Wiccan Rede Project: The Common Rede

The Wiccan Rede Project resurrection at gocek.org
The Common Rede
As collected by Shea Thomas

There's little that's common about the Rede, but there is one variant version of the Thompson/Porter poem that seems to appear more often.* It differs only slightly from the Rede Of The Wiccae in that it uses a more vernacular voice, and substitutes the shorter phrase: "chanting out the baneful rune" for the longer reference to werewolves and wolfsbane in couplet number seven. "Pan" has also been changed to a more ecumenical "horned one" in couplet seventeen. For the Rede with annotations, please see the original Rede Of The Wiccae.

The Wiccan Rede
A Derivative Of Rede Of The Wiccae
By Lady Gwen Thompson & Adriana Porter

Bide the Wiccan Laws we must, in perfect love and perfect trust.
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the Circle thrice about, to keep the evil spirits out.
To bind the spell every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch, speak little, listen much.
Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the Witches' Rune.
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out the baneful rune.
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to her, times two.
When the moon rides at her peak, then your heart's desire seek.
Heed the North wind's mighty gale, lock the door and drop the sail.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the West, departed souls will have no rest.
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.
Nine woods in the cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Elder be the Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed you'll be.
When the Wheel begins to turn, let the Beltane fires burn.
When the Wheel has turned to Yule, light the log and the Horned One rules.
Heed ye Flower, Bush and Tree, by the Lady, blessed be.
Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone and truth you'll know.
When ye have a true need, hearken not to others' greed.
With a fool no season spend, lest ye be counted as his friend.
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
Mind the Threefold Law you should, three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow, wear the blue star on thy brow.
True in Love ever be, lest thy lover's false to thee.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An ye harm none, do what ye will.

* Shea Thomas' original footnote refers to http://www.angelfire.com/wa/georgian/BOS/rede.html, which has disappeared from the internet. The relevant comment follows, rescued from archive.org, attributed to Herb Mitchell for The Online Georgian Council of Elders, 2000.

Moondancer's comment: There are many different versions of the Rede available on the net. Most of them derive from one of two sources, that of Lady Gwen Thompson and the Tradition known as N.E.C.T.W. and originally published in "Green Egg #69" (March 1975) as part of an article entitled "Wiccan-Pagan Potpourri", or from a variant of that version, probably originally published in the "Earth Religions News" by a former student of hers. The version most often credited to Lady Gwen, frequently posted to newsgroups and on websites, is actually the version from "Earth Religions News" and can be seen to have a few minor, but significant differences from that of Lady Gwen. In addition, there are other versions that while they appear to derive from Lady Gwen's version, differ significantly with additional verses and other changes. We present here, Lady Gwen's version as contained in her article from "Green Egg #69", which she had also sent to the Georgians prior to its publication, as well as one of the variants, from an unknown author. Please also read Judy Harrow's "Exegesis on the Rede", which is one analysis of the Rede. For another, check out Karl Lembke's web site, noting that the version he is using differs slightly from this one; in addition there is the Wiccan Rede Project.