Principles of Wiccan Belief

In April of 1974 a group of people who were practicing the religion of Wicca had a meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 73 people of different paths came together to work with each other in the hope to bring Wicca and Paganism to the public and help to dispel the misinformation that the public had received on what Wicca and Pagan religions were about. These principles have been included in the U.S. Army handbooks given to chaplains as well as circulated in many different publications.

The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience and needs. We are not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning within our Council. It is in this spirit of welcome and cooperation that we adopt these few principles of Wiccan belief. In seeking to be inclusive, we do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of our group by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to those principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not wish to deny participation to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural heritage, or sexual preference. We therefore ask only that those who seek to identify with us accept those few basic principles:

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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.
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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.
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We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is 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 us all.
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We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this same Creative Power lives in all people and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
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We recognize both outer and inner or psychological worlds - sometimes known as the Spiritual World, The Collective Unconscious, The Inner Planes, etc. - and we see in their interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
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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.
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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.
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Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch, but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/ herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
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We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuance of evolution and development of consciousness that gives meaning to the Universe we know and to our personal role within it.
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Our only animosity toward Christianity or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true, right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others, and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
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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 various traditions. We are concerned only with our present and our future.
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We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil" nor do we worship any entity known as Satan or the Devil, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived through denial to another.
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We seek within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

Where most Wiccans follow these principles still today, many are not aware of them as they are of the Wiccan Rede. The Wiccan Reed was written by Doreen Valiente, though it's history began with Gardner's The Old Laws where he states Do what thou wilt. Again, it is a rephrase of Aleister Croley's works from 1904 in The Book of The Law where it states Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law , love under Will. This however is said to be an adaptation from Francois Rabelas' Do as tho wilt because men that are free, of gentle birth, well bred and at home in civilized company possess a natural instinct that inclines them to virtue and saves them from vice. This instinct they name their honor. which was written in 1534. However it cam about, the actual poem was published in 1974 in the neo-Pagan magazine Earth Religion News. This was a twenty-six line poem, each line containing a rhymed couplet. The last line in the poem is is known as the familiar "Short Rede"

This poem was shortly followed by another version "The Rede of the Wiccae" by Lady Gwen Thompson in Green Egg magazine. It was said that the earlier published text was distorted from "its original form". This version is widely known as the "Long Rede"

Hear now the word of the Witches, the secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway, That now we bring forth in the light.

Mysterious Water and Fire, The Earth and the wide-ranging Air,
By hidden Quintessence we know Them, and we will keep silent and dare.

The birth and rebirth of all Nature, the passing of Winter and Spring,
We share with the life Universal, rejoice in the Magical Ring

Four times in the year the Great Sabbat, returns, and the Witches are seen,
At Lammas and Candelas dancing, on May Eve and old Halloween

When daytime and nighttime are equal, when sun is at greatest and least,
The four lesser Sabbats are summoned, again Witches gather in feast.

Thirteen silver moons in a year are, thirteen is the Covens array,
Thirteen times at Esbat make merry, for each golden year and a day.

The power has passed down the ages, each time between woman and man
Each century unto the other, ere times and the ages began.

When drawn is the Magickal circle, by sword or athame of power,
Its compass between two worlds lies, in the land of shades of that hour.

Our world has no right to know it, and the world beyond will tell naught,
The oldest of Gods are invoked there, the great work of Magic is wrought.

For two are the mystical pillars, that stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of Nature, the forms and the forces divine.

And do what thou wilt be the challenge, so be it in love that harms none,
For this is the only commandment, By Magick of old be it done.

Eight words the Witches Rede fulfill:
If it Harms none, Do what Thou Will!

Each person has his or her own interpretations of the Rede and how they incorporate it into their spiritual practice. Some people see it as the rules to live and practice by, others simply see it as a nice poem or a recommendation. In understanding what constitutes as harm is also a subject of debate. Do we see this as one would interpret the 10 Commandments or The Golden Rule? Or is there a different meaning to why these words had such a profound effect on the Wiccan community and its progression into modern thought? It is therefore up to the practitioner to decide how the Rede works into their own personal path and how or if you choose to follow it.

To practice Witchcraft or to follow Pagan religions you do not have to follow the Rede, nor do you have to adhere to it if you are practicing Wicca. It is up to the practitioner to decide what set of ethics he or she works with.

author: Colleen M. Criswell