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Child's Book of Wicca; Chapter 5, The Rede

Mommy was talking to Sarah.

It was one of those times in a child's life when a parent tries to teach a child something important, but it doesn't make sense to the child.

Frustrating for the parent. Frustrating for the child.

Finally Sarah looked at her Mommy and said that she understood (when she really didn't) and left the table.

What her Mommy was trying to explain to her seemed simple enough, but it was very difficult to understand.

It involved things called the Rede, Threefold Retribution and Reincarnation.

Sarah couldn't figure out what a plant that grows near the water had to do with anything.

Mommy said that the Rede was the basis of their entire system of beliefs.

For several hours, Mommy talked to Sarah, explaining what Wiccans believe but it wasn't making much sense to Sarah.

Sarah decided to talk with the Green Lady.

She went outside to the backyard and sat under a tree. Sarah waited for Rhiannon to come.

Not too long after she closed her eyes, she heard Rhiannon approaching. Sarah opened her eyes, sat up, and waited for Her.

The Lady sat down next to Sarah, smiled, and asked, "What do you need, little one?"

"What was Mommy trying to tell me?" Sarah asked.

"Your mother was attempting to teach you some of the basic beliefs of all Wiccans."

"Why is that important?"

"It is necessary for you to know what we believe, so you can choose the path that is right for you. Remember when you went to church with Joe?"

"Yes."

"He believes many of the same things that you do, but there are differences in the two religions. If you know what we believe, then it is easier to know what church is right for you."

"But, I already know what I believe, you told me about not hurting people."

"What you have already learned is part of out beliefs, not all of them. As you grow, you can understand more. Your Mommy feels you are ready to understand more and you should feel proud of that."

Sarah sighed. "I guess so, but she made it more confusing, not easier. Maybe I'm not as ready as Mommy thinks."

The Lady laughed. "Sometimes it is easier to learn from someone else than from your Mommy or Daddy. Perhaps I can help. Where do you think you go when your body dies?"

"Don't I get to come here and be with you and Herne?"

"For a while, you will. But you can't stay here."

"Why not?"

"When school was over, did you stay on summer vacation forever?"

"No."

"Death is like going on summer vacation. There are things you have to learn in school, just as there are things you have to learn in life. Everyone gets many chances to learn them. These chances, or lives, are what we call 'Re-in-car-nation.' An Incarnation is a life, it can be as a plant or animal or human. 'Re,' means again. Knowing that, can you tell me what 'reincarnation' is?"

Sarah thought for a few moments. "Living again?" she finally asked.

"That's right. Reincarnation is living another life. It is another chance to come back to Earth and learn the lessons you didn't learn the first time, or to learn new lessons you didn't have a chance to learn."

"Do I ever learn everything?"

"Do you ever graduate from school?" Rhiannon asked with a twinkling eye.

"Sometime I will. Then I will be an adult."

"Eventually you will graduate from life. You will not have to come back again when that happens. You will be an evolved spirit. The you can stay here with me and help others evolve as well."

"Do I have to become you?"

"No. Remember, you have free will. You will be able to choose what you will do for the rest of time. You can pick your 'job'."

"What kinds of jobs are there?"

"All kinds. You could be a Guardian Angel to someone else. You could be a record keeper. You could be a Goddess to people on another world. You could take care of souls who just died. You could choose to simply to Be. It's YOUR choice."

Sarah looked thoughtful. "I'll have to think about it."

"Yes, you will need to. But, don't worry about it right now. You have a long time to think about these things before you have to make a choice. What else was your Mother saying that confused you?"

"What does a reed have to do with anything?"

"Not a reed, as in the plant, the Wiccan Rede. It is a belief that says 'An it harm none, do as you will'. It is a way of acting, of being, of living that almost all Wiccans live by."

"You mean that I can do anything I want?"

"As long as it does not hurt anyone, including yourself, yes. Let me give you an example.

"Your Mommy gives you her last 20 dollars until payday and asks you to go to the store. She tells you to get some milk, bread and sugar. She says that because you are doing this for her you can get a drink and a snack for yourself. While you are out, you stop at a hamburger place and spend 10 dollars on yourself. Then you get the milk and the other things she asked you to get. You have five dollars left. You decide to get a drink and play some video games before going home. You get home and have no money left. Is this good or bad?"

"I say it's good, but I bet the answer is 'bad'."

"Smart girl." Rhiannon patted Sarah on the shoulder. "The answer is bad. You knew that she had no money left, so spending it on you is the same as stealing it. Your Mommy trusted you to bring back the change, and you broke that trust. You may have even made the problem worse by fibbing to her and saying that you didn't know where the money went. That is three harms in just one action; First stealing, second breaking your Mommy's trust in you, and finally, fibbing. Do you see how you can hurt people without meaning to?"

"Yes, but how is it stealing? She told me I could get something."

"Yes, she said a drink and a snack. She did not tell you to get a meal, nor did she say anything about video games. You already had a drink at the hamburger stand, you were not entitled to another."

"Do I have to think about everything I say and do now?"

"Yes, you do. You already know what is right and wrong, now you have to think about the outcomes of your actions, and how they will effect others, before you do anything."

"Like thinking about how Mommy will feel when I come home with no money?"

"Exactly. Those kinds of things, done regularly, have ruined more good relationships between parents and children than almost anything else."

"Why is that?"

"It's like the story of the little boy who cried wolf. After a while, the parents no longer believe them when they say something. Even when it is the truth."

"Will I get punished?"

"If you do something like that, yes, you should be. But, if you broke your promise to someone else, you may not be punished by them."

"What do you mean, 'by them'?"

"Well, this is the third thing we believe. It is called the 'Threefold retribution.' Retribution is a punishment, and threefold means..."

"Three times?" Sarah asked.

"Good! That's exactly right. We believe that whatever you do comes back to you three times. If you do something nice, you get three times the reward, and if it is bad, you get three times the punishment."

"Does that mean that if I hit someone, I will get hit three times?"

"Not necessarily. There are things that could be considered three times as worse as a punch in the face. Breaking your arm, for instance, or getting hit by a car. The point is that for everything you do, you will get it back more than you gave out."

"What about good things?"

"Yes, those come back to you three times too. If you gave a dollar to someone who needed it, you may get back three dollars from someone else when you needed it, or get a larger allowance or something similar."

"Then I will only do good things for everyone."

"I hope you do. It is not always possible. Life is not perfect, nor are people. It is okay for you to tell on a classmate if he is hurting you so that he gets punished. That is giving him back what he has been putting out. You won't be punished for telling on him, as his own actions will have brought his punishment on himself."

"Are you sure?"

"Mostly. There are times that will not be covered by this rule. If the good outweighs the bad in an action you are going to take, or if you are willing to pay the consequences for your actions, then you may do as you wish. But don't complain when you get what you deserve, however. There will be very few people who will be sympathetic."

"Then I will try to do the right thing."

"Good," Rhiannon said with some satisfaction. "Then I am happy. I am proud of you and I love you. Now I must leave." Rhiannon got up, hugged and kissed Sarah, and left.

Sarah woke up under the same tree. She got up, dusted herself off, and went home to tell her Mommy about what she now understood.

Rede Comments

This story should probably be delayed until the child has done something in violation of the Rede or the Threefold Retribution. It is important that you judge your child's ability to understand the concepts presented.

It should be explained that the punishments or rewards can come while they are still in their current incarnation, according to the Law of Three.

It may be helpful to have the child think of different examples of each of the concepts expressed here on their own.

Some discussions questions:

1. When is it acceptable to give someone what is coming to them? 
2. How does the child judge the rightness of 'telling'? 
3. What happens when you die? 
4. What do you think you would like to do when you 'graduate" from life? 
5. What would you like to be next life you live? 
6. Tell me what the Rede means to you. 
7. According to the Rede, can you kill a bug? 
8. Think of an example of a reward for being kind to a dog who is hurt. 
9. Can you think of some punishments for stealing a candy from a store? 
10. Which rule is the same as this statement: "Treat others the way you want to be treated."

In these questions, the child should be gently steered away from thinking of parental punishments and rewards. Encourage them to think, instead, of what others might do and say.

• Try explaining the concept of actions and consequences. If they don't understand, try to keep from getting discouraged. Time will teach them. Help them to realize that the principal already applies to them and their lives.
• If the child still does not understand, be patient, wait. Another time will come to explain these concepts, using terms they will understand. Use examples in their life now.
• Watch programs on TV and Movies. These sources are full of examples of these concepts, especially the Rede and the Law of Three. Discuss these examples with your child.

Try and help your child to understand that not all injury is physical. It is best if they learn this lesson as soon as they can.

 

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