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A Witch lives by a code of ethics which is built upon the Laws of Nature. Our behavior is not regulated by a fear of what awaits us in the Afterlife, but a respect for what awaits us in this Life. Everything, and everyone, is connected. What we do to one another, and to our World, we do to ourselves.
The Holy Strega spoke of this when she said :
" Every act which you perform will draw to itself three
times the nature of the act. Such is the Law. This
affects not only the acts of each day, but reaches into
the Future as well. Here the Law establishes those
debts which must be paid. Therefore, consider well your
actions. Nothing escapes the Law, nor is hidden from
it. The Law does not punish or reward. It only returns
the intent of each action to its origin. If you step
off from a high place, you will fall, and this is
consistent. There is no intent, there is nothing good
or evil. It may be good to leap upon your enemy from a
high place, and surprise him, or it may be bad to fall
and be injured. But the nature of the descent itself is
only a Law. So too is the nature of the Law of Return".
From: 'The Words of Aradia' in 'Ways of the Strega' by Raven Grimassi
(Copyright by Raven Grimassi 1995, permission to reprint must be granted by author)
This teaching is similar to the Wiccan Rede of "an it harm none, do as thou wilt". The Rede is often misunderstood to mean do whatever you want, as long as you don't harm anyone in the meantime. This is not what it is addressing. It is addressing the issue that each person must seek out their True Will (the Nature of their Higher Self). By doing so, one is attuned to the "Spiritual Plan" which has been established for them (or by them, depending upon your view). Once so attuned, no one can be harmed by your actions, because you are following a Spiritual Plan, of which they themselves are also a part. This is the understanding of the connectiveness of all things, and of the Law of Return (and Intent). We were not meant to simply wander about doing whatever seems right, without regard to a goal, and the impact of that goal. We have a responsibility to ourselves, and to each other. ."An it harm none" is simply a warning preface. One has to go one's own way AND still be a socially responsible person.
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