While The Rede is an acceptable philosophy, there is more to it than that one, seemingly simple, line of words. The Wiccan Rede, in it's entirety, consists of twenty-eight (28) lines, mapping out the rythm of Nature, and what it means to follow the spiritual path of Wicca.

I honestly do not know who wrote the Rede, but I do know that it has its roots in Gardnerian Wicca. Even though it's origin may be a mystery to me, there is much to learn from its content. Let's look at The Wiccan Rede in its entirety. (The following is 'The Wiccan Rede' as found in The Encylopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft by Raven Grimassi.)

The following is my personal interpretation of the meaning behind the words of the Wiccan Rede. Again I must state that these are my own opinions, and may not necessarily be excepted by all.

Listen to the laws of Nature, acting with honesty, respect, and truthfulness. Trust those who have earned it, and give them your trust in return, with love and honor for one another. Don't take more than you need from life for your own survival, whether it be from plant, animal, human, or other, and give back to the source from where you took, that the source may continue to thrive, providing for future generations.

Always cast a protective circle when walking between the worlds, so that the harmony of either is not disturbed. The Ritual circle is a place of great power, and acts as a magnet for those who would wish to do harm, yet the circle protects us from such entities. When working magick, the rythm of the rhyming word carries the magick with the grace of the winds, being pleasing to the energies of Spirit that assist us in reaching our magickal goals. Be aware of the connection between the realms. See, hear, and experience the beauty of the 'All', and never boast about, or misuse, what Spirit has provided you with. Listen and Learn, from Spirit and from Life, for it these two that are a master key to the great source of the All.

Cast your circle and work your magick in a deosil motion (clockwise), and in accordance with the Moon, using the natural rythm of Nature. Move towards increase and growth, as the energy pattern of the Moon increases to Full. Keep in mind the widdershins, closing your circle in a counter-clock-wise manner, and using this opposite to work magick to decrease or remove the unwanted, working in accordance of waxing Moon, as the Lady works to renew Herself. Honor Her when She is New, and reach for your goals when She is at Her fullest and most powerful.

Let us not forget the Elemental forces of Nature, as the North, South, West, and East Winds carry with them the principles of birth, life, death, and rebirth. North = Change/Birth (Earth); South = Passion/Life (Fire); West = Cleansing & Healing/Death (Water); East = Renewal of Life/Rebirth (Air)

Please note: Some may not agree with my interpretations of the Elemental correspondences listed above, so I would like to explain why I feel they are appropriate.

North = Change / Birth (Earth) The directional association of the Element of Earth is North. Our Mother Earth is ever changing and always giving birth to the many wonderous gifts of life.

South = Passion / Life (Fire) The directional association of the Element of Fire is South. The Fire within each of us gives us our passion for all things in life. Passion about anything means kicking up the heat, so to speak, for attaining that which we desire in life and doing what is necessary for our survival.

West = Cleansing & Healing / Death (Water) The directional association of the Element of Water is West. The association of Death and Healing may not seem all that complimentary to some, but in my personal opinion, the ultimate cleansing is done through the natural cycle of death. It is through natural death that our own spirit free's itself to move forward in the cycle, giving us a chance to learn from our mistakes. We spend time in Summerland healing and renewing our Spirit, thereby freeing our minds to gain more knowledge, until we are reborn and given another chance. Eventually we come to the time when we can finally break free of the cycle completely, reaching that place that is known to some as 'Spiritual Enlightenment', and to others as the place where we will share the same plane of existence, for eternity, with our Lady and Lord.

East = Renewal of Life / Rebirth (Air) The directional association of the Element of Air is East. Rebirth and renewal of life, to me, are obvious compliments to eachother, going hand in hand in the Cycle. This is a time of celebration as life, again, springs from the Earth.

Nine (9) is a sacred magickal number, representing spirituality, purity, and in the Celtic Tradition, "The beginning and end of all things" ("Celtic Myth & Magick" Edain McCoy, p. 403). "Nine woods" refers to the following trees (as found in "The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews" by Scott Cunningham. p. 82): Rowan (or Sandlewood), Apple, Dogwood, Poplar, Juniper, Cedar, Pine, Holly branches, and Elder (or Oak).

While I wasn't able to find the precise purpose of the combination of these particular trees, other than the fact that their are nine of them, Cunningham suggests that smoldering an incense made of one equal part of each, will "[emit] the aroma of an open campfire". This is the only reference to the "Nine woods" that I have been able to find as of yet.

As for the Elder Tree, this tree is said to be sacred to the Goddess because of its white flowers. It is also thought to be the home of Witches and Spirits, and thus bleeds red sap when cut. The magikal properties of the Elder Tree are listed as: "Exorcism, Protection, Healing, Prosperity, [and] Sleep". (adapted from "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs" by Scott Cunningham. p. 97)

Be aware of the Cycle of Life in the celebration of the Sabbats, for the God and Goddess show us their many faces in the Wheel of Year.

Give thanks to the Lady for the precious gifts She provides for us. The beauty of a flower is Her beauty. The bounty of a tree is Her bounty. Her graciousness of providing for us is Her precious gift to us. If we don't show our love and appreciation for the gifts of our Earth Mother, She may cease to provide for us. It is also through Her graciousness that we are able to divine and work magick. Give thanks for these as well, for without Her strength and wisdom, Her love and kindness, our destinies would not be our own.

"Greed" is a destructive way of life. Don't let it have control over you. When one lets greed get in the way, desperation tends to take over and not let go, making everything we do seem like it's perfectly acceptable, no matter who it hurts. Because of this, we are wise to be aware of the greed of others. If we are in need of something, and we go to one filled with greed for the answer or solution, we too then get "infected", making us as big a fool as they. Remember the law of karma. Greed is not something we want to have to pay a price for through many lifetimes.

Show love, kindness, compassion, and respect to those around you, and you will receive love, kindness, compassion and respect in return. Show disrespect, cruelty, and dishonesty, and in return, that's exactly what you will recieve. The single most important catch to either is that when it comes back around to you, you will be hit with it three times harder than you gave it. It's up to you as to whether it will be of the good variety, or the hurtful type. While you can protect yourself with words, amulets, and charms, the fact remains that if you are true to others, they will be true to you, and nothing is more real than the truth.

"An it harm none, do what ye will". This line seems so simple; so cut and dry. But is it, really?

I recently got into a friendly religious debate with friend of mine about how different things are open to interpretation by different people. Just to clarify, she is Christian, and I, of course, am Wiccan. Through the course of our conversation, I made the comment that the Christian faith follows the Bible, which is open to much interpretation, easily seen by the many different versions available on bookshelves around the world. All the while, I proclaimed proudly that those of us of the Wiccan faith have two simple words we live by, that are hard to misinterpret. Those words are "harm none". My friend insisted that these two words could also easily be seen from many different view points.

I believe my friends perspective of "interpretation", and the whole basis of our conversation, was on the premise of whether or not followers of any particular faith are being true to their religious path. In this particular case, I still firmly believe that "harm none" is difficult to misinterpret, because, according to Webster's II Dictionary,

"harm", means "n. 1. Physical or emotional injury or damage. 2. Hurt : wickedness".

"none" means, "pron. 1. Not one. 2. Not any. 3. No part."

In otherwords, do not bring physical or emotional hurt to anyone or any "thing". I'd say that's pretty cut and dry. However, when it comes to survival, and "do as ye will", suddenly this one line of the Rede seems to be open to all sorts of interpretation.

While, from our individual stance, Wiccans do not seek to harm, what do we do if someone attempts to harm us? Do we let it go, and view it as the ignorance of others? Or do we take a stand, and defend and protect? My guess is that we do the latter. Personally, I see it being done all the time. Someone harms our child, and there we are in the forefront, fighting to protect our child. Someone attacks our character (or our religion, even), and many of us will stand up and fight for what we believe to be right. A victim is violated or even killed...are we about to let the criminal get away with it?? I hardly think so.

With each of these situations, one can easily see how our response can have an effect in a harmful way. Our child could have a negative memory of the violence that could come about from trying to protect. Those who are attacking us will most assuredly feel our wrath. The criminal could go to jail, or even worse, be put to death, bringing about the ultimate physical harm, not to mention what his/her innocent family will be forced to deal with. But still, we will do these things to shield our own from harm. So where, exactly, is the dividing line between "harm none", and "do as ye will"?

To my friend I say, I concede. There is plenty of room for interpretation. But even still, I know this...The Wicca seek only to live in peace and harmony with all of existence. When also taking into consideration that the Threefold Law is a part of who the Wicca are, and our karmic calculator being on at all times, it does not benefit us in the least to live by anything other than "harm none". To do otherwise would surely bring harm to ourselves.

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