1CL1 Ethics

THE FIVE POINTS OF WICCAN BELIEF
1. The Wiccan Rede

2. The Law of Return

3. The Ethic of Self-Responsibility

4. The Ethic of Constant Improvement

5. The Ethic of Attunement

The Wiccan Rede

The Central belief in Wicca is the Wiccan Rede. The most common phrasing of The Rede is "An' it harm none, do as you will," Which is often reduced to "Harm none.1" In Universal Eclectic Wicca we also have an expanded reading of the Rede which is especially helpful when describing it to people who believe in commandments and long lists of rules. It states: "If an action will cause harm, physically, emotionally, or mentally, to another person or one's Self, refrain from doing it. Strive to always be helpful and never willingly cause strife or harm to befall someone. Weigh your actions against each other, would you wish your actions taken against you? Take no action you would not wish to receive."

The Law of Return

The Second of the Five Points, the Law of Return (also known as the karmic law2) means, quite simply, that what you do affects what happens to you. If you do good, good is going to happen to you; if you do evil, that'll happen too. Metaphors for the Law of Return exist in every religion, there are ancient ones and modern ones. In some traditions, the Law of Return is given a multiplier, good and bad are said to come back upon you three- or tenfold, but even those traditions admit that an exact retribution ratio is impossible to come up with.

The Ethic of Self-responsibility

More than any other aspect, The Ethic of Self-Responsibility turns people (especially those with damaged Wills or reduced sense of Self,) away from Wicca. It can be a scary thing for anyone not raised with it. It means, quite simply, when you mess up, it's your fault. In Wicca, there is no "The devil made me do it." We don't believe in devils, and even if we did, we don't believe any extraplanar creatures could control us, not even the gods.

The Ethic of Constant Improvement

The Ethic of Self-Responsibility also relates to The Law of Return. With this ethic you are accepting the karma or "stuff" you give yourself, good or bad. Put together, The Law of Return and the Ethic of Self-responsibility expect us to change positively, thus necessitating the fourth of our points, The Ethic of Constant Improvement.

In Wicca, we seek be ever growing, the basest of these improvements are taken care of by the Ethic of Self-Responsibility, but extending that responsibility beyond the self is what this is about. Ecology, for example, is vital in a religion that reveres nature as divine, and even the simplest of chores can be turned into an act of holiness when done ecologically. Teaching and preaching tolerance, racial harmony and reverence for art and history are also a part of this ethic, and living one's life toward peace is vital. Only by being constant in our learning, and eclecticism, do we prevent intolerance.

The Ethic of Attunement

The Last of the Five Points of Wiccan belief is the Ethic of Attunement. Attunement, the act of becoming in-tune with divinity is the purpose behind the majority of ritual. In Wicca, we believe in three groupings of divinity:

1. The Self is divine.

2. The Gods/other powers are divine.

3. The Universe itself is divine.

1. The Divine Self (thou art god) is expressed within The Ethic of Self- Responsibility. No one is in control of the Self except for the creator of the Self, the person that "owns" the body Our rites of Attunement to the divine self include the practice of Ritual, and occasionally, High Magick, but also includes meditation, dance, drumming and anything else that makes us feel "in touch" with our Selves.

2. The Divinity of the Gods, or the "Other Powers" defies immediate explanation as do the gods themselves. In Wicca, our gods are more like parents, the Divine Father and the Great Mother, and less like the fury-fueled jealous God of Christianity. Our rites of Attunement to the Gods are nearly all celebratory in nature, with the more intensive rituals combining the divinity of the gods with the divinity of the Universe in worship of the lunar and harvest cycles.

3. The Divinity of the Universe is subdivided into three groups. In Gaeism, the Planet Earth is a creature and each individual being, plant, animal or mineral is a part of that being, which is usually, but not always, named for the Goddess Gaea or Gaia. In Animism, each thing be it a windstorm or a rock, has a spirit of its own. In Cyclic Totality, or Cyclicism, it is the laws of the Universe which are divine, be they the cycles of celestial decay, or the harvests, or the birth-death-rebirth of the nitrogen cycle.

Assignments

1. Choose a current event and write a paper on how the 5 points could have been used to resolve the issue.

2. List 15 things/actions you think are wrong. For each one explain why it is wrong and which of the 5 points it breaks. Is there ever a time when this wrong might be the right thing to do? Explain.