Wiccan

Wiccan Morality

Most Wiccans submit to two basic rules of morality; the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold Law. The Rede states: "And it harm none, do as you will," meaningthat you may do what you like, so long as you do not offer harm to others or to yourself. The Threefold Law states that what you send out in both the mundane and magical planes will return to you, though not necessarily by three. The Rede has been criticized as license to do anything you want, however the Rede itself is a much more restricting rule than it first appears to be. Not harming anyone includes yourself, so behaviors such as unsafe sex, excessive drinking, drugs, reckless behavior, and even smoking are considered against the Rede as they harm the self.

Some Wiccans feel such a deep connection with nature that they refuse to consume animal products. Many Wiccans are vegetarian or vegan however there is no consensus among the Wiccan community and the requirement of abstaining from consuming meat is by no means universal. VirtuallyallWiccans are, however, against cruelty to animals or needless destruction of a natural space, due in no small part to Wiccan beliefs.

Sex and sexuality is a fluid topic for Wiccans; Wicca itself provides no mandates about sex and no rules to follow beyond the basic Rede. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals often find acceptance among Wiccans and ideas of non-traditional relationships find root much more readily among Wiccan communities. Sex before marriage is not frowned upon and sex in general is often seen as a blessing.

While Wiccans do perform magic and use spells to attempt to change the world around them, doing so for express personal gain or to harm someone else is taboo. Attempting to solve ones problems with magic and ritual before exhausting mundane means is also strongly frowned upon and a Wiccan who engages in this on a regular basis will quickly find themselves pushed out of the greater Wiccan community. Along with that, an extreme importance is placed on free-will and the ability of the individual to make his/her own choices. Anything that impinges on that is not accepted by Wiccans; including preaching religious beliefs and use of ritual magic on someone without their knowledge or consent.

A term that crops up among Wiccans (and some Pagans) is "fluffy bunny." A fluffy bunny is a Wiccan who is new to Wicca and is lacking some of the more extended understanding that time spent participating in and studying Wicca brings and as such they tend to make over-arching statements of fact for which they have no backing for, make outrageous claims of what they do, wear large amounts of jewelry to identify as Wiccan, talk at length about the Burning Times, carry their Book of Shadows openly, and complain about Wiccans being oppressed. These individuals usually have a mercifully brief shelf life as eventually they get bored of the theatrics and move on to something else or they discover more about Wicca and become more serious. Many Wiccans began their lives in Wicca this way, though most are embarrassed to admit it.