The Old Religion is a pre-Christian European Religion, which is founded upon

reverence for Nature, and the worship of Deity through ritual observation of

the Seasons, and the phases of the Moon. It is not a worship of these things,

but a worship of Deity through these things. It is believed that through a

continuous participation in the rituals of the year, that a person becomes

"attuned" to the energies of Nature, and begins to merge with Her (so that

Her Ways, become our Ways). It is through this attunement, that one gains

certain abilities, such as Divinatory skills, psychic awareness, and so on.

People who practice this religion refer to themselves as Witches, Wiccans, or

Pagans. It is through this growing awareness, as one practices the Old

Ways, that a special rapport begins to develop between the practitioner, and

his or her own understanding of Deity. For Witches, this Deity is conceived

of as a Goddess and a God (the Feminine & Masculine aspects of the Source of

All Things).The ritual celebrations consist of 8 yearly Festivals, as well as

monthly gatherings at the time of the Full Moon know as Esbat Rites. These 8

rituals are often referred to as the Wheel of the Year or Arianrhod’s Wheel

of death & rebirth. The purpose of the Religion is to teach the soul how to

evolve to a higher realm, by revealing the Ways of Nature. Since Nature is a

reflection of the Spiritual Laws which established it, a study of its

secrets can enlighten the soul, and thus prepare it for a higher existence

(freeing it from the cycle of reincarnation). The purpose of the Old Religion

is also to give due worship to the Great Spirit, to ensure the Fertility of

the Earth, and to create & maintain Balance and Harmony, within the bound

Ether of this physical dimension. The Old Religion teaches personal power and

personal empowerment.

It also teaches personal responsibility, and reveals that everything is

connected together. It is like a web, the threads of which are joined

together. Any vibration causes a reaction, felt by every other thread. It is

from this Law of Cause and Effect, Action and Reaction, that the code of

Ethics for witches arise.

A Witch lives by a code of ethics

which is built upon the Laws of Nature. Our behaviour is not regulated by a

fear of what awaits us in the Afterlife, but a respect for what awaits us in

this Life. Everything, and everyone, is connected. What we do to one another,

and to our World, we do to ourselves." Every act which you perform

will draw

to itself three times the nature of the act. Such is the Law.

This affects

not only the acts of each day, but reaches into the future as well. Here the

Law establishes those debts which must be paid. Therefore, consider well your

actions. Nothing escapes the Law, nor is hidden from it. The Law does not

punish or reward. It only returns the intent of each action to its

origin. If you step off from a high place, you will fall, and this is

consistent. There is no intent, there is nothing good or evil. It may be good

to leap upon your enemy from a high place, and surprise him, or it may be bad

to fall and be injured. But the nature of the descent itself is only a

Law. So too is the nature of the Law of Return". This teaching is similar to

the Wiccan Rede of "and as it harms none, do as thou wilt". The Rede is often

misunderstood to mean do whatever you want, as long as you don’t harm anyone

in the meantime.

This is not what it is addressing. It is addressing the issue that each

person must seek out their True Will (the Nature of their Higher Self). By

doing so, one is attuned to the "Spiritual Plan" which has been established

for them (or by them, depending upon your view). Once so attuned, no one can

be harmed by your actions, because you are following a Spiritual Plan, of

which they themselves are also a part.

This is the understanding of the connectiveness of all things, and of the Law

of Return (and Intent). We were not meant to simply wander about doing

whatever seems right, without regard to a goal, and the impact of that goal.

We have a responsibility to ourselves, and to each other. This is the true

interpretation of the Witches’ Rede. "An it harm none" is simply a warning

preface, not a "Thou shalt not," as many seem to interpret it. Whereas "Do

what you will" is a positive injunction: Thou SHALT do what thou wilt. Some

people say we are right to over-emphasise "harming none" because of the many

novices who want to cast love or revenge spells and might not understand the

concept of True Will. Others say that’s all the more reason to start them

early working on understanding and discovering their True Wills. This concept

does not come from Crowley, the concept itself pre-dates him by centuries, he

is but one of many who have used this age old concept. Each one should think

about what is Rede means to them & meditate on it often.

When I first heard the Rede I assumed it meant, like a lot of people, that it

means do what ever you want as long as it harms none. But in time the true

meaning comes, sometimes slowly & for others in a flash. Wiccans see True

Will as meaning to live in tune with one’s Inner self regardless of what

society, parents and other religions expects of one. Discovering one’s True

Will is difficult because you have to peel through all the layers of

socialisation. We don’t mean that one has to live outside the bounds of

society, but one has to go one’s own way & still be a socially responsible

person. We just "march to the beat of a different drum".

BLESSED BE.