Athiccan Rede

Heed the one true law you must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
These eight words the Rede fulfill,
"As it harms none, do what you will."
Whether heals or whether burns,
ever mind the effect, it turns.
Follow this with mind and heart,
to merry meet and merry part.

- - -

This is the most important precept in the Athicca tradition: do no harm. Whether to ourselves, each other, or Nature as a whole, and whether known or unseen, so long as we do no harm then we are free to do as we like, without limit.

Our intentions and actions should strive to be beneficial and empowering without prejudice or conceit. One of the great responsibilities of witchcraft and magick is to be mindful of the effects of what we do and how those actions affect ourselves and everything around us.

While it is impossible to always avoid causing hurt (a temporary state), every effort should be made to never cause harm (a permanent condition). In some cases, it might be necessary to inflict hurt in order to prevent causing harm.

For an Athiccan witch to deliberately violate the Rede is considered a most egregious infraction. It is nearly unforgivable, requiring an immense amount of effort and time to regain the trust of Nature, Orb and Sky, as well as other members of the tradition.