The following is an exerpt from an article written by Kenny Klein in the magazine "Moonrise", the winter 1991 issue.

As near as I can figure, the Wiccan Rede was written by someone in the early Gardenerian days. Buszinski had it, and he came out of Gardenerianism, so there you have it. In the seventies, when many occult book stores had open Pagan classes called Pagan Ways, I think the term was started in Chicago, there was a phenomena I call the Great Pagan Xerox Chase. At this time, when initiates were xeroxing their books to trade for xeroxes of their friends' books, the Rede got added to many books of shadows. It seems to be common, in one form or another, to Gardenerians, Alexandrians, and American Welsh traditions. I'm sure others have it too.

Unlike many other pages from these books, I don't think this one was ever published. This is ironic, since it's so often quoted, usually completely out of context. Let me give the Rede that my tradition uses, then share some examples.

Ye Wiccan Rede

Bide Ye Wiccan laws ye must in perfect love and perfect trust
Live and let live, fairly take and fairly give
For the circle thrice about to keep all evil spirits out
To bind ye spell every time, let ye spell be spake in rhyme
Soft of eye, light of touch, speak ye lityl, listen much
Deosil go by the waxing moon, singing out ye Witches' Rune
Widdershins go by the waning moon, chanting out ye Baneful Rune
When the Lady's moon is new, kiss your hand to her times two
When the moon rides at her peak, then ye hearts' desire seek
Heed the North winds' mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss ye on the mouth
When the wind blows from the West, departed souls may have no rest
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast
Nine woods in ye cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow
Elder be ye Lady's tree, burn it not or cursed ye'll be
When the wheel begins to turn, soon ye beltain fire'll burn
When the wheel hath turned a Yule, light a log the Horned One rules
Heed ye flower, bush, and tree, by the Lady blessed be
Where the rippling waters flow, cast a stone and truth ye'll know
When he have and hold a need harken not to others' reed
With a fool no seasons spend, nor be counted as his friend
Merry meet and merry part, bright the cheeks and warm the heart
Mind ye threefold law ye should, three times band and three times good
When misfortune is anow, wear the star upon your brow
True in love ye must ever be, lest thy love be falst to thee
In these eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, an ye harm none, do what ye will.

At first reading, one can see that this is really bad Vogon poetry and really good common sense advice. One can also see where most standard Wiccan axioms come from.

Now you can say that one should exercise perfect love and perfect trust with all Pagan folk, but looking at line one, that is NOT what the Rede says. It says to bide (live by) the Rede in perfect love and perfect trust. If one trusts the Rede perfectly, and loves it enough to live by it, a look at line 21 will show that you don't have to love and trust people just because they say they are Pagan. If they prove themselves a fool in your eyes, the Rede warns not to spend time near them.

Lines 6-9 are just what Gardener's original Book of Shadows contained: simple rituals for Moon celebrations (Esbats). Both the Witches Rune and the Baneful Rune are specific songs with accompanying ritual movements. The notion of "power raising" in ritual may come from these dancing, chanted "runes." Line 9 corresponds to the Charge of the Goddess line "if thou hast need of me, once a month and better it be when the moon is full, thou shall assemble in some secret glade, and call upon me, who am Queen of all Witches." The Charge was collected by Leland, so certainly came before the Rede.

Line 14 is a Yule ritual which corresponds to the Welsh myth of Blueddewedd (pronounced Vlo-di-weth). The ban on burning Elder is common sense, as it give a noxious fume. Often in mythic language, that which is dangerous is held as sacred. Line 17 expresses Craft belief that the God rules in Winter while the Goddess is in His Underworld, and states the tradition of the Yule log, which in some British Familial Traditions is a piece of last year's maypole.

Both "Merry meet" and "the threefold law" come from the next few lines. I have seen bookstores recently selling a hack six line "Wiccan Rede" which says "ever mind the law of three lest in thy self defense it be." I don't know where such tripe came from, but I know it is not from the Wiccan Rede. The star in line 24 is, of course, the pentacle, and this refers to psychic shielding.

The "An" in the last line is an archaic word meaning "if." The last line should read "if it harms none, do as you will." Fans of Crowley know that this refers not to whim, but to magickal Will. If you are truly in touch with the energy of the Goddess and God, your will is in harmony with Nature, and therefore you can will nothing that is wrong for yourself. More important, "if it harms none" reminds us that as thinking beings, our intuition must work with our intellect. If your will bids you to do any action, you must first reason out consequences of potential harm to self or others. Easy to say, a lifetimes' work to get it right.

Many believe that secrets are sacred, no matter what the consequences. Others say it is time to show each other what we each have so we can all prosper by it. The Rede is words, nothing more, nothing less. But there is power in words, and the power in words used out of context or for misguided purpose can be the most harmful of all. I would like to think that everyone in our community who says "perfect love and perfect trust" or "merry meet" knows why they are saying it. These are not empty words, but words of power. Let's give them their power through our thought and understanding.

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