The whole Rede thing is a nifty little conundrum folks find themselves up against. I'm going to share what I usually tell my students, in the course of their degree work (I'm an initiated priest in the Alexandrian tradition of British Traditional Witchcraft).
An it harm none, do what you Will is intended to say nothing about what you should not do, and everything about what you should. The witch is expected to be ultimately and completely responsible for her actions - that's it. The Rede is not meant to be limiting, but freeing. It says that we have nothing that is forbidden, as long as it doesn't harm someone. It is, frankly, meant as a piece of contrast - demonstrating that so long as what the witch wishes to undertake doesn't resort in harm, they are not forbidden it. Period.
We are expected to use our magic. We are not theurgists, working magic only to evolve our higher selves (though we may choose to do so, if that is our Will). We're the cunning folk, meant to apply the Mysteries to daily life. If someone attacks your family, harms your loved ones, you have a decision to make.
Yes, there are repercussions when a magician chooses to use a specific "flavor" of magic. I teach my student that it's like the gels on theater lights. You know those colored lenses they put over spotlights in theaters, to color them? The magic that you work basically leaves behind a similar "layer" that colors you. When the spotlight is on (you are working magic), the energy you put into the world is "colored" by that lens. But, when the light is off, the lens remains behind for a bit, and anyone shining light into the lens (the energy you receive from the world) is likewise colored by it.
Money for finances leaves behind one layer, wherein you see the world and interact with it in terms of financial gain and security. This layer is different from the "gel" used in love magic. Magic worked to harm someone has another gel. It's that simple.
The Rede doesn't forbid these sorts of magics; the witch is expected to assess each situation. If the working is important enough that you are willing to accept potential consequences, then so be it. But we know that it isn't possible to come up with a variable "law" that covers every situation - the real world is not so convenient. So, the "Law of Three" (aka, the Theater Gel Concept) is understood, as is the fact that as long as no one is harmed by a working, the witch is absolutely free to perform it (the Rede).
Everything after that point is individual discretion, and the weighing of Potential Benefits vs. Potential Pitfalls.
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Date: 2006-03-22 05:26 pm (UTC)The whole Rede thing is a nifty little conundrum folks find themselves up against. I'm going to share what I usually tell my students, in the course of their degree work (I'm an initiated priest in the Alexandrian tradition of British Traditional Witchcraft).
An it harm none, do what you Will is intended to say nothing about what you should not do, and everything about what you should. The witch is expected to be ultimately and completely responsible for her actions - that's it. The Rede is not meant to be limiting, but freeing. It says that we have nothing that is forbidden, as long as it doesn't harm someone. It is, frankly, meant as a piece of contrast - demonstrating that so long as what the witch wishes to undertake doesn't resort in harm, they are not forbidden it. Period.
We are expected to use our magic. We are not theurgists, working magic only to evolve our higher selves (though we may choose to do so, if that is our Will). We're the cunning folk, meant to apply the Mysteries to daily life. If someone attacks your family, harms your loved ones, you have a decision to make.
Yes, there are repercussions when a magician chooses to use a specific "flavor" of magic. I teach my student that it's like the gels on theater lights. You know those colored lenses they put over spotlights in theaters, to color them? The magic that you work basically leaves behind a similar "layer" that colors you. When the spotlight is on (you are working magic), the energy you put into the world is "colored" by that lens. But, when the light is off, the lens remains behind for a bit, and anyone shining light into the lens (the energy you receive from the world) is likewise colored by it.
Money for finances leaves behind one layer, wherein you see the world and interact with it in terms of financial gain and security. This layer is different from the "gel" used in love magic. Magic worked to harm someone has another gel. It's that simple.
The Rede doesn't forbid these sorts of magics; the witch is expected to assess each situation. If the working is important enough that you are willing to accept potential consequences, then so be it. But we know that it isn't possible to come up with a variable "law" that covers every situation - the real world is not so convenient. So, the "Law of Three" (aka, the Theater Gel Concept) is understood, as is the fact that as long as no one is harmed by a working, the witch is absolutely free to perform it (the Rede).
Everything after that point is individual discretion, and the weighing of Potential Benefits vs. Potential Pitfalls.
Regards,
Joseph