The Wiccan Rede and Threefold Law:
"Rede" is derived from an Old English word "roedan" which means to guide or direct. 1 One common version of the Rede is:
"An it harm none, do what thou wilt."
"An" and "wilt" are Old English words for "if" and "want to."
The Rede states that a Wiccan is free to do what ever they want to, as long as it does not harm themselves or anyone else. Harm is normally considered to include manipulation, domination, attempts to control, physically injure, emotionally harm, or hurt another person or group in any way.
The Threefold Law (a.k.a. the Law of Return) adds a reward for those who follow the Wiccan Rede, and a punishment for those who violate it. The law states that:
"All good that a person does to another returns three fold in this life; harm is also returned three fold."
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3 comments:
More confused..
do you believe it, though? i guess maybe i haven't been patient enough, but it seems shitty stuff happens to good people, and bad peopel don't get properly punished at all, let alone three fold.
I thought I was going to end up Wiccan for a while, but it never jived with me, and as it turns out, these two ideas are the only bits that really stay with me after all this time. I think that the rule of three and the rede are both just (if you'll pardon my little semi-Buddist pun) incarnations of the principle of karma. If you expect that your actions will have a consequence in the future to either you or someone else, it makes a complete difference in the way that you act.
As an aside, and really, as more of a response to the post before this one, are you interested in finding a religion primarily because of a need to connect with/express your beliefs or primarily because of the sense of spiritual community or an equal mixture of the two?
Also, why Wicca? Please don't let my questions discourage you--I find that seeking faith and spiritual communion is incredibly fascinating.
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