Clarification of the Rede

Many people have a LOT of misunderstandings regarding the Wiccan Rede (yeah it seems odd that one who is not Wiccan is going to educate others on the Wiccan Rede, but here it goes).

First of all...the Rede is eight words, not two. There are many people who cite the rede but only put up two words "Harm None". If you're going to pick and choose words out of the rede to post, why these two? Why not "An it"? or "Do What"? These two words do not sum up the entire Rede, and neither does "Harm None". Wiccans don't believe in being pacifists. They understand that harm is sometimes necessary, but strive to inflict as little as possible. They try to live a harmless life, but aren't so naive as to believe they can live an entirely harm-free life. That's impossible (even from a pacifists point of view).

Second of all...again, the Rede is eight words, not an entire poem. There seems to be confusion as to what the Rede is, particularly with new people (and perhaps some not so new people). I have seen LOTS of people citing the "Rede of the Wiccae", which is a lengthy poem that happens to include the Wiccan Rede within it, and citing this poem as the Rede itself. This is erroneous (yes, I like that word, which is why I write it a lot, lol, sue me).

It clearly states within the poem itself:
"Eight words the WICCAN REDE fulfill:
An it harm none, do as ye will".

Why would a Rede post a rede within itself? That doesn't make sense. It's like making a law, with a law inside it. It kind of goes along the lines of my "Karmic Fail" post, in which if someone is going to follow a guideline, they should research and understand that guideline before adopting it as their own. Blindly following something simply because someone says you should isn't doing you any favors. It can do more "harm" than good, and isn't harm against the Rede??







**NOTE: I still do not follow the Rede, but have found a new understanding of it, and wish to help educate those who wish to follow it so they don't end up reciting misinformation. Education is one of my goals with this blog.