Laws

This page has the following information:

The Five Points of Wiccan Belief
The Law of Return
The Law of Power
The Old Laws
The Law

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The Five Points of Wiccan Belief as laid out by Universal Eclectic Wicca This specific form, the "Five Point of Wiccan Belief", is particular to UEW. However, the points contained within are issues held in belief by nearly anyone calling themself Wiccan, even if they phrase them differently. The Wiccan Rede – An it harm none, do as ye will The Law of Return – Also known as the Threefold Law The Ethic of Self-Responsibility – We, and only we, are responsible for our own actions. The Ethic of Constant Improvement – The desire to improve the world around us, guided in part by the Law of Return. The Ethic of Attunement – Divinity is within us and around us, and becoming in-tune with this power is a major facet of Wicca. The Law of Return Also known as the "Threefold Law" or the "Rule of Three" There are many variations of the phrasing of the Threefold Law, but it generally goes something like: Ever Mind The Rule Of Three Three Times Your Acts Return To Thee This Lesson Well, Thou Must Learn Thou Only Gets What Thee Dost Earn When you take a resource, even with good intentions, there will be repercussions. The petty cash box will soon be empty if one doesn't occasionally put money into it as well as take it out. Actions need to be balanced, or else things can get quite out of control to a degree many times over that of the original issue. In other words, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Other phrasings emphasize completely separate issues, which author Phyllis Curott has recently taken to calling the Boomerang Whammy Rule:2 Mind the Threefold Law you should, Three times bad and three times good. The above version was taken directly from the Credo, a piece of work that I do not believe is required reading for Wiccans but is interesting to investigate at the least. Or, for an even more extreme version: Ensure that your actions are honorable, for all that you do shall return to you, threefold, good or bane. People attempt to pass this phrasing off as a moral code, which it is not. The Threefold Law is a statement of belief in the ways of the universe. It does not teach us what is "bad" or "good", only that we shall receive three times whatever we give. The only reason it offers for being good is to receive reward and to escape punishment. That is not morality. The world does not work as simply as these phrases make it sound. If it did we'd all be donating to charity like mad and reaping the rewards by the handful. The idea of things returning threefold is unnatural. According to the Law of Ecology (from biology class - as Wiccans we should be taking lessons from nature): Everything is connected to everything else Everything must go somewhere Nature knows best There is no such thing as a free lunch But it is true that harm tends to beget harm, and it is true that one good turn deserves another: people remember a person's charity and are more likely to aid them in return. Hence, why I prefer to use the term "Law of Return" over "Threefold Law". Let's also remember one of Newton's laws as another lesson from nature: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. "Opposite" does not mean that you receive bad for every good. It means what gets put out comes back. For instance, if you push upon a wall, the wall is actually pushing back with an equal amount of force - if it did not, it would fall over. That's straight from physics class. However, what counts as "equal" is not always obvious, especially when dealing with magic, which is what the Law of Return largely addresses. You are invoking the gods for a favor. Therefore, there is a sort of "tax" involved, and this tax is dependent upon the nature of the magic being worked. "Good" should really be thought of as "in harmony with nature", while "bane" is not evil, but instead working contrary to natural law. The more baneful a request, the more resistant the world will be to your intended change. For instance, a ritual asking for a healthy mother giving birth to a healthy child is fairly straightforward, while one asking for a cocaine-addicted mother to give birth to a healthy child is going to take considerably greater effort, even though the desired result (a healthy child) is the same. (See more in Magic) "The Threefold Rule follows the old laws of karma" The term karma is Sanskrit and the concept it represents has remained central to Hindus and Buddhists for thousands of years. Thus, this is the only possible source I can guess is being referred to when this claim is being made. However, there is nothing in the Eastern concepts of karma involving threes. Moreover, the common understanding of the Threefold Law - one of punishment and reward - likewise has nothing in common with Eastern karmic beliefs. However, the Sanskrit word karma really refers to consequences of actions, and so in its proper context, it actually fits fairly well with the Law of Return. The confusion comes from the strong connections between concepts of karma and reincarnation within the Eastern caste system. Depending on one's karma, a person is reborn higher or lower within the hierarchy of castes. However, this is not a system of rewards and punishments. It is a system of lesson learning, preparation, and purity. Those who do not learn the lessons of this life return at the same level. Those who defile themselves will not rise and may return even lower, although there are a number of ways to defile oneself, such as eating impure foods and other actions that we would not describe as evil. Such people's fate is not a punishment, however. Caste is what you are in essence. To be born into a lower or higher caste simply reflects what one has already done to oneself. Law of the Power by Scott Cunningham, Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988 The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need arises, The Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others. The Power is used only as need Dictates The Power can be used for you own gain, as long as by doing so you harm none. It is unwise to accept money for use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other religions. Use not the Power for Prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and Magic. Ever remember that the Power is the Sacred gift of the Goddess and God, and should never by misused or abused. The Old Laws by Gerald Gardner, attributed to the New Forest Coven, 1957 Theoretically, this was passed down through the years within the coven that introduced Gardner to Wicca. The problem is that no one's sure if the New Forest Coven even existed or, if it did, how old or organized it was. Even Gardner confessed what they taught was fragmentary. It may be that the Old Laws are largely the work of Gardner himself. The Old Laws did not even come to light until 1957, when a disagreement broke out over Gardner's continued interviews with the press, despite his own rules concerning secrecy. Doreen Valiente and another covener created the "Proposed Rules for the Craft", which included a stipulation concerning the granting of interviews. ...As a reply, Gardner claimed that these "Proposed Rules" were unneeded, since the Craft already had a set of traditional laws. He then sent his coveners "The Old Laws", a rambling document containing rules, cautions, practical advice and a smattering of theology. Ms. Valiente doubted the authenticity of these "The Old Laws" and strongly opposed them. However, large sections of the Old Laws did appear, if not word for word, at least in concept in Gardner's Witchcraft Today in 1954. The other interesting fact to note is the correctly used archaic language used in the Old Laws, which makes the Old Laws perhaps unique among Wiccan documents. The language, however, is uneven, employing both modern and archaic phrases. This has led to the theory that Gardner may have assembled the Laws from multiple older fragments. It should also be noted that while the Old Laws speaks only of the punishment of burning for witches, England mostly hung their witches. Scotland, however, did burn them. The version below is based on what is believed to be a version typewritten by Gardner himself. Many other versions, with varying spellings and word usage, also exist. The Old Laws are sometimes broken up into the 161 Laws or 161 Rules of the Witch. I find much of this document, regardless of origins, to be outdated and unnecessary. It is at points sexist and ageist, and it is saturated with the paranoia associated with the myth of the Burning Times. The Law by Scott Cunningham, Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, 1993 This is one of the most mis-represented pieces I know of, portrayed on many websites as ancient and immutable wisdom and commandment. In fact, this list was created as an example of laws a new coven might draw up. Cunningham was never one for teaching doctrine, believing we should find our own paths. Cunningham was unable to object to the portrayal of his work. He died in 1993 at the age of 36. ----------------------------------------------- We are of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the Goddess and God and receive Their love. Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of your abilities, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connection with the Goddess and God. Harm none. This, the oldest law, is not open to interpretation or change. Shed not blood in ritual; the Goddess and God need not blood to be duly worshipped. Those of our ways are kind to all creatures, for hurtful thoughts are quite draining and aren't worth the loss of energy. Misery is self-created; so, too, is joy, so create joy and disdain misery and unhappiness. And this is within your power. So harm not. Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to those students who you choose, but teach not to those who would use your instructions for destruction or control. Also, teach not to boost pride, forever remember: She who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of the Goddess and God. Ever remember that if you would be of our way, keep the law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca to keep the law. If ever the need arises, any law may be changed or discarded, and new laws written to replace them, so long as the new laws don't break the oldest law of all: Harm None. Blessings of the God and Goddess on us all.