation is not self-centric, but Goddess and God centric. Not silence about faith, but silence about self, about ego. We should speak out loudly and strongly, but about our beliefs and not about ourselves.

I believe that those who enter our religion for ego gratification can be held against us. They can be seen as frivolous, because, in fact, they are frivolous. They are using our religion for things that are not of the spirit, but of the world.

However, if we are going to stereotype religions based on the behavior of a subset of their worshipers, then we are going to have a long discussion about the big three religions. Simply because a faith draws to a specific demographic, for example people named Biff and Episcopalians, does not necessarily mean that the faith cannot be a source of truth, inspiration, and spiritual depth. Jesus was poor, an outcast who died on the cross. He didn’t (as far as we know) play golf.
What to make of all this?

They are going to label us as frivolous in order to try and marginalize us and bully us off the stage. Our best option is to speak out about this bullying. To label it for what it is. And as we do we should look to our own faith, to our own hearts, and seek to ensure that we are focused on the Gods and Goddesses and connecting with them and each other through ritual, magic, service, and love. That focus will lead to behavior and action that will show everyone just how serious we are. We can speak truly and strongly about the depth of our beliefs. Our actions will show just how weighty our faith is. And, ultimately, hopefully, lead others to think about what they mean by serious, what the hard faces they wear will do to them, and come join us in our faithful frivolity.

And in the end we may need to discover an important truth we have been missing all long: our faith may represent an alternative way of seeing the world, and in turn may threaten the very foundations of beliefs and faiths based on holy scripture. We may find that we own a belief that is stronger than any of us imagine.

[Nina]

Dropping by to remind u to chant under the corn moon the rede tonight. may it light the path of us all

[primitive man]

and i said a hello to you dear.

i can't pigeon hole myself. i recognize all my ancestors, and don't follow one basic rule of beliefs.
i am scottish, scadanavian, african, english, german, and american first nation.
i am more of a ancestor worshipper. but i let "dreams" guide me. i don't see things as coincidence. it was meant to be. although we make decisions, but things happen in a wyrd way that guides us into certain directions. no matter what we decide. there are too many sides of what could happen when we make a decision. that's where fate comes in.
the only thing that carried over in my family of the native part is a couple of cultural things. platning a certain way, and that after so many years of too much drought, a blacksnake is killed and hung up into a tree or on a fence to ask for rain. it has to be serious. this is a common eastern woodland ndn thing to believe.