We talked yesterday about how, with the pagan idea of reincarnation, you don’t have to worry about eternal punishment for being bad—just smaller punishments (and rewards) during your various lives, depending on how well you behave. But the thing is: How do you know if you’re being good or bad?
Unlike a lot of the major religions, paganism doesn’t have one “Bible,” one set of sacred rules that everyone is supposed to follow, whether they understand the rules or not. Paganism is a lot less structured than that—but still, there are some rules.
Probably the biggest rule in paganism can be boiled down to what is called the “Wiccan Rede.” (Rede just means “advice,” “counsel,” or “guidance.”) The Wiccan Rede says:
“Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
An’ it harm none, do what ye will.”
In this case, the word an’ just means something along the lines of “As long as.” So the Wiccan Rede is basically saying, “As long as you’re not harming anyone, do what you will.”
Sounds simple, right? And it also kind of sounds like a license for a free-for-all type of society. But there’s a little more to it than meets the eye.
For starters, you have to remember that “harm” means any kind of injury—not just physical but emotional as well. You can’t do anything that might hurt someone or infringe on another person’s rights or freedom in any way—from spreading a rumor about someone to killing them.
Then, there’s the part about “harming none.” That “none” includes yourself. So, although you’re free to do what you want—even things that other religions may view as “sinful,” like taking drugs or drinking—if what you do harms you (as drugs and excessive drinking very well can), then it’s against the Wiccan Rede.
Besides the whole “harm” aspect, there’s also something else to consider when you look at the Wiccan Rede. “Do what ye will” means more than just “do whatever you feel like doing.” It also means that you have a responsibility to fulfill your personal mission in life. Sitting around on your ass and watching TV ain’t gonna do it. And that’s a pretty strict requirement for such a seemingly relaxed statement.
In fact, paganism is all about taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. Pagans believe that they play a key role in making life happen—they generally don’t “turn their problems over to God” and declare themselves helpless, as the followers of many other religions sometimes do. Whatever happens in our lives, according to paganism, is the direct result of our own actions—and only we can make things better or worse.
Because paganism has no central figure representing “evil,” like Satan, there’s no one to blame for “tempting” us away from what is good. We have only ourselves to blame.
That, right there, is probably one of my favorite things about paganism. Although it’s certainly not a lot of fun to take responsibility for everything that happens to me, I try to do it—and I wish more people would do it, too.
To me, it’s a cop-out to say that “the devil” led you astray, because even religions that believe in the devil generally acknowledge that human beings have free will. So, even if you were tempted, ultimately, you’re still the one who screwed up and made the bad choices.
I screw up all the time, but hey—I’m the first to admit it. I’m thrilled to have found a religion that tells me I’m right. Now, if I could just get my boyfriend to tell me I’m right once in a while . . .
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