WICCAN Information
The Wiccan Rede
Bide ye Wiccan laws you must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
Live ye must and let to live,
fairly take and fairly give
For the circle thrice about
to keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind ye spell well every time,
let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch
speak ye little, listen much.
Dosil go by the waxing moon
chanting out ye baleful tune
When ye Lady's moon is new,
kiss ye hand to her times two
When ye moon rides at her peak,
Then ye hearts desire seek
Heed the North winds mighty gale
lock the door and trim the sail.
when the wind comes from the South
love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the East
expect the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in the caldron go
burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree
burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
When the wheel begins to turn
soon ye beltane fires will burn
When the Wheel hath turned a Yule
light the log the Horned One rules.
Heed ye flowers, bush and tree
by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters go
Cast a stone the thruth ye'll know
When you have and hold a need
harken not to others greed.
With a fool no season spend
or be counted as his friend.
Merry meet and Merry part
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind ye threefold law you should,
three times bad and three times good.
When mistfortune is enow,
wear the star above thy brow.
True in love must ye ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee.
These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;
An harm ye none, do what ye will.
The 13 Wiccan Principles
The following set of thirteen principles was adopted by the Council of American Witches, in April, 1974.
- 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.
- 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 and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
- 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.
- 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 feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to each other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
- We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. ~and we see in the 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch, but neither does heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.
- 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
- 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 surpress other ways of religious practice and belief.
- As American {Or World-Wide!} 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.
- 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 sufferings of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
- We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
