Sacred Texts of the Craft: The Wiccan Rede
The Wiccan Rede first appeared publicly in Earth Religion News in 1974, uncredited, followed by a slightly corrected version in Green Egg Magazine in an article credited to Lady Gwen Thompson, who said it was given to her by her grandmother Adrianna Porter. This is the version passed on to me by my teachers in my early days learning the Craft of the Wise. It belongs in every Witch's Book of Shadows. It is highly likely this was created in the sixties, possibly by Porter herself, but we don't know for sure.
While the use of "ye" is a little bit clunky and clearly inserted to give the rhyme a more ancient feel, and there's a lot of "protecting" going on here, there is also a plethora of wisdom and tradition packed into this piece. It manages to describe the ethics of the Craft, the holidays, the energies of the moon, divination, folklore, and the most important stanza in Witchdom: An' it harm none, do what ye will.
I tweeted a line from the Rede the other day and was stunned at how many who practice nature religions had never heard it before. It's one of the core writings at the heart of the witchcraft movement, the Goddess spirituality movement, the nature religion movement.
I decided that I would post these writings, which I emphasize are not my own. I'll categorize them as Sacred Texts so that you can find them easily, copy them down, and keep them handy.
The Wiccan Rede
From Lady Gwen Thompson
Green Egg Magazine, 1974
Bide ye Wiccan laws ye must
In perfect love and perfect trust
Live ye must and let to live
Fairly take and fairly give
Form the circle thrice about
To keep unwanted spirits out
To bind ye spell well every time
Let the spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye and light of touch
Speak ye little, listen much
Deosil go by waxing moon
Sing and dance the Wiccan Rune
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane
And the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane
When ye Lady's moon is new
Kiss ye hand to Her times two
When ye moon rides at her peak
Then ye heart's desire seek
Heed the north wind's mighty gale
Lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the south
Love will kiss thee on the mouth
When the wind blows from the east
Expect the new and set the feast
When the west wind blows o'er thee
Departed spirits restless be
Nine woods in the cauldron go
Burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree
Burn it not or cursed ye'll be
When the wheel begins to turn
Soon the Beltaine fires will burn
When the wheel hath turned to Yule
Light the log, the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush and tree
By the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters go
Cast a stone and truth ye'll know
When ye have and hold a need
Hearken not to others' greed
With a fool no season spend
Nor be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part
Bright the cheeks and warm the heart
Mind ye threefold law ye should
Three times bad and three times good
When misfortunes are enow
Wear the blue star on thy brow
True in love ye ever be
Lest thy love be false to thee
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill
"An' it harm none, do what ye will"