The Rules of Magick


As I have mentioned, the Wiccan Rede states: "An ye harm none, do what you will." A witch may do as s/he pleases as long as it harms no one and impedes no one's free will.

There are also a couple of by-laws. The Three-fold Law states that whatever you do -- good or bad -- will come back to you three times over. This is much like the Golden Rule, but I think it paints a better picture of exactly what will happen to trouble-makers.

Another Wiccan belief is the Law of Responsibility. This says that even if we accidentally impede another's free will, we must take steps to better the situation. Hope that you never need to follow this law!
In 1974, the council of American Whitches defined the basic principals of witchcraft. They are as follows:
  1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
  2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward or environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
  3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called 'supernatural,' but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
  4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifestion through polarity -- as masculine and feminine -- and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
  5. We recognise both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds -- sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. -- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal excercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
  6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those whi have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
  7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it -- a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.
  8. Calling oneself 'Witch' does not make a Witch -- but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with Nature.
  9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuaion of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
  10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its unstitutions have claimed to be 'the one true right and only way' and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
  11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
  12. We do not accept the concept of 'absolute evli,' nor do we worship any entity known as 'Satan' or 'the Devil' as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept te concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
  13. We word within Nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.


Scott Cunningham suggests a set of thirteen simpler goals of a witch. They are:
  1. Know yourself
  2. Know your craft (Wicca)
  3. Learn
  4. Apply knowledge with wisdom
  5. Achieve balance
  6. Keep your words in good order
  7. Keep your thoughts in good order
  8. Celebrate life
  9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth
  10. Breathe and eat correctly
  11. Exercise the body
  12. Meditate
  13. Honor the Goddess and God

Raphael's Favorite Quotes

"See the Green Man blow his kiss from the church wall / An unknowing church will amplify his call."
--XTC, 'Green Man'
Click to here this line sung by XTC! (wav file)

"'Tis better to suffer wrong than do it."
--Thomas Fuller

"Although the world is very full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
--Helen Keller

"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards."
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
--Lewis Caroll

"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."
--Issac Asimov

"But what are we but our bad habits? They make us feel alive, don't they?"
--Marilyn Harris

"May you live all the days of your life."
--Jonathan Swift

"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
"I am not young enough to know everything."
--Oscar Wilde

"All the world's a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed."
--Sean O'Casey

"Never trust anyone who finds the quote about something 'bleeding for seven days and living' funny."
--Raphael

And the award goes to:
"God is not a name; it's a job description."
--a bumper sticker

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