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30 Days of Paganism: Day 2
Friday, 30 March 2012 23:202. Beliefs - The Threefold Rule
In essence, the Threefold Rule is the belief that whatever good or harm you do in this life will come back to you three times (either in intensity or quantity). It's often linked to the most frequently quoted stanza of The Wiccan Rede: "An it harm none, do as thou wilt." ["An" is an archaic word meaning "if," not a shortening of "and."]
My first teacher actually taught my soulsister and I that what we do comes back tenfol, which is a good rule when you're teaching teenagers (who see the world in black and white, for the most part) about ethical use of their abilities--abilities which give them an advantage other people can't always match. If you arrange for the bully to be struck by lightning, that will come back on you ten times worse; it's an effective deterrent.
However, "do no harm" is a bit less than totally practical, especially that as preached by the bunnies, who take "do no harm" to mean "you're not allowed to hurt anybody or anything, ever, for any reason"; who believe that extends to "you can only defend yourself insofar as you don't hurt your attacker." That sort of belief leaves no ro for punishment, which is vital to a healthy community: wrongdoers must be punished, and punishment hurts. It leaves no room for following the discipline of darker gods; my religion isn't all sunshine and rainbows--I worship Brigid, yes, but I also give honor to the Morrigan, and the Lady of Ravens and Wolves is a goddess of death and battle as much as or more than she's a fertility symbol. My guideline is essentially "Do no unnecessary harm." Wrongdoers must be punished and brought to justice, and sometimes justice comes at my hand or gifts. The territory, den, and pack must be defended, and I'm a wolf; sometimes the best defense is to be the last one standing.
In essence, the Threefold Rule is the belief that whatever good or harm you do in this life will come back to you three times (either in intensity or quantity). It's often linked to the most frequently quoted stanza of The Wiccan Rede: "An it harm none, do as thou wilt." ["An" is an archaic word meaning "if," not a shortening of "and."]
My first teacher actually taught my soulsister and I that what we do comes back tenfol, which is a good rule when you're teaching teenagers (who see the world in black and white, for the most part) about ethical use of their abilities--abilities which give them an advantage other people can't always match. If you arrange for the bully to be struck by lightning, that will come back on you ten times worse; it's an effective deterrent.
However, "do no harm" is a bit less than totally practical, especially that as preached by the bunnies, who take "do no harm" to mean "you're not allowed to hurt anybody or anything, ever, for any reason"; who believe that extends to "you can only defend yourself insofar as you don't hurt your attacker." That sort of belief leaves no ro for punishment, which is vital to a healthy community: wrongdoers must be punished, and punishment hurts. It leaves no room for following the discipline of darker gods; my religion isn't all sunshine and rainbows--I worship Brigid, yes, but I also give honor to the Morrigan, and the Lady of Ravens and Wolves is a goddess of death and battle as much as or more than she's a fertility symbol. My guideline is essentially "Do no unnecessary harm." Wrongdoers must be punished and brought to justice, and sometimes justice comes at my hand or gifts. The territory, den, and pack must be defended, and I'm a wolf; sometimes the best defense is to be the last one standing.
