Traditionally, a Witch has never been considered as having a defined set of ethical principles. Witchcraft has long been described as wilful malevolence through magickal means by society at large. A Witch, therefore, is innately evil, or has freely chosen to embark on such a journey; drawn in by the illusion of power. However, Witches know this to be a misinformed falsity which has no bearing on the true Craft. We know and work with the power of Magick, and with that knowledge we wield power. In wielding power we are directly and acutely affected by it, and as such are intrinsically aware of the delicate balance of things. In having power, we are reverent. This can be expressed through the following affirmation, Knowledge is Power and Power is Reverence.
The Wiccan traditions, the most popular forms of NeoPagan religious Witchcraft, are guided ethically by the ‘Harm None’ rede – “An ye harm none, do what ye will”. Depending on the person the rede will be interpreted slightly differently, however the most common understanding is that we must ever strive to harm nothing and no one, and in doing so we may do as we will. The rede is a powerful statement of freedom guided by wisdom. Witches are keenly intuitive and attuned with the natural cycles and tides. We are also aware that it is highly improbable, if not impossible, to live without harming something along the way. Life feeds off life, and thus both plants and animals must die so that we may survive. However, the rede is an ideal to which we should aspire. A Witch is bound by no morality except her own inner moral compass. Need often triumphs over whether another is harmed or not, and therefore life can continue. Gerald Gardner said it himself when he stated that in failing to adhere to the rede in certain circumstances, a Witch should do as much as possible to abate the harm which has occurred – to balance and heal harm with compassion and reverence for the continuum of Life.
Witchcraft teaches that balance is essential and that this means that Chaos is necessary. Cosmos, the conservative force, is seen to be desirable, however in order to evolve, grow and move deeper and beyond, Chaos must be included in the way of things. With Chaos comes necessary destruction and dismemberment, so that the eternal being of Cosmos may once more bring back the renewed wholeness that is the All…the Great Mystery of Life. What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. A Witch knows this to be naturally true and thus we integrate these understandings of the Ways into our lives as spiritual beings. If both Chaos and Cosmos are complementary and necessary in the equation, then it makes sense that we too function similarly; as above, so below. When we fall we rise again, stronger than before. We do so with grace, seeking to harm none, including ourselves.
When I observe the inner workings of my Pagan community I see a great deal of compassion, acceptance, love and peace. I see healing and the weaving together of disparate entities into grounded wholeness. When we understand that ethics arise from knowledge of Nature, we begin to realise that there is providence; that we shine with the Divine and we are guided by the Gods and by what is true within the Self.
The Threefold Law, a Wiccan precept, embodies the Law of Return – that which we send out returns ‘threefold’ to the originator, or like attracts like. This is a common occult principle which manifests under a variety of names in different traditions. Many people equate the Eastern concept of Karma with the Threefold Law of Return; however Karma refers to the accumulation of action-wrought energy which is then carried by that individual for eternity. Karma is universal law and reminds us to carefully consider our actions. The Law of Return speaks of the universal function itself; Karma refers to that energy which will then be a part of someone post-return and which affects all interactions henceforth. These ‘laws’ do not constitute ethics; they can however form reasons for them. However, one should seek goodness only because the Good is ideal and underlies all things; it is natural to do so. To revel in the Beauty of Balance in Nature is to return to our divine selves. We are born of Earth and the Starry Heavens.
A Witch’s ethics are both simple and refined. It is common-sense to treat others kindly and to offer compassion to all. A wise Witch will not strike in vengeance at an ‘adversary’, she will merely acknowledge, integrate, process and continue to evolve. Often in acknowledging a wrong-doing the wise (good) Witch will pray that the offender will realise the error of his ways and learn from mistakes. This can involve conscious magickal work at times, such as binding or ‘return to sender’ spells. However a Witch tempers everything with her own judgement, just as Marion Bradley described the priestesses of Avalon as doing.
Being a good Witch isn’t about standardising one’s values to conform to the status quo of society. A good Witch is ‘good’ because she revels in that which is (what we call Nature) and allows it to be as it wishes to be; as it will be. The nature of Nature is inherently good; the good which has no opposite. It is the way of the Great Mystery itself to flow with the Pure Will of all things and never to jeopardise the perfect paths of others. A good Witch will also exist in ‘being’ and the dance of our lives are forged by steps we have carefully considered and sometimes, with intuition and ecstasy, chosen simply because.
My advice to Witches everywhere is to be good to one another; to the Earth; to all creatures and beings who inhabit this sacred planet; and to forever uphold what Plato called ‘the Good'.
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