The Green Witches Coven

Step 1 - The Green Witches Coven Creed

Much has been written and discussed about the historical roots, variations and
interpretations of what is known as the Wiccan Rede, the Rede of Wiccae or the Witches
Creed. While debate still continues amongst Pagans, Wiccans and Witches what is
certain is that the ethics that Witches strive to live by are poetically and succinctly
summed up in eight little words. These eight words, with variations in the spellings, have
come to hold the fundamental basis of the way a Witch should strive to live their life.

“If it harms none, do what you will”

All though these words seem simple and the sentence they make up incredibly short, the
instruction they give is very difficult to apply correctly to every aspect of daily life.

Some misread the instructions true meaning and take “do what you will” to mean that
you can do absolutely anything you want without consequence. But the crux of the
sentence is “if it harms none.”

Every action you take has a consequence and it is your duty to be mindful of any
possible harm you may cause to others, to creatures, to the planet and to yourself.

Add to this the Threefold Law which states that any harm or good that a Witch, or
anyone else for that matter, does to someone else comes back to harm or benefit them -
magnified three times over.

It is of course impossible to cause absolutely no harm to everything and everyone. We

need to eat food to keep healthy but harm may have been caused to produce that food,
for example. This could be the harming of insects to produce healthy crops or even the
harm caused to animals to provide food for meat eaters.

And what about self defence? Who could condemn the harming of the mosquito whose
only aim in life is to harm us humans!
Commonsense needs to be applied to the ‘harm to none’ portion of the sentence. And
that is why we here at the Green Witches Coven, amongst other Craft practitioners have
incorporated the additional words of “If it causes harm, do as you must’.

Here is the full version of the Green Witches Coven Creed that ends with the eight little
words plus the additional eight.

Green Witches Coven Creed

Hear now these words we bestow

To dare, to will, to be silent, to know
Forget not what you reap is what you sow

Be fair to all with whom the planet you share

Give and take fairly and be always aware
To live and let live with kindness and care

The Wheel of the Year ye must celebrate

Honour what the God and Goddess create
Especially on the significant eight

Be ever mindful of the law of three

As good and bad come back to thee
Not just once but times by three

Stay clear of fools and their foolish mind

Lest you be counted amongst their kind
Your name with theirs forever entwined

Loving and faithful to a lover be

Give thought, word and deed in equal degree
But sever ties if they’re not true to thee

Honour thirteen moons throughout the year

Waxing and waning, new and sphere
Praise the Goddess and let her near

And when the moon is full to inspire

With aid from air, earth, water and fire
Chant in rhyme what you desire

The Witches Star keep in your mind

The five point pentacle and circle combined
To protect and guard against evil assigned
 Respect and honour your body and mind
Exercise, eat well and treat yourself kind
Then happiness, confidence and peace you’ll find

Surround yourself with friends who are true

Be as kind and caring as they are to you
Then they’ll always be there for you to turn to

Think wisely, speak thoughtfully and listen much

To concentrate, meditate, affirm and such
Always apply a gentle touch

In these words you should place your trust

If it harms none, do what you will
If it causes harm, do as you must

Below the 13 verses of the Green Witches Coven Creed is fully interpreted and
expanded upon.

ONE

Hear now these words we bestow

To dare, to will, to be silent, to know
Forget not what you reap is what you sow

Successful Magic is dependent upon the principles underpinning the phrase of "To
Know, To Dare, To Will and To Keep Silent". In order to combine all the necessary
elements that make for successful Spell casting you must:

 Know - Know yourself, have knowledge of the Craft and have clear in your mind
what you want to achieve from a Spell.
 Dare - Have the courage of your convictions, have confidence in your abilities
and take the necessary actions to put all that you know to good use to make an
effective Spell.

 Will - So you may know what you want, have the courage to get it, but do you
really, really want it? An intense desire is the will you’ll need to succeed.

 Keep Silent - Making known to all and sundry what, why and how you have used
your knowledge of Magic is as sure fire way to have any Spell at best not work
and at worst backfire upon you. A Spell is a request “spelled’ out to the Universe.
Let it be heard without interference. Give the Universe time and chance to hear
the request and not have to listen to constant chatter and gossip about it.

TWO
 Be fair to all with whom the planet you share
Give and take fairly and be always aware
To live and let live with kindness and care

This portion of the Green Witches Coven Creed is self explanatory and gives sound
advice on fair treatment, equality and sensitivity. A good knowledge and awareness of
other cultures, environmental issues and how we treat animals is essential to making
educated and informed choices on how to live our lives. When ignorance “marries”
prejudice they become the parents of intolerance, hatred and war.

THREE

The Wheel of the Year ye must celebrate

Honour what the God and Goddess create
Especially on the significant eight

The Wheel of the Year is marked by Sabbats, which are seasonal festivals celebrating
and acknowledging the cycles of nature as it turns through its seasons. The eight
Sabbats are the Summer and Winter Solstices, the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes and
four fire festivals – Samhain (Halloween), Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh. (Other
traditions may use slightly different names for the Sabbats.)

These Sabbats help you tune in to the seasons and the cyclical characteristics of
Nature. The festivals historically mark important times in the agricultural cycle of the
year. All of the eight Sabbats were celebrated in the Ancient world in some form or other
and honoured gods and goddesses in their various guises.

FOUR

Be ever mindful of the law of three

As good and bad come back to thee
Not just once but times by three

Similar to the Law of Attraction, the Law of Three is more concerned with words and
deeds rather than thoughts. So by thinking in a positive way, you will attract to you
positive elements according to the Law of Attraction, so it goes that by acting in a
positive way, positive things will happen to you. Furthermore, this Law of Threefold
Return maintains that the worth of any good deed you do will be returned to you three
times in this life.

Similarly any bad deed you do will also be returned to you three times more in value.

In other words, good deeds are magnified back to the doer, but so are ill deeds.

It encourages you to think about the effect your actions have on others. You are
responsible for the consequences of anything that you do, whether good or bad.
Anything you send out returns to you threefold. It is clear that it is important to avoid
doing harm to others and doing good will actually improve your life.
FIVE

Stay clear of fools and their foolish mind

Lest you be counted amongst their kind
Your name with theirs forever entwined

People judge you on the company you keep, be around fools and their foolish ways and
you will be seen to be foolish.

SIX

Loving and faithful to a lover be

Give thought, word and deed in equal degree
But sever ties if they’re not true to thee

So many women and some men hold onto bad, abusive, unfaithful and unequal
relationships for far too long. This section of the Green Witches Coven Creed maintains
that you must leave any relationship that is not providing you with an equal amount of
energy, effort, love, support and faithfulness that you put in.

SEVEN

Honour thirteen moons throughout the year

Waxing and waning, new and sphere
Praise the Goddess and let her near

Each year there are approximately 13 lunar cycles in which the moon goes through its
waning, new, waxing and full moon phases. The full moon phase of the lunar cycle
represents the peak of moon energy. Referred to by most Witches as Esbats the full
moon evening is simply the best time to celebrate and honour the Goddess of the Moon.

EIGHT

And when the moon is full to inspire

With aid from air, earth, water and fire
Chant in rhyme what you desire

And the full moon phase of the lunar cycle is the best time to Spell cast and call upon the
elements of air, earth, water and fire to combine to aid the Spells success.

NINE

The Witches Star keep in your mind

The five point pentacle and circle combined
To protect and guard against evil assigned
This refers to the pentacle, (sometimes named the pentagram) which is the five pointed
Witches Star encased by a circle which is used in Magic Spell work and in rituals by
Witches. Each point of the star is associated with a particular element and the circle
represents the God/Goddess. It is the single most protective symbol used by Witches
and is often imagined in the mind’s eye in times of threat.

TEN

Respect and honour your soul, body and mind

Exercise, eat well and treat yourself kind
Then happiness, confidence and peace you’ll find

This section refers to ensuring you are the healthiest and best person you can be.

Your physical appearance should be the best you can make it. This means striving for a
healthy shape and weight by dumping the junk food, eating only good unprocessed
nutritious food, drinking water and doing daily exercise. Good hair, nails, clear
complexion and feeling good about yourself naturally follows this healthy regimen.
Mentally, you need to strive to learn new and varied things continually. The natural
outcome of a healthy body and mind is a real boost in self esteem and a boosted
confidence. You'll feel good because you look good and feel confident that you have
valid views and opinions on a wide range of subjects. And there is nothing more
attractive than a confident, happy and interesting person.

ELEVEN

Surround yourself with friends who are true

Be as kind and caring as they are to you
Then they’ll always be there for you to turn to

Surround yourself with positive, uplifting and confident friends whom treat you with
respect and want the best for you. Take interest and pleasure in all that they do and say
and they’ll do the same in return for you. Rid from your life any negative people who
drag you down, sap your energy or take more than they give.

TWELVE

Think wisely, speak thoughtfully and listen much

To concentrate, meditate, affirm and such
Always apply a gentle touch

Think carefully before you speak, give opinion or advice. Listen to what others are truly
saying. Your hasty words may need to be retracted later or worse still be acted upon with
dire consequences.

Listen to the advice from others and take time to consider, contemplate and mediate
before deciding which path to take.
Try not to argue with others, raise your voice or speak in anger. First withdraw, take time
to consider your best course of action.

Meditate and use affirmation and visualisation techniques to help create the life you want
to live.

THIRTEEN

In these words you should place your trust

If it harms none, do what you will
If it causes harm, do as you must

See the introduction to the Green Witches Coven Creed for the full discussion of the final
segment of the Creed.

Completing Step One of the Green Witches Coven

Acquire a large plain paper book or journal. This will act as your Magical Journal,

Hand write the Green Witches Coven Creed into your Magical Journal and think about
what the words mean to you.

Write it out with care and consider what each of the 13 verses means in your life now.
Make notes on the ways you can make immediate changes now and in the near future
by incorporating some of the messages from the Creed into your life.