Pagan Values Blogging Month #2: The Wiccan Rede

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Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, An' it harm none, do what ye will

I used to be an Alexandrian Wiccan, many many moons ago. I stopped considering myself a Wiccan when I was 23. But for about 5 years, I was a Wiccan. One of the primary tenets of Wicca is the Wiccan Rede, quoted above. Gerald Gardner stole it from Aleister Crowley & Crowley probably stole it from French philosopher & satirist Francois Rabelais. religioustolerance.org calls the Wiccan Rede an ethic of reciprocity. It breaks down to a simple concept of 'treat others as you want to be treated'.

To me, the Wiccan Rede is one of those things that works in theory, but is not always practical. To live, we harm other living creatures. We take up space and resources, which means some other creature has to give up resources and has to move over. Now, I don't go around rampantly destroying living creatures. I'm not out there eating the last of a species or sport hunting or burning ants with a magnifying glass. I'm not a murderer. As far as lesser transgressions go - harming others by being abusive, breaking someone's trust, taking more than I need to deliberately deny someone else a share of something... I try my best not to do it. Not because I'm a reformed Wiccan, or because I adhere to the Wiccan Rede, but because I generally try to be a civilized human being. I understand that I am connected to all living creatures on this big blue ball we call home, and I try not to infringe too much on the rights of others to simply exist. I'm even taking steps to ween (wean?) down my possessions so I will take up less space.

Anyone who knows me & is reading this is probably thinking, "Oh, no fucking way, Janelle. You're mean to people, you deliberately say and do things to piss other people off, you neglect your friends and family, and you have no compassion." You're right. I am mean, I deliberately incite riots, I'm a bad friend, I lack compassion and I hate most of my family. I admit it. I also know that I am changing things about myself and these things may not always hold true about me. It is hard because it has been my nature for a long time. I don't always enjoy company. Many times I think my presence is harmful in and of itself because I am always unhappy and I do not have many nice things to say about other people and trying to get me to do something for someone else usually involves a chainfall or a lit torch aimed at my head. It entertains me to get people riled up over trivial bullshit, just as much as watching someone about to do something very stupid and get hurt entertains me. I value compassion and random acts of kindness but it's one value that I cannot live up to well or often. It gives me something to work towards.

I also feel that sometimes, strict adherence to the Wiccan Rede or any of the other 'ethics of reciprocity' can open the door to someone becoming a doormat. Why are there so few rich Pagans? Because, in general, Pagans look down on accepting payment or charging for their services, and they look down on those who charge for spiritual services. In general, Pagans think those who charge for spiritual services are con-men, selling snake oil. It's a big difference between Vodou and Wicca. I remarked in a reply to someone else's journal that in the Vodou world, payment is not only acceptable, it's expected. It's part of the bargain made with the lwa. You pay for their protection and aid. You may not actually hand money to someone being ridden by a lwa, but you pay the mambo or houngan, you buy the animals to be sacrificed, you feed the lwa and the community gathered to the celebration, you pay the drummers, you pay for the space. It may not be in cash, it may be by volunteering your services and time, it may mean a year or a few years of hard labor, depending on the favor being granted. It may be bartered goods or skills. To not offer payment is the unacceptable thing.

If someone wrongs you, in Wicca, it's looked down upon to take an active role in punishing the wrong-doer or getting reparation from them. Normally, the most people are encouraged to do is protect themselves from attacks or to prevent attacks. Maybe asking the Gods or Goddesses for assistance in seeking universal justice. In Vodou, if someone wrongs you and you do nothing - you're a fool. Even the lwa will laugh at you. Protect yourself, defend yourself, and make sure the motherfucker never messes with you again. Let them know you are strong and have the self-esteem and self-confidence to look after yourself, your loved ones, your property and your future well-being. There are many other Pagan paths where actively defending yourself is perfectly okay.

Now, I'm not a proponent of 'reacting'. If someone does something to hurt you and you lash out at them without thought or deliberation, that is reacting, not acting. Acting means giving some thought to the person who hurt you, why they hurt you, and if action is warranted on your part. It takes a lot to piss me off. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have a hair trigger (except when I'm off my blood pressure meds for a coupla weeks), I just like to appear intimidating. It also takes a lot to hurt my feelings. I was a fat kid and there is almost no other bullying quite like that received by a fat geeky kid with poor social skills and coke-bottle glasses. I have been grievously wronged by people in the past, mostly family members, and I have done more than my share of abuse in return. Now, though, most of the time it's just not worth it. I have free will, and to do my Will means actively choosing whether to act or react in any given situation. Do I choose to let someone's barely-thought-out words hurt me, or do I ignore it? Do I lash out in reactive anger when Rob snaps at me or do I consciously call him out for his thoughtless actions? Do I kick the dog because I had a crappy day at work? Do I rush past a crying person in the hall who is obviously lost in the legal system just because I'm running late for work?

To me, following the Wiccan Rede implies that if you cannot 'harm none' you should somehow avoid doing anything, or should feel guilty for doing something that does harm something else. I don't feel that it gives us a license to 'do what ye will' - not the Wiccan version of it, anyway. I prefer Unkle Al's version. There is no grace, there is no guilt
This is the Law, do what thou wilt...
I entered in with woe; with mirth
I now go forth, and with thanksgiving,
To do my pleasure on the earth
Among the legions of the living.

As much as I value the concept of compassion and loving-kindness, I also value the idea of taking care of myself first. I come before others. It is my right to secure my well-being on this earth because I have the right to live just as much as anything else. It sounds weird to me because normally my depressed self is a fan of suicide, but my right to live includes my right to choose the time and manner of my own death. I could not consciously choose the manner of my birth, but something in my soul chose this life before I incarnated again. I am selfish in this sense. My life and comfort comes before that of an ant invading my kitchen, a scorpion lurking on my ceiling, a spider in my hair or a fly in my soup. My need for sustenance comes before the right to life of a carrot, a salmon or a cow. It also comes before the bum on the street corner panhandling, an illegal alien, a welfare recipient, my sisters, my friends, my dog. Sorry, but I come first. And I will not feel guilty about feeling that way about myself. I take full responsibility for myself and I don't expect anyone to care for me the way I care for me (which, all things considered, isn't saying much). I respect everyone's right to care for themselves first. Everyone has the right to self-care and self-preservation. If someone's attempts at self-preservation involves endangering me, there will be a fight - and I would expect someone to fight me if I infringed on their right to live. I value myself and I value my right to exist along with everything else. To Me, I'm a God.