Ethics, laws and Morals

Ethics are the principles we hold deep within ourselves that govern our choices in life, our actions, and our behavior towards others. Our ethics grow out of our most deeply held beliefs, our understanding of who and what we truly are, and our vision of our life’s’ mission and destiny.

Ethics are very different from Morals, which are rules that others impose upon us based on what they want us to do.

And neither ethics nor morals are the same as laws, which are rules, created by law-makers, for the purpose of keeping everyone in line in a smoothly functioning and governable society.


Websters New World Dictionary defines in short:

Laws: All the rules of conduct established and enforced by the authority, legislation, or customs of a given community, state or other group.

Morals: Manners or customs relating to, dealing with or capable of making the distinction between, right and wrong in conduct.

Ethics: Having to do with ethics or morality, of or conforming to moral standards of conduct of a given profession or group.

The Ordains: A set of spiritual, practical, and coven laws, ethics and morals that govern those of Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism.

The Ordains are broken down into 3 categories:
Spiritual Laws
Practical Laws
Coven Laws


Spiritual laws represent a code of ethics or morals that are guidelines for spiritual living. These spiritual laws apply to all magickal people, and most magickal people incorporate these laws into their group workings and their solitary practices.

The Wiccan / Witches Rede
3 Fold Law of Return
The Charge of the Goddess and God
The 4 powers of the Magus

I believe that there is a second set of Spiritual Laws for each person that comes from the Gods.


The Book of the Law
In April 1904 Aleister Crowley received a message from an astral entity channeled through his wife. This entity dictated The Book of the Law. It contains a rephrasing of Rabelais’s Law of Thelema “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”

Crowley clamed it actually means that one must do as one must, and nothing else. He believed that if people fully understood their true wills and follow them, they would attune themselves into harmony with the universe: and therefore could do no wrong.

Which brings us to the Wiccan Rede. First published by Gerald Gardner in Witchcraft Today. “An ye harm none, do as ye will”

Karma is the Hindu term for the cosmic principle of cause and effect, which holds that for every action in life there is a reaction. Good is returned by good, evil is returned by evil. This is known in Paganism as The Tree fold Law. What you send out for good or bad will return to you times three.

It has been said by many. The Golden Rule. The most fundamental ethical precept. “Do as you would be done by”

Different Religions have put this idea into many ways of looking at it, but at the root, at the core it is all the same no matter how you fraze it.

Do unto another what you would have him do unto you, and do not do unto another what you would not have him do unto you. Thou needest this law alone. It is the foundation of all the rest.
The Analects of Confucius

Do nothing unto others, which would cause you, pain done unto you.
Hindu 3.000 years ago

Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful
Ubana – Varga 5:18 Buddhist

We should conduct ourselves toward others, as we would have them act toward us.
Aristotle (Ancient Greek)

Do not do to others what you would not like others to do to you
Rabbi Hillel (Judaism)

Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
The Bible, Matthew 7:12 (Christian)


Practical Laws are the blossoms of experience from those who have practiced the Religion before you. Not all of the practical laws will apply to every person. Once again think of these laws as guidelines.

The Principles of Belief
The Book of the Laws
The Black Vail
The Code of Chivalry
The Witches Rede of Chivalry



Coven Laws or Craft Laws, belongs to groups of hierarchy, mostly of these laws do not apply to the Witch practicing alone.

Coven Laws fall into two categories. Laws created for Traditional government and those laws for each group or coven.

Traditional Laws, laws that govern a specific Tradition:
Triads of the Druids
The Rede of Honor
The Covenant of Aradia


By-Laws or Compacts, created by current organizations, groups or covens.

The laws created by each group may not contradict the general Traditional laws, but seek to enhance the organization and assist in creating a harmonious balance among the group’s members.



Books used for this Class:

Teen Witch
To Light a Sacred Flame by Silver RavenWolf

The Book of Shadows by Lady Sheba
A Grimoire of Shadows
The Rites of Odin by Ed Finch
The Gospel of Aradia by Charles Leland
Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
Paganism by Joyce and River Higginbotham
Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura