The Wiccan Rede.... Parent style

Law 1

Bide the Witches Law ye must,
In perfect love and perfect trust.

Lesson one

Know that there is a God and Goddess, love them as you love yourself and trust that your life is divinely guided.

Law 2

Live and let live,
Fairly take and fairly give

Lesson two

We call this the Golden Rule!  Do to others what you want them to do to you.

Law 3

First tread the Circle thrice about
To keep unwelcome spirits out

Lesson three

When we pray or as some would call spell casting we seperate ourselves from the mundane world and enter the magickal.  By physically and mentally going through your sacred space three times you clean your mind and your intent.

Law 4

To bind the spell well every time,
Let the spell be spake in rhyme

Lesson four

We rhyme to remember and we rhyme to pause and think of what we are asking or willing to happen.

Law 5

Light of eye and soft of touch
Speak ye little, listen much

Lesson five

Don't force yourself or your beliefs on another person, and truly listen to those around you instead of just hearing them.  Strive for understanding and don't judge others.

Law 6

Honor the old Ones in deed and name,
Let love and light be our guides again.

Lesson six

This is a two fold lessong.  For the parents it is the simple phrase *Monkey See.... Monkey Do.* For the children it is *respect your Elders.*

Law 7*

Deosil go by the waxing moon,
Sing and Dance the joyful rune.

Lesson seven*

The waxing moon is a moon that is building, growing and becoming.  This is the time we ask for the things in our life we would like to increase. Timing is everything.
Deosil means clockwise motion

Law 8*

Widdershins by the waning moon,
Chanting out the baleful rune.

Lesson eight*

The wanning moon is the moon that i shrinking, aging, dying. This is the time we ask for the things we would like to decrease or let go of.
Timing is everything.
Widdershins means counter clockwise motion.

Law 9 through Law 14**

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.

When the moon   rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds   mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.

When the Wind blows from the   East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the   South, love will kiss you on the mouth.

When the wind whispers from the  West,  all hearts will find peace and rest.

Lesson nine through Lesson fourteen**

Give praise to the Goddess for new life and pray to her for gifts of spirit.
We pray to God daily for stregnth and guidance, we find special joy in the Lady on the Full moon.

Wind that blows in from the North brings a chill, in the pratical sense this means battan down the hatches, but it can also signify that a challenge arises.
Wind that blows from the East means change.

Wind that blows from the South brings gentleness and delight.  It also signifies something good or right is coming.

Wind that blows from the west calms us.

Law 15 through Law 26***

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.

Birch in   the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest  towers  with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight.  

Rowan is a  tree of  power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the  waterside stand  ready to help us to the Summerland.

Hawthorn is burned to  purify and to draw  faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and  learning adds its  strength to the bright fire burning.

White are the flowers  of Apple tree that  brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.

Fir does mark the   evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn   it not or cursed you'll be.

Lesson fifteen through Lesson twenty-six***

Honestly... we haven't done these yet.  :)  Although we have broached the tenth tree, Elder.  THis is clearly a warning to never burn the Elder branch.  So we don't.  I did some research and found that Elder contains trace quanties of cyanide.  When burnt cyanide can cause loss of consciousness and headaches within moments. 

Laws 27 through Laws 38

Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the  old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.

When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.

As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.

When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log  the  Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for  Ostara to come our way.

When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak  and Holly  to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn  Equinox does  fall.

Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed  you'll be.

Where the rippling waters goCast a stone, the truth you'll know.

Lessons twenty-seven through Lesson thirty-eight

Ah! The WIccan Holiday's!  Major and Minor sabbats.  Each celebrated in its own special way marking the change of season and the passing year. The Rede breaks these into Major and minor sabbats, but we celebrate them as they come according to the wheel of the year in the northern hemisphere.

Samhain-

Yule (winter solstice)

Imbolc

Ostara (spring equinox)

Beltane

Midsummer (summer solstice)

Lughnasadh

Mabon (autumn equinox)

We teach the children that each sabbat and esbat work according to the season.  Each has its own place and the things we can choose to work on or bring into or out of our lives.

Law 40

Heed the flower, bush, and tree By the Lady blessed you'll be.

Lesson forty

All life is sacred. All things, human, animal, plant mineral are worthy of respect and should be cared for properly.  Ourselves included!

Law 41

Where the rippling waters go Cast a stone, the truth you'll know.

Lesson forty one

This refers to water divination.  We prefer to teach our children to listen to the still small voice, to thier guides and use divination as a way to confirm what they already know.  We have not done much with divination yet.

Law 42

When you have and hold a need, Harken not to others greed.

Lesson forty-two

We don't cast for riches or material things.  If a casting must be done for an earthly purpose it must be just for what is truly needed and not something that is merely wanted.

Law 43

With a fool no season spend Nor be counted as his friend.

Lesson forty-three

Those you spend your time with show the kind of person you are. Simply put if you spend your private and free time with druggies or thieves, that is what people will see you as.  This does not mean we discredit, judge or turn away those in need who are afflicted with those things, and we may actively seek to help them specifically, but it does mean that we need to keep our minds and bodies where we want others to know who we are and what we stand for.

Law 44

Merry Meet and Merry Part Bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Lesson forty-four

More than a greeting this is what genuine friendship feels like.  A happiness to see the other and a warmth left in you when they take thier leave.

Law 45

Mind the Three-fold Law you should Three times bad and three times good.

Lesson forty-five

What you send out... comes back three times.  If you think poorly or meanly about someone, three people will think thus of you.  So what? What a sober person thinks a mad person will do. 

Law 46

When misfortune is enow Wear the star upon your brow.

Lesson forty-six

When things are not going well, hard times are upon you, something is wrong, focus inward, using your third eye or intuition to ferret out the problem.  Often we cause our own trouble, not always, but often and we should seek within ourselves and Divinity the solution.

Law 47

In love you must be ever true Unless your love is false to you.

Lesson forty-seven

We haven't even touched this one.

Law 48

Eight words the Rede fulfil
"And it harm none, do what ye will.?

Lesson forty-eight

The last line, the one most people associate with, holds value but is not offered up often in my house. It can in fact go against the preceeding lessons, such as those regarding greed and respect.  We prefer instead to say this when it is in regard to our thoughts on religion, thoughts and opinion. We keep it clean and think as we will as long as it harms no one.