Lesson Two Wiccan Ethics and Morality*

Europe, Amercia and Australia are all multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-faith societies. So why is
it that whenever most people talk of "ethics" they refer to a Christian moral code? {Indeed read
up on Humanists those who believe that being good is naturally a human ideal not just a
christian one.} Christianity has been the dominant religion in the west a long time now, but it
wasn't always that way, and it won't always be that way.
As witches we have our own moral code and our own set of ethics. Our ways are just as high,
just as decent, and just as respectable as those of any other segment of society.

So what are the main historical differences between our moral code and that of the Christians?
It all seems to revolve around attitudes to sex and violence. The Christians appear to be
petrified of anything to do with sex. They teach that sex is something dirty, sordid, a thing to be
hidden away, something to be ashamed of. Often they can't even cope with nudity. They are
ashamed of the bodies The Gods gave them.
On the other hand, their actions suggest they see nothing wrong with violence. In past centuries
they have murdered millions of innocent people for daring to hold religious views different from
their own. During the middle ages, thousands of innocent people, including witches, were
hanged or burned by their Christian oppressors. These murders usually followed the most
horrific torturing. And the burning times were not that long ago.

Of course it is not just us that they persecute. In recent history, the streets of Northern Ireland
have seen the hand of violence raised by Christian against Christian. We have even seen
church leaders condoning the violence.
Sometimes Christian violence takes on other forms. Even now they still send their missionaries
into remote places, deliberately to corrupt, to destroy, the religious and cultural patterns of the
native peoples. All this is done in the name of humanitarian aid. Admittedly missionaries do
good work too, but at what a price! About fifteen hundred years ago they were doing the same
thing in Europe, corrupting the Celtic forebears and undermining their Pagan religion. Even
today they misrepresent our views and blaspheme against our gods and goddesses.
Violence however is abhorrent to all witches. It is negative, destructive, and never justified.
Those who practice violence have no place in The Craft Of The Wise. We do not strive to exult
ourselves to a position of political supremacy. We have no need to oppress other religions or
other cultures. We are a gentle people motivated by love.
Yet we do not hate the Christians, although we oppose bigotry wherever we may find it. We
know that all paths lead to the centre, so we have no desire to seek converts. Nor do we need
to resort to violence or lies. As witches, we look at life differently. Our great law is "An it harm
NONE, do as you will".
Another important difference is in our attitude to nature. Christians believe they have been
granted "dominion over the beasts of the earth and the fish of the sea" and that
environmentalism is just another silly pagan practise.
The very term PAGAN comes from the Latin PAGUINI meaning country dweller. So in this
sense PAGANISM is the old religion of the country folk. Pagan religions are nature based,
respecting the needs of the planet and her natural systems. Pagans hold all life to be sacred
and regard the human species to be Nature's care-takers, responsible for her well-being.
Witches (with pagan roots) are aware of the cycles of nature and observe them as festivals
throughout the changing year. We see the magick in Nature, the magick of balance and
harmony. We bring this loving balance into our lives through our worship of the God and the
Goddess, not just a male deity or trinity of all male deities. We strive ever after greater spiritual
development. We do not attempt to confine and limit our fellow worshippers with dogma but
encourage each to find ones own personal truth and fulfilment. We are individuals, not clones.
Nor are we scared by sex or nudity. To us sexual union is a sacrament to the gods. As a nature
religion all acts of creation are sacred. Sexual union brings forth new life. This is as sacred to us
as the new life which arises in the springtime and which we celebrate at our Sabbats. {This
doesnt mean however, that our rituals are orgies or that we have to be naked to do ritual, or
should be asked to do anything with which we feel uncomfortable}.

CRAFT MANNERS:
1)
2)
3)
4)

"Blessed Be" is a greeting used by Wiccans. (The alternative "Bright Blessings"

is sometimes used, as is the written abbreviation "BB.").
Never meddle with anothers free will.
Never handle the ritual equipment (tools) of another without their permission.
Never give out another Witch's name, address, or telephone number; or discuss their
beliefs in front of another; without their permission.

Although there is no dogma and few rules in Paganism & Wicca what
follows are other bodies of work that may serve as inspiration and
education.

Scott Cunninghams the 13 Goals of A Wiccan

1. Know Thyself
It is very important that you know who you are in order to practice the Craft. Sometimes we think
we do know ourselves, but in truth we don't. Most of the time we have an image of who we think
we are or how others think we are instead of really being ourselves. It is not easy to be
ourselves since we are constantly open to criticism. So we learn from an early age to hide our
true selves deep inside and create an outer shell that we show to the world. Therefore, you
must look deep down within yourself. Start exploring yourself anew. Yes, even look into your
dark side. See yourself for who you truly are, and embrace yourself for the person you have
become.

2. Know Your Craft

Learn all you can about the Craft. There are plenty of books, good and bad, on the topic. Read
as much as you can. Meditate about what you have read. No witch is an expert on all aspects of
witchcraft. Some are good herb healers, and others prefer gems. There are those who are
excellent tarot readers, and those who prefer the runes. If you are interested in a specific topic,
study it seriously and become an expert in the field. Practice your Craft. Keep a Book of
Shadows in which you keep a thorough record of your witchy activities .

3. Learn
Read...read...read! The more you read, the more you learn. Ask questions. Broaden your
horizons by learning from other pagans and wiccan. You will be amazed how much you can
learn from others through their enriching experiences. Being a witch is a never ending learning
experience. You never stop learning. If you do, you become stale. This doesn't apply only to
your religion; this applies to your life. Enrich your life. Get a new hobby. Visit new places. Study
something you really like. Meet new people. Your life will be more exciting! And believe it or not,
you will have a better understanding of the world around.

4. Have Patience
Patience is a virtue every witch and pagan must have, and it is the hardest to achieve. First
practice having patience with your own self. Then you will be able to be patient with others .

5. Apply Knowledge with Wisdom

Knowledge is a very powerful tool. The more you learn, the more knowledgeable you will
become. Therefore, use your better judgment when you do your magickal works. Remember
that the Wiccan Rede says, "Do as you will but harm none."

6. Achieve Balance
Lead a well-balanced life. Don't let one part of your life take over your whole life. Let's face it, for
most of us, our jobs practically take 95% of our time. We live and breath our jobs! That is
unhealthy. Take time to do things you like. Set time to enjoy activities with your family and
friends. Don't overdue things.

7. Keep Your Words in Good Order

Speak clearly as you express yourself. Measure your words. Speak truthfully always, except
when what you speak might lead to great harm. Do not lie. Do not gossip or speak ill of others.
Look inside yourself and see if you are the right person to be badmouthing someone. Criticism
is okay, but one thing is a constructive critic and another is bashing. Never speak in anger. You
will say things you will regret later. Take a time-out if necessary.

8. Keep Your Thoughts in Good Order

Keep your thoughts clear. Express your ideas and opinions but always keep an open mind.
Keep away negative thoughts that might depress you. Be careful of what you think about others.
Don't be hasty to judge a person, or you might be misjudging the person and being unfair.

9. Celebrate Life
Life is beautiful! Life is the most precious gift from the Goddess to her children so enjoy it. Go
out and witness the miracles around you for there is life wherever you look. Take a walk through
a park and enjoy nature's beauty. Maybe plant a tree. Watch a sunset. Bask in the morning sun.
Join a group and help clean forests and protect animals. Recycle. But most important, be happy
and thankful to know that you are alive.

10.

Attune with the Circles of the Earth

Seasons bring change to both nature and people. Become attune with them. Celebrate the
Sabbats. Do activities to help you out in becoming attune with the seasons, like decorating your
place and/or altar according to the Sabbats. Take a stroll through a park and observe nature as
it changes from one season to another.

11.

Keep Yourself Healthy

Eat right and exercise your body regularly. You should have all three daily meals, drop eating
between meals, and reduce the fat in your meals. Drink a lot of water and take vitamins. Avoid
the yo-yo diets. This isn't about being a health freak, it is about achieving a balance. Exercise
keeps your body healthy and strong. Exercising should be fun. Don't run about two miles daily
unless you really want to. There are other exercises you can do like yoga or power walking.
Both are very effective! Stop smoking and drinking.

12.

Meditate

Find a quiet place where you can't be disturbed and take at least 10 - 15 minutes every day to
meditate. You can either do this either when you wake in the mornings or before going to sleep.
Clear your mind of negative thoughts and fill it with positive ones. Find inner peace. If you
meditate in the afternoons or in the evenings, use your meditation time to recharge your
energies.

13.

Honor the Goddess and the God

Always remember to honor the Goddess on the Esbat. Maybe create a little altar for the
Goddess and her cohort, the God. Then light candles or incense for them. Thank them for all
the good things in your life (and even for the not-so-good ones!).

Lady Snowflakes notes on these Goals

1. Know Yourself - According to the Tao Te Ching: "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing
yourself is true wisdom." Unfortunately knowing oneself isn't always easy.
2. Know Your Craft (Wicca) - Read the writings of more than one witch, and try to find other
witches to talk to. There isn't a standard agreement among witches as to what Wicca is, so my
advice would be to learn from as many different people or sources possible.
3. Learn - Learn everything you can. Grasp every chance you can to learn from anyone and
anything. The world is such a wonderful marvellous place, and there's always so much to learn
from it...
4. Apply Knowledge with Wisdom - It has been said that love without wisdom is no different
from hate in its results. Likewise knowledge without wisdom is no different than ignorance.
5. Achieve Balance - An instrument does not work properly if the strings are too tight or too
loose. Likewise all things must be kept in balance.
6. Keep Your Words in Good Order - One of Starhawk's books talks about how important
honesty is to a witch. If a Witch makes a habit of lying, then how can the words of her spell be
true? Yet keeping your words in good order can go beyond just not lying. Your thoughts, words,
and actions are all tied together and together they shape your life. Your words should reflect the
type of person you want to be and the type of life you want to live.
7. Keep Your Thoughts in Good Order - The following is a poem from the Dhammapada
(sayings of the Buddha):
The thought manifests as the word;
The word manifests as the deed;
The deed develops into the habit;
And habit hardens into character;
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings...
As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become.

The best book on this topic that I have read is the book "Awakening the Buddha Within" by
Lama Surya Das, and I would strongly recommend this Buddhist book for all witches. Buddhism
and Wicca have an amount in common, and it is wise I think to learn from a variety of sources.
8. Celebrate Life - I don't think that "celebrating life" means being happy all the time and there's
certainly no use being upset with oneself for not being happy. Rather I think celebrating life
means being aware of life, not letting it pass you by unnoticed, and taking time to really
experience. Feel the world. Know it is yours to explore. Explore it.
9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth - somewhere I have heard that cats are healthier if they
are permitted some time outdoors to connect with nature. Chances are humans are too. We live
in a world surrounded by metals, plastics and cements, and every once in a while its important
to remind yourself where we came from.
Yet attuning yourself with the cycles of the Earth is more than just spending time with nature. It's
also accepting change. Everything on Earth is always changing. Living organisms are growing,
dying and decaying. The wind and water are always moving. Rocks are wearing down into dust
and being built anew. Everything is changing. Your life will change.
Recognising the changing of the seasons and the turning of the moon allows us to both
reconnect with nature and accept change within our own lives.
10. Breathe and eat correctly - most people (including myself) don't chew their food enough or
get enough nutrients. Nor, as my body keeps reminding me, do we all breathe properly. Time
and effort put into learning these is supposed to pay off in health benefits. Taking care of your
body is also a way of loving yourself and loving yourself is an important thing before being able
to love others.
11. Exercise the Body - a person's spiritual life cannot be entirely separate from the rest of
one's life. A person cannot say he loves himself while denying the needs and health
requirements of his body. Rather by taking care of your body you can show your (healthy) love
for yourself.
12. Meditate - quiet time is invaluable.
13. Honour the Goddess and God - Live a life that you can be proud of.

A WITCHES MANIFESTO (Adapted from The Wiccan Bardo by Paul Beyerl)

I must pursue my highest ideals
I must aspire to the highest of ethics
I must demand integrity of myself
I must always keep my word
I must cultivate self discipline

I must LIVE by the Hermetic Principles

I must seriously contemplate the ramifications of Reincarnation & Karma
I must respect the astral realms
I must approach ritual with reverence and care
I must respect ritual work as an act of love and beauty.
I must take sole responsibility for all the events and circumstances in my life,
in the knowledge that I have created them all for my own development.
I must strive to cultivate a sense of humour and of humility.
I must avoid all negativity in my thinking and, as a consequence, in my life.
I must live in harmony with the Earth Goddess - Gaia.
I must cultivate a global perspective.
I must serve my community, both locally and globally, being of help to all people.
I must be willing to defend my religion.
I must provide for the safe future of my ritual tools, should I be taken by death.

The First Knowledge - (By Rosaleen Norton)

The Craft is only part of the way and must not be mistaken for the whole way. But in itself it is
important, for it can be used to lighten burdens and help in the Great Work.
It is not for the weak, therefore know this: Some have the power but most have it not. If you
have it, it springs from within you, from the will, the mind and the spirit; and it can be joined to
external symbols. It must grow through practice, as you gain knowledge and skill.
The implements, words, symbols and spells are your working tools. You must be guided by the
gods who dwell in your mind and body. Always remember that you must be stronger than the
powers you evoke. Therefore to the work, which is joy and strength and light and life
everlasting.

PRINCIPLES OF BELIEF
by The COUNCIL OF AMERICAN WITCHES
In April 1974, The Council of American Witches adopted a set of
Principle of Wiccan Belief
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 recognise that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our
environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance, offering fulfilment
to life and consciousness, within the evolutionary concept.

3)
We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that 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 manifesting through polarity
masculine and feminine - and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions
through the interaction of the masculine and the feminine. We value neither above the other,
knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and
embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of the energy used in magical practice and
religious worship.
5)
We recognise both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds, sometimes known as
the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Plane etc. - and we see in the interaction
of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercise. We
neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfilment.
6)
We do not recognise any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honour those who teach, respect
those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who 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 the Wiccan Way.
8)
Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a witch - but neither does heredity itself, nor the
following of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself
that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony
with Nature.
9)
We believe in the affirmation and fulfilment of life in a continuation of evolution and
development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role
within it.
10) Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life,
is to the extent that it's institutions have claimed to be "the only way" and have sought to deny
freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.
11) As Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of The Craft, the origins of
various terms, or 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 evil, nor do we worship any entity known as
"Satan" or "the Devil", as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the
suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
13) We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and
well-being.

The WITCHES' REDE OF CHIVALRY

Insofar as the Craft of the wise is the most ancient and most honorable creed of humankind.
It behooves all who are witches to act in ways that give respect to the old gods,
to their sisters and brothers of the craft, and to themselves.
Therefore, be it noted that:
Chivalry is a high code of honor,
which is of most ancient pagan origin,
and must be lived by all who follow thee old ways.
It must be known that thoughts and intent put forth on this middle-earth will wax strong in
otherworlds beyond, and return...
bringing into creation, on this world, that which had been sent for.
Thus one should exercise discipline,
for "As ye do plant, so shall ye harvest".
It is only by preparing our minds to be as Gods that we can ultimately attain godhead.
"This above all...to thine own self be true."
A Witch's word must have the validity of a signed and witnessed oath.
Thus they give word sparingly,
but adhere to it like iron.
Refrain from speaking ill of others,
for not all truths of the matter may not be known.
Pass not unverified words about another,
for hearsay is, in a large part, a thing of falsehoods.
Be thou honest with others,
and have them know that honesty is likewise expected of them.
The fury of the moment plays folly with the truth;
to keep one's head is a virtue. Contemplate always the consequences of thine acts upon others.
Strive not to harm
Diverse covens may well have diverse news on love between members and with others.
When a coven, clan, or grove is visited or joined,
one should discern quietly their practices and abide thereby.
Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humor are much to be admired.
As a Witch thou hast power, and powers wax strongly as wisdom increases.
Therefore exercise discretion in the use thereof.
Courage and honor endure forever.
Their echoes remain when the mountains have crumbled to dust.
Pledge friendship and fealty to those who so warrant.
Strengthen other of the brethren and they shall strengthen thee.
Thou shall not reveal secrets of another Witch to another coven.
Others have labored long and hard for them and cherish them as treasures.
Though there may be differences between those of the Old Ways,
those who are once-born must see nothing and must bear nothing.
Those who follow the mysteries should be above reproach in the eyes of the world.
The laws of the land should be obeyed whenever possible and with reason,
for in the main they have been chosen with wisdom.
Have pride in thyself and seek perfection in body and in mind. For the Lady has said,
"How can thou honor another unless thou give honor to thyself first?"
Those who seek the mysteries should consider themselves as select of the Gods,
for it is they who lead the race of humans to the highest thrones and beyond the very stars.

Be Mindful

"Be mindful! Husband the earth. Protect her from greed and violence. Build humbly, plant trees,
grow flowers and clothe her with dignity. Respect all her creatures. Honour her natural law and
the universe which cradles her. Above all, heartily worship the Source of All that Is."
"This world needs secret heroes! Be brave, speak the truth, heal the sick, make peace. Be
strong, serve patiently, love generously, live simply. Enjoy fellowship, eat and drink modestly,
celebrate the festivals. Breathe deeply, sing and make music, walk often, cycle and recycle. Be
thrifty, prefer cash flow to possession, give good measure. Let your work be your prayer."
"Put on the whole armour of light! Unearth the beauty in everything. Inhale the Spirit of
Goodness. Kindle kindness, especially toward yourself, embracing the sweet silence of your
own soul. Fear nothing. Accept what you are and - while you have breath - give thanks"

. (source unknown)

*Based on work by Australias Rev. Lady Snowflake and Englands Jack Cox as well as other
material found on the internet