Under a Violet Sun

In part two of this three part post, I’ll examine the meaning of the maxim many Wiccans strive to live by: As it harms none, do what you will. 

From attorney, activist, and Wiccan author Phyllis Curott in her interview with Guy Spiro of The Monthly Aspectarian:

We are indicted in the rest of the religious community for that. They look at that and they think we’re hedonists and amoral. [It’s] an extension of the concept of living in the sacred universe. [If] we behave in a reverential and sacred manner because [we understand and experience the world as sacred], then we are free to do what we think best as long as nothing is harmed. You have a tremendous freedom, but with it comes responsibility that you are not engaging in behavior that does harm to the sacred.                  

I would add a layer to this by saying that because Wiccans believe everything is interconnected, we accept that harming one part also harms the whole.

This philosophy isn’t just more new-age fluff. Isaac Newton taught us that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Clear-cutting 50 acres of forestland results in soil erosion (tree roots keep the earth from washing away), greater pollution (trees clean the air), and disruption of animal habitat which in turn imbalances the local food chain (and on and on).

As Phyllis alluded, some outside Wicca believe the Rede is too ambiguous to offer clear moral direction. Would it surprise you to learn that some Wiccans feel the same way?

When I first came to the Wiccan path I saw the Rede as the sum of the religion’s moral code – something that when applied would ensure moral and ethical victory no matter the situation. But as time went by I realized for the Rede to work in all situations, all possible actions (including lack of action) must be easily classified as either helpful or harmful. When I started to realize this wasn’t possible, I began to see how the Rede can break down in some situations. For example, it’s easy to determine that physically hurting someone violates the Rede. But what if this is necessary to defend myself or my family from someone with malicious intent?

Randall Sapphire further illustrates this dilemma in his editorial Problems with the Wiccan Rede:  

For example, if a Rede-literalist came across a person unconscious and dying of heart failure at the side of the road, they’d have to walk on by rather than give CPR, because they are unable to get the person’s permission to help them — and for all they know the person might want to die (or so they often claim to excuse their inaction).

Now, rather than viewing the Rede as an all-encompassing moral directive, I view it as a starting point and recognize that it isn’t a cure-all for every possible moral and ethical woe.

The fallacy that all things can be quickly sorted into conveniently labeled bins – right or wrong, good or bad – is a hold-over from patriarchal religion that discourages critical thinking and personal responsibility. Though at first glance it may not seem so, Wiccans who defy common sense to uphold the literal meaning of the Rede have endorsed this fallacy – one incompatible with the value we place on individual accountability.

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If there’s one thing most religions can agree on, it’s the Ethic of Reciprocity (commonly known as “The Golden Rule”). In Wicca, it’s called the Wiccan Rede:  As it harms none, do what you will.

This is the first of three posts discussing the forms, meaning, and history of the Wiccan Rede.

Inspired by mention of the Golden Rule Society in Edain McCoy‘s book Making Magick: What it is and how it works, I decided to collect each major religion’s equivalent to the Rede and display it here. My research led me to ReligiousTolerance.org, where I found someone had already done this exact thing. I’ll provide a condensed version below, and will refer those interested in the expanded passages and source documentation to the link above. I’ll endeavor to provide links to each religion listed below (listed alphabetically) for those curious.

Bahá’í Faith: “Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not.”

Brahmanism: “Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.”

Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”

Christianity: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

Confucianism: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.”

Hinduism: “Do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.”

Islam: “None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”

Jainism: “In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.”

Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary.”

Native American: “Do not wrong or hate your neighbor. For it is not he who you wrong, but yourself.” (Pima proverb)

Roman Paganism: “The law imprinted on the hearts of all men is to love the members of society as themselves.”

Shinto: “The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form.”

Sikhism: “Don’t create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone.”

Sufism: “The basis of Sufism is consideration of the hearts and feelings of others. If you haven’t the will to gladden someone’s heart, then at least beware lest you hurt someone’s heart, for on our path, no sin exists but this.”

Taoism: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.” Also, “recompense injury with kindness.”

Unitarianism: “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

Wicca: “As it harms none, do what you will.”

Yoruba (Nigeria): “One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.”

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