Listen all and blessed be
A new rede has come to me.
The rule of three may bring deeds 'round
But to that trinity we are not bound.
Listen well and use your thoughts;
You may have swallowed more than you bought.
The Wiccan Rede is poetry;
Not ancient law in symmetry.
It is a warning, yes, that's true,
But a strict following we can not do.
For who decides what's wrong or right?
Perception relies on individual sight.
So think before you quote the Rede.
Are your morals meant for another's deed?

A bit of Rede History

This is the first instance I have found where the rede is mentioned. If anyone finds an earlier one, please do let me know.

From:The Meaning of Witchcraft ...

Page 127 - "It is an old saying that "The difference between orthodoxy and heterodoxy is that orthodoxy is my doxy and heterodoxy is scram-one else's doxy." John Calvin's doxy (a most ill-favoured hag) was embodied in his famous dictum, "All pleasure is sin." Nowadays most people modify that a little, saying "My pleasures are innocent, everybody else's pleasures are sin." Witches cannot sympathise with this mentality. They are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, "Do what you like so long as you harm no one". But they believe a certain law to be important, "You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in an way which will abate the harm." This involves every magical action being discussed first, to see that it can do no damage, and this induces a habit of mind to consider well the the results of one's actions, especially upon others."

The entire text can be found at:

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