The Wiccan Rede is contained within a poem of sorts relating to Wicca and witchcraft in general. It is much misunderstood, however. Some people take the sayings of the Rede as absolute Law. This is not what the Rede is, nor was it ever intended to be. In fact, the very definition of the word rede is simply "advice". You'll find many variations of the Rede out there, some longer than the one below, some shorter. Just keep this in mind; the one line they all have in common, the very last one in this case, is the actual "Wiccan Rede".

Another note on the Rede: since Wiccans do not have any binding moral code save "An harm ye none, do what ye will", many people perceive Wiccans to be without morals. They seem to think we need a ten commandments-like law to tell us how to behave. I believe that most people want to do good, they just get a litte sidetracked sometimes. That is what the Law of Three is for. If we do harm, then we are repaid with harm three-fold to help us learn the lesson of what we've done. Hence, Wiccans do not believe in "hell" as such, because we receive our punishment here on earth, while alive, where it does the most good.

And now, without further ado, The Rede of the Wiccae:*

The first line seems to contradict what I said about the Rede being simply advice. My interpretation of this line, seems to refer to covens. It talks about perfect love and perfect trust. To work with people in a coven, you have to love and trust them sometimes more than your family members. This is different from unconditional love, where we love someone no matter what they do. Reserve this for significant others and family members. If a covener breaks trust, they need to be dealt with in an appropriate manner before they can be forgiven, if you can restore your trust in them at all.

The next eight lines give suggestions on how to celebrate the Esbats and the Lady, as well as tips for getting along with your fellow man. They're pretty much self-explanatory.

The next four lines, dealing with the winds and directions, involve some folklore. Note the reference to the north wind. Indeed, the north wind blows very cold... The line referring to South, no doubt refers to South's affiliation with passion and energy, or in this case, love. The West has to do with the Dead, and it is at the West that a gate is cut to let the spirits of the dead in at Samhain. East, being the direction from which the sun rises, deals with intition and new beginnings, hence "expect the new and set the feast".

The next line, talking about how much wood goes in the cauldron refers to a couple things. First, there are nine different types of woods which traditionally are burned in the cauldron during ritual... Now, where did I put that list? The number nine refers to the Law of Three, or the Law of Return - three times three. Also, three is a number for the mind, magick, and willpower, while nine is the number for manifestation and completion, numerologically speaking. The line after that, talks about Elder. It is believed that the spirit of Mother Earth resides in the Elder tree, and therefore to burn its wood was thought to bring extremely bad luck.

The next two lines refer to celebrating certain Sabbats - Beltane and Yule. Check out the Sabbats section for more in-depth information on these holidays.

The next five lines again fall under the common sense category. Of course, sense isn't that common nowadays, so I don't know why they call it "common sense".

Merry Meet and Merry Part are traditional Wiccan greetings and goodbyes. It's the same as saying, "I'm glad to meet you," and "I had fun, and I hope to see you again."

The next line is pretty self explanatory as well. What you send out comes back, times three. Do good things, and good will return to you. Do something in malice, and you will be punished.

This next line contains a word that up until recently puzzled me. The word "enow" simply means "enough". This line means that when you've suffered enough misfortune, visualize a blue pentagram on your forehead for protection.

Again, a common sense line here. Don't mess around with someone else's feelings, lest they return the favor.

And here, the essence of all that has come before, and the main moral code that most pagans and practically all Wiccans follow: "An harm ye none, do as ye will!" Remember that the none that this line refers to also includes yourself.

I hope this clears some things up. Of course, the interpretations above are strictly my own. If one of the lines strikes you as having a different meaning, then that's what that line means to you. Others may interpret it in an entirely different way as well. You get out of it what you put in, so to speak.