An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will
I know that this probably doesn’t need explaining, but you’d be surprised how many times people have told me this statement allows them to hurt themselves or they ignore it as a foundation of Paganism.
I will admit that this statement looks like a bit of Early Modern English mumbo jumbo, so let’s break this down and get right to the good stuff.
“An Ye Harm None” can easily be read in Modern English (stop singing “I’ll Melt With You,” I know you are. Are you a valley girl sitting next to Nic Cage? No? Stop singing it. I don’t care if none of you actually got that reference, you’ll google it anyway) as “And if you don’t harm anyone…”
Without the big block of me referencing an 80s flick, it reads that the first half says “If you harm no one”
“Do What Ye Will” is simple too…Do what you want.
So, put them together:
“As long as you’re not hurting anyone, you can do what you want.”
So, what does this mean for the practicing witch?
The Rede is pretty much what it says on the tin, here. If your actions can hurt someone else, in any way, don’t do it. Emotionally, too. I know sticks and stones gets tossed a lot around the school yard, but let’s get real here. Emotional scarring is way worse than physical scratches. At least bruises fade. That doesn’t mean to wish harm onto other’s either.
Don’t let yourself think you can get away with hurting yourself either.
It is stated in the Rede as well that what comes around, goes around. (It’s no wonder I love this stuff so much with a name like Carma, huh?) In this path, however, it’s known as the Three Fold Law.
The Three Fold Law basically states that whatever energy you send out will return to you in the same bearing, but it will return with three times the power. If you send out positive energies and good feelings, then such will return to you. If you go out and act like a bitch and be mean to others, others are gonna be even nastier to you. It’s a universal golden rule. That whole “treat others as you would like to be treated” thing, except this encompasses everything around you.
Even if you’re having a bad day, try to be as positive as you can. You allow the day to be bad if you don’t try to find anything positive in it. If you can’t see through the rain, make your own sunshine.
Blessed Be,
Carma
Carma Can Be A Witch 