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Ok. So I think this should be addressed. I read a book ( can't remember the title) about notable wiccans who had most influence on the religion of Wicca. In the book it gave multipul interviews of wiccans like starhawk Buckland and Doreen Valiente. Doreen Valiente for those who don't know was Garald Gardner's first High Priestess. She said in the interview that "An Ye harm none do what thou will" law was actually made up. After leaving Gardner she studied multipul historical writtings and spoke to family traditional members who said they had never heard of it. While its a good rule to help keep your karma in check its a fake rule. Really funny how we sometimes take fiction as truth.

It's never been a law; it's called a "rede" which means "advice". I don't think it unfair that advice is made up wink I don't know if it's the same interview as the one you're referring to, but I read one where she talked about the "law of three". The interviewer asked her if she still thought it had much validity. She said Gardner created it for one of his rituals - in the context of which it still makes sense, presumably (I wouldn't know). But yeah, the rede is a piece of advice, and has nothing much to do with karma. Neither the rede nor the law of three would be familiar to traditional witchcraft families; they're not Wiccan.

Starkhawk's not a Wiccan, just FYI. She's Reclaiming.

Wasn't Dafo Gardner's first High Priestess?

The Rede bugs me because people take it too serious. It's good advice like people have said. My problem with the threefold rule is that if what you send comes back to you three times as much. Why don't we hear about more people sending good a few times to reap the benefits and have their lives made in the shade?

Even if the three fold rule was universally true. It's like... Ok, so cast a few good things. Cast a lesser bad thing. Oh hey! Three times what you sent for the bad thing. ... Cancelled out by the good you sent out.

And, as far as harming none. I think that goes against self defense. If someone throws a punch at you. I don't think you should sit there and take it. Also, sometimes someone really needs the s**t beat out of them.

Now, the hard part is WHEN and WHERE? Here, is where I feel we shouldn't be so hasty to make that decision. But, sometimes... It's for the better in the long run if someone is put in their place.

But, there's that ever nagging question... Who the hell are we to decide that? Sometimes the answer is clear, other times not so much... Sometimes we think the answer is clear and act only to regret.

I think your right about Dafo. And I find it funny that Gardner said that only a young woman could take the role of the HPS as she is the embodiment of the Goddess. Does the Goddess not take on the guise of the Crone? Isnt the Crone wisdom? I think since they practiced skyclad that him and Alester Crowley were Pervy old men.

Dianics don't call themselves Wiccan because they only worship Goddess. There was a period that they did call themselves Wiccan, I forget exactly when but they started dropping the title because Wicca has a god and goddess.