The Wiccan Rede

So, we’ve talked about the Wicca a lot on the blog, but I don’t think we have ever really mentioned the Wiccan Rede.  

For those of you that don’t know what the Wicca Rede is, it is essentially like the Bible for Wiccans, although not nearly as long as the Bible. It is most commonly a phrase or saying that supplies the key moral systems for Wicca as a religion. The most common version of the Rede is:  

An ye harm none, do what ye will.  

Which personally I find to be self-explanatory. Don’t harm anyone while working your craft. But this version was actually taken from a longer poem titled the Wiccan Rede.  

A longer version of the Rede was written by Doreen Valiente and was first publicly recorded around the 1960s. This is considered the ”eight word” version of the Rede, which states:  

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

There are several different versions of the Rede that have been written since the 60s, most of the different versions just change up the way it is written but keep the same principle. The sentiment of the Wiccan Rede has been seen long before the actual Rede was ever published. There have been writings with the same general meaning from centuries ago.  

In 1974, there was a version of the Wiccan Rede published in a magazine called Earth Religion News, this version of the rede was a twenty-six line poem. Below is the full version of the Rede.  

Bide the Wiccan Laws we must In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.  
Live and let live. Fairly take and fairly give.  
Cast the Circle thrice about to keep the evil spirits out.  
To bind the spell every time let the spell be spake in rhyme.  
Soft of eye and light of touch, speak little, listen much.  
Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the Witches’ Rune.  
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out the baneful rune.  
When the Lady’s moon is new, kiss the hand to her, times two.  
When the moon rides at her peak, then your heart’s desire seek.  
Heed the North wind’s mighty gale, lock the door and drop the sail.  
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth.  
When the wind blows from the West, departed souls will have no rest.  
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.  
Nine woods in the cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.  
Elder be the Lady’s tree, burn it not or cursed you’ll be.  
When the Wheel begins to turn, let the Beltane fires burn.  
When the Wheel has turned to Yule, light the log and the Horned One rules.  
Heed ye flower, Bush and Tree, by the Lady, blessed be.  
Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone and truth you’ll know.  
When ye have a true need, hearken not to others’ greed.  
With a fool no season spend, lest ye be counted as his friend.  
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart.  
Mind the Threefold Law you should, three times bad and three times good.  
When misfortune is enow, wear the blue star on thy brow.  
True in love ever be, lest thy lover’s false to thee.  
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An ye harm none, do what ye will. 

There was some controversy over the full origin of the Rede, there was a claim that it was rewritten and changed from a saying that was passed down in a family, which could be true. But the evidence doesn’t necessarily support this theory. At the time the claim was made, Wicca as a religion was fairly new, and there really wouldn’t have been any way for the Rede to have been passed down from grandparents when the religion it is referring to didn’t technically exist at the time.  

Don’t get me wrong, not all Wiccans follow the Rede, and they don’t have too. Following the Wiccan Rede should be completely up to the practitioner. That being said, some covens could make following the Rede part of their requirements to join, which is also their right. If that makes you feel uncomfortable, then that’s not the group for you. And that is completely okay. Don’t let anyone bully you into conforming your craft into what they think it should be.  

I personally don’t completely follow the Rede. My version is more ”Do no harm, but take no shit”. I completely agree, you shouldn’t start off intending to try and hurt someone or something. That’s being a shitty person. But at the same time, if someone is being shitty to you, I don’t agree with sitting by and just taking it because the Wiccan Rede says so. Your protection and the protection of your loved ones matter more. The gods aren’t going to look down on you and think you unworthy because you aren’t following a concept that was made up by another human.  

So, that was what the Wiccan Rede is, and my thoughts on it. I would love to hear what you think of Wiccan Rede. Let me know in the comments below! Also, share this with your friends, let’s see what they think of it as well!